Faun Fables

2025-06-05T15:21:08Z

151.251.249.98: folk rock psychedelic rock

{{Short description|American band based in Oakland, California}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Faun Fables
| image = Faun Fables-20090925-1640-UFRAW-scaled.png
| caption = Dawn McCarthy and Nils Frykdahl
| background = group_or_band
| origin = [[Oakland, California]], United States
| years_active = 1999–present
| genre = [[folk rock]] [[Art rock]] [[Psychedelic rock]] [[Theatre]] [[Performance art]]
| label = [[Drag City (record label)|Drag City]]
| current_members = Dawn McCarthy [[Nils Frykdahl]]
| past_members = Jenya Chernoff Matt Lebofsky
}}

'''Faun Fables''' is an American band based in [[Oakland, California|Oakland]], [[California]]. Faun Fables is a concept and vehicle for Dawn McCarthy, who was inspired to write the original material while traveling after leaving the New York City music scene in 1997.<ref name=dawn>{{cite web|url=http://www.faunfables.com/about/ |title=The history of Faun Fables, home of Dawn McCarthy and Nils Frykdahl |publisher=Faunfables.com |date= |accessdate=2013-03-02}}</ref> Faun Fables also covers 20th century compositions by other songwriters and traditional folk songs. The music on the first album is entirely by McCarthy, as are all lyrics and most of the music on ''Mother Twilight''. All albums except for the first are collaborations with [[Nils Frykdahl]], inspired by McCarthy's previous work and "Dawn the Faun" [[stage (theatre)|stage]] [[Persona#The Persona in psychology|persona]].

==Collaborations==
Main collaborator Nils Frykdahl is known for his work with [[Sleepytime Gorilla Museum]] and [[Idiot Flesh]].
Faun Fables albums and shows also feature collaborations with:
* Family members - sister Sheila Bosco ([[Autobody (band)|Autobody]]; Drumhead; [[Flaming Fire]]; zBug), brother Brian McCarthy, and mother Michelina Tyrie;
* Matt Waldron of 'irr. app. (ext.)'
* Robin Coomer of 'Loop!Station'
* Kirana Peyton of Blackbird Stitches;
* Isabel Douglass of Rupa & the April Fishes;
* [[Noe Venable]];
* [[Will Oldham]];
* Dan Rathbun of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum (bass guitar)

==Performance==
McCarthy's performances draw on many influences, including [[Great Britain|British]], [[Scandinavia]]n, [[Appalachia]]n and [[Eastern Europe]]an music. Her shows often contain elements of theater—dance and puppet shows are common elements. She has covered songs of [[Ewa Demarczyk]] and [[Brigitte Fontaine]], and her music has been compared to neo-psych-folk artists such as [[Devendra Banhart]] and [[Current 93]].

===The Transit Rider===
This is an ambitious performance and multimedia documentation of a [[song cycle]] entitled ''[[The Transit Rider]]''.

==Discography==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="background:#efefef;" | Release
! style="background:#efefef;" | Title
! style="background:#efefef;" | Label
! style="background:#efefef;" | Extra info
|- style="background:#f0f8ff;"
|1999
|''[[Early Song]]''
|(unofficial)
|Reissue: August 24, 2004; [[Drag City (record label)|Drag City]]
|- style="background:#f0f8ff;"
|2001
|''[[Mother Twilight]]''
|Earthlight
|Reissue: August 24, 2004; Drag City
|- style="background:#f0f8ff;"
|February 24, 2004
|''[[Family Album (Faun Fables album)|Family Album]]''
|Drag City
|
|- style="background:#f0f8ff;"
|March 16, 2006
|''[[The Transit Rider]]''
|Drag City
|Music from the Stage Performance
|- style="background:#f0f8ff;"
|October 19, 2010
|''Light of a Vaster Dark''
|Drag City
|Music from the Stage Performance
|- style="background:#f0f8ff;"
|July 22, 2016
|''Born of the Sun''
|Drag City
|
|- style="background:#f0f8ff;"
|Spring 2021
|''Elfrida''
|Fiddler's Green
|One-song 7" flexi-disk, bundled within the magazine "Tales from Fiddler's Green 1"
|
|- style="background:#f0f8ff;"
|October 7, 2022
|''Live in Norway''
|
|Self released on Bandcamp
|}

==Members==

===Current===
* Dawn McCarthy: composer, vocals, guitars, percussion, stomping, autoharp, gamelan
* Nils Frykdahl: composer, guitars, flutes, vocals, percussion, autoharp, broom

===Former===
* Sheila Bosco: vocals, percussion
* Kirana Peyton: bass, vocals, percussion, harmonium
* Meredith Yayanos: violin, theremin, vocals, percussion
'''''The Transit Rider North America Tour 2006:'''''
* [[Jenya Chernoff]]: ''drums, bass guitar, vocals''
* [[Matt Lebofsky]]: ''guitar, bass guitar, warr guitar, vocals''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.faunfables.com/ Official Faun Fables web site]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Drag City (record label) artists]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1999]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Oakland, California]]
[[Category:Psychedelic folk groups]]
[[Category:Freak folk]]
[[Category:1999 establishments in California]]

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Faun Fables