Megafaun

A conversation with Phil Cook

(April 2010)

Interview by Adam McKibbin

2009 was a great year for the young men of Megafaun. Their folksy but foreward-thinking album Gather, Form & Fly seemed to be loved by just about everyone who took a listen. Of course, they had a hook that opened some doors; they were the other dudes from Justin Vernon's pre-Bon Iver band: Eau Claire, Wisconsin's very own DeYarmond Edison. But while that bit of biography may have made some folks listen to Megafaun, it didn't make them like Megafaun; the songs are always on their own in that regard (unless you're Lady Gaga, in which case songs are somewhat supplemental).

So after a big year, what to do about 2010? Rest? Fat chance. Guided by something that I'm going to call their Wisconsin-bred work ethic, Megafaun has not only been continuing to tour like crazy, but also are putting out a six-track EP of songs, Heretofore, recorded during a brief respite between tours. And then they're set to record their next proper album in the fall.

Phil Cook checked in with The Red Alert to talk about Heretofore, Megafaun's surprise relationship with horses and the Los Angeles Lakers, and the glories of "Comprovisation."

How well can you guys ride those horses from the publicity shots?

Oh man, we're terrible. We took about 250 shots on two different
cameras that day. The only picture that didn't show our absolute
inexperience and abject fear is the one you know.

Let’s talk about the new track and upcoming EP. You guys obviously
built some good momentum with Gather, Form and Fly and the shows
you’ve played in support of that album. What made you decide to go
with a six-track EP rather than a full-length for 2010? It seems like
EPs can go a little under the radar sometimes, though there also isn’t
such pressure to pick up the torch from a previous record.

We wanted to keep up the momentum we've gathered from last year. It
was an awesome year. We saw a window in January and February to make some type of recording. A new studio in Raleigh opened up and the engineer is building quite a reputation in a hurry. We've already
made time in the fall for make our next full length, so making a
shorter statement to bridge the gap seemed natural.


Whether on record or on stage, spontaneity has played a big part in
the Megafaun sound. How much of the EP was carefully planned out
going in and how much was constructed in the moment in the studio?

It was almost entirely built on spontaneous moments in the studio.
We started writing together the first Monday of January and we came up
with five skeletal forms. The next Monday we were already in the
studio recording. We spent the whole first day improvising, knowing
that the material would somehow be used on the record. We realized,
later, that the first 12 minutes of those recordings had something
special about them. We decided to use that improvisation, unedited,
and decorated it with piano, strings, and horns. We composed around
the improvisation and called it a Comprovisation. In retrospect, the
whole process was made at such a pace that we didn't have time to
second guess our decisions. We had to trust our gut and therefore, I
think there's a purity to the songs that people will hear pretty
clearly.


You guys have been touring constantly, and when you weren’t touring,
you recorded Heretofore. No matter how much you love it, touring can
be a grind and you can get sick of your own songs after playing them a few hundred times. What are some Megafaun tricks for keeping fresh and sane on the road?

Good question. Our first year had us touring on five songs. Somehow we made it work. The songs always change shape over time and basing our music on spontaneity lets us surprise ourselves often enough to keep it all interesting and inspiring.

As you guys have made the rounds, are there any places you feel you
have yet to crack? Or places where you’ve been surprised to find a
pocket of rabid fans?

Still feeling all that stuff out, as this is our first headlining tour. I always feel that folks in smaller cities and towns appreciate performers a lot. Hopefully, we'll expand from the major cities in the next few years. We just played a show in Toronto and were blown away at the potency and dedication of the crowd. We've played Toronto like four times and never had a crowd like that before.

I’m from Wisconsin and my two best friends are from Eau Claire. Even
though I’ve been gone for a decade, I’m still excited to see bands
with Wisconsin roots do well – and I suspect I always will. What do
you miss most about the Midwest… and what do you prefer most about the South?

Water. I miss being surrounded by lakes and rivers. It took me a
while to figure that out after moving to North Carolina. Something
just felt off and I realized one day that water isn't a part of my
daily scenery. As someone who's always needed a bit more time to get
things done, the pacing of life in the South is pretty unbeatable. I
thought I'd miss the autumn color change in the Midwest, but it turns
out that autumn in NC is twice as long, as is the color change. Love
that. Also, the mountains and the ocean are wonderful.

I read an interview with Brad where he talks about following the
Lakers from the road. I’m sure that some of my fellow Angelenos would be grateful, by how the hell does someone with roots in Wisconsin and North Carolina start cheering for Kobe & Co.?

It's a family thing. Our uncle Steve did his medical residency out
in LA back in the seventies. He brought that Laker pride back to
Chippewa Falls, WI, and his love of the game and the team really rubbed
off on Brad at an early age. Steve took Brad to his first Laker game
in 1990 when Brad was 10.

You guys have always seemed happy to give props to fellow travelers / bands that have caught your ears. Here we are in April 2010 – who are you excited about?

Soooooo many bands. North Carolina is blowing up! When the new Love Language record comes out, it's going to level people. Mount Moriah's new record sounds like a young Emmylou Harris fronting Fleetwood Mac. On other fronts, the band we're touring the US with currently is called Breathe Owl Breathe and they're simply fantastic. We've grown close pretty quickly.