Thank You, Flock of Dimes

That Time I Saw One of the Best Shows of My Life and Met My Favorite Musician

   

       

The other night I was treated to one of the coolest live music experiences of my life, and I got to meet my favorite musician, Jenn Wasner. For context, I have a Last.FM account and there is no band or artist that I have listened to more since March of 2008 than Wye Oak.

Flock of Dimes played in someone’s (super nice) West Hollywood backyard on Monday night. There were probably 30-40 people in attendance, and Jenn (not to be overly familiar) worked the merch table and talked to fans like myself the whole time that she wasn’t performing. Even though the performance isn’t the focus of this, it was amazing. The translation of the songs into a two-person, live format was incredibly successful. Her voice is better live than it is on the records, which is saying A LOT. Big props to Alan Good Parker for his great guitar and pedal steel work. He and Jenn Wasner both were fantastic. A small thing, but I totally geeked out over seeing that guitar with the wonderful black and white patterned face in person. It was a truly magical performance in a remarkably beautiful and intimate setting.

Anyway. I highly doubt that she will see it, but I really wanted to write this to send a big “thank you, Jenn” out into the ether for being so kind, humble, and generous with her time. Speaking with her was inspiring. This was particularly true when I asked her about the major transition in Wye Oak’s sound between the albums Civilian and Shriek through the context of an article I once read where she opened up about her struggles during that period of time. Her response was very meaningful to me as someone who struggles with anxiety and is trying to figure myself out in creating work of my own, though in my case as a hobbyist with a longshot dream.

She told me about all the stress that she was feeling after Civilian to make a “certain kind of record.” The pressure of generating a sound that both honored what she wanted to do and sounded like Civilian’s follow-up was “supposed to” (this is me paraphrasing and hopefully not taking too much license as the exact words escape me). This quandary generated a major block and a great deal of anxiety.

Part of my question to her was stating that it really seemed like she “found something” and “what was that thing?” Her answer was a realization that she had to stop giving a fuck about any of that external stuff. She had to decide to make the album that she wanted to make and to embrace the joy over the pressure. It may be tried and true, but speaking to someone who has truly stared down the barrel of that kind of choice with real stakes involved makes it so powerful. She gambled on herself and on doing what she loved. I really believe that this is something we should all take with us.

If you haven’t listened to it, you can kind of hear the fruits of that choice in Shriek and hearing her speak on it really drove home a feeling that I’ve always had. It feels very introspective, and the sounds are so… alive in a way of speaking. Not only did Shriek go away from big guitars, but it ushered in wonderful use of electronics and a more groove-based sound. She transitioned to bass which she plays with excellent instincts and obviously incredible skill. The singing also has “more oxygen” if you can make sense of the translation. There is a oneness and peace in that record that is hard to articulate.

This is far from a knock on the older stuff which is what made me a fan back in 2008 or 9. Civilian is my favorite record of the 2010 decade, and I love The Knot nearly the same amount (not to skip mentioning If Children and My Neighbor/My Creator which are wonderful as well), but I love that evolution very much and the continued progression that has played out in Wye Oak’s catalog and her other projects going forward. The Flock of Dimes records, for instance, are both fantastic and I highly recommend them.

I could go on and on about it, but we can’t put artists in boxes. We need to let them grow because while ‘new’ might take a moment to get used to, when you hear the freedom in those works, it’s truly special.

Anyway, apologies for the digression.

I briefly told her about my own creative struggles, working in a career that is 180 from what I really love to do and the difficulties of pursuing my dreams. She, after reminding me that the future is a blank slate, encouraged me to keep finding the time to work on what gives me joy. To do it for myself and for the love of it. That’s what a good life is about, isn’t it? You do what you have to do, but always ‘come home’ to live for the things you love. I’m going to keep all of that with me.

On a separate, but very informative and cool note, I was able to ask her about “how to be a good consumer in the current music market.” This is something that both my wife and I struggle with. We both have Spotify and find it conflicting because of the problematic pay scales. Turns out that she has it and feels the conflict too. Her advice, as someone who has skin in the game, is to go ahead and use Spotify (or Apple, Tidal, etc.), but if something resonates with you buy it. If an artist that you enjoy tours in your area, go. Support by showing up.

Further on the topic, though not from her, I had a Twitter conversation with The Bowerbirds years ago and they told me that the best way to put money in artist’s pockets is to buy merch directly from them if it’s possible. Use Spotify, but buy yourself a shirt, or pick up the onesie they had just put out for a baby in your life.

Finally, I was able to confirm, skeptically, that Wye Oak indeed not intentionally schedule their dates near me on their most recent tours on my wife’s birthday and our anniversary respectively. She sounded sincere. I mostly believe her.

If you happen to see this, thank you again so much Jenn and Alan. It was a magical evening. The best show I’ve been to in a very, VERY long time.