REVIEW: J Fernandez in the 7th Street Entry 12/9

An engaged, rapt audience welcomed Chicago-based artist J Fernandez back to Minneapolis Wednesday night, his first visit since opening for Unknown Mortal Orchestra at the Triple Rock last June.

Over the last few years, Fernandez has been quietly building a treasure trove of recorded material–two EPs in 2012, an EP in 2014, and this year’s debut full length Many Levels of Laughter, released in June on Joyful Noise Recordings. Although his history as a bedroom recording artist has earned him a reputation of an introspective DIY-er, Fernandez and his band delivered a sharp, confident performance Wednesday night. Playing a wide range of material spanning Fernandez’s entire back catalogue, Fernandez and his band focused largely on the groovy, upbeat tunes, with just a few exceptions (the slightly meandering “Malleable” being one of them).“ Highlights were "Casual Encounter,” whose repetitive organ lines and vocal pleas were thoughtfully countered by artful guitar outbursts; and a heart-wrenching rendition of “Image,” whose high range vocals and killer guitar solo were among the most emotive of the set.

Lyrically, so much of Fernandez’s work seems to be about life on the periphery: listening through walls and behind doors, forgetting faces, failing to communicate, and fading away. Yet live, the physicality of Fernandez and company lends an assured weight, a self-awareness to the music. Live, it becomes clear this work is really about the confidence of memory; artful resilience as an antidote to isolation.

Fernandez kept banter between songs to a minimum, with the exception of a couple humorous interjections including an audience poll rating his recent self-given haircut (the consensus: maybe a little uneven in the back but otherwise pretty sharp!). Fernandez has built a small but dedicated and diverse following – I overheard audience conversations on punk, metal, psych rock, and folk. Fernandez’s influences are just as varied – he cites early electronic music, Can, Yo La Tengo, and Jim O'Rourke as influences, and It was not difficult to hear these diverse influences coming through tonight. One might also hold his semi-baroque, groovy stylings next to fellow 2015 breakout artists Jacco Gardner and Jaakko Eino Kalevi.

Fernandez and his band treated fans to an encore set of 2012’s “Fading Out,” ending the set on a melancholy note. Featuring a sparse, baroque guitar line and muted vocals, this simple arrangement was a perfect note on which to end–a meditation on time, impermanence, and the imperfection of our day to day lives.

Opening were Twin Cities bands Panther Ray and The Awful Truth. Panther Ray started the night off with a quick, energetic 30-minute set of wide ranging psych pop grooves. Their layered vocals alluded to a grittier Joanna Gruesome, their fiery guitars and propelling bass line perhaps channelling a poppier Moon Duo. Minneapolis folk rockers The Awful Truth delivered the second opening set of mostly new material that, like their strongest track, “let the light in slowly.” Lead vocalist Brent Colbert is the most compelling part of this group–his warm, subtly emotive tenor is a great match for the soothing instrumentation of the band which prominently features cello on many tracks.

[Photo Credit: Kaitlin Frick]

J Fernandez Setlist:
Between the Channels
Casual Encounter
Holy Hesitation
Memorize Now
No Luck
Read My Mind
Souvenirs
Jewelry Watches Gold
Image
Malleable

Encore
Fading Out (2012 EP)


Review by Kaitlin Frick

J Fernandez
with Panther Ray and The Awful Truth
Wednesday, December 9 2015
7th St. Entry

Posted 3 years ago