During the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass weekend, Farmer Dave Scher opened a small show at Oakland’s New Parish on October 1. Joining Farmer Dave were indie-folk veterans Simon Joyner and Jonathan Wilson.
Farmer Dave played a set including most of his songs from his first album, Flash Forward to the Good Times. Scher said of his experience playing at the small club: “It’s great to play at some big venues like when I was here in May [at Oakland’s Fox Theatre], but the vibe that you get at the smaller clubs really makes it a warmer experience. It’s a different energy, and really makes me feel—and I hope the audience, too—the music on a more personal level.”
Scher’s set was fantastically cosmic to say the least. The wave effect that makes his music so popular was more evident that night. Despite a brief glitch that shortened his effects for list last song, “Surfs Out Sunset,” Scher was quick to explain his thinking behind his groovy effects: “It’s all about getting into the zone. I’ve been surfing and doing a lot more yoga recently and I found that to get into something, you really just gotta find that vibe, whether it be music or sports or even studying for a test. I was trying to emulate that concept with my music and I found that the waves were the best way to do that.”
Following Scher was Simon Joyner, who played a very intimate set, using most of the songs he performed at Hardly Strictly. His set included a few new songs as well, like “Medicine Blues.” A surprise was the guest appearance of Jason Boesel, formerly of the band Rilo Kiley, on the drums.
Several other well-respected musicians who had played at the weekend’s Hardly Strictly Blue Grass Festival were in attendance at the show. Included were Gillian Welch, Dave Rawlings, and Kurt Vile.
To close out the night, Jonathan Wilson played a final set. The songs started off more reserved, but got progressively more energetic as the night wore on. Farmer Dave Scher joined for the last few songs, playing his Hawaiian pedal steel that got him onto the music scene in collaborations with Jenny Lewis and Interpol.
“It’s all about having fun. At the end of the day that’s what you gotta do,” Scher concluded. “Tonight was all about just hanging out and having a good time with the friends, and I know we accomplished that goal.”
Below are recordings from the concert:
Surf’s Out Sunset
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Feel Me Baby
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Babl’one Nights
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You Pick Me Up
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