MARFA MYTHS 2019 Announces Initial Lineup (feat. Annette Peacock, The Spacelady, Cass McCombs + more)

Marfa Myths was founded back in 2014, a joint project of the Brooklyn label, Mexican Summer, and contemporary arts foundation, Ballroom Marfa.  Referred to as “an annual music festival and multidisciplinary cultural program,” the event has maintained its focus on “bringing[ing] together a diversity of emerging and established artists and musicians to work creatively and collaboratively across music, film, and visual arts contexts” throughout its first 5 years in existence.  Today the initial lineup for next year’s fest has just been released and, if this preview is any indication of what’s to come, they may, very well, be on par to top anything that they’ve achieved up until this point.

Marfa Myths takes its name from its location of Marfa, Texas, and as the official website explains, “the festival is inherently embedded in the landscape of Far West Texas, and deeply engaged with Marfa’s cultural history and present-day community.”  To be completely honest, we have absolutely no idea about Marfa‘s cultural history OR its present-day community; all that I ever knew was that it was in Texas and, as a bearded brown man that isn’t a tremendous fan of law enforcement, or deep red states, it has likely created a subconscious aversion in me ever wanting to travel there, unless absolutely necessary.  What we do know about the festival’s dedication to it’s local talent is that they have scheduled highly eclectic Houston-based groove trio, Khruangbin, who have experienced somewhat of a meteoric rise this year, while drawing liberally from various musical influences from around the globe; such as Thai funk, Gospel, hip hop, Afghani music, and pre-revolutionary Iranian psych.  Thoroughly representing the local music culture is Radio DJ, Houston legend, and Swishahouse Records (Paul Wall, Lil Keke, Mike Jones, Slim Thug, Chamillionaire, etc) co-founder, OG Ron C, who will be performing with his crew of chopped and screwed DJs, The Chopstars.  Also featured will be up-and-comers like Dallas-via-Buffalo experimental soul artist, Jon Bap; Austin songwriter, Jess Williamson; and Austin-based Latin psych/funk outfit, Money Chicha, which is comprised of members from Grammy-winning Grupo Fantasma and its offshoot, Brownout.

Texas has long been known for hosting some of the best music and arts festivals anywhere, but they are typically relegated to the Austin vicinity (Fun Fun Fun, Austin City Limits, Levitation, SXSW, etc), with smaller, yet impressive, events like 35 Denton and Houston’s Day For Night, popping up in other select areas of the Lone Star State.  I guess what I’m saying is that, with such a reputable history in that department, I might react a bit too dismissively to the idea of catching a music festival in Texas.  That being said, the issue is really much bigger than the location, itself — the idea of music festivals, in general, is something that I’ve become increasingly less interested in, as time goes on.  And it’s not that Marfa Myths was entirely off of our radar — I was definitely aware of its existence, although I’m not sure if I previously knew that Mexican Summer was behind it — but it wasn’t until earlier this year that it really caught my attention to where I finally recognized it as something working to operate outside of the same old tired festival format that we’ve become accustomed to.  This realization came with their third release in a series of EPs that sees a Mexican Summer artist collaborating with artists that they have an admiration for.  Myths 003 brought together Swedish pastoral psych-folk group, Dungen, with Brooklyn‘s Woods.  Not only did the merger between their sounds  meld together seamlessly, and with stellar results, but it demonstrated that spirit of collaboration that the festival stresses in their mission statement.  I can only comment from the perspective of someone who has never actually attended Marfa Myths, but it truly seems as if the festival was created to meet a need, or mission, rather than the other way around.

This is only the initial lineup announcement, but it leads off with a handful of names that, by themselves, are enough to make me start considering travel plans.  Annette Peacock is a legend and pioneer in the worlds of avant-garde jazz and electronic music, who I never expected to have the opportunity to see live.  Similarly surprising is the inclusion of outsider artist/street performer, The Space Lady (Susan Dietrich), who initially gained notoriety for playing her spaced-out ethereal covers of pop songs, and originals like “Synthesize Me” on her Casio (and, previously, on an accordion), while donning a plastic, winged helmet with a light on top.  Additionally, is the late-60s/early-70s DIY Swedish transcendental psych unit, Träd, Gräs och Stenar, who were well ahead of their time and have, in recent years, reformed to include Dungen guitarist, Reine Fiske.  Fitting firmly among this group is experimental post-punk musician/journalist, Vivian Goldman.

Rounding out this early announcement are more contemporary acts like Deerhunter; Cass McCombs; Tim Hecker & The Konoyo Ensemble; Egypt‘s Nadah El Shazly; experimental electronic artist, Photay; bewildering Trinidadian-born lo-fi R&B anomaly, Superstar & Star; and sound designer, Emily A. Sprague.  Comedy will also be incorporated this year, with the first announcement being the team of Kate Berlant & John Early.  As for the “recording artists in residence,” which will be collaborating together as Dungen and Woods had previously, Marfa Myths will pair Tim Presley (aka White Fence) with Drugdealer, the project of Michael Collins.  Finally, one of the most intriguing aspects arrives in the form of the scheduled visual artists.  Along with the “The visual artist in residence,” Natalie Anne Howard., who designed the flyer above, musicians, Connan Mockasin and Cate Le Bon are set to operate as the festival’s respective “painter” and “wood worker” in residence.

The following details come via the press release and are followed by the official announcement video.

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This year designated proceeds will benefit Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA), a nonprofit law firm that serves 68 counties in Southwest Texas. TRLA helps low-income clients find safety, protect their fundamental rights, and preserve their economic stability.

Weekend passes for all Marfa Myths events, excluding the standalone closing night at Crowley Theater, are available for purchase here.  Early bird discount tickets are now sold out.

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All things considered, this looks like a pretty damn good festival, and this goes for more than just this mindblowing early lineup announcement.  For so many of us, the idea of another music festival can shut us off immediately.  It’s something that I’ve noticed in others, whenever I try to speak to them about events like Pickathon or Treefort Fest, which have won me over and that I believe to be the exceptions to the standard overcrowded and overpriced festival misery.  These are environments that you have to experience for yourself to understand, because they operate in a way that I tend to refer to as “anti-festivals.”  Everything that you hate is missing.  What sets them apart is a clear and unique vision, one that’s places the focus on highlighting/showcasing talent and providing an experience that extends beyond stuffing the founders’s pockets with corporate money, and packing attendees into uncomfortable crowds to witness marquee names with a little bit of hype behind them.  It may be premature for me to try and assess a festival that I’ve never attended before, based on a preliminary announcement — additional lineup info to arrive early next year — but, I do get the feeling that Marfa Myths may be among those rare exceptions that find themselves on that exclusive list of music festivals that are actually worth a shit.  It’s rare that I see an announcement that grabs my attention, at all, and this one has the potential to be about as intriguing as it gets.  Plus, I really enjoy the idea that, as some of the larger festivals begins to struggle and fade away, it will be these projects constructed from a more genuine place will be what replaces them.  Or… at the very least, I like seeing things ascend that support the type of junk that I like.