This past Tuesday night, I had the great privilege to see "Fiction Family". The word that my roommate used to describe it was "epic" and i wholeheartedly believe that this might be the best word to describe the indescribable. Fiction family at it's roots is Sean Watkins, whom you may know from Nickelcreek, and Jon Foreman, lead man of Switchfoot. The band started when Jon and Sean ran into each other at the local north San Diego county coffee shop, and decided it would be fun to write a song or two together. They eventually had enough material to make a record, and the record eventually became a reality. The band originally was going to be named "The Real Sean-Jon" (hilarious) but their conscious (aka their managers) encouraged them to opt for another name, thus the band became known as Fiction Family.
The concert began with opener Molly Jenson. She was a fellow friend of Jon and Sean's from the San Diego area. She just used her voice and acoustic guitar to play what was unexpectantly pleasant music. In between songs she was whitey and engaged the audience which is always a plus from my perspective at a show. (See picture below)
When Fiction Family came out, they played a majority of the songs on their newly released album, but also played some unexpected tunes. The variety of music that they played was appreciated, the instrumentation was incredible and their stage presence was refreshing. One of the songs they did as a cover was Idioteque by Radiohead. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that it was the best Radiohead cover I've ever heard and I liked it better than the original (woh!) Another pleasant surprise was that Jon was able to do a few of his own songs off his solo ep's. "Your Love is Strong" was one that he chose to sing. At this point my roommate Savz and I looked at each other. After both having a difficult week it was as if we were being ministered to.
Along for the west coast tour was Sean Watkin's sister, Sara Watkins. Now, I've seen quite a few fiddle players before, but none like Sara. Her fiddling was out of this world. Sean and Sara were able to do a brief jam session involving intricate guitar picking and fiddle playing. It literally blew my mind musically. Sara was also able to do one song of her own off a new CD that will be out in April. I will be sure to give that a listen.To bring the show to a close, Jon remarked "If you guys want a encore you have to sing "Hey Jude". Thus, the entire crowd instantly sang the Beatles' Classic in the "Key of E". I find encores a little bit annoying, especially when they are planned, so this was refreshing and clever.
Basically, concert was refreshing. It ministered to me in a way that was unique. It inspired me musically. It has inspired me to continue to look for music that is "inspirational" in ways that are unique, positive, and innovative. And it has reassured me that I still have immense respect for the brilliant and eloquent Jon Foreman and look forward to the music and lyrics that will come forth next.
