Megafaun is an American

psychedelic folk Psychedelic folk (sometimes acid folk or freak folk) is a loosely defined form of psychedelia that originated in the 1960s. It retains the largely acoustic instrumentation of folk, but adds musical elements common to psychedelic music. Chara ...

band based in

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county *Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in No ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

.Mongillo, Peter (2010) "Megafaun relaxes into headlining slot", ''

Austin American-Statesman The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is owned by Gannett. The paper prints Associated Press, ''New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', and ''Los Angeles Times'' internation ...

'', April 27, 2010, p. D02

History

Brothers Brad Cook (bass, guitar) and Phil Cook (keyboards) are from

Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin Chippewa Falls is a city located on the Chippewa River in Chippewa County in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 14,778 in the 2021 census. Incorporated as a city in 1869, it is the county seat of Chippewa Cou ...

, and Joe Westerlund (percussion) is from

Eau Claire, Wisconsin Eau Claire (; ) (French for "clear water") is a city mostly located in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat, and with a small portion in Chippewa County, Wisconsin. It had a population of 69,421 in 2020, making it the stat ...

. They first met at the

H.O.R.D.E. Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere or H.O.R.D.E. Festival was a touring summer rock music festival originated by the musical group Blues Traveler in 1992. In addition to travelling headliners, the festival gave exposure to bands, charities, a ...

festival in 1997, and played together in various combinations, including in

DeYarmond Edison DeYarmond Edison is the former band of the members of Bon Iver, Megafaun, and Field Report. Guitarist and vocalist Justin Vernon went on to create Bon Iver; three members (Brad Cook: bass, guitar; Phil Cook: keyboards, banjo; Joe Westerlund: Per ...

with

Justin Vernon Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon (born April 30, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the primary songwriter and frontman of indie folk band Bon Iver. Known for his distinct falsetto voic ...

.Jarnow, Jesse (2009)
Megafaun's ''Gather, Form & Fly''
, ''

Independent Weekly ''Indy Week'', formerly known as the ''Independent Weekly'' and originally the ''North Carolina Independent'', is a tabloid-format alternative weekly newspaper published in Durham, North Carolina, United States, and distributed throughout the Res ...

'', July 15, 2009, retrieved 2011-05-27 After that band broke up in 2006, Vernon went on to record a solo project ''

For Emma, Forever Ago ''For Emma, Forever Ago'' is the debut studio album by American indie folk band Bon Iver. It was first self-released in July 2007, and later saw wide release on the Jagjaguwar label in February 2008. The album is principally the work of singer-son ...

'' as

Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, ''For Emma, Forever Ago,'' independently in July 2007. The majority of the album was recorded while Vernon ...

, and Westerlund and Brad and Phil Cook formed Megafaun. Megafaun's first release was ''Bury the Square'' in 2008, on which the band were described as " oingaway with Edison's polite experimentation in favor of full-bore concrète music, harsh noise salvos, and wild free-jazz interventions".Howe, Brian (2008)
Megafaun ''Bury the Square''
,

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

, September 9, 2008, retrieved 2011-05-27 The group's second album, ''Gather, Form & Fly'', was released in 2009 on the Hometapes label. It was described by

as "a headily absorbing, occasionally unsettling listen",Deusner, Stephen M. (2009)
Megafaun ''Gather, Form & Fly''
,

, July 24, 2009, retrieved 2011-05-27 and by

Drowned in Sound ''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums. History ''D ...

as "a tapestry of sound collages and a freedom with form which creates a richly textured whole".Perry, Kevin E.G. (2009)
Megafaun ''Gather, Form and Fly''
",

, October 19, 2009, retrieved 2011-05-27 A third album, ''Heretofore'', was released in 2010.Thurston, Jason
Megafaun Biography
,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, retrieved 2011-05-27 The self-titled ''Megafaun'' was released in 2011. Producer Nick Sanborn played bass with Megafaun. Megafaun has toured with

the Mountain Goats The Mountain Goats are an American band formed in Claremont, California, by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. The band is currently based in Durham, North Carolina. For many years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats was Darnielle, despite the ...

Bowerbirds Bowerbirds () make up the bird family Ptilonorhynchidae. They are renowned for their unique courtship behaviour, where males build a structure and decorate it with sticks and brightly coloured objects in an attempt to attract a mate. The family ...

Akron/Family Akron/Family were an American folk-influenced experimental rock band active from 2002 to 2013. Former members have lived in Portland, Oregon; Los Angeles, California; and Joshua Tree, California. Music and history Though each member of the band� ...

, and in April 2012, The Drive-by Truckers, Damien Jurado (August 2012) among others. The band released its first music video, produced by the art collective Sirocco Research Labs, to promote the single "Carolina Days" on

Pitchfork.tv ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

during the spring of 2011. They played with

Arnold Dreyblatt Arnold Dreyblatt (born 1953) is an American composer, performance artist and visual artist. Biography Arnold Dreyblatt was born in 1953 in New York City. His mother, Lucille Wallenrod (1918–1998), was a painter. He started his studies at ...

at the third annual

Hopscotch Music Festival Hopscotch Music Festival is an annual three-day music festival in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. With more than 120 bands, Hopscotch is known for adventurous lineups, memorable performances, and a fan-friendly atmosphere. From ...

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

, which took place September 6–8, 2012. In October 2012, Megafaun announced on their website that they were going on indefinite hiatus "to re-tool the shed, so to speak."

Discography

;Albums * ''Bury the Square'' (2008), Table of the Elements * ''Gather, Form & Fly'' (2009), Hometapes * ''Heretofore'' (2010), Hometapes * ''Megafaun'' (2011), Hometapes

References

External links

Megafaun
{{Authority control Northern Spy Records artists American folk musical groups Musical groups from North Carolina Psychedelic folk groups Freak folk