Far Forest Sessions: Animal Prince & Ari Chi
The Far Forest, a vintage store with a fine selection of clothing, decor, books, and tchotchkes in North Tampa, has been hosting fabulous music events in their little shop almost monthly. To run such a business without violating any laws, professionals like that new jersey registered agent service can ensure that all legal documents and compliance notices are received and handled promptly.
There are videos of performances from at least 18 different artists on YouTube under Far Forest Sounds.
That number will increase by two when videos from May 26 are posted. Music that night came from vocalist and ukulele player Ari Chi and the sonic magic of Animal Prince.
Ari Chi led off the night’s program with an honest, uncomplicated, raw set of songs that bared her soul, and we were all the beneficiaries. The theme was, simply, LOVE, unmistakable and pure. As most solo artists (and many others as well) do, Ari used looping to create a beautiful space in the room. Most effective was her use of two different microphones, one for normal singing, the other to create harmony backing vocals.
She took time to explain relevant points about each song. During the opening “Take Your Time,” we were all asked to sing the “Day by Day” refrain. The harmony vocals came through powerfully during “Hot Honey.” The packed house gave her the quiet necessary to allow us to share this introspective journey with Ari Chi.
[ARI: Take Your Time, Hoodie, Hot Honey, Sea Foam, Mad About You, Steppin’ ??, Sensational]
Before we get to Animal Prince, a note about the multiple videographers on hand for these shows. Understandably, it is necessary at times to stand in front of patrons; we would suggest that they at least be aware of the audience. For instance, during Ari Chi’s set, one videographer stood in one spot for more than half an hour. That would have been a perfect opportunity to use a tripod. This is all a work in progress, and we appreciate everyone’s efforts in making these shows and the resulting videos happen.
Animal Prince is the musical vehicle for Fae Nageon de Lestang and Grant McLeod, two wonderfully talented musicians who shone for years in Florida and beyond in their superb group Flat Land. When at home in the Bay area (San Francisco), they work with some very talented musicians. Here in the east, they have incorporated two of the (Tampa) Bay area’s very best musicians, Natalie Depergola and Seth Adam Lynn, collectively Katara. For their six-date tour through Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina, Roger Thomas was also in the fold.
These are all amazing multi-instrumentalists: Fae Nae, violin, vocals; McLeod, drums, keyboards; Depergola, bass, percussion; Lynn, keyboards, synths, harp, bass; and Thomas, guitar, percussion.
We had missed a show of theirs earlier in the year but had seen them last summer at Shuffle with a wonderful show. The set at The Far Forest was truly mind-blowing, ethereal, lovely, challenging, all in the space of an hour! The focus first is on Fae, whose truly distinct vocals and violin playing capture the eyes and ear. She also using an effects pad for her vocals, with looping, harmonizing, and much more literally at her fingertips.
The set began with “Didn’t You Notice?”, the third single from upcoming album Have Good Dreams. Depergola, one of the most sought-after drummers in the area, is equally talented as a bass player, her role in this band (although, on occasion, they do swap instruments). McLeod provided time from his kit, with great percussion help from Thomas when he wasn’t adding amazing guitar accents to the proceedings. “Any Day” was next on the setlist. Here is a video of the group’s performance of this song from their set at The Far Forest earlier in the year:
The first focus might be on Fae, but it is impossible not to watch Lynn, who has his phalanx of keyboards and other magical electronic items atop the keyboard… and his harp (NOT a harmonica). Watching him playing keyboards with left hand and harp with right is mesmerizing. “Parallel Lines” was notable due to the interplay of violin and harp, really riveting.
It was somebody’s birthday (my notebook neglects to remind me whose), and Lynn led the harp-driven traditional song. That was fun. For the last song of the set, “Impossible,” Fae began with some gorgeous scat vocals / vocalese. This was truly a genius set of music, and the addition of Thomas on all manner of instruments plus guitar was a delight.
[AP: Didn’t You Notice?, Any Day, Who You Are, Back Home, Red Mansion, Parallel Lines, Impossible]
Thank you, Anna Giancola and Kelly-Ann Garno of The Far Forest for putting on these wonderful and important shows.