Magic Fig

Magic Fig

“Being in Magic Fig brings out the Jester in me,” says Inna Showalter, the frontperson-vocalist with this brand new psychedelic prog act who’ve been together for not-quite a year. This is evident in her costuming for recent single //PS1// where she and the rest of the band are sporting their best Ren Faire garb, evoking The Incredible String Band and Circulus while playing the prettiest jangle-pop prog tune. In a video call with us today there are three reps from the San Francisco band, with gregarious guitarist (and sleeve artist) Muzzy Moskowitz beaming in from a holiday Madrid, bright-eyed synth boffin Jon Chaney, and Showalter, the shyest presence and most recent recruit.

Before Showalter joined, the band were simply called ‘Fig’ and made up from musicians in various San Fran indie and weird pop-type bands (including the marvellously named Healing Potpourri and Froogy’s Groovies). The majority of their self-titled EP’s songs were already written and affectionately referencing late-60s and early-70s UK prog especially “Pink Floyd, Caravan, Soft Machine and Egg,” says Moskowitz, describing the music as “organ-led stuff that’s a little bit jazzy and pastoral.”

“I wasn’t as deep into prog as Muzzy and Matt [Ferrara, Bass],” Chaney tells us, “but I was intro krautrock before the band – and now I’ve been catching up.”

Adding Showalter’s distinctive voice, and the word ‘Magic’ to their moniker, the band gained further psychedelic focus. “This music was very new but very exciting to me,” says Showalter. “I come from a choral background but then got //really// into shoegaze – and my favourite band is Cocteau Twins.”

This makes sense as Showalter’s singing has a sweetness to it, but is crisper, with has more clarity than Liz Fraser, heading in the direction of Trish Keenan from Broadcast. “That has been noted before,” she laughs, mentioning Anne Briggs, Judee Sill and Sandy Denny as other touchstones.

Famous for the Haight-Ashbury area, the crucible of psychedelic and progressive music in the US in the 60s, San Fran must be an obvious gathering point for modern successors, surely. “Not really,” says Showalter. “there’s no ‘scene’ as such…”

“Only our friend Joel [Robinow] from Once And Future Band, who produced the record,” nods Moskowitz.

“We met Joel when he put a bunch of keyboards down on a Healing Potpourri record and he’s an amazing keyboard player,” says Chaney. “I started taking lessons with him and then we started Magic Fig. It was only natural that the one person interested in prog in the Bay Area should produce us!” [laughs]

Our wizard hat is off to Robinow and his 21^st century take on the Canterbury sound, with his forte being harmony ideas says Showalter, “details when everyone else has tapped out” says Moskowitz and “making us do lots and lots of takes” says Chaney. “Lots of takes is my kind of jam,” says Showalter, with Chaney adding that Robinow “pushed us, in a good way. We felt like we were working.”

The collaboration is a triumph, and Magic Fig already have songs for album number two, which might emerge within a year. Showalter’s confidence in her new group is showing. “This time I’m writing all the lyrics,” she says. “These are based on personal experiences veiled in a magical, mystical type of demeanour, and a lot of fairy tale influences.” JK

PROG FILE:

Line-up:  Inna Showalter (vocals), Jon Chaney (keys, synth), Matthew Ferrara (bass), Taylor Giffin (drums), Muzzy Moskowitz (guitar)

Sounds like: 70s Canterbury Scene jazz-psych meets modern female-fronted art-prog

Current release: //Magic Fig//, out now via Silver Current records

Website: magicfig.bandcamp.com

— Jo Kendall