Willard Grant Conspiracy - Live @ Rodeo Club, Athens (October 23, 2009)

The first visit of Willard Grant Conspiracy in Greece was filled with stories about death, dreams and women. Robert Fisher is a gifted storyteller and on this last stop of his band’s current European tour supporting the release of the album “Paper Covers Stone”, he had plenty of good ones to tell. Stories and songs like the one about a snake-handling preacher trying to convince space aliens to save their mortal souls by hanging signs saying “Welcome to Earth, Get right with God” (“The Trials of Harrison Hayes”) or his recurring dreams about death where St. Peter is a game-show host giving the potential inhabitants of Heaven the chance to make amends in the short time before they disappear and become transparent. The sparse music accompaniment (acoustic guitar, violin and upright bass) gave Fisher’s deep voice the lead role in the unveiling of the evocative folk dramas that kept the small but devoted audience transfixed for the 80 minutes of the intimate show.


One of the best moments of the evening came before the start of the main set, when Willard Grant Conspiracy joined local support act Mitera Falaina Tifli (the name translates into Mother Whale Blind and is inspired by a Brian Eno composition) for a great rendition of the anti-war song “From A Distant Shore”. Other highlights included the cover of The Walkabouts track “This Rotten Tree”, “The Ashes”, “Drunkards Prayer” and “Ghost Of The Girl In The Well”.

Willard Grant Conspiracy with Mitera Falaina Tifli (Live @ Rodeo Club, Athens 23/10/09)

From a distant shore - Willard Grant Conspiracy with Mitera Falaina Tifli (Live @ Rodeo Club, Athens 23/10/09)

This rotten tree - Willard Grant Conspiracy (Live @ Rodeo Club, Athens 23/10/09)

And here is a video from Mitera Falaina Tifli, playing a cover of Low's "Murderer" - the greek version is called "Dolofonos":

Mitera Falaina Tifli (MFStrings!) - Dolofonos (cover of "Murderer" by Low) from MFTV on Vimeo.