With anywhere from 10 to 14 members, Austin’s very own Mother Falcon is obviously a band that prides itself on the scope of its sound. With a debut EP release on the horizon, the group’s orchestrally charged tracks are the perfect accompaniament to 12/12’s beautiful and almost surreal exhibition.
DT Weekend spoke with Tamir Kalifa, accordionist and vocalist for Mother Falcon, about pottery festival shows, gypsy jazz, and music for cyclists.
DT Weekend: So what genre do you feel your band falls in?
Tamir Kalifa: Well, most people consider our music baroque pop, which to us represents the fusion of the old and new. We’ve been compared to Sufjan [Stevens], Arcade Fire, Devotchka, those kind of bands, but I guess we represent that sort of label because we play predominately classical instruments. We’re all acoustic, but we compose our songs with a more modern pop structure format.
DTW: What’s the best show Mother Falcon has ever played?
TK: Blackerby’s Violin Shop over the summer, in August. It was the first of a series of chamber pop music in their recital hall, so for a band full of acoustic instruments, that is the most ideal location to be heard. Unlike most of the shows in the past, people were there to listen to us and do nohting else. So I think we had the most attention on our music and between songs for the first time, nobody said a word — which is kind of crazy. But it was really cool. It was one of our most well-attended shows and we filled up blackerby’s and had people spilling out of the theatre, and it just sounded better than anything we’ve heard.
DTW: Worst show?
TK: We’ve never played a really bad show since I’ve been with the band. I mean, I can’t think of a single bad show — actually, we’ve played a few silly shows, like a pottery festival at Westlake High School, and there were like six people at any given time in the audience. [laughs] It’s always really fun though.
DTW: What album have you listened to the most in the last month?
TK: The Best of Gypsy Jazz Volume 2. Uh I don’t know how to describe it, describing music can be really difficult. but it’s sort of like a small offshoot of the jazz genre — Django Reindhardt is kind of like the iconic off-jazz guy, but it’s music you can listen to on your bicycle. Classical music for cyclists. It’s really cheerful and happy and upbeat.
DTW: Three adjectives to describe the music Mother Falcon makes?
TK: Epic, epic, epic.
WHAT: Mother Falcon w/ Ethan Kennedy
WHEN: Saturday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Space12, 3121 East 12th St.
COST: Free
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