Review - Kelly McFarling's "Distractible Child"

Every year in San Francisco, as September counts down its last days and the subtle West Coast fall tiptoes in, bluegrass is on the mind. You can thank Warren Hellman for this, but it's hardly strictly his doing. A local sound rises from the pavement, a foundation for this upcoming weekend's importation of twang-y string.

But the homegrown stuff here in Cali is a vastly different varietal than can be heard elsewhere. As is the case with most organic Bay Area cultural phenomena, left coast folk and bluegrass is a patchwork mash up of sounds and flavors. And last Thursday, a buzzing crowd packed into Cafe du Nord for the coming out party of one of San Francisco's most unique new sounds.

Kelly McFarling took the stage with a temporal mishmash of instruments and influences for the release party of her first studio album, "Distractible Child." Usually accompanied in live shows solely by a stand up bass and her own banjo, this set featured a wall of sound emanating from an electric guitar, drums and keyboards, as well as the always present banjo and rockabilly bass. It is an unencumbered mix of acoustic and electric, a folk sound rooted in the past but a hybrid of styles that could only exist in the present. As is the case with McFarling's album and any other show she's done, her classically trained yet soulful voice dominates the proceedings.

The album (and the show at du Nord) opens with "Atlanta," a shout-out to the hometown of this Southern-born and raised singer. Its sound is more Kentucky though, anchored by the guitar work of Jonathan Moldover that sounds so acoustic you'd swear it wasn't plugged in. McFarling's voice has a raw edge to it that brings to mind an opera singer who hits the bars on the late night to sing what she really loves. Like many of the tracks on the album, it is a sprawling song that doesn't rush to the end, but instead leaves space in the middle open for interpretation and improvisation.

The title track of the album, "Distractible Child," is a bit more up-tempo, naturally building a momentum driving by Andrew Laubacher's drums and the resonating guitar chords that sound like Santana and Brian Wilson had a lovechild that was raised in Appalachia. McFarling's voice fits into each and every song, setting the mood but not overshadowing the music. For a genre that at times feels stagnant and without innovation, McFarling's fresh sound is a welcome step forward.

Album - Distractible Child
Released September 23 (independent)
Available online at kellymcfarling.bandcamp.com/album/distractible-child