GIG: ROBERT FISHER OF WILLARD GRANT CONSPIRACY

BY LACHLAN JOBBINS

Willard Grant Conspiracy is the musical collective that surrounds American singer / songwriter Robert Fisher. Since 1995, the ever-changing group has released six albums and been compared to everyone from the Bad Seeds to American Music Club.

There’s a strong storytelling element to the music, and the latest album, Pilgrim Road, has a lot of songs about faith ‘ with elements of dark folk and gospel thrown in.

The easiest way to categorise the music is to call it alt. country, but Fisher is wary of labels. So what exactly is the Willard Grant Conspiracy’

“I’ve been telling creative lies about that for a while,” he says. “It really isn’t about who or what Willard Grant is. The name is a way of not describing the music.”

“It’s actually named after the street in Massachusetts where we recorded the first record. It’s called the ‘Willard Grant’. There was a very famous family there that donated the street, and in response they named it after them.”

“Paul Austin ‘ co-founder ‘ and I preferred names that didn’t really say much about the music – that didn’t colour your impressions before you listened to it. The ‘conspiracy’ part came about because there were so many people working on the album, and just doing it because they were committed to the songs.”

“The nice thing about the name is that it is mysterious. Like the songs, there are enough holes in the storytelling for people to invest them with their own meaning. The name allows people to imagine their own context for the band. We’ve always been about the music rather than anything else.”

On the first couple of albums, the liner notes said ‘If someone tells you they played on this album they probably did.’ Over the years, as many as thirty people have been associated with the Conspiracy. But Robert’s upcoming show is a solo event ‘ it’s just not possible to bring the whole collective.

“When I started doing solo tours I discovered that there’s a level of freedom in it. There’s no need for a set list or to play songs the same way. You can play with your fingers, or a pick, fast or slow. You can do things differently.”

“I try to take the kernel of our material and deliver it solo with the same kind of intensity and passion that we do when we have a band around us. It’s stripped down, but we also try to open up a little window in the moment, and hope that translates into a great show.”

“It also allows for more communication with the audience. Happy accidents can occur.”

Pilgrim Road is available from THINK / Fuse Music.

Willard Grant Conspiracy
September 25
The Annandale Hotel, cnr. Parramatta Rd and Nelson St, Annandale
Tickets: $20-$25, 9550 1078 or www.annandalehotel.com