“Fables in a Foreign Land " (Fat Possum Records) is a concept album with 13 acoustic-rock songs concerning a wandering soul in 19th century America.
“I had two or three songs that seemed to be sticking together,” Doe said. “They didn’t have any modern references. Then, when I wrote ‘Never Coming Back’ and it was finished, I thought, ‘Oh, This is good. It could open a record.’ It gave me a real focus for this record. I set it all in the 1890s and it’s about someone who has to leave home and they don’t know where they’re going. They’re trying to find their way and it turns out it has a lot in common with the last couple of years. We’ve been living through all this isolation, loneliness, fear and uncertainty, which you’d definitely experience in that era. It was a lot simpler but very elemental. A literal bear might come and get ya.”
The actor-musician, who returns to the area next month with X to perform with the Psychedelic Furs at Rose Music Center in Huber Heights, is currently on the road with the John Doe Folk Trio.
“I’m excited to do the Levitt in Dayton,” Doe said. “The Folk Trio is perfectly suited for that pavilion. (The Trio) has this cool vibe as if it were a jazz combo but it’s folk music with an edge. The Levitt Pavilion is an organization that’s good for the community. It’s amazing.”
Contact this contributing writer at 937-287-6139 or e-mail at donthrasher100@gmail.com.
HOW TO GO
Who: The 2022 Eichelberger Concert Season presents the John Doe Folk Trio
Where: Levitt Pavilion, 134 S. Main St., Dayton
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, June 23
Cost: Free
More info: www.levittdayton.org
Artist info: www.theejohndoe.com
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