Broken Dreams Club Interview: Magic Fig

Photo Credit: Kirby Stenger

A San Francisco supergroup of sorts (although what Bay Area band isn’t a “supergroup”), Magic Fig bring an undeniably unique sound and aesthetic to the local scene. Comprised of members from the Umbrellas, Whitney’s Playland, Almond Joy and Healing Potpourri, among others, Magic Fig specialize in proggy, psychedelic tracks that recall both the late 60s acts of San Francisco’s hippie heyday and 70s English bands like Yes and Rush.

Made up of Matt Ferrara (bass), Muzzy Moskowitz (guitar), Jon Chaney (keyboards, piano) Inna Showalter (vocals, mellotron), and Taylor Giffin (drums and percussion), the band released their debut self-titled EP last year to much critical acclaim. They recently followed with their first full-length album, the dazzling and daring “Valerian Tea,” which came out on November 21 via Exploding in Sound Records.

Broken Dreams Club connected with Showalter and Chaney prior to the band’s album release show on Saturday, which will take place at the 4 Star Theater:

You’re all accomplished musicians who play in a ton of local bands. I’m sure you’ve all known each other for years. But how did this collection of individuals come together to form Magic Fig? When did you all start practicing together? Was the intention from the beginning to form a band?

Inna Showalter: We had all been acquainted through the music scene and mutual friends. Jon, Muzzy, and Matt first started playing together in 2020 and tried out several drummers before Taylor joined. They had already recorded demos of some of the songs that would end up on the self-titled EP by the time I was invited to join the band.

Jon Chaney: Muzzy asked me one day if I wanted to start a band and then he asked who should play bass. I knew Matt liked music from the 1700’s so I thought he’d be a good fit. 

The band has such a specific aesthetic—it’s very proggy and ethereal. It doesn’t really sound anything like your other bands. When did you all discover that you liked this kind of music, and do you all see Magic Fig as an outlet to pursue a specific kind of sound you couldn’t in your other groups?

IS: I didn’t really have much of a background in prog music before joining Magic Fig but loved the songs right away. They were very creative and evoked lots of interesting thoughts and emotions.

JC: After agreeing to be in this new band I asked Muzzy to make a playlist so I could get an idea of what kind of stuff we should do. I listened intently, spending hours by candlelight, pondering the harmonic language of all the greatest rock bands. Eventually I felt ready and purchased a moog. 

Your self-titled debut album was really well received and led to some great shows for the band. Did the success of that first record inspire you to quickly record this second release? 

IS: We were already writing and playing new songs by the time the first EP was being finalized, and wanted to keep the momentum going. 

The instrumentation on “Valerian Tea” is incredibly unique and varied—mellotron, glockenspiel, a bunch of synths. Were you all already familiar with these instruments, or did you see this album as an opportunity to try them out? 

JC: If Joel Robinow is the knight, I am the squire. 

IS: I have mainly been a singer for most of my life and only played a bit of guitar here, glockenspiel/bells there. Magic Fig has given me an opportunity to challenge myself and add some instruments into the recordings and performance. I’m still very much a beginner at keys but it’s been fun. As a band, we definitely incorporated a lot more instrumentation into this album. The general methodology was to record every idea and then remove whatever sounded erroneous or “too much.”

From the visual elements of the album cover and the music videos, to the song titles and even how you present yourself live—this album feels very much steeped in the fantasy mythos. Are you all fantasy fans? If so, what books, video games, authors or movies are your favorites?

IS: Not so much fantasy for me, but I am a big fan of mythology, fairy tales, and various esoteric topics. Lately I’ve been seeking to build more of a connection to my witchy Slavic roots. 

The album also evokes the classic San Francisco psychedelic sounds from the 60s and 70s. Any bands from that era serve as a particular inspiration for this album?

IS: A few personal favorites that come to mind are Skip Spence’s (of Moby Grape) fantastic solo album “Oar,” Jefferson Airplane’s “Surrealistic Pillow,” and “Cauldron” by Fifty Foot Hose. But I wouldn’t say we were directly inspired by that era of San Francisco sounds, to be honest. 

JC: I get that being an SF band we should be influenced by that scene somewhat but we are more just influenced by the English and German bands of that era. Muzzy is a big dead head though and I dabble.

The album feels to have a connective tissue throughout. Would you consider this a concept album? It definitely feels like it takes you on a journey…

IS: We had previously decided that our first album followed the arc of the hero’s journey, and “Valerian Tea” feels similar; like a continuation of it.

I’m not going to lie—I assumed that Valerian Tea was something you all made up. But it’s a real thing. How did you all discover this drink and what prompted you to name the album after this concoction? Again, it definitely feels like it would be the drink of choice for a fantasy book character.

IS: It’s definitely a real thing! As a child in Ukraine I remember valerian extract in a tincture; my mom and grandma would take some drops diluted in water when they were feeling anxious or couldn’t sleep. Nowadays I drink valerian tea on occasion myself. It’s a root with a very pungent smell but if you can stomach it, it’s quite effective. The song “Valerian Tea” came together very quickly and naturally. Lyrically it’s an exploration of my childhood experiences and becoming friends with my shadow. We weren’t sure what to name the album but once I saw Muzzy’s painting for the front cover, it seemed fitting. 

The short instrumental snippets—“Percolations,” “Riders at Dawn” and “Splinter”—seem like such important parts of the album. These moments of respite or reflection along this kind of musical voyage. Was it always the intention to add these short kinds of page breaks into the album when you were making “Valerian Tea”?

IS: These were originally introductions of the subsequent songs (“Pecolations / Valerian Tea”; “Riders at Dawn / Sensation Seeker”; “Splinter / Goblin”), but decided that they would work as standalone pieces.

JC: Sometimes a decision is made in a split second at the studio and it sticks and it’s like we never made the decision in the first place. Splitting these into their own tracks was one of those decisions. 

Here’s an important question: How come more songs aren’t titled “Goblin”?

JC: My first choice was hobgoblin but it had too many syllables for the melody.

Ok—you have your album release show on December 13 at the 4 Star. Are you all pretty excited to share all these new songs live? 

IS: We’re excited to have our record release show at 4 Star, especially since we had the record release show for the EP there last year, too. It’s such a special place, and I’m always very pleased and honored for an opportunity to perform there. Also thrilled to share the stage with Mayya, who will be playing her solo music with a full band, and abracadabra’s new dub duo arrangement. 

JC: 🫡

Have you determined how you’re going to play them all live? The songs are very dense and layered, with many moving parts…

JC: We play them a little differently but it’s mostly the same. Muzzy and Matt improvise a lot so I make sure to play the underlying harmonic material so we don’t sound terrible. 

IS: We have already played all but one of the songs on “Valerian Tea” live, and I think we’ve made the arrangements work nicely. I play some of my own vocal harmonies on the mellotron, and am bringing my little glockenspiel as well. 

Any future live shows on the horizon? What about potential touring plans? Perhaps a West Coast jaunt?

IS: We’re playing at Gold Diggers in Los Angeles with Vinyl Williams and Tiny Music on January 17 and are currently planning the rest of the west coast tour which will take place later that month. 

Show Details:
Magic Fig album release party presented by THrowin’ Bo’s, with abracadabra and Mayya
Where: 4 Star Theater
When: 8 p.m., Saturday, December 13
Tickets: $19, available here.