Brother Danielson and The Nine Fruit Tree
Thursday, October 24, 2002 @ The Underground, Hamilton

Daniel Smith, aka Brother Danielson, frontman for the eccentric Christian avante-garde folk troupe known as The Danielson Famile (yes it’s spelled with an “e”), made a couple rare appearances in southern Ontario this October as he happened to be in the area for a friend’s wedding (a member of the band Royal City, incidentally). Although the rest of the “family” was not playing with him, his friend Sufjan Stevens lent a hand and the resulting on-stage antics made for one of the most unique performances I have ever seen.

Let me start by saying that I am not a particularly big fan of Christian music. Not that I think that the religious beliefs of musicians should prevent me from liking their songs… I just don’t think a musician’s religious beliefs should really have anything to do with the music at all, Which is why I find it distracting and a little exclusionary when Christian bands make a big show of it. Positive lyrics are great, but Christian bands are notorious for being preachy and borderline brainwashing audience members.

The Danielson Famile are an exception however. While they are a Christian band who let their beliefs enter into their lyrics and their music, there is something about them that is so unique, so refreshing, and so honest that makes it almost impossible to dislike them. Of course, Danielson’s screechy falsetto vocals might succeed in turning off a lot of people, but it is these vocals that form the very basis of the Danielson Famile’s charm and innocence. I suppose they are a bit of an acquired taste, but hearing the vocals live, coming straight from an excitable Danielson only makes it even more endearing. His voice sounds identical in person as it does on recordings, and it catches you off guard, even when you are already familiar with their music.

But I have yet to mention the coolest part of his solo performances. The Danielson Famile are known for wearing homemade doctor and nurse outfits while on-stage, but Danielson himself goes above and beyond a simple costume. He has created a giant tree with fruits hanging from it that acts as both a set piece and a costume. With a hole for his head and two for his arms, he is able to step inside the tree, and then play guitar and sing from within, which is quite a sight to behold. He also has bells strapped to one leg, which allow him to stomp his foot and keep a beat, even if this extra movement does find the tree in danger of collapsing after almost every song.

Sufjan Stevens provided backing vocals, in addition to playing banjo and occasionally a toy piano (which was mostly too quiet to hear, unfortunately). Both he and Danielson had song books in front of them which was odd to see. Not many bands write out sheet music for their own songs and then follow along with them during concerts. It made it feel as though they were some sort of church choir on stage, and when Danielson encouraged all of us to sing along and participate in the songs this became even more a reality. There was no question that they were having a lot of fun on stage, and the audience seemed mostly very receptive. There were a few hecklers in the crowd, but to the uninitiated I’m sure that this show must have seemed very bizarre indeed.

It would have been great to see the whole “family” play together, but I was quite amazed at how full and vibrant the songs sounded with only two musicians on stage. I think there is a lot to be said for the energy and passion that Danielson brings to his music.

The set was all too short since Brother Danielson was not actually the night’s headliner, but they were still able to get through at least 6 or 7 Danielson Famile favourites, including “Cutest Lil Dragon” and a number of selections from Fetch The Compass Kids. All I have to say is that if going to church was this fun, I might even reconsider my religious beliefs… so long as it would give me a chance to hear more live music from these guys. Is Danielson a musical angel sent from above, or is he just a guy with a guitar and a high pitched voice? I was willing to bet on the latter, but after seeing them play I just might be more flexible on the issue. — Sean