Willard Grant Conspiracy
Blender Balcony @ the Ritz, Friday, March 19 The Willard Grant Conspiracy is a band fronted by songwriter Robert Fisher that features a rotating cast of 31 from around the world. For SXSW, the Conspiracy consisted of seven players from around the U.S. that filled the oddly configured Blender Balcony with songs of remarkable sweep and vision. WGC has just released Regard the End, a meditation on mortality that’s surprisingly uplifting, which was prominently featured at this performance. Fisher is a striking presence on stage with a full, multicolored beard and thick framed black glasses; he plays acoustic guitar and sings with a deep resonance while seated. With limited time, he wasn’t able to explore the many dusty trails that Regard the End travels, yet he managed to hit a good portion of them from the traditional meditation “River in the Pines” to the bright and poppy “Soft Hand.” The band included trumpet, violin, and lap steel adding sonic coloring that made the entire WGC experience unusual and wonderfully three-dimensional – vibrating soundtracks to the wide open spaces of the desert Southwest. Fisher introduced closer “The Suffering Song” as “the saddest song we know” and then proceeded to move air with a power that was mystical and extraordinary. The full house roared. This wasn’t just the same old rock, and it was a pleasure to hear someone taking real chances and succeeding wildly.This article appears in March 26 • 2004.