JACKSON, Wyo. — Of Montreal’s progressive palette of musical kaleidoscopes has lived in a mélange of sonic spaces since coming on the Athens, Georgia scene in 1996. The brainchild of prolific songwriter Kevin Barnes, the group’s sound has been labeled many things—psychedelic indie pop, lo-fi, proto-punk, folk-rock, electro-funk, dark glam, glitter rock—all correlated to the experimental artistry that has played out over twenty-five releases. The sextet will take stage for a Pride Celebration on Friday at the Center Theater.
On the latest Of Montreal release, Lady on the Cusp, Barnes contemplated how time functions in music and experimented accordingly. The new songs, dense with ideas but short on repetition, feel epic in scope despite reasonable running times. Barnes likens their compositional process to making collages from seemingly unrelated source materials, combining them in provocative ways to reveal new meanings.
“I wasn’t working with specific themes that I wanted to try and stretch over a three-minute pop song. It was sewing together a lot of fragmented thoughts,” he said.
Opening act, Tele Novella, is an old-fashioned-minded project out of Lockhart Texas that bridges medieval harmonies with pop melodies.
It’s noted that this “show will contain adult themes; discretion is advised.”
Jackson Hole Pride and Teton Valley Pride Alliance will be present with resources for the LGBTQ+ community and information on how to access support.
The Center Presents Pride Celebration featuring Of Montreal with guests Tele Novella, 8 p.m. Friday June 14 at the Center Theater. $18-$43. JHCenterForTheArts.org.
