FAUN FABLES began in 1997 when Dawn McCarthy left the bands and sideshows of New York City, traveling abroad and singing solo. With an open ticket and 2 phone numbers in her purse, she set out hoping to find her voice and new inspiration to write from. The songwork from this time period was captured on the first Faun Fables CD Early Song (1999), and captured the attentions of Nils Frykdahl (Sleepytime Gorilla Museum), a musician and voice artist whose work she'd admired in a theatrical rock show called 'Idiot Flesh.' They began collaborating in 1998, sharing an instinct to weave theater into music and learning from eachother's contrasting approaches to songmaking. The culmination of this is their new & fourth release, THE TRANSIT RIDER, a work that combines their writing and showcases their range of character, never forgetting a tip of the hat to influences, with a few relevant cover songs and the folk traditional too resonant to be forgotten. In the interim, they've released the cds MOTHER TWILIGHT (2001), FAMILY ALBUM (2004) and built an eclectic following circling the roadways of North America in a sturdy pickup truck and touring abroad on foot, train and plane. Dawn has continued Faun Fables solo, as well, also collaborating with other muscians like irr. app. (ext.), Will Oldham, and her sister, Sheila McCarthy. Captured by the heart of oral tradition, Dawn draws inspiration from anywhere: Polish art songs, Icelandic volcanoes, The Singing Nun, recovery theater, etc. Recent studies include Wlodziemierz Staniewski's Gardzienice Theater, Cassie Terman's action theater training, narration work with Elaine Clark and a primitive technology workhop called Rabbitstick. In 2004, Faun Fables signed to Drag City records and finally climbed Hanging Rock in Australia. They are currently based in Oakland, CA
