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Edited by Emilee Jennings (emilee@groovekorea.com) muSIC & ARTS ROCK ‘N’ ROLL SEOuL Column by Sophie Boladeras / Photos courtesy of Tim Cushing F a n c y M a n D r e s s i n g n i c e t o M a s k a s h a b b y s o u n D F ancy Man is comprised of three dapper musi- cians who play experimental folk music on the beautiful island of Jeju. Vocalist Tim Cushing was eating an organic hamburger and wear- ing a spiffy Oxford shirt when the name Fancy Man came to him. The band later found out that the term fancy man was also used as slang referring to pimps in the 19th century. Cushing released a quirky solo album titled “Hunting Songs” (2013), which he spent three years bringing to- gether, and Fancy Man released a six-track Christmas album late last year. The band is hoping to bring their unique sounds to Seoul, and in the meantime you can catch the three fancy men jamming in Jeju. Groove Korea: How would you describe your sound and style? Timothy Cushing: I would describe our sound as lyri- cally layered experimental folk. We try to overcompen- sate for our shabby sound by dressing really nicely. How and when did you all come together as a group? It was pretty natural. We all work together, and I guess musicians tend to clump together, especially because there’s not much to do around our school. How did you end up in Korea? It was mostly pure chance! The job came up while I was living by the train tracks in Louisville, Kentucky, with a stray cat in a second-story apartment and working as a cheesemonger. The house shook every time the train went by. My car was broken down, and one day the vet told me that the cat had feline HIV. When a family friend told me about the job, I figured that it was time for a change and found myself in Korea! What does each member bring to fancy Man? David Powell is trained primarily on the French horn, which I’m sure influences his drum playing in some ob- scure way. I think that the drums have been a side in- strument for him, but he plays them like a champion. David is the tough one with a sensitive side. Dan is classically trained on the violin and is a new- comer to the world of indie music. He’s also known to dabble on the synthesizer. He’s the good-looking one. I bring mediocre guitar playing, a unique voice and songwriting to the table. I’m the dark and mysterious one. Fancy Man is: David Powell Drums and other miscellaneous percussion Daniel Wickner Violin and synth Timothy Cushing Guitar, looping pedal, vocals www.groovekorea.com / January 2015 76