Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Music: Of Montreal

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OF MONTREAL'S KEVIN BARNES is one strange bird.

At one of his band's concerts it is completely possible you could see the show with pornography playing in the background, or possibly a live exhibitionist show right on stage, as Barnes did at a recent show in Las Vegas. At that February concert, he spent much of the show wearing only fishnet stockings and a red cummerbund, according to a Pitchfork Media report.

But Barnes didn't want to talk about that in a recent phone interview.

The latest Of Montreal album, "Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?," is a record of Barnes' depression and desolation while he was living in Norway.

But again, Barnes didn't want to talk about that.

The singer, whose band is set to play The State Theater on Tuesday, didn't want to talk about anything relating to his craft. He wanted to talk about sports.

So that's what we talked about for 15 minutes.

Barnes on the Cleveland Indians: "I'm a big Cleveland sports fan ... because that's where I grew up. That sort of connection from your youth, I think, is really strong."

Barnes on watching sports on television: "TBS, no matter where you are in the country, you can get that channel and watch Braves games. And same thing with WGN [and the Cubs and White Sox]. But there's not a Cleveland station. I wish there was."

Barnes on Gilbert Arenas: "I love him; he's such an eccentric. To me he's kind of the most interesting player in the NBA, and he's so good, but he can be so miserable in some games, too. Whenever he's bad, it seems ESPN is always [saying], 'There he is missing a shot, and there he is missing another shot.'"

We tracked his favorite teams, players and the minutiae of his memories of sports growing up. But nothing about the music.

We didn't talk about the wonderfully infectious cry for help, "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse," the fourth track on "Hissing Fauna."

We didn't talk about Of Montreal's progression from a member of the Elephant 6 collective — bands like Apples in Stereo, Olivia Tremor Control and Neutral Milk Hotel, all with an intense adoration of psychedelia and musical experimentation — to a band on a synth-pop kick.

We really didn't discuss anything that I wouldn't talk about with my barber, but that shouldn't stop you from experiencing this musical circus where a glammed-out indie rocker will take the stage, possibly decked out in a pair of fishnets, cummerbund and some thick blue eye shadow, belting out a song in a Prince-like falsetto.

» The State Theater, 220 N. Washington, Falls Church; with Grand Buffet and Mixel Pixel, Tues., 8 p.m., $14; 703-237-0300. (East Falls Church)