The Ex (from The Netherlands) + Swedish azz feat. Mats Gustafsson + Brodie West & Fleshtone Aura @ Hard Luck Bar
Wavelength Series
670
Wavelength Presents:
THE EX
(From Amsterdam / the one and only Dutch avant-punk progenitors / since 1979)
with special guests:
Swedish azz feat. Mats Gustafsson (Sweden!)
Brodie West & Fleshtone Aura
+ HVYWTR Selectors
Tuesday June 23, 2015
Hard Luck Bar, 772A Dundas St. W. (third floor, west of Bathurst)
Doors 8pm
Tickets $20 adv at Soundscapes & TicketFly.com – BUY NOW!
The Ex in Toronto June 23
The Ex are not just Dutch punk pioneers, they are also arguably one of the world’s best live bands. Creating and performing actively for more than 35 years, The Ex have evolved from their punk roots to incorporate influences ranging from free improvisation, African jazz, experimental noise and European folk music – but still rooted in hard-hitting, angular guitar-based rock dynamics. Their June 23 appearance will be an “Ex Quartet” show – just the core four-piece: Terrie Ex and Andy Moor (guitars), Katerina Ex (drums) and Arnold de Boer (vocals/guitar). Supporting their 2014 single “How Thick You Think,” this Toronto date is part of a Canadian tour that also sees The Ex visit the Sled Island Festival in Calgary (curated by Godspeed You! Black Emperor) and the Suoni per il Popolo Festival in Montreal.
For those lucky enough to have caught their 2009 Wavelength-presented apperance with Ethiopian jazz sax legend Getatchew Mekuria, hopefully this will be just as memorable a night.
About The Ex
The Ex have defied categorization ever since they started playing in 1979. Born out of the punk explosion, when anything and everything was possible, the band have still managed to retain both curiosity and passion for their music. Using guitars, bass, drums and voice as ther starting point, The Ex have continued to musically explore undiscovered areas right up to the present day: the early 1980s saw collaborations with jazz musicians and an Iraqi-Kurdish band. In the ‘90s, the group found a myriad of partners from varied musical and non-musical backgrounds including Kamagurka, Tom Cora, Sonic Youth, Han Bennink, Jan Mulder, Shellac and Wolter Wierbos. In 2002, The Ex set up a lively musical exchange with Ethiopia, which eventually led to two CD recordings and hundreds of concerts with the legendary saxophonist Getatchew Mekuria. After 35+ years, more than 25 albums and around 1800 performances, the band continues to work as they did in when they began, completely independent of record companies, managers or roadies. Because of this “do it yourself” work ethic The Ex remains a great example for other forward-thinking bands and musicians.
And special guests:
Swedish azz: Mats Gustafsson (baritone and alto sax, live-electronics), Tjuv13 (turntables), Kjell Nordeson (vibraphone), Per-Äke Holmlander (tuba, cimbasso), Erik Carlsson (drums).
Swedish azz consists of five European improvisers loving the Swedish jazz masterpieces from the '50s and '60s, which where influenced by the cool West Coast jazz. Using turntables, electronics and furious saxophones, the band puts the music in contemporary structures and (noise) soundscapes.
Alto saxophonist, Eucalyptus bandleader and The Ex accompanist, Brodie West opens the evening in a duo set of improvisations with collaborator Andrew Zukerman a.k.a. Fleshtone Aura