2013 events:

  • Thursday, January 3, 2013:

    NEW FRIENDS
    This project is the brainchild of main man Evan van Reekum. You'll know this regally-named human from his sharp-as-shit guitar playing in Fist City, as well as co-helming the very worthy Mammoth Cave Recording Company record label, home to some very fine music from Calgary and beyond. The group is rounded out by Ryan von Hagen, who's been seen manipulating his home-built electronics on the Weeds floor this past summer, and Kaelen Ohm, normally one of the singer/guitarist/ visionaries in the dreamy pop band Gold, this time working the skins. The trio is a wonderful vehicle for realizing EVR's visions of moody, slow-burning, rock-band drone music. Clumsy description, perhaps, but nothing from this group could be described as such.
    http://www.sledisland.com/ 2012/new-friends

    JONATHON WILCKE/CHRIS DADGE duo
    These two first played together almost a decade ago in a full double-quartet (named the Yalta Big Band, helmed by one Darren Williams) tribute to Ornette Coleman's classic "Free Jazz" LP. Not long after that, Wilcke (a seriously bitchin' saxophone player, alto and tenor, for those keepin' score) relocated to Vancouver. He spents his years there entrenching himself within the local creative music community, messing around with the likes of Shane Krause, said Mr. Williams, and Dave Chokroun, among others. He also honed his unique approach to fusing improvisational practices with hsi own work as a poet (he has sveral published works to date). Chris Dadge (drums, percussion) did not relocate anywhere after that Ornette tribute; instead he stayed in Calgary, founded Bug Incision, and played with a bunch of people, among them Bent Spoon Duo, Eric Chenaux, Eugene Chadbourne, Peter Evans and Jack Wright.
    http://jonathonwilcke.com/
    http:// www.bugincision.com/ chrisdadge

    GREYSCREEN
    Kevin Stebner is truly a man about town. When he's not fronting his own bands Stalwart Sons (Canadiana-inspired hardcore) or Cold Water (Drag City-style folk rock), he's playing drums with Extra Happy Ghost. And when he's not doing that, he's releasing music via cassette (the mighty Bart Records) and vinyl (Revolution Winter), or maybe he's publishing books of poetry. Yeesh. Greyscreen is, in his own words, "A young man who desired to make loud music, but since no one was around to play music with him, he had to pick up a Gameboy and do it all his own. Using Gameboys and a Famicom (and no manipulation) GreyScreen creates soundtracks to games that should have been. It's so bad."
    http://ca.myspace.com/ sobadrecordings

    Weeds Cafe - 1903 20th AVE NW
    8-10pm
    all ages
    pay what you can
  • Tuesday, January 22
    Land of Marigold Workshop + Masterclass
    Hot Wax Records basement (114 10th Street NW)
    FREE ADMISSION
    6:30-7:30pm - Land of Marigold Workshop
    8:00-9:30pm - Land of Marigold Masterclass
    part of the Bug Incision Calgary 2012 Concert Series
    more info here
  • Thursday, January 24
    Land of Marigold (Josh Zubot + Ellwood Epps) with Eric Hamelin & Simon Fisk
    Doors 7:30pm / Show 8:30pm / $7
    National Music Centre: 134 11th Ave SE (formerly known as Cantos Music Foundation)
    more info here
  • Wednesday, February 20
    - Bitter Fictions (Devin Friesen's guitar-laden solo act)
    - Eric Hamelin (solo percussion & electronics, our hero)
    - Jonathon Wilcke/Scott Munro/Chris Dadge (sax, bass & drums)
    Weeds Cafe (1903 20th Ave NW)
    8-10pm, all ages, pay what you can

  • Thursday, March 7
    Parker Abbott Piano Trio (with Mark Segger)
    National Music Centre, 134 11 Ave SE, 7:30-10pm
    The Parker Abbott Piano Trio is an acoustic and electric multi-keyboard group based in Toronto that merges jazz, classical, pop/rock and avant-garde. Their work is steeped in the history of the keyboard utilizing instruments such as the Rhodes, Wurlitzer, analogue synth, Hammond B3 and piano in their original compositions and arrangements. Shortly after releasing the debut CD ‘Gallery’ in March 2011 the duo began working with drummer Mark Segger, adding depth, energy and a new layer rhythm to the project.

    You won't want to miss this event as they will be fresh off a 2 week residency at the Banff Centre with many new compositions being featured at this performance. 

    (while this is not an official Bug Incision show, it features some of our BI family members, and we offer full endorsement of the show, and a recommendation that you check it out.)
  • March 19-21
    Fossils in Alberta
    Calgary workshop + shows in Calgary and Edmonton
    more details TBA
    click here for more info

  • Saturday, March 30
    Bill Horist + Dadge/Hamelin/Munro + Kris Ellestad + Protagonist/Antagonist

    Seattle-based guitarist Bill Horist originally came to our attention by being a fairly visible and consistent name in the world of free music/improvisation over the last decade or so. He's played with a huge variety of heavy players such as Bill Frisell, Wiliam Hooker, Eyvind Kang, Matt Chamberlain, and is a member of Master Musicians of Bukkake. Last month, Robin Tufts mentioned that this person would be in Calgary for a dance project. Naturally, we got in touch and set up this gig. (He's also playing with Robin on the 24th - email musicforsoup@gmail.com for more info on that.)

    Bill will play solo and with Dadge/Hamelin.
    http://www.myspace.com/ billhorist

    Dadge/Hamelin/Munro duo
    Eric Hamelin and Chris Dadge are no strangers to Bug Incision show-goers. They both very often are seem playing percussive items with the aid of amplification and effects, making their junk molesting all the more torturous. Consider this their Lytton/Lovens tribute band. 
    http:// www.bugincision.com/ chrisdadge

    Kris Ellestad
    Kris has been making the scene a lot these days, showcasing a fine new band and batch of tunes. Needless to say, he's sounding as good, if not better, than ever. We decided to strip him of his backing band, however, for this show. Looking forward to what's he's gonna pull out for this night.
    http:// krisellestad.bandcamp.com/

    Protagonist/Antagonist
    Bug Incision mainstay Larry Mcdowell's excellent, sometimes-groovy, always-choice solo project will be filling the gaps between the others. Larry's inclination towards brevity has never been more helpful.

    Weeds Cafe (1903 20th Ave NW)
    8-10pm, all ages, pay what you can
    more info forthcoming
  • May 6-8
    Shane Krause in Alberta
    Calgary workshop + shows in Calgary and Edmonton
    more details TBA
    click here for more info
  • Saturday, June 1
    Aerosol Constellations + Faster Disco + Dundas @ Weeds

    AEROSOL CONSTELLATIONS
    Aerosol Constellations is a free improv duo based in Vancouver, Canada. Coming forth 7 years ago from the cities then-burgeoning Fake Jazz community, the duo was formed by Bill Batt (Stamina Mantis) and Jeremy Van Wyck (Shearing Pinx , Mongst) as an act to kick off the weekly they had begun (fake Jazz Wednesdays). Utilizing field recordings, samples and an array of instruments electric and acoustic.The duo spends most of its time exploring the dark corners of drone and ambient music. Having released a number of cassettes and cdr's over the years, this spring will find A/C delivering their first full length lp "dark side of the sun" on Isolated Now Waves & Thankless Records as well as releases on Winnipeg's Prairie Fire records and Edmonton's Ramshackle Day Parade.

    free sounds at:
    https://soundcloud.com/ aerosol-constellations
    http:// thanklessrecords.tumblr.com / (scroll back a few pages for full albums)
    paid download/free streaming at:
    http://www.notype.com/ drones/cat.e/pan_077/
    http://www.notype.com/ drones/cat.e/pan_063/
    http:// ramshackledayparade.bandcam p.com/album/ aerosol-constellations-last -ta-live-rdp-024
    physical release/streaming:
    http:// dubditchpicnic.bandcamp.com /album/within-the-beyond
    http:// isolatednowwaves.tumblr.com /
    videos
    http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=jqm9ofMl2N0

    FASTER DISCO
    A drummer and a singer pull the rug from under your feet. This spastic duo (Mark Fleischhaker and Joe Serdarevic) will blast into as many short bursts of unpredictability as possible. Influenced by cracked cymbals, dead drum heads, the "Two Of A Kind" soundtrack and the world of John Zorn, the results are abrupt, comedic and brutal.

    DUNDAS
    Dundas is a duo comprised of Whitney Ota (Yankee Yankee, Burro, Dada Centauri, Unit Structure Sound Recordings) and Stewart Elton (also of Burro, No River, Les Modes). Dundas utilizes field recordings, as well as recordings by others to integrate with their use of found objects, electronics and the occasional conventional instruments such as guitars and synthesizers to create sounds which could be compared to those of Luc Ferrari, Bernard Parmegiani, Daniel Menche or Chris Watson.

    Weeds Cafe (1903 20th Ave NW)
    8-11pm, all ages, pay what you can
    www.bugincision.com

  • July 18, 2013
    Darren Williams + Jonathon Wilcke + Seizure Salad

    Pleased to presenting Bug Incision's forefather in the world of presentingCalgary's outer limits music. In the 00s, Darren Williams ran a wonderful, dearly-missed series of concerts called nach Hause, and wasresponsible for such stellar shows as Ab Baars Trio, Ig Henneman, and bills featuring many local acts from the period (including a young,up-and-coming Bent Spoon Ensemble). Williams is a British Columbia based saxophonist and bassoonist who pushes the limits of improvisationand extended instrumental technique into regions that are lyrical, terrifying, uncanny, and “more fun than spiked punch live” (GeorgiaStraight). Called “a raw, vocal explorer,” (Stuart Broomer) Darren has performed with many renowned musicians including Eugene Chadbourne(US), Chad van Gaalen (Calgary), Myk Freedman (NYC), Mats Gustafsson (Sweden), Ig Henneman and Han Bennink (Netherlands). He is involved innumerous ensembles and projects, notably co-leading and composing for the free jazz quartet Robots On Fire which performed this summer at theVancouver International Jazz Festival. Williams was awarded a Canada Council Grant to go on a national tour in the summer of 2013 inpromotion of his debut solo album Reed, on Bug Incision Records. Darren holds a BFA in music performance from York University and has studiedwith Casey Sokol, David Mott, George Lewis, and Francois Houle.

    www.airandbone.com for more info

    jonathOn Wilcke (www.jonathonwilcke.com) is a saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, and writer with a number ofpublished works including two books of poetry: Pornograph (Red Deer Press 2004) and Dupe! (Linebooks 2010). Since their first meeting inOctober 2003, jonathOn Wilcke and Darren Williams have collaborated on many musical projects, including the quintet Robots On Fire, andWilcke’s own project The Pppoetry Band. As a saxophonist, Wilcke’s music ranges through strict compositions, free and structuredimprovisation, text-sound, and vocal accompaniment, in both solo and group situations. Based in Calgary, Wilcke plays regularly throughoutwestern Canada as a solo performer and in groups including Robots on Fire, ffffffft!, The Real Featuring the Unreal, and Mechanics Who CanDrive who were featured performers at the 2013 Casse-Tête experimental music festival in Prince George, BC. Wilcke has performed with manymusicians and poets including Jack Wright (US), Mats Gustfsson (Sweden), and Eugene Chadbourne (US). His first solo recording, AllErrors Included, will appear from UnCanadian Activities in the summer of 2013. Wilcke holds a MA in creative writing from the University ofCalgary and a PhD in English from Simon Fraser University.

    And kicking off the evening is a highly-anticipated return to the Bug Incision stage for Seizure Salad, our city's finest two-piece purveyor of pure sonic exuberance. The city has been poorer in Britton Proulx's absence, and Andrew James Hume has been keeping himself busy with Burro (an ace free rock trio with Whitney Ota andStewart J Elton), Dada Centauri (synth explorations with Ota) and Pale Lobo (solo project that recently dropped a tape on Devin Friesen's Shaking Box Records), so it's with great pleasure that we look forwardto this set. SS has been known to take shape as, among other modes, a mess of percussive junk & looping keyboards, a ratty garage-punkguitar & drums duo, and that doesn't even begin to encompass what they do on their many cassette releases.

    https://soundcloud.com/seizure-salad
    http://seizuresaladband.bandcamp.com/
    http://seizuresalad.tumblr.com/


    Weeds Cafe - 1903 20th Ave NW
    8-10pm, all ages, pay what you can

  • July 25, 2013
    Toque (Tim Olive + Kelly Churko) + Chris Dadge (solo) + Kris Ellestad (solo)
    Very excited to be presenting this duo of Canadian ex-pats, now residing inJapan. From the descriptions of "lo-tech/repurposed tools" and "guitar and electronics", I'd wager that we're going to have a delightfully oddparade of sounds from these two. Tim Olive has logged hours with Otomo Yoshihide, Toshimaru Nakamura, Taku Unami, Greg Kelley, JeffreyAllport, amd Jason Kahn, while Kelly Churko has played with such luminaries as Satoko Fujii, T. Mikawa (Incapacitants), Astro,
    Bastard Noise, Paal Nilssen-Love, Nels Cline, Pain Jerk, HarrisEisenstadt, and Jim Black. More info can be gleaned here: 
    www.timolive.org (lots of video and audio selections)
    www.845audio.org (Tim's label)
    www.myspace.com/kellychurko

    Chris Dadge is known for his work with such acts as the Bent Spoon Duo, Lab Coast,the Midnighties, The Musk Cup, Samantha Savage Smith, Lorrie Matheson, and collaborations with Eric Chenaux, Mats Gustafsson, EugeneChadbourne, and running the Bug Incision universe. While drums and percussion comprise the normal vehicle for Dadge's explorations, thisset will feature a set up for amplified objects and backing tracks, to be documented on a forthcoming 3" cdr release.

    http://www.bugincision.com/chrisdadge

    Kris Ellestad is one of the city's finest, most elegant songwriters and citizens. Oflate, Kris has been playing with a killer band, sounding very very good, but for the longest time now, we've had a hankering to get himback to what it was like when we first saw him perform all those years ago, in places like the Marquee Room and Emmedia. Not sure if he'll bebusting out that CD of backing voices like he used to, but we're excited for this up-front, fully acoustic set.

    http://krisellestad.bandcamp.com

    Weeds Cafe - 1903 20th Ave NW
    8-10pm, all ages, pay what you can

  • September 28
    Nick Fraser Quartet (Toronto/NYC) +
    Jealousy Mountain (Germany) +
    Aaron Leaney/Chris Dadge duo (Calgary)

    This is a hugely exciting lineup. Schedules converged favourably enough to allow us to present what is easily the most international bill in Bug Incision history.

    The Nick Fraser Quartet is comprised of Tony Malaby on tenor and soprano saxes, Andrew Downing on cello, Rob Clutton on bass, and Fraser himself providing the compositions and playing the drums. Malaby hails from New York City, where he has made a name for himself with some very heavy names indeed, including Charlie Haden's Liberation Orchestra, Paul Motian's Electric Bebop Band, Mark Helias, Tim Berne, William Parker, and the list goes on. Suffice it to say, Calgary rarely is afforded the opportunity to dig a musician of this calibre. The three Torontonians rounding out the group should be no stranger to followers of adventurous jazz in Canada, and they've all graced our fine city repeatedly over the years. Clutton and Fraser played in the amazing Drumheller group, the latter also appearing on many of Eric Chenaux's song-based solo albums. Clutton also dropped some completely beautiful solo double bass albums on Rat-Drifting records, and enjoys the distinction of being one of Jandek's favourite bassists (check the gorgeous Toronto Sunday album on Corwood). Downing runs in the same Tranzac-centric circles as the other two, and has made many memorable appearances on albums by Ryan Driver, Lina Allemano, and a significant chunk of the superlative Barnyard Records catalogue. That label is responsible for releasing Towns and Villages, the album that this group is promoting. It contains the jazz-based sketches and melodic fragments that are the diving off points for this group's improvisations, which, with the personnel involved, are sure to be as fresh and deftly executed as one could hope for.

    The Jealousy Mountain Duo is Jörg A. Schneider on drumset and Jens Berger manning the guitar. The two play skronky, rock-inflected free improvisations which they describe as a "deconstructivist approach to [an] experimental blend of post-modern jazz and mathy indie rock, its guitars looping conflicting melodies, its drums working in and out of rhythms, eschewing any semblance of straightforward timekeeping for an abstract counterbalance to the swirl of notes and tones." Indeed. Fans of US Maple, Storm & Stress, or any of Zach Hill's (Hella, et al) spazzier projects will find much to enjoy. Information about this group is scant, but check their bandcamp page for streams of their two excellent albums.

    Saxophonist Aaron Leaney and Bug Incision founder Chris Dadge will open the evening with a duo performance. They’ve been playing together for the past six years, and have two albums out to date. Their latest, recorded live earlier this year, will be released in early 2014 to accompany a Canadian tour.

    National Music Centre (134 11th Ave SE)
    Doors at 8:00pm, show at 8:30pm
    $10 cover
  • Thursday, November 7
    Eucalyptus (Toronto) + Ryan Driver (Toronto) + New Friends (Calgary)

    Another stellar lineup of traveling and local greats. This year (and last) seems to have been an insanely good one for traveling acts. It seems there's been some heavy generosity going on over at the Canada Council for the Arts.

    Eucalyptus is a 7-piece instrumental ensemble led by Brodie West. The all-star band, which is based in Toronto, plays West's compositions, highly bewitching models for collective improvisation, drawing from a colourful palette of musical styles including pop, jazz, avant-garde, and the syncopated rhythms of calypso, bossa nova, and dancehall. This disparate mix of elements is pulled off without a hitch, largely due to the players' formidable talents and flexibility. The band is a veritable who's-who of the Toronto scene, headed by altoist West, who is known for his work with Drumheller and ongoing partnerships with Han Bennink and Terrie Ex. Ryan Driver is one of the most multi-faceted and beguiling members of the Toronto scene, more on him below. Trumpeter Nicole Rampersaud is one of her city's fresher voices on that instrument, logging hours with c_RL and the Shaw/Rampersaud Project, who have an excellent disc on Barnyard Records. Last month's visitor Nick Fraser (Drumheller, Jandek, Eric Chenaux) plays the drums and Blake Howard (Toronto Dance Theatre, Sandro Perri) plays percussion. Alex Lukachevsky, on guitar, is well-loved in these parts for his strikingly original jazz-pop-folk hybrid Deep Dark United (be sure to scope their excellent Rat-Drifting CD). And Mike Smith (aka Muskox) is a killer bassist, member of Sandro Perri's current unit and occasional player in the MV/EE universe. It would be enough to count on the the insane personnel in this group, thinking about the massive body of rich, adventurous work they've created over the past decade or two, but it's the way they bring it all together, with more than dash of the Ellington/Mingus/Sun Ra continuum, that makes it a must-see this fall.

    The nice thing about this type of group is that you could pull almost any of them out on their own and they'd provide a similarly excellent experience. This is what is happening on this night from Ryan Driver, who will play a solo set of piano and vocals, performing his own tunes, and perhaps some standards. Driver is held in high regard at Bug Incision HQ, and with good reason. He was a member of the amazing shambolic pop trio The Silt (along with Doug Tielli and Marcus Quin), he played frazzled minimalist improv with Eric Chenaux in the Guayaveras, alongside Justin Haynes and Jean Martin he plays street-sweeper-bristle bass in the group Freedman, he adds keys to groups like Saint Dirt Elementary School and Deep Dark United, he bats around standards in his own quartet, and he has a run of absolutely stunning solo songs albums under his own name. These albums blend country, jazz, and something entirely more unique (a quality he brings to all the projects mentioned above) to create something that really doesn't sound like anything else. A real treat to have him on the bill.

    New Friends is a Calgary trio who play dark, spooky-sounding music. But this is just general world the music inhabits. The band covers lots of ground, from doomy, drone-heavy crescendos to breezy, peppier moments and back. The songs are based around Evan van Reekum's (Fist City, Teledrome) guitar playing, which meld an affinity for various strains of rustic six-string lineage with an ear for a post-rock sense of texture and pacing. The spook arrives care of the Ryan von Hagen's otherworldly playing of The Pyramid, a self-built device from which he coaxes a delightful range of odd noises. And the thing is sewn together with the raw, inventive drumming and brooding vocals of Kaelen Ohm, at once skirting the background areas of the music and providing melody and form to the songs. New Friends recently finished tracking their debut recording with Bug Incision's Chris Dadge, and it will be out this fall.

    National Music Centre (134 11th Ave SE)
    Doors at 8:00pm, show at 8:30pm
    $10 cover







  • Thursday, November 14
    Land of Marigold + Chris Dadge/Eric Hamelin + Dice Parks
    Hot Wax Records Basement (back door - 114 10th Street NW)
    Doors 6:30 / Music 7:30
    $5/pay what you can

    Land of Marigold is the Montreal-based duo of Ellwood Epps (trumpet) and Josh Zubot (violin). The two are central figures in Montreal's left-leaning jazz and creative music worlds. Epps is a familiar name to followers of Bug Incision-related activity. His excellent trio Pink Saliva (with Michel F. Cote and Alexandre St-Onge) released an album a few years ago and he is part of the Unrepeatable Quartet, a document from his solo trip to Calgary last fall. He's played with Matana Roberts' Coin Coin, Jean Derome, and William Parker. Zubot is likewise steeped in some heavy activities, our favourite being the amazing Subtle Lip Can trio and their stellar disc on Drip Audio. Mendham (with Jason Sharp, past Bug Incision stage star) and Ratchet Orchestra also appear on his resume. Both men are consummate musicians, enjoying a very full range of possibilities on their instruments. There is high degree of one-mindedness to the music that is indeed difficult to achieve and is worth cherishing.

    Chris Dadge and Eric Hamelin have been experimenting with various duo formations for the last year. They have tried two guitars, they have tried guitar and drums, they have tried cello & drums, they have tried drums & cello, and they have tried violin & cello. As two people who are known primarily for their percussive abilities, they've explored, quite naturally, the two drums/percussion scenario, which has yielded some successful results and will hopefully do so once again on this night.

    Dice Parks will issue a solo performance from his ongoing exploration of drum machines, small keyboards, loose-fitting rhythms, liberally applied FX processing, and addictive hooks. He has released a few highly limited tapes previously, and has a new recording coming out soon on Night People.