- SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2024
High Line Brewing: 1318 9 Ave SE, Unit #113
(access via Minh Chau parking lot off 9th Ave SE)
7-10pm, 18+, $10 cover at the door, CASH ONLY
Ad hoc ensembles, featuring:
Tys Burger, guitar, FX
Mark Fleischhaker, vocals and FX
Devin Friesen, guitar, FX
Morgan Greenwood, drum machine, synth
Easy HD, percussion
Andrew Lehman, percussion
Witek Radomski, synth, hang drum
Laura Reid, violin
Jill Shannon, bass
++ between-set music provided by DJ Jeremy Curry
- SUNDAY, MARCH 24, 2024
High Line Brewing: 1318 9 Ave SE, Unit #113
(access via Minh Chau parking lot off 9th Ave SE)
7-10pm, 18+, $10 cover at the door, CASH ONLY
Two Trios, One Duo
>>> Keith Rodger / Robin Tufts / Erik Allen
Keith Rodger is one of the city's finest - and therefore, busiest - bass players Calgary has to offer, displaying a mastery of the four strings, both electric and acoustic, across a wide variety of genres. He is known around town for work with acts such as Hermitess, Wayne Garrett's pedal steel trio, Horsebreaker, collaborations with Nathan Godfrey, and many others. For this one-off show, Rodger has opted to triangulate himself with two other percussionists from in and around Calgary. Robin Tufts is no stranger to Calgary's music scene or the Bug Incision stage; he's worked with a huge variety of people, including ongoing collaborations with bassist Simon Fisk, the Calgary-Montreal musical exchange called Calgareal (alongside other Foon Yap and Jiajia Li, among others), and he hosted for many years an amazing house concert series called Music For Soup. Rounding out the triangle - or perhaps putting a point on it - is drummer Erik Allen, also no stranger to the BI stage, and known for his creative kit & percussion work with Amy Nelson, John Rutherford, and more.
>>> Friesen - Hume - Waters
Speaking of triangles, this one pulls together two duos that Devin Friesen has been exploring over the last number of years. Friesen is well-known about the town for his work as Bitter Fictions, the solo project that initially gained him notoriety in the community, and led to the birth of his label Shaking Box Music, a label which has released piles of top-quality excursions into the realms of noise, improvisation, post-punk, electro-acoustic weirdness, and more. For many years, one of his most potent collaborations, yielding three excellent cassette release, has been with saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist Nate Waters. Waters is another hero of the Calgary music community, crossing lines all over the communities of jazz (with his own groups and constant gigging), indie rock (his old band Cable-Knits and new band Eye of Newt are both worth your attention), the sideman world (logging hours with Samantha Savage Smith, Ryan Bourne's Plant City Band, and Bennett Mitchell), and even some quasi-new-music ensembles (such as Bug Incision frequenters' group Circular Sparrow and Nobody Say Anything, with Mark Limacher, Nate Schmidt, and Chris Dadge). Together with drummer Andrew Hume (Burro, Seizure Salad, Dada Centauri, and an excellent duo tape with Friesen), one of the city's most unique and idiosyncratic improvisors, the three are celebrating the release of their excellent new tape, Nightspeak, which will be available for purchase at the show.
>>> Jonathon Wilcke & Chris Dadge
Wilcke (saxophones) and Dadge (percussion), the two people that run the behind the scenes action at Bug Incision, also play in a duo together, and have for a while. They initially met in 2005 playing in a tribute to Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz album, and then played again in a trio with bassist Scott Munro at the Soda (during Bug Incision's first months of existence) before Wilcke relocated for a spell to Vancouver. There, the saxophonist played with many folks, and reconnected with Dadge on one of his many trips there with the Bent Spoon Trio. In 2012, Wilcke moved back to Calgary and was instantly slotted into the Bug Incision world in a major way. The two share a love of unrestrained, limit-searching improvising, and they both bring a wealth of historic knowledge in that realm while maintaining distinct identities and providing their own takes on approaching "free improvisation". After something of a hiatus from the duo playing, the two reconvened for a private and public play in December of last year, and are currently formulating an updated approach to their music. Together they've played a variety of people such as free improvising legends Joe Morris and Jack Wright, and they also play in the ensemble Circular Sparrow, alongside Lydia Pineau, Jiajia Li, and Nate Waters.
++ between-set music provided by DJ Jeremy Curry
SUNDAY, APRIL 7, 2024
High Line Brewing: 1318 9 Ave SE, Unit #113
(access via Minh Chau parking lot off 9th Ave SE)
7-10pm, 18+, $15 cover at the door, CASH ONLY
Jairus Sharif / Chris Dadge / Dan Gaucher TRIO
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Secret Lady Project (Nia Devetzis, Laura Jones, Kelsey Noble, Holly DeCaigny)
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Mark Limacher / Eric Svilpis / Gus Rendell TRIO
Jairus Sharif / Chris Dadge / Dan Gaucher TRIO
This one-off trio is taking advantage of the temporary presence of drummer Dan Gaucher, back in Alberta for a short spell to perform with AJ Benoit for the release of her latest record. Ex-Calgarian (who then kept time for acts like Shecky Forme and Aaron Booth) now based in Vancouver, Gaucher is a traveled and in-demand musician, known for his work with the critically-acclaimed group SICK BOSS, the October Trio, Fond of Tigers, and many more. Chris Dadge is known to many in the Calgary community as the founder and main operator of Bug Incision, a drummer/percussionist for a vast array of pop (Samantha Savage Smith, Chad VanGaalen, to name but two) and avant garde (Circular Sparrow, Wilcke/Dadge duo, ad hoc playing with the likes of Joe Morris, Jason Kahn, Eugene Chadbourne, and Tim Olive) projects. Aside from the drums, Dadge also counts the amplified violin among his arsenal (which can be heard to great effect in the duo Cryingsnice with Eric Hamelin), which will be sparring with the FX-laden saxophone of Jairus Sharif. Over the last few years, Sharif has become one of the most celebrated new voices in experimental music, thanks to his Telephone Explosion Records-released LP Water & Tools and his impassioned live performances.
Secret Lady Project
Saxophonist Holly DeCaigny, percussionist Nia Devetzis, vocalist/guitarist Laura Jones, and flautist Kelsey Noble are the Secret Lady Project, collective of performer-composers who explore various compositional frameworks, notational systems, and approaches to contemporary new music. Some of the busiest and most in demand musicians in town, straddling orchestral and chamber work in the classical music realm, education, and theatre, the quartet made their debut at Bug Incision last year, and we are pleased to present them once again.
Mark Limacher / Eric Svilpis / Gus Rendell TRIO
In the classic spirit of free improv ad hoc groupings, we are pleased to present the first-time meeting of three individuals who together criss-cross quite a few different realms of musical activity in Calgary. Some of them know each other, others do not, and the three of them have certainly never played together. Mark Limacher is a composer and pianist, known for his minimal, hypnotic compositions and on-the-money playing in a variety of jazz combos, including the acclaimed duo with singer Caity Gyorgy. He will be playing a keyboard at this show. Eric Svilpis plays in a ton of bands around town, including one memorably named Pizza Bath, and he's an accomplished engineer, having helmed records for more bands than it's possible to list here. He will be playing a guitar on this night. Gus Rendell is a veritable man about town, most commonly seen as the drummer and one of the singers in Brain Bent, one of the city's finest punk rock ensembles, or as a singer and guitarist in Cheer, an excellent garage psych combo with a new release on the horizon. Gus will be playing a keyboard as well.
++ between-set music provided by DJ Jeremy Curry
- SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2024
High Line Brewing: 1318 9 Ave SE, Unit #113
(access via Minh Chau parking lot off 9th Ave SE)
7-10pm, 18+, $15 cover at the door, CASH ONLY
BUG INCISION + PUBE PROVISIONAL SOCIETY "PRESENTATION":
“Presentation” is a showcase of experimental music made using consumer electronics. Use of cassettes, radios, and home stereo equipment to create a musical environment somewhat familiar, yet very challenging.
Pube - brutal live tape collage using unreleased recordings + mixing boards played off of home studio equipment
Drilling for heaven - Connor Scott tape loop set, precise and minimal tape music
Bangkok airport - performative circuit bent radio noise, new duo of exciting ACAD students with great ideas
Andrew Hume - of Burro, Cold Water, Seizure Salad, performing solo with tape loops and synth
++ between-set music provided by DJ Jeremy Curry
- SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2024
High Line Brewing: 1318 9 Ave SE, Unit #113
(access via Minh Chau parking lot off 9th Ave SE)
7-10pm, 18+, $15 cover at the door, CASH ONLY
ERIC HAMELIN & NATE WATERS
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GHOST CARS
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CHRISTIAN FERGUSON
ERIC HAMELIN & NATE WATERS
No strangers to the Bug Incision stage, these two have been logging the occasional session in service of building up a new repertoire for their saxophone & drumset explorations. They performed a ferocious set last December, and both musicians have been in top form; Waters has been busy with his usual live and session work as a first-call reedsman of distinction, and also just celebrated the release of debut EP Stay In Your Lane from his art-pop band Eye of Newt. Hamelin, while also continually providing the rhythmic backbone of Ghostkeeper and Shane's acclaimed new solo project, also just wrapped some excellent recording sessions for a soon-to-announced new album (stay tuned), featuring his compositions and one-of-a-kind drumming.
GHOST CARS
Ghost Cars is the solo vehicle for one Matt Belton, longtime member of Edmonton's rich community of sonic experimenters. Some may know these names from recent acclaimed collaborations with Bug Incision past performers Pigeon Breeders, or running the Mangled Tapes label for many years, but this show will present Belton alone, coaxing waves of grainy sound from his guitar, sampler, and amp that will have one pining for the days of Mouthus and Axolotl.
CHRISTIAN FERGUSON
A new face to the Bug Incision stage, this performer was a happy result of a Bug Incision Players' Directory google form submission. We are pleased to present a set of solo guitar music from Christian S. Ferguson, based in Southern Alberta. "Whether it’s an old standard, his original tunes, or completely free and open, Christian has an aptitude for improvised music with a priority of counterpoint in melody and harmony. Christian incorporates the polyphony of the baroque era, with the aesthetics of jazz, funk, rock and blues music. "
++ between-set music provided by DJ Jeremy Curry
- SUNDAY, JUNE 16, 2024
High Line Brewing: 1318 9 Ave SE, Unit #113
(access via Minh Chau parking lot off 9th Ave SE)
7-10pm, 18+, $15 cover at the door, CASH ONLY
i.o (Vic) + Pet Retina (Vic)
+ Sol Viator duo (Edmo)
+ Lydia Pineau solo
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> s t a y - t u n e d - f o r - s e t - o r d e r !!!
This month we are pleased to welcome back, with what is proving to be some regularity, Victoria's i.o, brainchild of one Maxwell Patterson. One of the more maniacally prolific projects out of Canada's network of "noise" or "experimental" music producers, the music of i.o is constantly developing, albeit in small and - to all but the keenest observers - subtle ways. The last time Patterson rolled through High Line Brewing, the newest addition to the soundworld was a tambourine wedged inside the kick drum, shoved against the batter (struck, for you non-drummers) side drumhead, creating an extra aura of high-end shimmer to the proceedings that, despite the simplicity of the execution and thanks to the relentless nature of Patterson's playing, was hugely effective, psychedelic, and seemingly separate from the rest of the percussive onslaught. The i.o project is on yet another epic Canadian tour right now, in support of their newest album not all prophecies. In their own words:
"not all prophecies is i.o’s latest record, a blistering, 38-minute overview of the rhythmic
practices, timbres, and drum melodies that he has been honing through relentless
touring, practice, and recording for the last decade. It is perhaps his 213th record.
Composed and performed entirely by i.o, not all prophecies is the first solo i.o record
that wasn’t recorded direct to camcorder and then ripped into Audacity. The increased
fidelity of his drumkit allows the rhythmic and timbral features of his playing to bloom.
Listeners will note previously buried elements like the tambourine that he places in his
kick drum, or the cowbell he plays with a second kick pedal with his left foot. The guitars are drawn from various live sets that i.o prepared between 2021 and 2023,
and the drums were recorded live in a single take, without overdubs. Like most of i.o’s
work, not all prophecies can be heard in several ways: as a jawdropping technical
exercise, as a thrilling hyperspeed version of midwest emo and math rock, or as music
that is so torrential that it flattens out to tones and waves; almost ambient in its endlessly flowing information."
Joining i.o on this epic cross-country jaunt is Pet Retina. This is no coincidence, as Pet Retina is side project for Patterson and fellow Victorian Void Puppet, noise project of some repute, with a recent release on Bent Window Records, a cavalcade of circuit bent toys and noise, which Cups & Cakes Network called "an auditory pleasure ... the fact that it was lovingly crafted by someone who takes great joy in the pure collision of sound is obvious." Pet Retina combines this colourfully psychedelic sound palette with Patterson's intensely detailed drumming, making for an inspired pairing.
In another return from an out-of-town past performer, we're pleased to welcome back Matt Meeker, previously witnessed at Bug Incision playing in the now-defunct Edmonton experimental supergroup Holy Drone Travelers, or in 2022 as part of an ad hoc ensemble evening. Meeker, known for his work on electric bass, shawm, trombone, and vocals, is town with a solo version of his group Sol Viator. "An Edmonton based improvisational collective based in the western drone music tradition, free jazz, and modern ambient music, Sol Viator draws inspiration from and is sonically comparable to acts such as Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane, and Holy Drone Travelers." While often a larger group with drums and sax, and various other configurations, this performance will find Meeker alone, with a spread of bass, drones, vocals, and loops, fresh off an eight-month study of South Asian classical improvisational singing with friend and mentor Qaiser Kamal.
At this point, Lydia Pineau should be no stranger to anyone in the Bug Incision universe. She's been a steady presence as performer and audience member since 2017, and we've been fortunate to see her in action in a wide variety of contexts. One of the central parts of Pineau's output is her Bandcamp page, which houses a wild number of releases under the loose moniker Arts&Crafts (not to be confused with the Toronto indie rock clearinghouse) and exhibit and staggering array of activities across the spectrum. It will well worth a perusal. She's also performed at many ad hoc ensemble evenings on a variety of instruments, maintains membership in the group Circular Sparrow alongside Jiajia Li, Joanthon Wilcke, Nate Waters, and Chris Dadge (they're playing this June 28 for this year's Sound Atlas festival), appeared in a COVID-era Sled Island commissioned video alongside Chad VanGaalen, Scott "Monty" Munro, and Dadge, and has recently been seen playing in a duo formation (on drums) alongside the multifaceted Kaiden Jackman. This set will be the debut performance of her solo acoustic guitar music.
++ between-set music provided by DJ Jeremy Curry
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- TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2024
Loophole Coffee Bar: 1040 8 Ave SW
7-10pm, 18+, $15 cover at the door
RHYTHM & SOUNDS and BUG INCISION PRESENT:
An Evening of Drum Kit Worship
featuring:
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MINEO KAWASAKI (Matsuyama, Japan)
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Arts&Crafts
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Overzealous
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Mineo Kawasaki was been visiting Calgary frequently over the last handful of years, often centred around his memorable performances at the Sled Island festival. Kawasaki's sets are truly mesmerizing, combining precise, lithe drumming with samples, electronic processing, and a subtly, constantly, shifting rhythmic framework that recalls the longform structures of certain kinds of electronic dance music. Kawasaki's fluid technique makes the work seem rather effortless, but the parts are quite involved and complex, but without seeming so, making this a type of music that will satisfy the closest listening as well as that of the more oblique listener. His sets at this year's Sled Island were many attendee's festival highlights, and we are excited to finally present Mineo at Bug Incision, in a special partnership with the esteemed Loophole Coffee Bar.
Arts&Crafts is the overarching moniker for many of the musical activities coming from Lydia Pineau, multi-instrumentalist musician, composer, and improvisor, among other things. Lydia has been making waves on the scene here since around 2018, and has become a valued member of the city's creative music community, recently performing at this year's Sound Atlas festival, alongside Jiajia Li, Nater Waters, Jonathon Wilcke, and Chris Dadge as Circular Sparrow. Drums were one of her first major instruments, and this set will see her in full-on re-engagement mode with this instrument. Lydia will be relocating to Montreal in the near future, so one is well advised to check out her action while it's still convenient!
Overzealous is the solo nom de plume for Matthew Springer, another vibrant, prolific and stimulating member of Calgary's arts & music scene. Matthew (while not working as an eye-popping visual artist and designer) is often seen behind the drums, alternately as leader of his shape-shifting free music collective The Phanerozoic Eon, noise-pop duo Radioactive Vampire Teeth, and eclectic post-punk heroes Dial Up. His music is multi-facteted and unpredictable - just how we like it - and word has it that this set will have a particular focus on the almighty drumset. Buckle up.
++ between-set music provided by DJ Jeremy Curry
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- SUNDAY, AUGUST 18, 2024
High Line Brewing: 1318 9 Ave SE, Unit #113
(access via Minh Chau parking lot off 9th Ave SE)
7-10pm, 18+, $15 cover at the door, CASH ONLY
HOW TO SURVIVE A HIGH RISE HOTEL FIRE with LEDA XO
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DOMINIC JASMIN
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JONATHON WILCKE/CHRIS DADGE DUO
We are pleased to welcome back a couple out of town acts that we've had the good fortune of previously presenting in past years. Victoria's How To Survive A High Rise Hotel Fire will perform in both trio formation (with Nikko Whitworth and Haley Bird alongside guest member Leda XO) and also as a quintet with Bug Incision's own Jonathon Wilcke and Chris Dadge, who will also play as a duo on this night. Additionally, we will witness a solo set from Montreal's Dominic Jasmin.
HOW TO SURVIVE A HIGH RISE HOTEL FIRE + LEDA XO
how to survive a high rise hotel fire is a collective started by bassist Nikko Whitworth and oboist Haley Bird that strives to create community around co-regulation, meaning-making and nonsense-making through sound. Their experimental conversations meld elements of noise and free jazz, inviting trance states and deep listening in performers and listeners. As a collective of free improvisers, members are invited to collaborate in a variety of iterations of htsahrhf. They perform in Vancouver, in spaces such as 8EAST and Red Gate Arts Society and with the noise music series Teflon Spine. They have released two live recordings of these performances titled “do you wrestle with dreams?” and “chop or shred all pieces of matter to hasten decomposition”. On tour, they have played for experimental music series in Western Canadian cities such as Bug Incision (Calgary), Interior Network (Edmonton), and Near Dark (Victoria).
Leda XO is the vocalist of experimental noise-grind project Sissy XO as well as other extreme music acts such as Jisei and The Hallowed Catharsis. It experiments with a plethora of unorthodox vocal techniques, contact mics and manipulation with effects pedals.
 
JONATHON WILCKE/CHRIS DADGE DUO
The two individuals behind the scenes at Bug Incision have been playing together, on saxophones and percussion, respectively, for decades, first appearing on stage together around 2003 as part of a double quartet assembled by Darren Williams for an Ornette Coleman tribute concert. Not long after that they played as a trio with Scott Munro at original Bug Incision venue The Soda, during Bug Incision's first year of existence, then Wilcke relocated for a time to Vancouver. They saw each other less during those years, but Dadge and Scott Munro would make frequent trips to the coast to play as the Bent Spoon Duo, mainly at legendary Vancouver improv-centric venue 1067, a collective run space on Granville that one entered from the back alley, and they kept in touch through these visits. Once Wilcke returned to Calgary in 2012, the two began playing together more frequently, and Wilcke became centrally involved in the operations of Bug Incision. They have played many duo concerts, released an album of live recordings, performed and recorded with free jazz guitarist Joe Morris, and are two fifths of the group Circular Sparrow, who recently performed at this year's Sound Atlas contemporary music festival.
DOMINIC JASMIN
We are pleased to welcome back this Montreal-based electronics manipulator for another set of kinetic, high energy music:
Dominic Jasmin is a composer and improviser from Montreal, Canada. His music, somewhere between free jazz and acousmatic music, blends the accidental and unpredictable nature of the former with the techniques of the latter to create what has been described as structured noise. Primarily working with found sounds and electronics, he also incorporates guitar and voice to some of his live sets.
He graduated from the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal in 2018 and has been active on the music scene there through his involvement in organizing concerts with Kohlenstoff collective and Mardi Spaghetti as well as being an active musician.
Apart from his solo practice through which he has collaborated with many other artists on a one-time basis, he is involved in different projects including Actors Artificial, Shortest Job First and Larsen. He is also a trained sound engineer, working in live sound for contemporary classical music and in the studio (or on location) recording, mixing and mastering different projects.
+ in-between set music by DJ Curry
- SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2024
High Line Brewing: 1318 9 Ave SE, Unit #113
(access via Minh Chau parking lot off 9th Ave SE)
7-10pm, 18+, $10 cover at the door, CASH ONLY
DUOS x3 DUOS x3 DUOS x3 with:
SLEEPING GIANTS +
DE JONG / WILCKE DUO +
McCASLIN / SIES DUO
We are pleased to welcome Erik Allen back to the Bug Incision stage for another of his always-interesting collaborations. This drummer, who you may have seen around town in recent years playing with the likes of John Rutherford and the Northern Beauties, last graced the stage earlier this year as part of a memorable trio with fellow percussionist Robin Tufts and multi-instrumentalist Keith Rodger, and this evening we are excited to see him reunite with a longtime collaborator, Toronto's Jay Hay. In their own words:
Sleeping Giants: A duo of improvising musicians and long time friends. Jay Hay (a Woodchoppers Association member, who has also played with Ken Vandermark, Paal Nilsson-Love and Fred Frith) from Toronto is a reed doubler, composer, arranger and improviser. Erik Allen (John Rutherford, Keith Rodger, Northern Beauties) from Calgary is a drummer/percussionist, sideman and improviser. Sleeping Giants have been creating improvised music together for 20+ years. Jay and Erik have played together in the jam band The Product and in the improv trio WAH! This Bug Incision performance is a reunion of sorts and will be full of big feelings, laments, love and chaos.
It's been written on this website before, but without a seminal performance of Ron de Jong (drums, percussion) alongside saxophone destroyer Darren Williams and guitarist Cody Oliver (eventually released by Ron as Arms Akimbo on his excellent Arrival Records label) at the Art Gallery of Calgary in 2004ish, the glimmer of Bug Incision would not have been located in the eye of its co-founders the following year. De Jong is a percussionist terrifically well-versed in the syntax, vocabulary, pacing, and structure of improvised music. His '90s group Vertrek Ensemble (usually himself and Vadim Budman) were heavily active during that decade, and released albums with Derek Bailey and Eugene Chadbourne. After a period of relative silence in '10s, he has been back at it with vengeance, performing a memorable set in 2022 with Jason Lee Scott and Wilcke. Jonathon Wilcke, one half of the Bug Incision administrative team and a seasoned improvisor themselves, has been focusing on the soprano sax for the last few years. The fact that Wilcke and a soprano haven't been dancing all these years seems a shame, but they've been making up for lost time. Wilcke has performed with Joe Morris, Eugene Chadbourne, Jack Wright, Darren Williams, and is a member of Circular Sparrow, alongside Nate Waters, Jiajia Li, Chris Dadge, and Lydia Pineau.
Drum Dialogues:
Improvised Conversations in Rhythm with Drums and Percussion
featuring Chris Sies and Jon McCaslin, an intersection and exploration of percussive possibility
We could not be more pleased to have another debut on the Bug Incision stage, another of those that seems like it somehow should've happened already, but c'est la vie. Jon McCaslin is one of the city's absolute titans of jazz drumming, whether it's with his shifting-lineup all-original ensemble Calgary Jazz Composer's Collective, with Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, or any number of one-off gigs around the city (not to mention his small group leader and sideman work with the likes of Brad Turner, Phil Dwyer, Peter Bernstein, Uri Caine, and Wycliffe Gordon). He's also a fervent student of the history of the instrument, and this shows not only in his playing, but also all over his celebrated Four On The Floor blog, a worthy resource for any curious listener or player. Chris Sies, recently appointed Principal Percussionist of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, is a wildly multi-faceted musician, who, aside from his exceptional skills as both a performer of widely diverse notated music and as a big-eared improvisor, has also recently made his presence felt in the city with Sound Atlas, the excellent festival he and Jani Parsons run from inside their Latitude 49 composer-performer ensemble.
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- SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2024
High Line Brewing: 1318 9 Ave SE, Unit #113
(access via Minh Chau parking lot off 9th Ave SE)
7-10pm, 18+, $15 cover at the door, CASH ONLY
BRODIE WEST QUINTET
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SECRETED LANGUAGE
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DAVID LAVOIE (solo EVI)
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BRODIE WEST QUINTET
We could not be more pleased to welcome back the Brodie West Quintet; the last time the Toronto group played Bug Incision, it was when High Line Brewing was a mere fraction of its current size, and didn't have a stage to speak of. Alto saxophonist West is one of the most rewardingly enduring figures in Canada's limits-pushing avant-jazz community, from the earliest published projects like Zebradonk, through an ongoing series of recordings and performances with Han Bennink and Terrie Ex, his "avant-calypso" ensemble Eucalyptus, membership in groups like Drumheller and the Lina Allemano Four, and genre-hopping guest appearances with the likes of Jennifer Castle, Tasseomancy, and Broken Social Scene, he is simply a force to be reckoned with. This band is one of his current group offerings, and it's a rhythmically active, flowing, playful ensemble made up of some of the finest Toronto musicians: keyboardist Tania Gill (Tania Gill Quartet, The Titillators) and bassist Josh Cole (Kind Mind, Sandro Perri, Luka Kuplowsky) are flanked by the double drum action of Nick Fraser (Nick Fraser Quartet, Ugly Beauties) and Philippe Melanson (filling in for Evan Cartright).
But hey, don't take it from us. Here's what a few respected media outlets have to say:
“West is among the most creative figures in Canadian music, reconstituting long-running conventions into musical puzzles as engaging as they are disruptive.”
- Stuart Boomer, Musicworks Magazine March 2022
“For the most part the music is lyrical, well-tempered and delicate, like a Monet but avoiding any suggestion of chocolate-box packaging through the album's undercurrents of unpredictability and angularity.”
- Chris May, All About Jazz February 2022
This show is made possible by generous grants from:
Canada Council For the Arts and the Trond Trondsen Micro-Grant
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SECRETED LANGUAGE
Secreted Language is a brand new project from saxophonist Nate Waters, guitarist Brock Geiger, and percussionist Chris Dadge. To reduce these three simply to single instrument players is somewhat disingenuous; they are three of the more shape-shifty players in town, all appearing in different roles and on different instruments with different projects. Waters is a busy and respected member of the Calgary jazz community, just debuted his new trio with Jeff Gammon and Afo Fapojuwo, and leads his very own weirdo-pop project Eye of Newt (which includes Dadge and Geiger). Geiger has been recently releasing hot tracks from his new solo project (for which Dadge and Waters play in the live band), as well as being busy as hell at his Studio B recording zone (which can frequently be spotted capturing the playing of Waters and Dadge). Dadge has a very similar studio tan going thanks to hours logged at his Child Stone Studios, while also playing with acts like Chad VanGaalen (with whom he just recorded a new album), Temps (also featuring Waters), Hermitess, Ryan Bourne & The Plant City Band (which also features Waters and sometimes Geiger). And together, the three also play in Samantha Savage Smith's band, and appear, to varying degrees, in the bands of both Bennett Mitchell and Clea Anais (and have also backed up Victrix at various points). Yikes! What all this cross-pollination means is that these three have had ample time to noodle aimlessly, hit upon interesting ideas, then burn up long drives or flights talking about their current listening obsessions and how it all fits together. Without pulling back the curtain too much, let's say this project represents a nice Venn diagram of these musicians' interests, with a pretty big centre portion. The first of more to come. |
DAVID LAVOIE
Those in the know will be hip to the fact that multi-instrumentalist David Lavoie has been making the scene recently playing none other than the electronic valve instrument - that's digital trumpet to you, and it's capable of some truly interesting vistas, especially in the hands of this monster. You might know Lavoie from a variety of sources: you may know his astute and engaging trumpet work with his own quartet or any number of other groups around town; he leads the angular post-punk group Temps; he plays drums in another post-punk group Bluffing; and he recently dropped a killer new LP of tunes he produced with Vancouver's Carson Tworow (it's called Teardown). Don't be late! |
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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2024
High Line Brewing: 1318 9 Ave SE, Unit #113
(access via Minh Chau parking lot off 9th Ave SE)
TICKETS ARE $15-25 at the door or in advance here
7-10pm, 18+
New Works Calgary and Bug Incision are pleased to team up once again to present a thrilling and diverse night of music at High Line Brewing:
Jessica Ackerley Trio (with guests) +
Sarah Hennies performed by Nia Devetzis +
Cloud Circuit
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JESSICA ACKERLEY TRIO
Since the last time Jessica Ackerley touched down in Calgary for an intimate set at Weeds Cafe, the musician, composer, and visual artist has seen an absolute flurry of activity coming their way, racking up diverse collaborations, festival appearances, tours, and a pile of albums in the meantime. New Works Calgary and Bug Incision are pleased to welcome back the Jessica Ackerley Trio as part of a West Coast tour in support of All Of the Colours Are Singing, the new album on AKP Recordings. |
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The Wire magazine has called Ackerley “one of the most exciting guitarists to have emerged from the US free music scene in recent years,” and the sheer breadth and mass of work accompanying this emergence is not only impressive in its own right but also an easy validation of this admittedly lofty claim. From collaborations with legends like multi-wind master Daniel Carter and epically prolific double bassist Damon Smith, to a series of duo and group investigations alongside Californian sax/multi-instrumentalist Patrick Shiroishi, Ackerley is effectively covering a huge amount of ground within the realm of improvised music, and that’s before we even get into their visual art or compositions. With All Of the Colours Are Singing, Ackerley presents the latest chapter in their evolution as a composer, aided and abetted by double bassist Walter Stinson and Aaron Edgcomb at the drums, and according to Foxy Digitalis, the album “weaves entire lives into each note from their guitar, stitching together a stream of reflections to make whole worlds of sound.”
As an added bonus the Jessica Ackerley Trio will be joined by a guest appearance from Mustafa Rafiq and Jairus Sharif.
All Of the Colours Are Singing by Jessica Ackerley
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NIA DEVETZIS PERFORMS SARAH HENNIES’ Sisters
Sarah Hennies is a terrific example of the kind of composer whose music represents a Venn Diagram of the guiding aesthetics of both New Works Calgary and Bug Incision. Hennies’ compositional output over the past decade-plus is one of the more readily identifiable, but also often wondrously head-scratching, and is often built of highly tactile, physical sounds, blurring the line between incidental sound, precise notations, and gestural, performance-oriented bodily movements. This penchant for such a singular (and sometimes quite rowdy) approach to instrumentation and direction, paired with Hennies’ background in improvisation, make her a natural fit for such a co-presentation. Nia Devetzis, one of our city’s preeminent percussionists and a recent addition to the Bug Incision players’ list, has been tapped as an ideal performer of Hennies’ composition Sisters, a beguiling piece for solo vibraphone, for its debut in Calgary. |
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| Sarah Hennies is a composer based in Upstate NY whose work is concerned with a variety of musical, sociopolitical, and psychological issues including queer & trans identity, psychoacoustics, and the social and neurological conditions underlying creative thought. She is primarily a composer of acoustic ensemble music, but is also active in improvisation, film, and performance art. She presents her work internationally as both a composer and percussionist with notable performances at MoMA PS1 (NYC), Monday Evening Concerts (Los Angeles), Warsaw Autumn, Ruhrtriennale (Essen), Archipel Festival (Geneva), Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Time:Spans (NYC), and the Edition Festival (Stockholm). As a composer, she has received commissions across a wide array of performers and ensembles including Bearthoven, Bent Duo, Ensemble Dedalus, The Living Earth Show, Mivos String Quartet, Talea Ensemble, Nate Wooley, and Yarn/Wire. |
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Nia Devetzis is a percussionist driven by the vivid and vast world of contemporary music, whether as a soloist or chamber musician. Notable performances include solo engagements with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Calgary Wind Symphony, and Calgary’s contemporary music and sonic arts festival, Forms of Sound and the Stratford Summer Music Festival. As a chamber musician, she’s worked as a core member of Timepoint Ensemble and has made appearances with The Rubbing Stone Ensemble and Land’s End Chamber Ensemble. She is also a founding member of SLiP (the Secret Lady Project), an anti-hierarchical free improv ensemble.
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CLOUD CIRCUIT
Self-proclaimed “Poetrysound” group Cloud Circuit are based in Montreal and composed of the duo of Deanna Radford, who “channels her poetry as deconstructed word events” and Jeremy Young manipulating “sine tones in flux and amplified surfaces”. Their music is fueled by the complications of communication and the failures within the systems we use to try and achieve it. Their music, often a collaborative affair utilizing guests (such as Alexandre St. Onge of Shalabi Effect), is a deeply engrossing, detailed melange of hard to identify, glitchy sounds amid fractured and processed spoken word passages. Their latest release, Live In Concrete 2020, sees the duo adding even more layers to their arsenals, and New Works Calgary and Bug Incision are excited to present them for their first time in Calgary. |
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+ in-between set music by DJ Jeremy Curry |
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2024
High Line Brewing: 1318 9 Ave SE, Unit #113
(access via Minh Chau parking lot off 9th Ave SE)
7-10pm, 18+, $15 cover at the door, CASH ONLY
DAN PITT QUINTET
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QUIET WINTER
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DADGE/RODGER/SIES/WILCKE
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DAN PITT QUINTET |
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An adventurous ensemble led by Toronto based guitarist Dan Pitt, this group blends
styles and influences from a wide array of music while building on a strong foundation
of jazz and improvised music. Featuring longtime members of Dan’s trio, Alex Fournier
on bass and Nick Fraser on drums, the quintet also features a tetrad of woodwind
instruments performed by Patrick Smith and Naomi McCarroll-Butler.
The compositions featured in this band vary in writing and serve as a vehicle for the
band to take in whatever direction they want, as far out as they want to go. From the
ambient wash of ECM influences to the aggressive bite of rock and improvised pieces,
this music offers a broad range of sounds and textures that further demonstrate Pitt’s
ability to create music that isn’t constrained by the limits of any style or genre. |
“Together these musicians present a diverse, dynamic vibe that works as a strong example of great contemporary jazz. That they are Canadian is simply a bonus.”
- Keith Black, Winnipeg Free Press
"Sharp, angular jazz clearly loaded with modern edges, this is a welcome home for the ears of tomorrow." - Chris Spector, Midwest Record
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The group is currently on tour in support of their new album Horizontal Depths:
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QUIET WINTER
Quiet Winter is an internationally-touring ambient post-rock band fronted by Canadian composer Brandon Garay. The
project initially emerged after a workplace injury limited the use of their hands, but quickly revealed Garay’s unique
ability to arrange ambient sounds into emotionally alive and dynamic creations. Escapism was the first of their five
releases to have garnered attention, charting independent radio stations and receiving glowing accolades from
Canadian press including Cups N Cakes Pod and Tome to the Weather Machine.
Quiet Winter’s upcoming record ‘Action Painting’ promises to be their most explorative and personal release to date,
featuring songs the band toured across North America last year before a traumatic motor vehicle accident halted their
plans and left them questioning what it meant to be artists, and what it meant to be alive. ‘Action Painting’ will branch
off from the dark ambience of their latest release ‘Peppermint Tea ‘ into a cinematic cacophony of sound with a quiet
bliss at its core; promising comfortable lavender-scented evenings spent stretching on the floor, heartbreaking
self-reflection, and the energetic anticipation of devouring a mosh pit for the first time.
A member in both Western Canadian Music Award-winning art-rock band 36? and beloved progressive art pop
songstress Laura Hickli, Garay is no stranger to fully embracing life’s versatile offerings, and returned to the road this
past June on a three-month summer tour, with new music and a new perspective.
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DADGE/RODGER/SIES/WILCKE
A classic first-time quartet to round out this evening. While this foursome has never specifically appeared on stage together, most of these players have worked together in some capacity: a) percussionist Chris Dadge and double bassist Keith Rodger are the rhythm section in ethereal noir-folk ensemble Hermitess; b) Dadge and saxophonist Jonathon Wilcke run Bug Incision, have played together extensively as a duo and less so as a trio with guitarist Joe Morris (and they also recently played with Rodger, accompanying the film The Cameraman's Revenge for a GIRAF event); c) Wilcke and Rodger played a tantalizing trio with violinist Jeremy Gignoux sometime in the last year at a Bug Incision ad hoc ensembles evening, and d) while I'm not sure that percussionist (vibist tonight) Chris Sies has played (at any length, anyway) with any of these three, his presence on the scene has become - quite agreeably if you ask me - a common sight, and his work with Latitude 49 and the Sound Atlas Festival, not to mention his role as principal percussionist at the CPO, make him a crucial figure in the city's musical ecosystem.
+ in-between set music by DJ Jeremy Curry
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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2024
High Line Brewing: 1318 9 Ave SE, Unit #113
(access via Minh Chau parking lot off 9th Ave SE)
7-10pm, 18+, $10 cover at the door, CASH ONLY
Bug Incision Ad Hoc Ensembles:
Rebecca Bruton, guitar
Holly DeCaigny, reeds
Christian Ferguson, guitar
Devin Friesen, guitar
Eric Hamelin, drums, percussion
Rob Oxoby, double bass
Kevin Sullivan, saxophone
James Watson, violin
Darren Young, guitar
+ between set music from DJ Jeremy Curry
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2025 >>> |
