Newsletter 4
Autumn '98
- The new album
- Goodbye Tom
- Interview excerpt
- LanayaA newsletter of mixed
emotions. The sad loss of Tom Cora, but also the birth of our new CD
album, "Starters Alternators". And, we recorded some great stuff
together with Tortoise, to be released next Spring on Konkurrent's
"In The Fishtank" series. Musically the last half year has been
really good to us, we did quite a few gigs all over the place and got
amazing responses from audiences everywhere. Coming next are a major tour
in Holland in November, with Lanaya from Mali as guests, and in mid
February next year our first gigs in Texas, and a series of shows on the
westcoast of the U.S. with Fugazi.
The new album
Basically we had a fantastic time in Chicago! an overwhelmingly
friendly welcome at Touch And Go, our new label. It's very impressive, to
see how they manage to combine professionalism with such enthusiasm for
the music that they release. And the same goes for Steve Albini's
Electrical Audio recording studio. also an extreme level of craftmanship
and knowledge but never without pure enjoyment for the music.
The combination of Steve Albini and The Ex worked wonders. Not only did we
feel at home with all the people working there, but recording with Steve
was an experience in itself. He sees himself more as a modern
field-recorder than an "old style" producer. His whole focus is
more towards recording a band as they sound. and that's of course not as
easy as it sounds. Here begins his craftsmanship, his incredible ear for
detail, and almost obsessive knowledge of microphones. He asks you to play
something which he carefully listens to, sometimes with his ear only 10 cm
from your speaker! The drums are in a massive room, some nine meters high;
the result is a kind of "outside" acoustics. The amps are in a
dry room. Then he chooses the right character of microphone (from a
selection of more than 500!), and places them in precisely the right spot.
The result is that when you return upstairs to the control room, it almost
instantly sounds the way you actually sound. EQ is hardly used at all.
Fascinating. Mixing also then proved so much easier than usual. Within
five minutes sometimes it was down to a bit of balancing of levels.
So, a week was more than long enough, and we are still totally happy with
the result. "Starters Alternators" will be released on October
20th, in the USA by Touch And Go Records, in Europe by ourselves on Ex
Records.
For Tom
It is no pleasure having to say goodbye to a friend. Meeting Tom (in late
'89) and working with him (between '91 and '94 The Ex + Tom Cora played
almost 100 gigs and together we put out two albums) was a true
inspiration. He will not be forgotten. Together we had a wonderful time,
That, in the end, is his gift to us, and we are proud of that.
Interview excerpt
- text: Carl Wilson for Montreal's Hour (May 7, 1998)
... The whole group is self-effacingly attuned to the audience, erasing
the boundary of the stage, transforming the room into one ecstatic
community. It's the most vivid communication of the group's ideals you
could ask for.
"Just because we don't care whether we become popular or famous or
not doesn't mean that we don't care about our audience," says Andy.
"We are very sensitive to their reactions and response and they have
as much power to make a gig fantastic or shite as we do."
The Ex and its members are also constantly jamming and exploring with
European jazz players and improvisers, a process documented on their
recent disc Instant. This is the factor that connects them to the Quebec
festival. "All good improvisers are in fact punk rockers!"
enthuses Terrie. "Victoriaville seems to mix these strange breeds
avant la lettre. It's great." (...)
"We have no desire to play ourselves into a corner," adds Andy.
"And we never will, I'm sure." ...
Lanaya
After the success of the gigs with Djibril Diabate, we decided to
invite his band, Lanaya, to support us on the november tour. They come
from Bamako, Mali, and all three members are so-called griots. A cast of
troubadours, who from generation to generation passed on the myths,
stories and the history of their country, well before it even had the
shape of what we know as Mali today.
The group consists of Djibril Diabate on the kora, a 21-string luteharp,
Fassery Diabate on balafon, and Mahamadou Kamissoko on ngoni, a small
7-string African guitar. They are all in their early twenties and offer a
new edge to their traditional music.
They celebrate the release of their first CD "Soun soun, la tradition
mandingue" on the new Terp label.
Shortcuts
+++ We are working on the singles-compilation CD, to be released
sometime next year. (Finally!) The main task is how to include all these
booklets, posters and pamphlets +++ a weekend in December in England.
That's the plan, but don't count your chickens! +++ The folk-record
progresses, albeit slowly. Sok is trying his tongue at Greek, thus far
only under the shower... +++ Corey (T&G) and Chris (of the studio)
keep falling of their motorbikes in recent races. Stiffer than ever, Corey
became champ anyway! +++ Weird, Dischord also do motorracing. Are we
missing something?... +++ Go see De Kift's "Morrelbarrel" tour,
a show not to be missed! +++ Mid February we play the westcoast of America
with Fugazi. Yes! And Texas. +++ Steve, Shellac, mentioned something about
playing Japan together. Lucky sods we are. +++ Our favourite band on the
French tour was Happy Wiz from Bordeaux, fantastic madness with a
Jean-Paul Belmondo lookalike kid as a singer. +++ Terrie and Andy played
an improvised gig at the Empty Bottle in Chicago with ten local
improvisers a.o. Hamid Drake and Michael Zerang. +++ Luc and Andy are
planning something with Mats Gustafsson and Michael Vatcher. +++ Sonic
Youth asked us to tour with them in Australia. Too short notice, what a
pity. But who knows, maybe some other time. +++ The chairs didn't last
long at the Mulhouse festival +++ Lowlands was much nicer than we expected
+++ ICP and amps, it won't happen probably +++ We forgot the Konkurrent on
the Starters sleeve-notes, but of course we do thank them. +++ Zo goed,
Hetty? +++ We can't wait to hear the new Cords album. +++ Fred Frith is
planning a Tom Cora tribute CD, we're thinking about our contribution +++
Terp is a new label directed by Terrie. First release will be Lanaya, the
second one probably the Terrie & Ab Baars improvisations, or the
Eritrean singer Zahaytu Berachi. Also scheduled are the 3 Musketiere,
Katrin's first band, from the early 80s, when she lived in Stuttgart. +++
Listen to Jaap Blonk's new CD "Vocalor". Completely unique! +++
The preparations for our big 20th Anniversary Party have started: the
definite date is 29th May 1999 at the Amsterdam Paradiso. Watch out for
it! +++ Next Ethiopique will be on tigrigna music. After that two Mahmoud
Ahmed ones. +++ Many people ask us to come to Italy. +++ Did Jos do some
work on our website yet? +++ New Red Note (Luc's label) release is a Roof
compilation CD. +++ Andy is listening these legendary John Storm Roberts
releases (Original Music) from Southern and Eastern Africa in the 50s.
Amazing stuff. +++
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