Newsletter 9
Spring 2001
- Two new albums
- Website story
- Goeroe's book
- Visiting EthiopiaAfter the fantastic tour
we did in Italy with Zu late last year, we sort of took a short break.
Still plenty to do, of course. Working on the artwork for the two new CDs,
involvement in side-projects and a bit of a rest took most of our time.
Then in February we started to look forward to the coming period, which
will include a lot of touring. First France, then Holland, followed by the
USA, where we will be playing shows with among others Shellac, Fugazi,
Unwound, Erase Errata and Blackheart Procession. We're really looking
forward to that. In August the 20-piece big band Ex Orkest will also be
doing some shows, to promote the new album. Then in September we are
invited to play at the Cinematex Film Festival in Austin, Texas, and also
we are asked to compile a three-day festival in Wels, Austria in November.
A busy half year it's gonna be, but also an exciting one, that's for sure.
Two New Albums Are Go
No less than two new CDs this year. First there's Dizzy Spells, the
new studio-album, and like its predecessor Starters Alternators has Dizzy
Spells been recorded by Steve Albini. And once again it sounds like only
Steve Albini can make it sound: like the band! Bright and clear, heavy and
yet transparent. Released on April 17th on Touch And Go in the USA, on
Vicious Circle in France, and on Ex Records in the rest of Europe, the
album contains of 12 new songs.
There's the almost inimatable, typical drum rhythms, furious and
impetuous, yet with enormous detail and preciseness; a thundering bass,
with double strings and chords, always in balanced swing; guitars that
chop and scratch and squeak, but also with catchy riffs and inciting
tunes. Plus singing, passionate reciting and occasional
"almost-singing"(!).
Direct and with apparent simplicity, rhythmical and loud, but also
stirring and tuneful. For practical reasons this time not recorded at the
Electrical Audio in Chicago (which would mean six return-tickets to the
USA), but instead in the Black Box in Brittany, France (which meant only
one return-ticket to Europe), a studio built by the same specific ideas
and preferences as Albini's.
The second album is Een Rondje Holland by the Ex Orkest. Consisting of a
selection of the live-recordings from the four concerts this 20-piece
orchestra did in June 2000. At the request of the Holland Festival The Ex
put together an orchestra and arranged 'ex-music' for this ensemble. The
lyrics were specially written by Jan Mulder, writer and former
professional soccer-player (Anderlecht, Ajax, Dutch national team), who
also performed live on stage with the Ex Orkest. All songs were sung in
Dutch, which never before happened on any Ex album whatsoever in more than
twenty years. An extreme orchestra, conducted by Hamish McKeich of the New
Zealand Opera, which combines the energy and drive of The Ex with the
timbre and possibilities of trumpets, saxophones, trombones, three
drummers, a groove-box, three singers, double-basses, a conductor and even
a bassoon. Mixed and edited at Loud in Amsterdam by Zlaya and Dolf, and
released on May the 15th on Ex Records only.
The Website Story
Okay, it took a while, and probably a lot of people got a serious headache
trying to remember our email- and website-addresses (edxfgrgcjrjkdks@xdldlexeaders505gjs4all.nl
and http://www.xdldle505gjs4all.nl/~egxrrecdcfgrtgdfdsgttg or something
similarly close to that), but since April the 1st, and that's no joke, we
have switched to the following addresses: ex@theex.nl and www.theex.nl,
so it should be getting a bit easier the next time you try to contact us.
As people might have noticed, at the moment our site is "still under
construction" since the very first beginning or so, but we are in the
process of entering the 21st century internetwise. Construction-worker
Peter is helping us out with designing a much more accurate and enjoyable
site, which also will include downloadables (mainly music, I suppose, no
t-shirts and skate-boards). It might take a couple of months though, but
somewhere after the summer everything should be ready for lift-off.
Goeroe's Van God Los
G.W. Sok's new book, containing the collected columns which he wrote under
the alias of Goeroe Overflakkee for the now-defunct Dutch alternative
music magazine named Opscene, is now available in the shops (if you're
lucky), and also through Ralbör's mailorder and at Ex-concerts. It might
help if you are able to read in Dutch, though, since that is the language
he used for this collection of seriously nonsensical writings.
Wels Unlimited
The Ex get "carte blanche" to organize a 3-day festival in Wels,
Austria ... it happens November 9 till 11 and we're still in early
stages of confirming acts. Below is a general idea of who we'd like to
have play:
The Ex (of course), 4 Walls, Kletka Red, Han Bennink and Terrie, Kat and
Iva Bittova, Happy Wiz (incredible band from Bordeaux who never leave
town), Zu (our Roman friends who always leave town), 15 Ethiopian
traditional musicians including Masenko and Beganna players, dancers and
drummers, Melt Banana, Colin doing his drum'n'bass thing, and Hans Falb
(the Konfrontationen-organizer) and Andy on the turntables.
Spicy Ethiopian food will be served all weekend. There's more to come such
as live Bhangra beat, Hungarian folk music, Italian brass band ...
depending on who is available and how quickly our coffer gets empty.
Visiting Ethiopia
Late March Andy and Terrie went for two weeks to Addis Abeba to prepare an
eventual tour for The Ex. Although it will be for the first time ever that
a foreign band will play in Ethiopia, it looks like it's gonna happen. If
you tell people there that The Ex and Han Bennink are gonna play, at first
they can't be really bothered: "Don't we have music ourselves?!"
But then, after seeing the videos and hearing the CDs that Andy and Terrie
brought along, they all get totally enthusiastic. Bob Henson, secretary of
culture of the Dutch Embassy organised a diner for musicians,
venue-holders and journalists, and the reactions were upright positive.
Wossenyellem (which means: man without frontiers), a friend of an
Ethiopian friend in Amsterdam, turned out to be head of the
music-department of the Mega Theatre, and Francis Falceto, the compiler of
the Ethiopiques series, had a good tip about the Taitu Hotel, where
someone has just began to start up an exhibition- and concert-room. Next
to that there's possibilities in the Yared Music School and at the famous
Hager Fekir Theatre. It's gotta work.
For the rest Andy and Terrie got completely overwhelmed by the markets,
the coffee, the flavours and colours, the shoulderdance (eskesta), and the
asmaris (street-/bar-musicians which, on a one string-violin, amuse and
confuse the people for fun's sake). We're already looking forward for the
tour that is planned for next January.
Shortcuts
+++ Han Bennink & Terrie play a duo-concert on June 11 at De Balie
in Amsterdam during the STEIM Festival. May the 7th at the Wilhelmina in
Eindhoven. +++ April 20, in the Mediatheque in Charleroi, Belgium ... an
improv-gig, with duo's and trio's, containing of the Ex-people with guests
such as the Senegal drummer Cerigne, saxophone-player John Butcher (UK),
violin-player Mary Oliver (US) and "stage-performer" Jochem. +++
In the Effenaar, Eindhoven, May 10, we will be supported by the Mongolian
overtone-singers of Altai Hangai. +++ In the Patronaat, Haarlem, May 11,
by Plan Kruutntone (their new album Gelijktijdig Wiel got excellent
reviews!). +++ During the weekend of May 24 till 26 we will probably do
some shows with kora-player Djibril Diabate fro m Bamako, Mali. The
African telephone-connections are not always exactly doing what they're
supposed to do, so it's not all clear yet, but hopefully it's gonna work.
+++ May 30 till June 2 we will be joined for four shows by Italian
hardcore jazzgroup Zu from Rome. +++ 18th of August we play at the party
of the wellknown German fanzine Trust. +++ The Ex Orkest will be doing a
couple of gigs in August, to support the cd-release of Een Rondje Holland
(which more or less means A Trip Through The Netherlands, something like
that). On August 21 in the Amsterdam Paradiso, August 23 ath the
Jazz-festival in Mulhouse, France, and the 25th at the Jazz-festival in
Saalfelden, Austria. +++ April 5, 6 and 7 we were finally back in the UK
after almost eight years. Gigs in London and Oxford, and at All Tomorrow's
Parties, a festival in a holiday resort near Hastings, on the coast of
South-England ... This year with Tortoise as curators. A very varied
programme. It was great to see a massive young audience enjoy veteran
artists such as Sun Ra Arkestra and Derek Bailey! We, too, had a great
time! Thank you kindly to Tortoise for inviting us to the festival ... And
next year Shellac will put the programme together, so who knows, maybe
we'll be there in 2002 also (if not as artists, then as audience). +++ In
May 2001 The Ex tours the Netherlands, to celebrate the release of the new
albums. Has been a long time doing that. Last time was in late 1998! +++
From June 19 till June 30 on tour in the USA, visiting some very vital
cities (east, mid, and west). +++ From April 21 till April 29 a tour in
France. +++ In September we are invited to play at the Cinematex
filmfestival in Austin, Texas, USA, plus three or four other shows,
followed by a short tour through Germany. +++ 4Walls (featuring Luc Ex,
Phil Minton, Michael Vatcher and Veryan Weston)) recently played a whole
week in France and will play the Victoriaville festival in Canada half of
May. followed by more shows in the area. Their long awaited first album
will be released in late May, early June, on Red Note. Title: And The
World Ain't Square. +++ Most recent release form the Terp Records people:
Terrie's Emma gave birth to a beautiful daughter called Lena Abeba. +++
June 16 Andy and Kaffe Matthews play at Bologna's Angelica Festival +++
Then June 20, Torino ... Andy solo with dancer Lucia Citterio. +++ July 24
Magpie Dance Company, with Andy, Cor Fuhler and Michael Vatcher in
Bordeaux, France. +++ New cd-duet with Andy (guitar) and Kaffe Matthews
(live samples and electronics) due out mid June. +++ End of this year the
address of Ralbör, our mailorder-thingy, changes. More about that on our
site and in News Letter no. 10, which will arrive in October 2001. +++ Bye
for now. +++
Andy, Terrie, Luc, Sok,
Katrin, Colin, Grrrt
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