The Messthetics (Fugazi’s Joe Lally & Brendan Canty + guitarist Anthony Pirog) and frequent collaborator, saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, have announced a self-titled album, which will be out March 15 via Impulse! Records.
“The way I revere them is the same way that I revere playing with Jamaaladeen Tacuma or playing with William Parker,” Lewis says of working with Lally and Canty. “It’s a certain road experience that you can’t get in school.” He also appreciates that he can hear the rich musical heritage of their hometown in their sound. “It’s like a well-oiled machine playing with them.” As to Pirog, Lewis says, “Since day one of knowing Anthony, me and him just fit.”
The album was recorded at a two-day session in Maryland with engineer Don Godwin. You can get a taste right now with “Emergence,” that comes with a video directed by Canty. Watch that below.
Having just played NYC Winter Jazz Fest, The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis will hit the road together this spring, starting with festival appearances at Boise’s Treefort and Knoxville’s Big Ears, with their tour running through May and wrapping up at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom on 5/19.
Tickets for all headline shows go on sale Friday, January 26 at 10 AM local time, and all dates are below.
The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis
1. L’Orso
2. Emergence
3. That Thang
4. Three Sisters
5. Boatly
6. The Time Is The Place
7. Railroad Tracks Home
8. Aesthenia
9. Fourth Wall
The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis – 2024 Tour Dates
3/21 – Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Fest^
3/23 – Knoxville, TN @ Big Ears Festival^
3/25 – Nashville, TN @ Blue Room^*
3/26 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl^
3/27 – Asheville, NC @ Eulogy^
3/28 – Raleigh, NC @ Kings^
3/29 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat^
3/30 – Philadelphia, PA @ Solar Myth^
5/06 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe
5/07 – Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR Pub
5/09 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
5/10 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
5/11 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall^
5/12 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon^
5/13 – Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell’s Eccentric Cafe^
5/14 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground^
5/15 – Ottawa, ON @ The 27 Club^
5/16 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz^
5/17 – Keene, NH @ The Thing in The Spring^
5/18 – Somerville, MA @ Crystal Ballroom^
5/19 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom^
* = supporting bar italia
^ = w/ James Brandon Lewis