The Ex

I think my conclusion re: ZZE was that any given song by them has a good or interesting riff or idea, which isn't very often turned into a properly entertaining piece of music. The only other time I saw them was about three years ago supportng Whitehouse, so this was rather more sympathetic a setting, but I don't think my view changed that much

xp yeah there is not a only a pretty hueg merch table but there was also one with a ton of anarchist literature etc

I was totally floored by ZZE... found by turns immediately captivating and joyously baffling.

Here is a Zea track for you to not like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZTRRsfKF5c

And here is a more ILXor-friendly midway point (Zea + some Ex dudes while on the Ex tour in Ethiopia)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOyCLqzrggk

The other youtubes on this thread are fire so I hope nobody is too mad at these Zea clips onthread, but maybe I am just taking out my sadness that I won't get to see the Ex this tour

Ken Vandermark's Facebook diary entries on this tour are fairly brief but always interesting.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ken-Vandermark/121287797247

london - INCREDIBLE! anyone who's able to should go see the remaining dates, it was too too good

^ cosign

had to leave and make the last train; did they do a second encore? in bristol they did this impressive and more minimal/pretty sounding thing which i mostly heard from outside because one of my friends was being sick

hmmm i lost track a little, i think only the one encore, they finished at about 11:20

Yeah there was just one encore. I did wonder if they'd do another but then the DJ started up again.

Great gig tho!

(single) encore was cover of a Konono #1 track apparently. Fantastic gig, now wondering where to start w/ a 30yr discography. Maybe 30 years of the Ex?

I feel like there was a thread where their discography was discussed. Obv a hard band name to search though.

heh, like there's this very thread that I'm already on, and The Ex. and The Ex - S&D and The Ex: Search will do some reading thanks.

Actually this was the thread I was thinking of LOL:

is it possible there is no c/d s/d thread for THE EX????????

name that ex song by completely non-standard music notation

^ think that was the encore that thomp heard btw

the konono one, yes. arnold introduced it as such. it's not the "impressive and more minimal/pretty sounding thing" i mentioned, though; no idea what that one is.

Mats Gustafsson as Gene Simmons in Glasgow

http://krakow.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p201529311-4.jpg

bought the 30 yr comp and the getachew cassette (!) btw; the only thing i'd heard before was the first record with tom cora. played the second disc of the compilation at work this afternoon to mixed response

I guess they had the casettes made for their African shows.

yeah, there's an interview where andy moor says as much. was amazed to own it then remembered i don't have a tape player anymore.

cracking show. been meaning to check these dudes out for some time, and they didn't disappoint.

throughly enjoyed John Butcher's performance too.

Missed him - got there at 8:15 and had to queue to get in and he was offstage by the time I got in.

oude zaal melkweg, vrijdag 4 juni, 20.30u, 17.50 euro.
the ex speelt zonder GW SOK, maar met de nieuwe zanger Arnold (van ZEA).
enige show in NL tijdens deze tour, be there! 8)

been listening to the moa anbessa lp for a few days now. features the ex in (mostly?) live collaboration with getachew mekuria, a now 82 year old ethiopian saxophone colossus. it's a mississippi-released and slightly truncated version of a cd that came out a few years ago, but that i'm only hearing for the first time now. liberally interpreted covers of classic ethiopian jazz tunes as selected by both parties, with assistance from a full horn section. astounding. mekuria operating in fine form despite his age, with the band crashing along violently behind, also despite theirs. perhaps unsurprisingly, the best tracks are those that allow the ex to deliver at full power, with the simple saxophone riffs fully integrated, punching back and forth. they're slightly less effective and distinctive on the more restrained numbers, lacking the delicate swing that might elevate the more traditional numbers. where they split the difference between blocky, hectoring post-punk unfunk (often with gw sok's strident vocals) and sinuous ethio-jazz, however, it becomes a wonderful thing. the hybrid is an unlikely one, but winds up being a hell of a lot of fun. wild, punchy, energetic as hell, but also hypnotic, graceful and joyful. though it lacks vocals, a cover or gima bèyènè's "musiqawi silt" provides a splendid document of their fusion at its best. neither the band nor the saxophonist compromise the basic essence of their music: mekuria's playing is lithe, graceful and swinging, while the band strips the song of its curves, reducing it to its mechanical essence and pounding it into the ground. i won't say that it overshadows other versions (the wallias band's original, the daktaris' blazing cover from a decade back), but it's more than worth hearing. so good. maybe my favorite 2010 purchase so far.

That album is great. I saw them twice in Chicago playing that material w/ Mekuria. They were amazing.

dang. wish i weren't playing catch-up w/ this, as i'd have LOVED to see them play together.

that LP is sitting right in front of me, yeah it is great. nice to get it at a non-import price as well.

ya man, if u ever get a chance to see that line-up live... GO

Anyone picked up the Lean Left record?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67mEAScLRfw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KSrPblj_HM

BTW it's Andy and Terrie with Paal Nilssen-Love and Ken Vandermark. Don't know why I hadn't heard about it before, but watching those clips, FUCKING HELL BRING IT ON

announcement the ex were playing was probably what made me decide to go to atp this year

hum

playin in london too, psyched

Lean Left album bangs hard, would LOVELOVELOVE to see them do it (or anything like that) live

playin in london too, psyched

Damn, didn't know that either... but here we go:

Tuesday 19 October 2010
The Ex at Tufnell Park Dome, London, UK

Wednesday 20 October 2010
The Ex at The Roadhouse, Manchester, UK

Sunday 24 October 2010
The Ex at Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, UK

Tantalising gap between the last two dates there

London gig is at same venue as last year. Will probably go again.

so... I'm not hearing good things about this new record. Anyone wanna pique my interest?

it's not bad but not enough katherina on vocals

it came up some on the 2010 punk thread i think.

it's groovy as hell, and the new dude is a fine replacement for gw sok.

my favorite album from last year from my favorite band.

this is their best one since Mudbird Shivers.

that sentence sucked, but y'all get it.

OH and they'll be touring the US next month!!!!

http://www.theex.nl/concerts.htm

had posted this on the visiting ethiopia thread over on ile but the ex are doing their annual ethiopia mini tour next week playing with Getachew Mekuria,Mats Gustafsson, Paal Nilssen-Love the Fendika band and others

will post some reviews on how it goes

I think the Dusted review was a little down on some of Arnold's lyrics, complaining that he veered into clunky leftist rhetoric at times, but it's no biggie for me. He's got a sense of humour to go with the left wing rants. And anyway, left wing rants are fine by me, especially in the face of a Tory government.
Terrific album, with some inspired musical ideas. I love the way they've worked in Konono style rhythms and sounds - Arnold makes his guitar sound like an electric thumb piano at one point. Loads of great jagged Terry and Arnold riffage, and inexorable polyrhythms from Katherina.
The live shows have been bloody fantastic too. I saw them three times last year. Once with Brass Unbound, which was a sort of greatest hits reworked set, and two in support of the new album, where they hardy played any old stuff. As glorious as The Ex + brass was, the latter shows were even better, with the sheer power and groove of the core band a joy to behold. I danced my ass off to them at ATP.

Terry and Andy riffage. Oops, sorry Mr Moor!

They're the Redskins that kept going?

I think the new rekkid is excellent and this thread served as a reminder for me to get my Chicago tix!