I saw The Ex last night, and they were probably better than any band I've seen in the last five years!

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holy shit...man...I don't even know what to say..saw them a long time ago w/Shellac and Fugazi in Chicago, but this is the first time they've been to Mpls...

Absolutely unreal music...like if Solid Gold-era Gang of Four had the knotty, tight rhythmic propulsion of classic era James Brown and a jones for noise and world music (they even did a Konono No. 1 cover)...

I think most of them are in their late 40s and even maybe early 50s, but so much fucking energy, just absolutely inspiring to see live....

new lineup doesn't have a bass player, but the guitarists have sort of jerry-rigged their guitars by putting two bass tuner keys on the headstock and making them into sort of weird baritone/bass/regular guitar hybrids...

the drummer, I can't remember her name, is absolutely amazing, tight as hell tribal, circular beats....

they played a loooong set even though they were all jet lagged and just destroyed the fucking venue....serious dancing going on up front...

made me so happy.

fuck weak ass rock music...it's almost disgusting to see shit like that NME list after seeing The Ex....

also brought a cool DJ along with them...DJ Rupture, I think he's European...but anyway yeah he did some cool stuff, esp. this one time he dropped some trad. Indian music singing over J-Kwon's "Tipsy" beat :)

― M@tt He1ges0n (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 8 December 2006 17:32 (seventeen years ago) link

Here's the rest of their tour dates...def. recommend you attend if your are able...cover was cheap here, too...only $10

12-07 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock *
12-08 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle *
12-09 Pittsburgh, PA - Garfield Art Works *
12-11 Baltimore, MD - Ottobar *#
12-12 Boston, MA - The Middle East *#
12-13 New York, NY - The Knitting Factory *#
12-14 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church *#
12-15 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's *^
12-16 Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop #

― M@tt He1ges0n (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 8 December 2006 17:34 (seventeen years ago) link

I am so mad that this tour isn't going to reach the West Coast. BTW /rupture is American but he lives in Spain. He's fantastic.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 8 December 2006 17:36 (seventeen years ago) link

cool alex...yeah i thought he did a real cool job of merging world music and more contemporary hip hop stuff...

the Ex rocking in Ethiopia!

ihttp://www.theex.nl/galleries/ex-ethio1.jpg

― M@tt He1ges0n (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 8 December 2006 17:37 (seventeen years ago) link

DJ Rupture is from Boston, right? (he's fantastic, check out any/all of his mixes) and he's playing lately all-improv sets with Andy Moor. I take it they didn't play together last night? xxxxp

― mcd (mcd), Friday, 8 December 2006 17:38 (seventeen years ago) link

He's got five domestically available mixes, although the 58.46 mix might be getting hard to find now. Gold Teeth Thief is probably the best of them, but they are all really excellent.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 8 December 2006 17:39 (seventeen years ago) link

fwiw I think rupture and the Ex are a perfect marriage - very similar sensibilities, a punk rock, hands-off approach to omnivorous musical absorption and then presentation.

Gold Teeth Thief is free at rupture's site http://www.negrophonic.com/goldteeththief.htm

― mcd (mcd), Friday, 8 December 2006 17:42 (seventeen years ago) link

I was about to mention that Gold Teeth Thief record.

Years ago I got this rare Ex record from my neighbour (with a bunch of other punk records). Maybe I should finally listen to it? :-)

― nathalie (stevienixed), Friday, 8 December 2006 17:46 (seventeen years ago) link

Aural Guerrilla is my favorite Ex record. Is the Dead Fish EP on CD somewhere now? I have the 10" but being vinyl I never listen to it.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 8 December 2006 17:48 (seventeen years ago) link

i do like their records, i don't actually own enough, but they are one of those bands that i think you really need to see live to truly appreciate. there's a certain live energy that can't be captured on waxx

i really need to get that Turn double album...

they didn't have their new record at the show, i talked w/the guitarist and he said it had gotten lost in shipping or something...but he imagined it would be for sale at the other dates on the tour.

― M@tt He1ges0n (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 8 December 2006 17:49 (seventeen years ago) link

The Ex are ALWAYS outstanding. I would really love to see them again soon.

― cousin larry bundgee (bundgee), Friday, 8 December 2006 18:15 (seventeen years ago) link

you can get Dead Fish on CD now. Almost their entire catalog is in print. My top five:

1. Tumult
2. Blueprints For A Blackout
3. Joggers & Smoggers
4. Scrabbling At The Lock
5. either Singles or Instant

Katrin, the drummer, has been my favorite drummer in the world this decade. She is a jackhammer metronome.

that version of Konono#1 is so good, it's on Turn. I am rabidly awaiting their Ethiopian CD/book set, and if you haven't read their descriptions of the tour through that country (it's on their website), it is well, well worth reading.

― sleeve (sleeve), Saturday, 9 December 2006 00:04 (seventeen years ago) link

I remember finding Joggers & Smoggers dull-ish way back when. I wonder if I would feel the same way now (I sold it years ago.) I've never heard Tumult though and I haven't heard any of the Touch & Go ones.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Saturday, 9 December 2006 00:08 (seventeen years ago) link

This is making me happy.

My company distributes Terp (Terrie's label), Unsounds (Andy's label) and all the non-T&G stuff for the US.

Begin spam.

Hit me up if you can't find any of that around, we don't really want to be a mailorder company, but it's often hard to get shops and distribs to carry their stuff.

End spam.

Begin gush.

I've been to a lot of their gigs, including on some short tours, and they are always worth checking out. I really don't listen to their records much.. as mentioned above, live is where it's at.

I unfortunately only got to see them once w/Rozemarie and it was amazing. Absolute ass-ripping double bass and a second female voice...

One of the things I really appreciate about them is how they redefine themselves every couple of years. I'm looking forward to the new lineup tonight.

End gush.

― factcheckr (factcheckr), Saturday, 9 December 2006 00:26 (seventeen years ago) link

Hit me up if you can't find any of that around

Via your listed address here?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 9 December 2006 00:43 (seventeen years ago) link

great show whenever i've seen 'em and really really good guys

they've developed a deep love for ethiopian music as mentioned above so are here pretty regularly, (in addition to touring with and producing various musicians from ere) actually coming in january as part of my annual music fest so will try to post some pics following that

― H Arefe-Aine (H in Addis), Saturday, 9 December 2006 18:21 (seventeen years ago) link

amazing band, saw them live in paris years ago and they ripped my face off. definitely check out their albums with late cellist tom cora. scrabbling at the lock is amazing.

― hank s1ockli (hanks1ockli), Sunday, 10 December 2006 01:21 (seventeen years ago) link

I just saw them in Pittsburgh. There were tons of technical problems and no one danced, but they were good. The Gang of Four comparison is otm, apart from one Hungarian folk song they were basically 100% post punk. Also I bought a cd from DJ Rupture!

― 31g (31g), Sunday, 10 December 2006 08:58 (seventeen years ago) link

I saw them open for Fugazi once a while back and they were fantastic. I'm going to go see them this Friday at Maxwell's with Arbouretum - psyched.

― Hurting (A-Ron Hubbard), Sunday, 10 December 2006 15:12 (seventeen years ago) link

I only finally got around to getting something of theirs recently with that singles comp they put out. Brilliant, of course.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 10 December 2006 16:10 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah, I need to get what they have on emusic - their catalog is large and varied, and pretty much everyting I've heard is good.

― Hurting (A-Ron Hubbard), Sunday, 10 December 2006 17:48 (seventeen years ago) link

they've just released a new album by the way, a collaboration with getatchew mekuria (sp?). an ethiopian saxophone-player from the sixties/seventies. it's excellent. sadly not as good as seeing the combination live. they played here earlier this year and it was absolutely mind blowing.

― joris (joris_stereo), Sunday, 10 December 2006 20:06 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah, I noticed that on their site but there's no audio - I'd REALLY like to hear what it sounds like if there are clips anywhere.

― Hurting (A-Ron Hubbard), Sunday, 10 December 2006 21:46 (seventeen years ago) link

The Ex with Tom Cora, esp the first album, Scrabbling at the Lock, with Catherine Janioux, basically the best album ever.

― dan selzer (dan selzer), Sunday, 10 December 2006 23:23 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah, I noticed that on their site but there's no audio

there's one track available as a preview on the terp records site: http://www.terprecords.nl/catalog.html
it's one of the more meandering tracks. i prefer the more direct, funkier ones; where the saxophone (and the rest of the band) is doing these crazy ethiopian riffs.

― joris (joris_stereo), Monday, 11 December 2006 08:35 (seventeen years ago) link

Last saw The Ex about five years ago. Easily one of the five best shows I've seen in the last decade. Second everything Mr. Helgeson sez, times two, carry the five. Every one of those guys/gals pumps out more energy than most bands. Amazing-yet-non-boring musicianship, too. Just the fucking jams.

Dunno why, but I've always kinda drug my heels on their records, and haven't been super-blown when I've ponied up (except for the two Tom Cora collabs I've heard - Scrabbling at the Lock & And the Weathermen Shrug Their Shoulders - both fucking ace). Not a bad band in studio, but as far as I can tell, nowhere near as life-changingly rad as the live show.

/rupture is damn cool too. Love both Gold Teeth Thief and that split he did with Mutamassik. Less impressed with his more above-board, samples-cleared type stuff. Still, be interesting to see what he can do on stage. Too bad they ain't coming out west...

― adam beales (pye poudre), Monday, 11 December 2006 18:11 (seventeen years ago) link

I hate The Ex right now because they are playing 2 hours away from me TOMORROW NIGHT. Boo hiss.

― David RER (Frank Fiore), Monday, 11 December 2006 18:23 (seventeen years ago) link

"Less impressed with his more above-board, samples-cleared type stuff."

Special Gunpowder has really grown on me even though there are a couple of experiments on there that are kind of tiresome. His stuff on Broklyn Beats is universally great (the "Rumbo Babylon/Descarriada" sic single is esp. excellent) as is the stuff recorded under the Nettle name.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 11 December 2006 18:31 (seventeen years ago) link

I did not make an hour or so jaunt up to Baltimore for last night's show, I wonder how it was? Maybe Jess H., or Zack or Pete did?

― cornyrocker (DC Steve), Tuesday, 12 December 2006 15:02 (seventeen years ago) link

they fuckin slayed.

― strongo (temp.) (sandboxhulkington), Tuesday, 12 December 2006 15:22 (seventeen years ago) link

Man I want to go the maxwells show but my wife is so pregnant right now. What if she had the baby and I was rocking out to the Ex? Would my unborn child understand someday?

― mcd (mcd), Tuesday, 12 December 2006 15:41 (seventeen years ago) link

Haha yes.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 12 December 2006 15:43 (seventeen years ago) link

Hurting, I may go with you if you wanna carpool.

― forksclovetofu (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 12 December 2006 15:44 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah, let's do it. Although I may just want to take the PATH and walk the 15 or however many blocks it is, because parking around there on a Friday night is terrible.

― Hurting (A-Ron Hubbard), Tuesday, 12 December 2006 15:48 (seventeen years ago) link

seriously, i've seen them a few times and they're so consistently excellent that it's almost hard to say "that's one of the best shows i've ever seen in my life," but it was. one of those shows that makes you wonder what the fuck you're doing with your life. /rupture was good (seen him better) but kinda hampered by the crowd, which was a little too "oh, how quaint he's playing yung joc" about it all. which just proves that the 50something punks in the ex are infinitely more open-minded than the 20-30something punks in the audience who grew up with this music.

― strongo (temp.) (sandboxhulkington), Tuesday, 12 December 2006 15:49 (seventeen years ago) link

Anyone wanna meet up for the Knit show?

― jw (ex machina), Tuesday, 12 December 2006 16:43 (seventeen years ago) link

Maybe get some tacos first?

― jw (ex machina), Tuesday, 12 December 2006 16:44 (seventeen years ago) link

"which just proves that the 50something punks in the ex are infinitely more open-minded than the 20-30something punks in the audience who grew up with this music."

No doubt.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 12 December 2006 16:48 (seventeen years ago) link

Jon: likely going to philly for rod y gab.
Any intereste in doin' Hoboken with us?

― forksclovetofu (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 12 December 2006 16:55 (seventeen years ago) link

"which just proves that the 50something punks in the ex are infinitely more open-minded than ~~the 20-30something punks in the audience who grew up with this music.~~ the self important alt-weakly writers in the audience"

― jw (ex machina), Tuesday, 12 December 2006 16:56 (seventeen years ago) link

John: maybe!? no plans yet :D

― jw (ex machina), Tuesday, 12 December 2006 16:58 (seventeen years ago) link

i dunno. people seemed to be having fun w/rupture at the show i was at. there was some dancing going on. decent amount of more crust punks at the show, cuz the mpls date was sponsored by the record collective extreme noise and arise! bookstore.

― M@tt He1ges0n (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 12 December 2006 17:08 (seventeen years ago) link

there was dancing going on at the baltimore show too but there was also ironic dancing going on

it's not really dance music! as much as i love him rupture barely keeps a beat going for more than two blends

― strongo (temp.) (sandboxhulkington), Tuesday, 12 December 2006 17:22 (seventeen years ago) link

i mean, the ex had more people dancing than rupture did because they didn't fucking cut out in the middle of one song to play a fragment of another song. apparently we got some sort of truncated set from rupture too because they had to have time for the mediocre emo-prog band that opened up. thanks dudes.

― strongo (temp.) (sandboxhulkington), Tuesday, 12 December 2006 17:24 (seventeen years ago) link

You mean Aloha right? They've totally dropped the ball since they lost the dedicate Vibraphone player and started using the keyboard.

― jw (ex machina), Tuesday, 12 December 2006 17:39 (seventeen years ago) link

they were actually pretty good at times. the vibraphone was miked terribly. could barely hear it.

― strongo (temp.) (sandboxhulkington), Tuesday, 12 December 2006 17:44 (seventeen years ago) link

I saw them circa 2000,2001,2002 and they were good. By 2003 they suckeddddd

― jw (ex machina), Tuesday, 12 December 2006 18:00 (seventeen years ago) link

Sorry Ned... been in a haze.

You can hit me on this email or go directly to mailorder@factcheckr.com.

Clips of ALL the tracks here: http://www.crosstalkchicago.com/featured/pages/AS011CDGetachew.htm

― factcheckr (factcheckr), Tuesday, 12 December 2006 18:17 (seventeen years ago) link

John: maybe!? no plans yet :D

-- jw (jo...), December 12th, 2006.

You should come - Arbouretum is pretty good too.

― Hurting (A-Ron Hubbard), Tuesday, 12 December 2006 21:56 (seventeen years ago) link

ironic dancing

scary!

― sleeve (sleeve), Wednesday, 13 December 2006 01:38 (seventeen years ago) link

They were "ok"

― jw (ex machina), Thursday, 14 December 2006 06:20 (seventeen years ago) link

This question is for anyone that attended any of the shows, but mostly for those at the Minneapolis show. Was any Ex merchandise sold? I stayed for about ten minutes afterwards and saw none in sight. I was sad.

― Ivan (Ivan), Friday, 15 December 2006 09:55 (seventeen years ago) link

They sold music at the show I was at, I don't think there was anything other than that.

― 31g (31g), Friday, 15 December 2006 09:56 (seventeen years ago) link

I'm going tonight. I want to be amazed.

― Paul Eater (eater), Friday, 15 December 2006 21:36 (seventeen years ago) link

I bought an extra ticket accidentally. Anybody wanna do maxwells?

― forksclovetofu (forksclovetofu), Friday, 15 December 2006 21:49 (seventeen years ago) link

Aww shit I wanna go. But I don't think I can do it. It's a late show, right?

― mcd (mcd), Friday, 15 December 2006 21:52 (seventeen years ago) link

yeah unfortunately they didn't have any...i talked w.terry after the show and he said they'd shipped the stuff to the u.s. and it had gotten tied up in shipping, so it wasn't at the mpls date...

― M@tt He1ges0n (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 15 December 2006 21:57 (seventeen years ago) link

John, I might be able to find someone who wants to go.

― Hurting (A-Ron Hubbard), Friday, 15 December 2006 23:14 (seventeen years ago) link

yeah unfortunately they didn't have any...i talked w.terry after the show and he said they'd shipped the stuff to the u.s. and it had gotten tied up in shipping, so it wasn't at the mpls date...

Ah, okay. Well, at least I didn't miss anything.

― Ivan Gallardo (Ivan), Saturday, 16 December 2006 10:33 (seventeen years ago) link

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