I don’t know if you have a prefabricated image in your head when you hear the word “organist”, but if you do, it probably doesn’t match the physical look of Montrealer Maria Gajraj. The young Ottawa-born lady with Trinidadian roots, in her twenties, slim and ultra-smiling, stands out in the usual professional corpus of artists who master the ‘King of instruments’. Maria is preparing to release her debut album, Exhale (aptly titled in the case of the organ), on which she offers a journey between soaring bliss and bewitching repetitive minimalism, guided by contemporary compositions from female and non-binary composers. In other words, a musical UFO that gently (and usefully) overturns the a-priori of organ music.
The repertoire features young up-and-comer composers such as George Rahi, Hania Rani and Esther-Ruth Teel, as well as a sure thing, Ann Southam, whose excerpt from her piano masterpiece Glass Houses, here transposed to the pipes, is very convincing.
In her interview with me, Maria Gajraj revealed that this album and its repertoire represented a turning point in her musical life, a kind of rediscovery of the pleasure of the instrument after a period of emptiness.
this music reminded me why i first fell in love with the organ
But she hadn’t been at it for very long! Since the age of 19. Only 19? A bit late, isn’t it? Yes and no. Let me recap her story.
Maria grew up in a family of Trinidadian origin in the Ottawa region. She learned to play the piano for several years. The ultra-competitive side of the discipline didn’t appeal to her, so she set her sights on a career in engineering. Then a chance offer gave her the opportunity to try her hand at the organ in an Ottawa church. She hadn’t mastered all the details of the pedals, valves and cranks of the great Gargantua engine, but she could play music, and a keyboard! So she took the plunge, and one day when, she says, the sun was shining through the magnificent stained-glass windows, she felt so good that she decided this was what she wanted to do for a living! No surprise there; that’s often how it goes with musical instruments.
She ends up at McGill, but goes through a moment of uncertainty. ‘’I love the music of the great composers’’, says she, but there’s something missing, an intimate connection that isn’t there. ‘’I don’t recognize myself in the life narrative of these white men from another time.’’ Again, not a qualitative criticism, but a sense of cultural proximity that means the experience is not 100% authentic for the young woman.
Comes McGill’s Chabe Castillo who invites her to record something on the Wolff organ in Redpath Hall, a beautiful instrument in the French classical style. He asks her what she wants to play. And so it goes, the names keep coming up and lead to Exhale, which is based on her personal musical loves and values : favouring female composers, non-binary artists and non-European composers. On that last note, she is currently in the final stages of a doctorate on the Caribbean organ repertoire, a whole area that remains largely unknown.
One composer who particularly fascinates her is Edward Margetson, from St Kitts, who emigrated to the United States in 1919 and became part of the Harlem Renaissance movement! Although this repertoire is hard to find and especially hard to listen to, Maria would love to record a few pearls in the near future.
But I ask her which “traditional” (white, European) composer touches her more than others? ‘’Just one? Messiaen! Such fantastic colours and rhythms!’’ Maria is certainly not detached from the European world of music, as last January she took over the co-direction of the early music ensemble Comtessa here in Montreal, in which she handles the organetto, a portable medieval version of the big brother of churches. She says she has a great love of the music of the Middle Ages.
If you look up her name in a search engine, you’re also likely to see it associated with the Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Secours in Old Montreal, where she is currently the organist, and perhaps also with Sapphonix Collective, a project she is running with her friend Esther-Ruth Teel, which is an unusual proposal for events presenting music (two organs!) in combination with other arts (visual, performance, tattooing, etc.).
For all these reasons, for the breath of fresh air that she brings to the ordinary practice and listening of the organ as a musical instrument, and for the inclusive values that never limit the fundamental quality of the aesthetic experiences on offer, Maria Gajraj is a name you should remember, because it is likely to resonate more and more on the Montreal scene (and eventually in Canada, North America and beyond), and above all to enrich substantially the already plethoric musical ambiance of our cultural metropolis.
Not all the repertoires of Quebec’s late French-speaking chanson stars are familiar to the generations that followed them. We know Félix Leclerc, Claude Léveillée, Jean-Pierre Ferland, Sylvain Lelièvre, Gerry Boulet, Dédé Fortin and Karl Tremblay, but do we really know their repertoires? It’s even less obvious for Lawrence Lepage or Georges Dor. Here’s a program that deserves a few explanations from its creator, author, composer, performer and circus performer Louis-Dominique Lévesque, who has been leading a group of musicians since 2009, regularly presenting a program of songs by deceased artists. Que je me souvienne aims to pass on Quebec’s songwriting legacy, and can best be described as a memory show. Alain Brunet interviewed him ahead of his concert, scheduled for Saturday May 31 at Place des Arts’ Salle Claude-Léveillée.
Publicité panam
Érick D’Orion is an extreme artist who takes his work very seriously, without taking himself too seriously. Contagious absurdist humor! An iconoclast of noise, electro, free improvisation and other electroshocks, he is also a sound curator, a related profession he has practiced with openness and enthusiasm for many years at FIMAV. His contribution has become essential, so much so that even a scaled-down version of the festival can’t leave out what he’s responsible for: the outdoor sound installation trail, FIMAV’s most important cultural mediation operation for the Bois-Francs population. That’s why this work deserves to be highlighted, and why PAN M 360 is posting this interview with Alain Brunet.
PAN M 360: What other sound installation projects have inspired you since you began curating FIMAV?
Érick D’Orion: Although our background is fairly unique in the music festival world, I was inspired by certain events and festivals where I’ve had the opportunity to present my installation work as well as concerts, mainly in contexts specializing in audio and electronic art. The City Sonic festival in Belgium, which I attended three times, is probably the most significant inspiration. In fact, for 2026 or 2027, I’m in the process of hosting the work of a French artist whose career I’ve been following since my first participation in this festival.It’s also worth mentioning that we presented two works by the Scenocosme duo in 2019, artists who I also met during one of my visits to City Sonic. Closer to home, Mois Multi has also been a great influence, as I discovered sound installations at the very first edition of this festival in Quebec City.
PAN M 360: As a sound artist (you’re playing with FIRE! next week), how do you situate your work?
Érick D’Orion: My work veers towards a radical approach to sound, to the listening experience. I try to express a dynamic energy, and I’d like people to find the spirit of free jazz in what I do. Basically, it’s free jazz: emotion, expression, joy and a certain form of spirituality outside the esoteric!
PAN M 360: How has this concept progressed at FIMAV over the years? Exactly how many years? Has the budget increased over time?
Érick D’Orion: This is my fifteenth program out of 16 editions. The first year, I presented 3 works, including one of my own. Later, I was invited to take on the curatorial role and presented 4 works. The project developed over the years, and the mediation aspect became extremely important, with over 40 school visits a year for the past 6 years. As the budget has grown, I’m now able to program around ten works with the appropriate means to properly accommodate the artists.
PAN M 360: How does the selection process work?
Érick D’Orion: I receive around thirty submissions spontaneously every year. I prefer to avoid putting out calls for submissions, because I don’t like the idea of having artists work needlessly on projects designed expressly for our festival, which may not be selected in the end, simply because the competition is too strong. In fact, I try to avoid the logic of competition at all costs.
I prefer a grassroots approach: I travel, I visit exhibitions, and when I’m away on business in other cities, I take the time to see what’s going on in artist-run centers. I also talk to my friends in the art community, because yes, I do like to collaborate with people I know – not exclusively, but it happens a lot. After all, it’s a role based on mutual trust.
PAN M 360: Can you briefly describe the works and their creators selected this year? (the longest answer!)
Érick D’Orion: This year, as fate would have it, we’re giving pride of place to artists in the early stages of their careers, many of whom are still at university!
For example, Léa Boudreau – artist and composer, winner of an Opus Prize last year – and Simon Chioini, both in the final stages of their master’s degrees at the Université de Montréal, present us with a site-specific work on the acoustic space of a venue. The same goes for Quebec City trio MMV2005, made up of graduates of the Master’s program in visual arts at Université Laval, who will be presenting us with a performative, evolving installation, deployed throughout the week – a living work in constant transformation.
Max Boutin has just completed a doctorate in art studies and practice at UQAM. His installation explores the world of skateboarding, between urban culture and the poetry of gesture. And finally, Giuseppe Masia, also completing his master’s degree at UQAM (his jury will be visiting his work during the week!), works with sound by making homemade record players and tampering with vinyl records – artisanal, raw, inventive work.
So much for the “school theme”.
Pascale Leblanc Lavigne, who made her mark in 2022 with two memorable works, also returns. This time, she returns with a large-scale installation, evoking snowfall in a certain poetic chaos. Quebec City-based trio Théâtre Rude Ingénierie presents two mechanical works with a strong theatrical dimension. And to top it all off, we have a visit from a major artist in the field of audio art: the Frenchman Félix Blume. Thanks to a partnership with the Avatar artist-run center in Quebec City, we’ll be presenting two works by the artist, including a world premiere, developed during his residency in April.
PAN M 360: Is there a local/international ratio in the choice of works?
Érick D’Orion: There’s no set ratio, just a desire to have as many new works as possible in the region.
PAN M 360: Do you look for coherence between the works when you select them? How do you construct the itinerary?
Érick D’Orion: I’m probably a very bad curator – an impostor among my colleagues! Curatorial practice is normally based on prior reflection: the curator develops a line of thought, then selects works in line with this logic, weaving a common thread that goes beyond a simple theme.
Me, I work on instinct. I let myself be guided by encounters, impulses and intuitions. Chance imposes itself, and, without being voluntary, a meaning emerges. The subject establishes itself, almost by stealth. The water always finds its way, so to speak.
But that’s just between us!
PAN M 360: Haha! free jazz curating of a sort. And what are the production criteria for works that have to withstand the elements?
Érick D’Orion: This was an important consideration, and one that became more and more of a constraint on my selection over time. For some years now, we have been opting for works that can be displayed in containers that we fit out. In addition to protection from the elements, we’re assured of greater security outside exhibition hours, as the containers lock.
PAN M 360: How involved has the local population really been over the years? Were they simply curious, or did they embrace the concept?
Érick D’Orion: It’s a mixture of curiosity and real support for the project. I’m out in the field for most of the festival, and I recognize faces year after year – people who come to talk to me, to check in, to tell me that the return of the route is always a good sign. (And yet, I don’t even live in Victoriaville!) School groups are also a fine example of this support: children remember the works from previous years, they talk about them, they look forward to them.
Some volunteers even signed up because they discovered the festival along the way – which just goes to show how much this proposal resonates with people.
PAN M 360: Have you ever thought of a permanent open-air museum with the kind of sound installations you see elsewhere?
Érick D’Orion: Museum, no. But a few permanent works in partnership with the city would be a real success.
PAN M 360: How do you envisage these works lasting? Ephemeral? Seasonal? Permanent? Ah, I’ve just unwittingly answered your question!
PAN M 360: What does the future hold for this course in Victo?
Érick D’Orion: I can see it getting bigger. Going to 15 works and making it last 2 weeks is an idea I have, and one that resonates with the team.
PAN M 360: Do you have any other similar projects in the pipeline?
Érick D’Orion: Yes, I’ll be heading up a delegation of Quebec artists for a major event in early 2026 in France. I’ll be programming 6 experimental music solos and 5 installations over the course of a week. I can’t name the event, but I’ll keep PAN M 360 afficionados in the loop. And I’m planning something big in 3 years’ time for an exhibition of travelling sound installations. Stay tuned….!
Publicité panam
Here we are again, spending spring, summer and autumn at Piknic Electronik! Given the immensity of the 5-month program at Parc Jean-Drapeau, Alain Brunet suggested to Mathieu Constance, in charge of programming at Piknic, that we interview him on a monthly basis. The aim will be to identify and comment on his main choices for May, June, July, August, September and October. Let’s start at the beginning: May!
PAN M 360: Let’s start with this weekend’s opening. Just how many? And how do you prepare for such an opening? Infrastructure, reception etc.?
Mathieu Constance: 23rd edition! It’s incredible when you think about it. We’ve been working on this for a while now, pre-prodding and editing, and we can’t wait to welcome festival-goers back to Parc Jean-Drapeau!
PAN M 360: Are you the only one to program the entire season, or how does it work?
Mathieu Constance: Our prog team has 3 members now – and it’s split between local and international prog mostly. But we discuss all the artists we want to present together.
PAN M 360: In terms of programming, can we talk about an angle of attack this year? A favorite genre or sub-genre? A major trend? A recurring theme?
Mathieu Constance: We try not to restrict ourselves too much when we start out. Of course, we want to put forward emerging sounds as much as possible and ensure diversity on all our lineups. This year, we’ve got a lot of first-time Montreal performers on the lineup, and we’re particularly proud of that!
PAN M 360: We’ll come back to this in a little more detail each month, but can you name and briefly present your top 5 catches this year?
Mathieu Constance: I wouldn’t say there are any bests per se, but I’m particularly looking forward to Nico de Andrea’s first headline, the return of Sally C, Bambii, Notion’s closing and… our surprise artist on September 7.
PAN M 360: For the first weekend, you’ve programmed 8 artists on May 18 and 6 on May 19, which is a real kick-off. How did you plan the progression of the two stages?
Mathieu Constance: As far as I’m concerned, this first weekend has been a great success, with a wide range of styles, opening with the melodic house / afro house of STRYV, Chloé and Tommy on the mainstage. On the 2nd stage, Collection Disques Durs presents a line-up with plenty of tempo and energy, leaving something for everyone.
On Monday, we present techno legend Enrico Sangiuliano, with local artist BitterCaress, who needs no introduction at this stage. And Stage 2, presented by Club Sagacité, welcomes Rinse FM resident Arthi.
PAN M 360: Who are the key artists this weekend? Describe and comment on your choice!
Mathieu Constance:
STRYV – composer of Move with Adam Port, which has garnered over 500 million streams, yes 500 MILLION. It’s a track that dictates the summer of 2025, and a first performance in Montreal!
Lobsta B – those of you who were there in 2023 know that it’s going to be fun, high energy and a party on our new 2nd stage.
BitterCaress – Always a highlight, she’ll set the perfect mood for one of techno’s greats.
Arthi – A flavour of UKG, dancehall and more will be another fine debut for a UK artist who’s starting to make a name for herself!
PAN M 360: On May 25, Fred Everything performs a marathon on the Banque National stage! But what else? Where did this idea come from?
Mathieu Constance: Fred is a fixture on the Montreal scene, celebrating his 30th anniversary as a DJ, and the 20th of his label, Lazy Days Recordings. We wanted to mark the occasion with something different and special! A 5-hour marathon set is sure to be full of surprises.
PAN M 360: Another must on the 25th?
Mathieu Constance: Boys Noize delivered an unforgettable performance, that’s for sure. This is his 2nd appearance with us, and an artist we’ve been trying to get back since the second he stepped off the stage in 2022.
PAN M 360: We’ll talk again in the week of the 26th for the month of June! The questionnaire will be shorter then. :))
For the last concert of its 2024-2025 season, the Orchestre symphonique de Laval invites the public to an evening of discoveries, with a program essentially made up of German Romantic music, Johannes Brahms’ first symphony and two works that are rarely performed: Robert Schumann’s Genoveva Overture and the Cello Concerto by French composer Marie Jaëll. Under the direction of young conductor Andrei Feher, the OSL will welcome Bryan Cheng, a Canadian cellist who has established himself as one of the most captivating young artists on the classical music scene. Alexandre Villemaire of PAN M 360 spoke with him before the concert to discuss repertoire, interpretation and future projects.
PAN M 360: In this concert with the Orchestre symphonique de Laval, you’ll be performing the Cello Concerto in F major by Marie Jaëll, a French composer from the late 19th century whose work is little known or performed. Was this work a discovery for you, and why?
Bryan Cheng: Yes, it was a real discovery. I didn’t know Marie Jaëll’s cello concerto, or even her music in general, before this project, and I was struck by the great lyrical quality of her voice. It’s also refreshing to play a historic cello concerto by a female composer, as they have been vastly under-represented over the centuries. This is a real hidden gem of the repertoire, with something deeply captivating to offer.
PAN M 360: Tell us a little about this concerto. How is it constructed, and what are the particularities of its interpretation?
Bryan Cheng: The concerto is in three movements and follows a fairly classical structure, but it stands out for its great personality. The first movement has a dramatic intensity, with sweeping outbursts and harmonic surprises. The second is very lyrical, deeply introspective, almost reminiscent of an operatic scene. The last movement is both exuberant and virtuosic. Performing the concerto requires technical finesse as well as real emotional sensitivity. It’s not a demonstration concerto: what’s needed is honesty and a richness of colour.
PAN M 360: The concert program gives pride of place to German music with, in addition to the Concerto, Schumann’s Genoveva Overture and Brahms’ Symphony No. 1. How does Jaëll’s musical language complement the other two works on the program?
Bryan Cheng: Jaëll shares with Schumann and Brahms a depth of expression and a solid architecture. In her language, we sense an affinity with the Germanic school, but enriched by a harmonic finesse that evokes French refinement. In a way, she builds a bridge between these two traditions. Her concerto, placed between Schumann and Brahms, allows us to perceive both the common resonances and the singularity of her voice.
PAN M 360: You play a 1696 Stradivarius “Bonjour” cello, on generous loan from the Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank. What is your relationship with this instrument?
Bryan Cheng: It’s a great privilege to play this cello. The “Bonjour” has a powerful voice with remarkable subtlety. It has a strong character, but it’s also very responsive – you really feel you’re having a dialogue with a full-fledged musical partner. After seven years of playing with him, a real complicity has developed. This instrument has shaped not only my sound, but also my way of thinking about music.
PAN M 360: Does the nature of the instrument influence the way you interpret works, or the way you approach them?
Bryan Cheng: Yes, absolutely. Each instrument pushes you to rethink certain passages, to explore new colours, new articulations. With the “Bonjour,” I find myself listening more attentively to the inner voices, searching for more supple phrasing and deeper resonance. It’s not an instrument that simply reproduces what’s asked of it: it pushes us to go further.
PAN M 360: You enjoy a prolific career that began at a very young age. Carnegie Hall at 14, debut at the Elbphilharmonie at 20 with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, in addition to several distinctions and nominations, including the Prix Yves Paternot, and two JUNOS nominations. What are the challenges of starting a career when you’re still a teenager or young adult, and what drives you today in pursuing your career and what you want to share with the public?
Bryan Cheng: Starting young can be both exhilarating and demanding. You grow as a person at the same time as you evolve as a musician, and finding a balance isn’t always easy. I’m grateful for the mentors and experiences that have kept me grounded. Today, what motivates me is connection: through music, with audiences, with composers past and present. I want every concert to be a living encounter, a shared moment of discovery.
PAN M 360: What are your next projects?
Bryan Cheng : This year and the season to come promise to be rich in highlights, with several highly anticipated debuts alongside exceptional orchestras and musicians, in some of the world’s most prestigious halls. These include my debut with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under Sir András Schiff, at Carnegie Hall with pianist Kirill Gerstein, at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw with Ostrava’s Janaček Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as with Hannover’s NDR Radiophilharmonie and Musikkollegium Winterthur.
In Canada, I’m delighted to be playing with the Orchestre symphonique de Québec for the first time, and to be reunited with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa for the world premiere of a work for cello and orchestra by Canadian composer Samy Moussa.
I’ll also be Musician-in-Residence at Cecilia Concerts in Halifax for the 2025-2026 season, where I’ll be offering three highly varied programs in the company of some of my closest international collaborators.
I’m always keen to develop new projects and collaborations, such as recordings featuring little-played works – like the Jaëll concerto. I’m passionate about continuing to build bridges between the familiar repertoire and that which has yet to be discovered.
crédit photo : Andrej Grilc
Publicité panam
This is his first appearance at the Stéréo Africa Festival, and he’s one of this year’s headliners, known for his frenzied concerts. It’s impossible to stay seated when this multidisciplinary artist takes the stage. Coming from a family of artists, music entered his life early and never left. A guitarist and singer, he handles both perfectly. He’ll be accompanied by a full band of equally talented musicians, some of whom participated in the festival’s Jazz Up evenings a few days earlier. Our journalist Sandra Gasana caught up with him a few hours before his highly anticipated show at the Maison de la Culture Douta Seck.
Videograpy and Photo Credit: Cheikh Oumar Diallo
In 2017, Blair Thomson arranged his first symphonic program with Montreal band Half Moon Run and the OSM. Blair Thomson had already arranged for (among others) Michel Rivard and La Symphonie rapaillée, and the experience with HMR had been more than conclusive, with audiences and critics raving about it. Spring 2025, a second symphonic chapter is written shortly after the release of the Another Woman EP. Blair Thomson has refined the orchestral discourse, even more in tune with the famous pop band. There will be hits, there will be harmonized vocals, there will be Devon Portielje, Conner Molander and Dylan Phillips, and there will be the OSM under the direction of Adam Johnson!
The architect of all this explains its construction with PAN M 360. Alain Brunet interviewed Blair Thomson before he went to the dress rehearsal, preceding the three-day Half Moon Run cycle at the Maison symphonique.
Here’s a Californian band with just enough of a cult following to delight music lovers converging on the Festival international de musique actuelle de Victoriaville this weekend.
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum sparked interest among musique actuelle fans after a decade or so of silence prior to this revival.
The band re-emerged with “Of the Last Human Being”, a hybrid album warmly welcomed by its base. The SGM experience involves furious real-time performance, offered by unbridled artists who sing and also play multiple instruments, both consecrated and invented.
SGM has been described as a catalyst for metal, progressive rock, classical/modern/contemporary music and contagious theatricality!
Let’s talk to guitarist, flautist and singer Nils Frykdahl, to get us ready for the concert on Saturday May 17 in Victoriaville.
PAN M 360 : Recently Sleepytime Gorilla Museum was back in action after a long hiatus. An album last year, new concerts, new projects… Why did you re-form the collective ?
Nils Frykdahl: The long hiatus was an accident. We were always just about to attend to our unfinished business, but the various exigencies of life…families, elders, children… had led us to opposite coasts and three different regions of Northern California. Finishing the album and the film naturally brought us to our favorite medium of all: the stage.
PAN M 360: Prog, metal, grindcore, funk, jazz, classical contemporary music, art rock… How have the musical genres and sub-genres evolved within this large band ?
Nils Frykdahl: We listen to and enjoy music of all kinds and it all swims through us and emerges differently from song to song, with all of us writing and none of us filtering by genre.
PAN M 360: Let’s be more specific: before integrating them into your language, what forms do you take from metal? From prog? Funk? Jazz? Other influences?
Nils Frykdahl: Certainly the application of the principles of African polyrhythm to heavy music was one of the founding gestures of the band. After being introduced to polyrhythm by CK Ladzepko, for whom it must be felt in the body..”it must come out dancing”, and after feeling the coexistence of 2,3, and 4, it was only natural to try extending the numbers… 5 and 3 living together so merrily in Sleep is Wrong. A contrasting sonic gesture, found in some modern classical, free jazz, and extreme metal, is the overwhelm of rhythm: too fast or chaotic
complex to be truly felt as a pulse or pattern. This then is not rock&roll, but mediation music, primarily for religious purposes.
PAN M 360 : How are you perceived by fans of each of these genres?
Nils Frykdahl: No doubt some see us as monsters or transvestites, but there are open-minded folks in all of these genres ready to celebrate this incredible world with us.
PAN M 360 : Do you primarily reach an audience interested in avant-garde forms of music?
Nils Frykdahl: No. We attract thrill-seekers of all ages, some of them who self-admittedly do not listen to heavy or avant-garde music generally. We are always thrilled to bring unlikely listeners into the beauty of these forms.
PAN M 360 : How do you attract others, if at all?
Nils Frykdahl: It seems that the exclusionary nature of genre boundaries is less restrictive than ever before, with artists and audiences skating freely around the world and centuries. The Big Ears festival in Knoxville Tennessee that hosted us last year being a prime example.
PAN M 360: The writing of your works is precise and rigorous, and so is the execution. Could you describe the creative chain, from composition to recording and public performance?
Nils Frykdahl: The songs initially start with one of us, but are then put through a rehearsal intensive process with each player fashioning their part. This rethinking is never entirely finished, even after recording, as honing in continues during each rehearsal, which we just finished 4 days of here in the old wooden Community Hall in Woods Hole MA. All will be slightly new.
PAN M 360 : Are you adept at hyperactive collage, as Zappa was throughout his career, or Zorn at certain moments?
Nils Frykdahl: No. Our songs maintain a jealous distinctness from each other, often being about entirely disparate things or calling up highly specific emotions.
PAN M 360 : Your interest in text is important. You’re not planning “normal” song forms; text and vocals (or growl) are materials among others. Why integrate text and vocals into this music? What themes or literary approaches are driving them? We know that you were interested in Dadaïsm
Nils Frykdahl: Our interest in Dada is in its catalyst as a positive defiance of the policing of artistic correctness, the separation between artifice and sincerity, meaning and non-sense, theater and authenticity. The interpretation of Dada as nihilism has no interest for me.. too easy. Of course life can be interpreted as meaningless. Open your eyes, salamander.
Most of the songs start with verbal impulses which shape the flow of the music, but sometimes the other way around.
PAN M 360 : You’ve been described as a collective. How do you maintain the cohesion and motivation of such a collective?
Nils Frykdahl: Our mutual enjoyment of each others’ often surprising input is part of what drew us to each other in the first place, so many years ago, wanting to work with folks who we could not second guess. The cohesion is now maintained by the effort of extensive travel, but that in itself is something many of us love.
PAN M 360 : How would you describe the process of creating the works, the compositions, the space reserved for improvisation, the appropriation of the material by the performers and the execution?
Nils Frykdahl: Improvisation is generally only written into the music in fairly small ways, but the inevitable chaos of the live show provides opportunity to see what happens when we are taken by surprise.
PAN M 360 : What are the dynamics of leadership and personal investment within the collective?
Nils Frykdahl: We all contribute according to our inclinations. Some are more likely to make breakfast, some dinner, some sauces.. This includes our crew: John Karr on sound, Wind Beaver on merch, driving and knowing most things, and new for this run Lyndsey on lights (though a late passport may keep her out of Canada, alas).
PAN M 360 : How do we maintain such a company in 2025? On a day-to-day basis?In the medium or long term?
Nils Frykdahl: In fits and starts, and with the aid of new long-distance communication machines.
PAN M 360 : Is this your first concert in Quebec?
Nils Frykdahl: No. We played in Montreal at least once or twice before, and many of us were also there in other projects. In fact, the Greenless Wreath song on “In Glorious Times” was begun and largely written on Mont Royal on a walk there in the shifting wind of a stunning autumn-into-winter day.
PAN M 360 : What are your future plans?
Nils Frykdahl: To raise our voices in songs of praise! At your house!
LINE UP: Nils Frykdahl – guitar, flute, voice Carla Kihlstedt – violin, percussion guitar, voice Michael Mellender – guitar, Tangularium, trumpet, percussion, voice Dan Rathbun – bass, Sledgehammer Dulcimer, Wiggler, voice Matthias Bossi – drums, percussion, voice
In a phosphorescent haze of a crumbling dream, A Place to Bury Strangers returns to Montreal this week—not as a band, but as a transmission from some rogue frequency where noisy shoegaze dissolves into pure electricity. Their new album, Synthesizer, is a neon-lit séance where analog ghosts wrestle with digital demons in a cathedral of blown-out amplifiers. Each track is a synapse firing backward, a glitch in the fabric of noise that rewires your nervous system into a conduit for their apocalyptic lullabies. Founder of the band, Oliver Ackermann’s guitar howls like a dying satellite and his vocals croon like a petrifed ghost, but now, the synthesizers rise—cybernetic serpents whispering and screaming in binary code.
The physical album cover for A Place to Bury Strangers’Synthesizer isn’t just an image—it’s a portal, a circuit board disguised as a Rorschach blot, pulsing with latent noise. The album packaging can be turned into an instrument wired directly into the album’s nervous system, a tactile hallucination where the art plays you. This is not hyperbole for dramatic effect. Along with his pedal company, Death By Audio, Ackermann actually laid out the schematic for the synthesizer used on the album, on the front and back of the album gatefold, and with a good knowledge of soldering you too can create this noise machine.
Ahead of their date in Montreal this week, we spoke with Oliver about the new album, destruction and playing every show like it’s his last in the world, and his love for new, sometimes impossible to use sounds.
PAN M 360: You’ve had your pedal company, Death By Audio, basically just as long as you’ve been making music with A Place To Bury Strangers. You use some of these pedals and gear on tour, so has the company always gone hand in hand with the band for you?
Oliver Ackermann: Totally. One of the great things about having this pedal company as well as the band is it’s this focus to find these sounds and these noises all of the time. And that’s what’s so exciting, is searching for these things to discover ‘Oh how can we create these’ and ‘How can we twist the boundaries on these and create this like from the scientific perspective?’ And then from the musical perspective, it’s like you want to create these things to create more music. So it just kind of keeps everything like sort of thrilling. They like kind of feed off of each other. Even the new technologies that are kind of always sort of coming out, you can constantly sort of get excited behind these things and try to experiment. The rate of technology just makes it so wild. Like, if you were to get tired of analog circuits, like even digital programming, it’s just whole other worlds of all of this stuff. I love it.
PAN M 360: Yeah and I mean your band is known as the loudest in New York and and having these intese walls of noise and sound, but have you ever created something and gotten to a point where you’re like, ‘Maybe this is too much noise or ‘This is too crazy?’
Oliver Ackermann: Man, that happens all the time! There are pedals that I won’t use, that we create and we sell at Death By Audio because I’m like, this is just too insane for this part. But it’s also based on like, you know, your own personal preferences. I still can see the value of these things for somebody else and what their music is, you know? And that’s why we kind of created it because you’re like, ‘Oh, this is like really awesome and I think the world should have this,’ but then it also goes in the other hand too. I can create things something like maybe even dangerous or doesn’t really sound that good to other people, but I love it and I can use it.
PAN M 360: Going off that, this new album, Synthesizer, the actual physical album can be turned into a synthesizer. Can you tell me how the hell you had that idea and how you implemented it?
Oliver Ackermann: I think it was around 10 years ago. I was looking at circuit boards and just thinking, ‘Man, these are so beautiful,’ like just as art. So I was like, this needs to be an album cover sometime. I didn’t even have the idea of turning it into something you could build then. And then, we’ve been building all of these synthesizers for ourselves to go on tour in like guitar cases or something, so you can save the weight of cost on air flights. So we’ve had a bunch of weird synths in like cases and then it all kind of clicked and I was like ‘What if you could actually build and synth from a circuit board on a album cover?’ And then I had another thought about playing the synth on all tracks of the record. So you can build this crazy noise synth and not many people have a project like this that sounds so fucked up (laughs). I guess I wanted to break the boundaries of what these sorts of things are.
PAN M 360: And anyone can build this? Like do you need to know how to build synths?
Oliver Ackermann: It’s definitely an advanced project (laughs), for people who like to do meticulous soldering, and you can easily solder together so many things that shouldn’t be connected. But even if you mess up, you get a custom synthesizer that works a bit! I think I’ve even converted a few people who have just come down to Death By Audio sometimes and just saw how much excitement there was around this project. It’s like you’re hanging around with your friends, you’re soldering a bunch of stuff together to make sound and noise. What more could you want to do?
PAN M 360: Are you already kind of like on with the next thing too? I mean, since the record came out in like October, are you already on the next trajectory for another album or EP or something?
Oliver Ackermann: Yeah, totally. Like I have this spreadsheet where I like, maybe I wrote like what I thought were maybe like 45 good songs or something like that. And then we were starting to book, a bunch of these like fly-in shows, and we’re starting to book this like studio time with like friends who are kind of like engineering in different places. I think we’re just gonna like, probably write songs in these different studios and capture those moments.
PAN M 360: That’s a cool approach. Do you believe that the space or the essence of the space that you decide to record in kind of gets baked into the song or the record?
Oliver Ackermann: I mean, all these things must influence it. Microphones sound different and these spaces, it’s your body in this weird moment trying to improvise and not fuck up but then maybe a mistake becomes the main part. That space you’re in is part of that experience. I mean, think about hearing samples in songs and them transporting you to a place. It’s a sonic signature. It’s like, if you smell your grandmother’s bathroom or something, you’re back there for sure. I think that that stuff must even happen with those spaces. Some particular space is gonna even create some magic. That’s the excitement of music is the human error and the kind of space and the weirdness and those little subtleties.
PAN M 360: What’s your view of AI in music? We’re in this weird period where there are AI bands making full songs now.
Oliver Ackermann: Yeah, I mean music could be as perfect as AI possibly wants it to generate it or imperfect or whatever. I think, you know, I’d rather make a conscious choice to like, you know, see some real people or hear some real people making it. I’ve always joked that we (APTBS) don’t have to worry about AI because our music’s so terrible. That’s just what we’re doing.
PAN M 360: Seeing AI try to make A Place To Bury Strangers music would be pretty hilarious.
Oliver Ackermann: Yeah, I feel it would have a meltdown and be like ‘I don’t know why we’re doing this now.’
PAN M 360: Do you still have like the Frankensteined guitar where it’s like different pieces that you’ve put back together after smashing it at the live show?
Oliver Ackermann: All of my guitars are like that (laughs). So I got a bunch of them, and on tour I’ll usually travel with like five guitars and then maybe like three extra guitar necks and then like a box of all sorts of parts and stuff. So then all of these things kind of get like slowly like put together and rotated around through each other. So sometimes it’s like a piece of one to the other. You basically just have to make as many working guitars as you can each night. So, you know, these things get glued back together.
And before I started bringing all of these things, I remember like just sort of breaking some of my first guitars on these tours. So you’d be scrambling. How can I fix this? So some of these guitars have like pieces of like wood from like the forest near the venue. Stuff like that, glued into it and stuff. I think, you know, knowing that when you break something that you can always fix it is sort of a kind of cool, like liberating feeling. Cause I know that like the fear of like having a guitar and like, you know, breaking the headstock off and just being totally devastated and crushed with that. So to not have to worry about that is a good feeling.
PAN M 360: Your live shows are pretty legendary for their intensity and moments of destruction. Last time you were here in Montreal, you kind of pushed the amp into the crowd, and Sandra and John took the drum set into the middle of the floor, and people were throwing around drum parts… Do you always go in with that mentality for this insane, uncontrolled chaos?
Oliver Ackermann: I mean, that’s the goal for me, if possible. Those are the times when you really find you have the most fun as a performer, when things sort of go awry and get a bit out of control. And that’s really fun. I feel the exact same way as an audience member. Those are the shows. It’s like seeing Monotonics live where like the drummer’s trying to play drums while people are holding him up in the air and stuff. All of those kinds of things you’re like, ‘Wow, this is like an insane moment.’
The music isn’t just getting me out of my comfort zones and all of this stuff, but then you’re also getting pushed around and you scream and nobody can hear you or they can or whatever. For me that just takes me out of my head and it’s sort of like really what you want out of a live experience is to sort of, you know, not be thinking your normal everyday thoughts, you know; what things you have planned, if your clothes are clean or whatever it is that is going through your head. I’m sure that’s the same reason why people love like extreme sports and stuff and all of these kinds of things. It’s like, you know, you’re at this sort of like make or break moment of this thing.
PAN M 360: But you also have to be aware, amid all the chaos and sometimes destruction, to make sure that you, as a performer, are safe and the same with the audience?
Oliver Ackermann: Well, we’ll always only break our own stuff that we bring. We’re at least like conscious of that. You know, I’ve seen other people throw guitars out into the crowd with some sort of weird, vicious anger or something. And like, you know, I don’t want to get anybody hurt. For me, one of like the awesomest shows I ever went to was like The Ramones. And it was like this all ages crowd. Everybody’s like fricking slam dancing with the biggest smiles on their faces. And like, there’s the kids in there and stuff and people getting thrown in the air all over the place. And, you know, it might be this like gray memory in my head, but for me, it was like a moment of joy and sort of excitement.
With our shows, I’m not trying to hurt anybody or create anything like that, but I think that there’s like, beautiful moments that can be kind of made with lights changing and shifting and doing these things, and changing perspectives on stage. I think if you can like grab the guitar of the person that’s playing guitar, that’s like breaking the barrier of what even like this sacred space of music and things are, or you get the chance to play drums with Sandra or something. These kinds of moments or, you know, bringing an amp out and you can hear this amp over your head and it’s moving around and you’re passing it to your buddy behind you or something like it’s a crazy kind of moment that could possibly happen.
That doesn’t mean that we don’t throw ourselves into those kind of potentially fucked up situations. I’ll jump into frickin’ mosh pits all the time, get pushed down, my head slammed and stuff. And other people have a different idea of what fun is … or have someone jump on my back or, you know, trying to yank something out of your hand or something. You just gotta, you know, kind of go with the flow in those situations. That’s why I do it.
Nothing predestined the Montrealer of Moroccan origin to settle in Dakar, Senegal. But life saw her settle there first for a professional internship before branching out into art and becoming one of the founders of this major musical event on the continent. Much more than concerts, this festival is a movement. It brings together young artists from all regions of the country, masterclasses led by professionals from South Africa, Unplugged sessions, and the Women Art Academy, dedicated entirely to women. Our journalist Sandra Gasana was there for PAN M 360.
Videography and Photo Credit: Cheikh Oumar Diallo
Television Overdose (or TVOD if you’re cool), first appeared on Vitta Morales’ radar a few years ago when the band played at the Dominion Tavern in Ottawa on one of their countless tours. Immediately, he was impressed by the captivating stage presence, catchy tunes, and the easygoing nature of these post-punk Brooklynites; he had the chance to ask them a few questions to singer and band leader Tyler Wright ahead of their debut album Party Time.
PAN M 360 : Since I’ve started following TVOD, (probably around 2022), I’ve always been impressed by the band’s dedication when it comes to its touring. In an era where bands increasingly forgo this model in favour of online audience cultivation, why does TVOD continue to tour so relentlessly? Is it simply in the spirit of punk to do so?
Tyler Wright : We love playing live and consider our audiences to be just as much a part of the show as we are. Sure, listening to records is great, and being a recording artist who chooses to forgo the live show experience for an online one can be profitable, but I honestly think they’re missing out on a huge element of music that makes live performances irreplaceable. When you’re at a live show, you get to be fully immersed in the world the artist is creating for you. Better yet, you get to experience that with other people, be it friends or strangers.
If the artist on stage is doing a good job, by the end of the show, everyone there should feel connected in some way. Live shows have this cosmic, crazy tendency to do that. Being together in the moment is something I think our society desperately lacks these days. We hope we’re a part of bringing that magic to our audiences and we look forward to playing a lot more wild shows with them in the future.
PAN M 360 : Staying on the subject of touring for a second: I recall a rather candid conversation I had with a TVOD member during a show in Ottawa where he exhaustedly said “I’ve been playing in bands for over twenty years.” I have to say, that stuck with me and I’m wondering: How do you deal with the fatigue that comes with being on the road after so much time? Any best practices?
Tyler Wright : Good lord, I don’t know who said, “20 years”! I might have been over-served that night and forgot how time works. I’ve been obsessed with music since I was a little kid, but I didn’t start playing in bands until 2013, when I moved to NYC. Tour fatigue is very real, and I’ve been a prisoner in more party jails than I can count. I think having best friends as bandmates and practicing self-care on the road helps immensely.
These are some of the rules and suggestions I try to follow while I’m on the road:
Fast food is poison (avoid at all costs).
Sleep as much and as often as possible. Same goes for showers.
It doesn’t matter who smelt it—it was probably Micki, our bassist.
Keep your shirt on when playing in Germany.
Call your wife.
If you see a sign that says “Peep Show,” it doesn’t mean they’re letting you look at presents before Christmas.
PAN M 360 : The singles from the new album so far have featured a lot more synth than in previous TVOD recordings; what other productions and arranging differences can listeners expect to hear on this debut full length?
Tyler Wright : Yeah, there’s definitely a lot more synth on this record. We made it at Gamma Studios with Sam and Felix, and they both had an insane amount of synths we got to mess around with. I think listeners can expect a wider range of genres this time, not just classic guitar power chord punk.
PAN M 360 : You’ve stated previously that the song “Uniform” from this album is about, among other things, the commodification of music and musicians as well as having to go to work while the world is falling apart. I’m curious to know: what is the importance of punk music, as you see it, during an era where everything is in shambles?
Tyler Wright : Punk music is a great vessel to use against oppression. It gives the middle finger to the ones in power and stands up for the little guy. In today’s toxic, capitalist world, I think the punk rock ethos is one of those guiding principles we should all look to for truth.
Punk preaches equality. It teaches us that no one human being ever deserves to control another. Innocent people are dying for greedy oligarchs and draconian governments. Stop purchasing your salvation and go to a punk show. Love one another. FUCK WAR.
PAN M 360 : What are some of your favourite cities to perform in and what do you like about them?
Tyler Wright : We love a lot of places we get to perform in. Montreal is definitely one of our favourites. The first time we played there, it was with our homies No Waves and Piss for Pumpkin at Bar Lesco. It was complete insanity. The Québécois know how to have a good time and then some. Our label Mothland is based there now, and it feels like we’re in Montreal all the time. We joke that it’s our second home. We always love going back to see all the friends we’ve made there. If you’re reading this—Hi Marilyne, JP, Philippe, Max, Rose, Sergio, Felix, Elian, Sam (owes me $20 CAD), Angel, No Waves Sam, Sy, Clarence, Grace, Noelle, Kenny, Alex, Melissa & Laurence! Miss you guys 🙂
PAN M 360 : Are there plans for other full lengths in the near future? I’m only guessing, but I understand that Tyler Wright first conceived of TVOD sometime around 2019 and I can imagine that a back catalogue of songs might exist.
Tyler Wright : Haha, yeah there are definitely plans in the works. I can’t stop writing or I’ll die. That’s the deal I made and the reality that I have to live with. I have no intention of ever breaking that oath.
photo: Kristin Solletico
Volcanic sax player, band leader, composer, improviser, performer, Mats Gustafsson is a regular at FIMAV and on Quebec’s avant-garde stages. FIRE! has already performed in trio form, but with a full orchestra for the first time. To overcome the financial impossibility of touring a large ensemble, FIRE! Orchestra developed the Community Based Activities (CBA) formula, inviting musicians from the markets where the group performs. As a result, 14 musicians from Quebec and Canada will travel to Victoriaville to rehearse ahead of the concert scheduled for May 17. Founded in 2009 by Mats and Johan Berthling, FIRE! is part free jazz, part groove, part psychedelia, part rock. Big Saturday ahead!
PAN M 360 : FIRE! , The Thing, Gush, Swedish Azz, Fake (the facts), Ensemble E, Cosmic Ear and more: is there a hierarchy of your artistic priorities across the bands you’re involved with?
Mats Gustafsson: Every project has its own focus and priorities. But with Fire! Trio and Fire! Orchestra we look at the groups as working groups – which means they are touring a lot and playing festivals and projects as well So, yeah – that is a priority right there. Swedish Azz and Fake (the facts) is on a pause. The thing is over for now. Ensemble E will try to make some festivals and projects in 2026 and 2027.
Cosmic Ear and the upcoming Backengrillen (with the founding members of Refused) will be touring and working as a prioritized group in 2026/27. I feel privileged to be able to work with so many great groups and artists. An amazing possibility to push the music deeper and further.
PAN M 360: You record a lot, your Bandcamp page is quite impressive ! Has this become a way of life, or is it simply a state of your high energy as a bandleader, composer and player ?
Mats Gustafsson: My Bandcamp is run by Trost and Catalytic and I am not really active here. I just don’t have the time to spend on such. I like to make records and I like to collect records. I like my music to be available – so, yes, Bandcamp is a good platform to find stuff. I try to hold back on releasing records that are just documents from live shows. I prefer to work on an album in a real studio with all what that means. At the moment there are so many great projects going on. Time is not enough. I try my best to keep sane in this immense flow of new projects and ideas. There is no other way than just put everything you have into it. All my dedication, love and energy have to go into these projects. No holding back. If the energy is not there, I rather stay home.
It is important to record the projects you are involved in. In order to make records and from there getting possibilities to work at festivals and clubs. In order to spread the music. There is no point letting your records just stay filed on a shelf somewhere. You bring them to sell / give away on tour. That is our responsibility towards the listener, as artists.
I love the act of making records. Making albums. Real albums with a track order, cover, liner notes, artwork and design. I am totally allergic to the one click / algorithms mechanics of today. Real albums for real people. Playlists are cassettes only.
PAN M 360: Over the past few years, what have been your most motivating projects?
Mats Gustafsson: Every project needs to be motivated. Otherwise, I would rather stay home. No question. If I don’t feel 100 % about a project it is put on hold or just stopped. I need to be totally true to the music and the people I work with. There is no other way. I need to find a balance between working groups / long-running projects (Fire!, GUSH, AALY Trio etc) and new projects and ad hoc situations. I need both. And one is feeding the other with content, energy and inspiration.
It has been a ball starting up some new projects in the last few years. “Cosmic Ear” and “Backengrillen” most of all.
Last week a new project started up: “Action Now” initiated by the great Norwegian bass player Nicolas Leirtrø together with Kit Downes on organ and Veslemøy Narvesen on drums. Hilarious. Next year will see the light of a great garage/ beat / free jazz group: “The Mag-Nuts” with the great Norwegian guitar slayer Hedvig Mollestad.
New shit will continue to happen. There is no lack of ideas, I can tell you that. No rest for the wicked. But it IS an amazing time for creative music. So many great younger players around at the moment.
PAN M 360: Your Cosmic Ear project is launching an album at the end of the month. Could you briefly describe this project and its members? How does it fit in with your other projects?
Mats Gustafsson: It fits like a hand in a glove! This is an old dream of Goran and myself. To create a smaller group setting where we can play together and very much to include our hero and maestro Christer Bothén. It took some years to decide…. And to find the perfect line up. Now we have it. Great without a regular drummer and just percussion. It opens up the music and gives a lot of space for the string instruments of Christer´s. We are picking bits and pieces up from the legacy of Don Cherry and also deeper folk music from Mali, Morocco and Scandinavia. Mixing it up with some live electronics and all. Very psyched about this group!
PAN M 360: Does FIRE! Orchestra, as a trio, tour a lot? Does it operate in creative cycles, with other projects in between?
Mats Gustafsson: Fire! as a trio is touring a lot now. We have a new agent: Swamp booking. They are great. We are more busy than ever. After having an almost 2 year long pause. Music is happening and we look forward to all coming up. So, at the moment we do 4 tours a year plus projects, residencies and festivals. So, yeah – we have never been this busy before. A good feel.
All three of us do other projects in between, but we really try to put prio on the work with the trio and the Fire! Orchestra. The new version of the Fire! Orchestra will be with 19 members of the group and we will have our premiere of the new piece “WORDS” in November of this year. Expect more riffs!!
PAN M 40: FIRE! has 18 recordings – that’s a lot! Do you have any favorites?
Mats Gustafsson: 18 recordings? With the trio and orchestra and special projects? Wow. That is a lot. Ha ha. But we have been active for a long time now. Starting in 2009 already. The idea is to release a studio album every 2nd or 3rd year, both with the trio and the orchestra. It is a good plan, we believe. The upcoming one is always my favorite. I cannot point any fav out. I have to say I am very happy and proud of all we did. To run an orchestra in these times…. And to tour with it IS impossible. And we wanna show that the impossible is still possible. We want to pay our members decently, so we turn a lot of offers down. But, somehow it works out… and we are still on our feet. It is truly amazing to work with a large ensemble and we are super happy about the new idea of CBA (Community based activities) where we work with local musicians. As in Victoriaville. It is a win-win. We extend our circles / network – getting new people into the Fire! Orchestra family. And the local scene is getting connected to our music. And in theory it should be cheaper for the local presenter to do this. So, we do both CBA projects 4 -5 times a year and the regular activity with Fire! Orchestra. We just finished the ECHOES version with a concert in Gdansk in Poland. And we look fwd to play parts of ECHOES (and some new stuff) in Canada.
PAN M 360: What have been the latest developments in the ensemble?
Mats Gustafsson: Well, the addition of some new names is what is affecting it the most. We are writing very specifically for the members of the group, in the same manner as Duke Ellington and Sun RA did. Using the individual voices of the group in a collective setting. So, we actually managed to include a few people from previous CBA projects into the band. That Is the way it works, and should work. The inclusion of Anna Neubert – violin and Emily Wittbrodt – cello gives us a very cool string trio with our own Anna Lindal on violin. And to have Maria Portugal on drums and vocals is just great. Spectacular! The young and fantastic Adia Vanheerentals on tenor and soprano sax. The spectacular Mariam Rezaei on turntables and electronics and of course so great to include Canadian Lina Allemano on trumpet. We will be 19 persons in this new line up. A mix of new names and some from our old pool of Fire! Orchestra related artists. There will be riffs. There will be Fire!
PAN M 360: How can you briefly describe the trio’s formal evolution? What is the basis for our work today?
Mats Gustafsson: Simply stripping things down. When we recorded our latest album “Testament” with Steve Albini in Chicago we decided to take things down a bit regarding instruments and all. So, now we are focusing on what we can do with only baritone sax, electric bass and drums.
No electronics, no keyboards, no extra instruments (well, a bit of flute can’t hurt….). It creates an open music of endless possibilities. What the future will give us, we have no idea. But in 2025 this is what we are working on.
In the beginning there were a massive amount of extra instruments and lots of noise electronics and all. I love that as well. But at the moment, this is what Fire! is all about.
PAN M 360 : Please tell us about the specific strengths of the members of your trio.
Mats Gustafsson: They are just the BEST! As persons. As musicians. Tight, open and full of energy! Andreas and Johan have a magic power of locking into each other’s groove. It is like telepathy. And it was the same vibe from day one. We are having FUN together. And we respect each other to 100 %. It is all about trust and respect.
PAN M 360 : Why did you propose this specific ensemble for your Quebec dates?
Mats Gustafsson: We really wanted to play with Fire! Orchestra in North America, but it was impossible to fly over with 19 people. And impossible to play in the USA at the moment. I would need to sell my record collection in order to bring 19 people over. And I am not ready to part with it yet. So we decided to go for a CBA version instead after discussions with Scott.
It was a very creative discussion with Scott about the line up. We had to stay at 5 original Fire! Orchestra members flying over because of budget. In our CBA projects we usually travel with 5- 7 people and the rest are local. It was a creative affair and quite easy. I know a lot of the names and have already played with a few of them. Of all the CBAs we have been doing this is perhaps the most exciting line -up. I kid you not! The Line up looks amazing. Total KILLER. Great scouting from Scott & Co. He is a musician himself, so he made it easy for us. PAN M 360: In the extended line-up, can you explain how you went about doing this?
Fire! trio was on tour in Europe in 2011 and after the final gig of the tour we had a sit down. We made a 3am decision to gather all our musician friends in Stockholm and play TRIO music. Done deal. We met and played “Exit” at Fylkingen in Stockholm in 2012. 28 musicians playing their brains out, smiling. We had to continue. No question. We did many new pieces after that, all with different line ups. Including a rewrite of Penderecki’s “Actions for free jazz”, with the composers’ blessings. Fire! Orchestra is very much alive and continuously changing. That is a necessity.
PAN M 360: How do you distribute instructions to the musicians?
Mats Gustafsson: These days, there is a google Drive file – with sheet music, music files, links, videos and what not. We have a rough plan of what to play. Most is material from our latest version “Echoes” , but we might do a couple of new pieces as well. Plus some open formations. Ad hoc formations and solos. It all depends on how the rehearsals go. We can change things around a lot until the gig. Some musicians have emailed us asking about specific things and we try to answer it all. It will all be clear when we meet and rehearse together. That is key to having a few days of working together. Learning to know each other and get familiar with the ensemble sound of this version. We can’t wait.
PAN M 360: How do you balance composition and improv in a large band context ? Are there some written parts ?
Mats Gustafsson: Wait and see / hear!! Yes, there is a mix of written arrangements and composed materials and melodies. The basic riffs are the foundation for all our music. So, riff you will hear! Horn arrangements by Mats Äleklint who is joining us on this trip. Bad ass trombone. The loudest and greatest around. I am doing a lot of conductions as well, controlling and fucking up the forms and structures. The conductions can and will appear at any point of the piece. Indicating certain arrangements, solos and instant composings. It will be all different. The rehearsals will be one thing- and the concert might be something entirely different. Let’s see. We have 5 -6 pieces that we will do, all having arrangements and a basic form idea. There will be a lot of space for open bridges between those pieces. And also introductions and outros that will change from day to day. Johan and I are communicating during the piece and will be able to change things around in a split second, when it is needed.
PAN M 360: How do you see the act of conducting such a large ensemble ? What are the challenges ?Mats Gustafsson: See above. As long as people are attentive there are no real problems. Just JOY! I work with quite simple signs and conductions and usually they are not really hard to follow. No rocket science here. I love conducting – and it is such a privilege to do it with great musicians. And this lineup is spectacular! Pure JOY!
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
