schnellertollermeier | photo credit: Camillo Paravicini
Schnellertollermeier (Cuneiform Records)
one more act TBA
Friday November 11
8pm
$10 suggested donation
On X, Switzerland’s Underground-Rock Emerging Stars, Schnellertollermeier, Sharpen their Edge, Intensify their Vision & Carve Out a Spot on the Global Stage
Brutal jazz/minimalist rock power trio Schnellertollermeier don’t screw around. Their uncompromising attitude is even apparent before you hear a note of their music -- it's right there in that deliberate tongue-twister of a name.
On X, Schnellertollermeier boldly emerge from their key position in Switzerland’s underground rock scene with sharpened sonic knives, dialed up intensity, and laser-edged tunes to carve out a spot for themselves on the international stage.
X is the young trio’s third recording, and in it they don't merely redefine their sound, they reinvent it. The tunes the band came up with -- after cloistering themselves away in a house in the Swiss mountains that served as their musical mad-scientist's laboratory -- recast the traditional function of the guitar-bass-drums lineup, expanding it into new territory and combining the brute force of Schnellertollermeier's 2008 debut with the conceptualism of their second album for something that's ultimately beyond the scope of either one. The Alps had given the trio space to let their imaginations soar. Against the sublime mountain backdrop, they perfected stark, powerful compositions and expanded their ideas.
The resultant album, X, is a masterful work of instrumental musical intensity. The songs, whether long or short, crushing or ambient, have absolutely no padding on them. The challenging, sometimes downright confrontational mix of jazz, minimalism, experimental rock, noise, punk, free improv, modern composition, avant-garde and electronic influences erupting throughout X is what this genreblind trio of 30-year-old musicians effortlessly, even unconsciously, does, obeying only internal logic. Refreshing, highly-energized and original, their music can perhaps be compared with other beyond-genre bands.
Following X’s worldwide release, Schnellertollermeier will be touring extensively in Switzerland and at jazz, rock and experimental music festivals abroad. This short November jaunt is their first-ever U.S. tour.
-Cuneiform Records
Jim Ryan, long-time fixture on the Bay Area experimental music scene, recently relocated to DC. For his set at Rhizome, Jim will be performing on alto sax, flute and spoken word together w/ drummer Alan Kirschenbaum. http://www.edgetonerecords.com/ryan.html
Gentle Men https://gentle-men.bandcamp.com/