Ellwood Epps, trumpet
Land of Marigold is Josh Zubot (violin) and Ellwood Epps (trumpet). Bursting from Montreal's vibrant scene, the duo improvise visceral soundscapes evoking isolation and psychological drift.
On a Tuesday, I packed my violin and headed to their workshop. The night was presented by Bug Incision, as part of its Calgary 2012 Cultural Capital concert series. A dozen of us tucked into Hot Wax to hear Land of Marigold perform, talk about their approach to improvisation, and lead us in group-playing exercises.
On a Tuesday, I packed my violin and headed to their workshop. The night was presented by Bug Incision, as part of its Calgary 2012 Cultural Capital concert series. A dozen of us tucked into Hot Wax to hear Land of Marigold perform, talk about their approach to improvisation, and lead us in group-playing exercises.
Josh Zubot, violin Live, the pair are as much a visual as they are an aural experience: Epps chooses from the gallimaufry of mutes spread at his feet while Zubot sustains shrieking notes. This particular performance reminded me of steam punk. Both acoustic instruments hissed and whined, grinding gears and popping hubcaps.
Their piece caused me to question the nature of music itself. We now expect music to titillate us, but like a child at a fish tank, Land of Marigold's improvisations captured my attention with their fluidity and reactiveness.
At their end, Epps describes their playing as "intuitive, not thinking about anything. No agenda, the chemistry of playing together is its own agenda."
But is that enough to hold a performance together? Zubot reassures us that failure is inevitable. Epps concludes, "There's a lot of trouble in this music, and that's what audiences come to see, the musician walking the tightrope of improvisation."
Land of Marigold's self-titled album is released by Bug Incision in limited edition CDR's. They are available at Hot Wax and bugincision.com.
Their piece caused me to question the nature of music itself. We now expect music to titillate us, but like a child at a fish tank, Land of Marigold's improvisations captured my attention with their fluidity and reactiveness.
At their end, Epps describes their playing as "intuitive, not thinking about anything. No agenda, the chemistry of playing together is its own agenda."
But is that enough to hold a performance together? Zubot reassures us that failure is inevitable. Epps concludes, "There's a lot of trouble in this music, and that's what audiences come to see, the musician walking the tightrope of improvisation."
Land of Marigold's self-titled album is released by Bug Incision in limited edition CDR's. They are available at Hot Wax and bugincision.com.