It's been awhile since we posted an extensive Buke and Gase update. In autumn 2015, of course, the duo of (girl) Arone Dyer and (boy) Aron Sanchez did some touring with Battles in the United States and United Kingdom. This past summer they played Eaux Claires — the Wisconsin event started, in part, by Aaron Dessner— where they were declared one of the best performances at the festival. (Consequence of Sound wrote "no act on the bill went for the weirdness without turning back quite like Buke and Gase.") Things seemed to pick up again this autumn, as the band participated in Brassland's residency at Threes Brewing — Arone popped up as a member of the indie all-star backing choir for Bon Iver's Jimmy Fallon apperance — and her increasingly ambitous Dronechoirs & extracurricular art-world activities with Naama Tsabar popped up on your social media feeds (if you're following the right accounts, that is). Here's one of the posts you may have caught (or missed).
In any event you can turn to Brooklyn Vegan for a recap on the past. We gots the NEWS — emphasis on the new, and none of that fake stuff.
Over the past few years the band have, for the most part, been occupying a private domain of recording sessions & reconceiving what Buke and Gase is. They've been woodshedding, musician style. (TRIGGER WARNING: Unless you're a frequent & willing visitor to Guitar Center, you may not want to click on that final pair of links.)
Well the band just sent out what is, for them, an extensive email update and we thought it worth sharing with you more or less verbatim. First a far-flung array of shows coming up in February and March:
FEBRUARY
-13: Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Theater (w/ Fell Runner) - Info
-17: Chon Buri, Thailand @ Wonderfruit Festival - Info
-19: Taipei, Taiwan @ Spaced-Out - Info
MARCH
-7: Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool w/ Qasim Naqvi (Dawn of Midi) & Noga Shefi (Delicate Steve) - Info
-14: Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool: improv residency with special guests w/ Greg Saunier (Deerhoof), Adam Schatz (Landlady) & Jen Goma (People Get Ready) - Info
-21: Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool w/ Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk, John Zorn), Ryan Sawyer, Otto Hauser (Cass McCombs) & Sally Gates (Orbweaver) - Info
-28: Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool w/ Ava Mendoza (Unnatural Ways), Ryan Oslance (Ahleuchatistas), John Niekrasz (Why I Must Be Careful, Orchestra Becomes Radicalized) & Shahzad Ismaily (Figure 8 studio & label) - Info
More on these gigs in a moment, but first the elephant in the room: Why haven't Buke and Gase put out a record since 2013? The band explains:
"Based off of your emails & notes to us we know you've been waiting for a new album for some time. We're in the final leg of completing full-length number three, we'll keep you updated about its 'reveal'!"
"We plan to announce some other new music, perhaps even before we announce the new full-length. One project is a collaboration with So Percussion. They posted a raw sample from our recording sessions earlier this year - here it is in case you missed it."
"We have also recorded a bunch of new music with our buddies Ahleuchatistas."
And now about those shows. The February 13th show in Los Angeles — pre-Valentine's jitters optional — is the outgrowth of a week of rehearsals with LA-based experimental classical ensemble wild Up, to see if a new collaboration takes root. (B&G take the 'experimental' tag literally sometimes.) Since they don't get out west very often, they added a last-minute gig with fellow experimentalists Fell Runner — an intriguing, new-ish, SoCal based group. But all of this is just a prelude to an Asian excursion built around a performance at Thailand's Wonderfruit Festival, an art & culture festival also featuring Young Fathers, Junun and Lianne La Havas, among many others. The quick trip wraps with a semi-private Taiwan gig. Please inquire on event's Facebook page if you'd like details on that show.
And now for the experiment of experiments — a residency at Union Pool will spring up just as Spring has begun to spring: These gigs will not be typical Buke and Gase shows but rather one-time-only, improvisation-based collaborations. As the band explains:
"this March we have a run of four performances in Brooklyn, NY, our former home base. We've gathered a swath of our favorite musicians to improvise with us every Tuesday at Williamsburg's Union Pool. Come and participate in the process: pencils and paper will be available for you to write a thought, question, or image — and we'll suss it out as a musical or alternative gesture. Plans are afoot to record the whole thing & turn it into a podcast with the help of The Organist."
Each of the March 'improv residency' shows will also feature a DJ set by either Maria Chavez or Isis Swaby.As the band wrote "Sound fun? Come!"
Well, yes & yes, and we'll leave it at that.
UPDATED FEBRUARY 23, 2017: Oh yeah, Buke and Gase released a new single today — a cover of PJ Harvey's "Dress" to benefit Our First 100 Days, a project by the Secretly Group to raise money for organizations working on the front lines of climate, women's rights, immigration and fairness.
It premiered on Consequence of Sound. Stereogum and Brooklyn Vegan seem to like it, too. And The Needle Drop writes: "Perhaps the most interesting installment in the Our First 100 Days compilation so far."
Anyhoo, decide for yourself...
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