TONE Festival / Fire!, Völur, Brian Ruryk

FIRE!

Fire! is a Nordic experimental trio of Mats Gustafsson (sax), Johan Berthling (bass guitar) and Andreas Werlin (drums) who came together to redefine the parameters of improvised music drawing on influences from free jazz, psychedelic rock, and noise. The trio lays down heavy stoner rock inspired bass riffs, prodding along under squealing sax devastation. Gustafsson is a power house of unrefined power in the avant sax shredder realm. Fire! travels from avant rock riffage to quiet passages of fluttering sax quips and shaking bells then back to slow groove building wastoid jams. Berthling’s pensive bass notes ripple out meeting Gustafsson’s low key squawks. Bursts of blistering noise rock influenced free jazz punctuate this trio’s approach of abrasive desolate beauty. Killer live band!

VÖLUR

Toronto folk doom trio featuring members of Blood Ceremony & Gates will be joined for this special set by guest tanbur player Reza Houshvar! Völur merges distorted strings with thundering percussion. Hard treble screeches out over crushing bass, and blood curdling vocals. Lightning fast tanbur vibrations stay thick in the air until finally dropping to let a few poignant notes march forward. Sounding like some funeral march anthem from the fiery pits, group vocals unite in an occult hum. Borrowing from post rock and folk traditions channeled through an obliterating lens of doom metal, Völur helps you become one with the flame. CVLT.

BRIAN RURYK

Toronto avant garde anti-legend Brian Ruryk is easily one of the city’s best kept secrets, Ruryk has been manipulating the concepts of sound since the 80s. Free jangled guitar notes spray over a live collage of junk percussion & chaos. Tape samples squeal out amongst herky jerky clatter of Ruryk’s eclectic set up. Much like the coming together of puzzle pieces in a way in which they do not fit, then experiencing the process in which the puzzler, instead of sorting the pieces, just cuts & mangles them to create a new image.

TONE would not be possible without the support of The Toronto Arts Council, and The Canada Council For The Arts.