|
 VITJA PAUWELS – EARLY LIFE FORMS Release 26th of January 2024 on W.E.R.F. Records. RELEASE CONCERTS & intense Jazzlab tour 24 jan 2024: Release concert at AB 26 jan 24: official album release + Concert Howest -Bruges 1 feb 24: Solo support. for Ceramic Dog, Roma –A’pen  Je kan gitarist Vitja Pauwels kennen van de bands van Naima Joris of en Lara Rosseel, als frontman van Bombataz (zowat zijn vaste job), maar daarnaast speelt/de Pauwels oa bij Cram Ration, Woolvs, Warm Bad, Mobilhome, An Pierlé (in het frans) , The Bony King of Nowhere … Hij speelde ook samen met Jakob Bro, Ambrose Akinmusire, Joachim Badenhorst, Teun Verbruggen, Eric Thielemans, Bert Joris etc. Tussendoor timmert hij aan een eigen solocarrière waardoor hij ook steeds nadrukkelijker op de voorgrond komt met zijn eigen muziek. Naast 2 solo albums is er nu zijn nieuwe band Early Life Forms, met gitarist Frederik Leroux, Hammondspeler Laurens Dierickx en drummer Casper Van De Velde in de rangen, die voortvloeit uit een samenwerking met meestergitarist Marc Ribot. Early Life Forms speelde een concert met Ribot tijdens het BRAND! Festival in 2022. De muziek danst op het raakvlak tussen wulpse latin jazz, groovende rock en filmische exploraties. Het concert werd opgenomen en gemixt door Koen Gisen en verschijnt 26 Januari op plaat bij het WERF-label. Die plaat wordt diezelfde week door de band voorgesteld in de Ancienne Belgique, Howest Brugge, en solo in de Roma Antwerpen. Vanaf februari volgt er nog een uitgebreide Jazzlab tour. In November 2022, he was a central guest at the BRAND! Festival (Mechelen). Next to presenting six of his projects, he got the opportunity to form a ‘dreamband’. Vitja dreamt of a guitar band and invited Marc Ribot (his all-time favorite guitarist) to join him for a concert with his favorite musicians: his former guitar teacher Frederic Leroux (Poor Isa) on baritone guitar, his close friend Casper Van De Velde (Bombataz, schntzl) on drums and a new companion Laurens Dierickx (Absynthe Minded) on Hammond organ. During the months leading up to the concert, Vitja wrote a new repertoire that he thought would work easily for this occasion. The only agreement was that there could be no rehearsals beforehand (only a quick meet up during the soundcheck). So Vitja tried to reduce the music to its essentials. He wrote simple but effective (easy to read) melodies and themes, clear forms but with possibilities to decide and give directions in the heat of the moment. The concert felt like an overwhelming success, with every band member attheir best and an authentic band sound with a fresh identity. The energy onstage felt like something childishly uncomplicated, something primary and sometimes epic. The audience was wildly enthusiastic and Vitja remembers this musical encounter as “his best musical experience so far”. Vitja would call this band Early Life Forms, given the nature of the music and their first concert, and decided to release the concert (which was professionally captured) as an album. The music is meticulously mixed by Koen Gisen in Ghent and mastered by Maor Appelbaum in L.A.. Latin Dancer was the first single from Early Life Forms. It’s aguitar-based romp that draws influences from latin, jazz, rock, and film music with a touch of exoticism and a serious wink to Cuban music. Groove Encore (the second single) is based on a groovy bass line and a theme on taishōgoto, a Japanese stringed instrument, giving it an exotic and ethnic touch.The music is essentialy bluesy and draws inspiration from Miles Davis’ electric period, John Scofield’s most funky material and Medeski Martin & Wood’s avant-groovemusic. The joy of playing is omnipresent and the infectuous rhythms make it almost impossible to sit still listening to them. The music is both adventurous and accessible; happy music that will most likely put you in a good mood. The album is a clear rendition of the concert but tuned up in the studio, to enhance the cinematic vibe of the music. The order of the songs is identical to the set list. The last track Groove Encore for instance is literally a simple groove that was played as an ‘encore’. RELEASE CONCERTS: 24 jan 2024: Release concert at AB 25 jan 2024: Q&A and listening ses - Vrijstaat 0 Ostend 26 jan 2024: Release Concert Howest -Bruges 1 feb 2024: Solo sup. for Ceramic Dog, Roma –A’pen JAZZLAB TOUR DATES: 23 feb 2024: Concert, CC - Mol 24 feb 2024: Concert, CC Ververij – Ronse 29 feb 2024: Concert, Ha concerts – Gent 3 Mrt 2024: Concert, Casino – Sint-Niklaas 8 Mrt 2024: Concert, CC Belgica – Dendermonde 9 Mrt 2024: Concert, GC Lijsterbes – Kraainem 13 Mrt 2024: Concert, CC Gasthuis – Aarschot 15 Mrt 2024: Concert, Rataplan – Antwerpen 23 Mrt 2024: Concert, Wilde Westen – Kortrijk 30Mrt 2024: Concert, N9 – Eeklo Opmerkingen zijn gesloten.
|