Volcano insurance

Area art galleries are the latest to present experimental music in the Twin Cities, and this week music will debut at the XY & Z Gallery in south Minneapolis with two of the area’s most creative ensembles, Volcano Insurance and Ingo Bethke. Notes IB leader Stefan Kac, “XY & Z is a really cool space with really cool art, and now, we'd like to think, unbelievably cool music as well.”

Volcano Insurance will play the first set, starting at 8 pm. Featuring modern music masters Luke Polipnik on guitar, Chris Bates on bass, and Joey VanPhillips on drums, the trio draws on diverse influences including Paul Motian’s trio, Miles Davis from the 60s and 70s, Ornette Coleman, Anthony Braxton, Bill Frisell, John Coltrane’s classic quartet, Derek Bailey, Ralph Towner, Fat Kid Wednesdays, Happy Apple, and “various indigenous folks musics of the world.” Their My Space page describes their sound as “adolescent lust.” Volcano Insurance has appeared at the Dakota (late night series), Café Maude and the Clown Lounge.

Ingo Bethke © Andrea Canter

Ingo Bethke is one of the most unusual of modern ensembles in the Twin Cities, straddling the jazz and experimental music camps with confidence and good humor, a necessity when your hornline includes the tuba. In addition to tubaist Stefan Kac, the sextet includes Geoff Senn on trumpet, Shilad Sen on tenor saxophone, Steve Gilbertson on piano, Matt Peterson on bass, and Nick Zielinkski on drums. With covers and original compositions that run the gamut from straight-ahead swing to big-band-like charts to free formed improvisations, Ingo Bethke has frequented the stages of the Dakota Jazz Club (on the Late Night schedule) and Clown Lounge of the Turf Club in St. Paul, meaning they tend to draw a crowd still alert in the wee hours. IB recently celebrated its self-titled first release, bringing together a wild assortment of new compositions and a reworking of a traditional Israeli hymn.

Kac sees the new performance space as a great opportunity. “We'd like to put in an extra super-duper special plug for this one as we hope it might serve as a catalyst for an ongoing collaboration with this venue, one where we're afforded the luxury of performing a ‘concert’ rather than a ‘show,’ and where we don't have to compete for the airwaves with espresso machines, wine glasses, and idle banter. We hope you'll consider braving the elements in order to join us.”

Join lovers of improvised music at the X Y & Z Gallery from 8-11 pm on February 10^th, $5 cover.

The X Y & Z Gallery is located at 3258 Minnehaha Avenue in Minneapolis, just south of Lake Street.

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites