ESW
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Music
Press
Josh Silbert and Adam White are contortionists in the world of music.
Before becoming the frontmen of ESW, an experimental trio with a revolving third man, they ran the gamut of local bands only to find each other. From Silbert’s bachelor’s degree in music to his membership in legendary Indiana ska band Johnny Socko to White’s recording projects with bands like Wonderdrug, the duo have combined musical talents to create a wondrous, warped sound.
“We were almost ‘the mutual admiration society,’” Silbert says. It’s through an alliance between many of Indy’s local bands that the musicians met and collaborated. They would later become ESW’s sole composers.
“Josh and I really hit it off musically,” White says. The mesh led to ESW’s self-titled debut album. “We went into the studio with the intent to make a better demo.” However, an explosion of ideas turned a small demo into a 10-track CD. Silbert’s dream-like saxophone and White’s jazzy drums combine with Nathan Fox’s fretless bass beats. While Fox currently tours with ESW, you might catch any of five guest musicians at one of their live shows.
“We have just as much fun with titles as we do with samples,” Silbert says. “We crack each other up.” One such example is “Let the Cough Syrup Do the Talking” — one minute and 31 seconds of drugged instrumentals and distorted voices. ESW is a collage of weird seduction and synthesized mayhem. Elements of reggae, disco and even some drum and bass all rear in protest of musical linearity.
ESW will perform a series of Indianapolis shows, including at the Big Car Gallery this Friday. Here, Latina artist Sarah Zeta Zuckerman will show her solo art collection, Carteles, and T.J. Reynolds will feature a spoken word performance along with video projections by Big Car’s executive director, Jim Walker, who has done several video projects for ESW.
“It’s a happy coincidence,” White says. “If we did Jim Walker events for the rest or our lives, I’d be happy.”
But ESW is on a road that will take them farther than the local art gallery.
“We’re prepared for anything,” Silbert says. “The talent here is immense. We’ve just got to find the people who want a band with no lead singer and don’t care how marketable it is.”
- NUVO Newsweekly
Discography
released self titled debut "ESW" in 2006 on Indie 500 Records
1. Intro
2. Either Orgy
3. Pillows Of Security
4. For Rosie
5. Let The Cough Syrup Do The Talking
6. Love Them Onions
7. Sufi Nightmare
8. Place Des Vosges
9. Hegira
10. Golly Jihad
Photos
Bio
Improvisations born from jazz; riffs lifted from metal; digital dreams borrowed from electronica.
Welcome to the world of esw.
Shifting abruptly between genres with expert precision like the work of an insane dj, this power trio creates a place where George Clinton jams with Sabbath and Pink Floyd swings with Coltrane. Adam White’s drums interweave seamlessly with a virtually endless supply of electronic loops, sound effects and primal rhythms, creating a dynamic percussive framework. Multi-instrumentalist Joshua Silbert keeps his hands busy, filling in the cracks with synthesized harmony that morphs from passionate to turbulent all at a moments notice, all the while spitting out rapid, bebop-influenced lines and guttural shouts on his saxophone. Bass prodigy Joel Kelsey provides the foundation of the groove, engages in intricate interplay with silbert and asserts his instrument as a vibrant, emotional solo voice all at the same time.
Sometimes soothing sometimes relentlessly pulsating, the aural sum of this melodic equation is always addictively entertaining. Their self titled debut is a bold exploration of uncharted musical territory. Their live shows are not to be missed. Allow your senses to be enlightened and experience the expansive sound of esw.
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