ARCHER (US/NL/NO, Dave Rempis, Terrie Ex, Jon Rune Strøm & Tollef Østvang) + SONIC FRONT (PS/US/RS, Dirar Kalash, John Dikeman & Aleksandar Škorić)

Archer is a new quartet configuration featuring Dutch punk legend Terrie Ex alongside Chicago saxophonist Dave Rempis on the front line, backed by one of the hardest working rhythm sections in Norway with Jon Rune Strøm on bass and Tollef Østvang on drums. This international conglomerate made its debut on a tour of Norway in February 2023, with a longer follow up on a 10-date US tour in April of 2024. They’re currently planning their European debut in November 2025.

Guitarist Terrie Hessels may be known for his decades of work in the Dutch punk band The Ex, but his abilities as an improviser are unparalleled. The urgency of his playing and a complete irreverence to form or narrative, coupled with a wild imagination and a Dadaist sense of humor, turn him into a rare bird in the field of improvised music – an actual improviser. His longstanding work with legends of the worldwide scene includes ongoing collaborations with Han Bennink, Ken Vandermark, Jaap Blonk, Paal Nilssen-Love, and Ethiopian superstar Getachew Mekurya.

Rempis is a saxophonist who’s developed a wide-ranging palette across his decades as an anchor of the Chicago scene. From Brötzmann-like blasts of sound that he can sustain over the long-term like few living saxophonists, to pointillistic explorations of texture and timbre, his broad arsenal is the perfect foil to match that of Ex. The two together might spiral upwards into the stratosphere at one moment, and alight like a bee on a flower the next.

Alongside them, a powerhouse Norwegian rhythm section drives the momentum forward. Strøm and Østvang are known for their work together in bands like Universal Indians (with Joe McPhee), and All Included (w/Martin Küchen), as well as in the renowned Norwegian quintet Friends & Neighbors. Strøm has also been a frequent collaborator of drummer Paal Nilssen-Love in his Large Unit, and the Frode Gjerstad Trio, while Østvang’s CV includes work with Mars Williams, Trevor Watts, Ben Lamar Gay, and Jaimie Branch.

As a quartet, these four might spark a fire under your ass, or they might tiptoe across the tulips softer than a morning dew. This band fully reserves the right to make it up as they go.

Dave Rempis – soprano/tenor/baritone saxophone
Terrie Ex – guitar
Jon Rune Strøm – bass
Tollef Østvang – drums

<a href="https://aerophonicrecords.bandcamp.com/album/sudden-dusk">Sudden Dusk by Archer</a>

“.. Sudden Dusk was recorded live in Chicago and Milwaukee at the start of a two-week US tour in April of 2024. And you can tell the band is ready to bust out the gate after waiting a year to regroup since their 2023 debut tour in Norway. With Strøm’s muscular lines ever leading the charge, and Østvang providing both momentum and texture, Rempis and Ex streak back and forth across that sky in a tenacious dogfight.

It’s not all bursts of sonic lighting though. There’s a depth and soulfulness on display in the quieter sections of the music like the piece Half Stack that demonstrate the patience of richly seasoned players basking in simplicity. Subtleties of tone and timbre float over a repetitive guitar ostinato, providing a gorgeous counterpoint to the spikier sections of tracks like Omen and Bright Side. Overall it’s a carefully calibrated balance between the pent up energy of baited breath, and the slow release of a long exhale.”

SONIC FRONT
Dirar Kalash on electronics, John Dikeman on Sax, Aleksandar Škorić on drums