The Messthetics

A meeting of the minds between respected members of Washington, D.C.’s experimental music and punk rock communities, the Messthetics are an instrumental trio who combine soaring, visionary guitar work with one of the tightest and most powerful rhythm sections in rock. The group’s sound is rooted in the adventurous side of indie rock, though the trio’s performances often take exciting detours into jazz, improvisational music, and experimental works, as documented on their self-titled 2018 debut album and 2019′s Anthropocosmic Nest. The band took their jazz influences to the next level on 2024′s The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis, a collaboration with the celebrated free jazz saxophonist. The Messthetics feature bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty, members of the iconic punk/indie band Fugazi, marking their first collaboration since the band went on extended hiatus in 2002. Rounding out the trio is guitarist Anthony Pirog, an artist steeped in jazz who is also a major figure on Washington, D.C.’s experimental music scene, as well as working with the groups Janel & Anthony (featuring cellist Janel Leppin), Skysaw (who also include Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin), and New Electric. The trio came together in 2017, rehearsing and recording material at Canty’s practice space, and they began playing out late that year. In March 2018, the Messthetics released their self-titled debut album, primarily drawn from their practice space recordings and cut live without overdubs. The LP was released via the well-respected D.C. independent imprint Dischord Records, and a U.S. tour followed in April. In September 2019, the group issued a second album, Anthropocosmic Nest. Like the debut, it was cut at the band’s practice space, but having been written and recorded after extensive live performances, it revealed a more seasoned interplay between the musicians, as well as a more muscular attack on the uptempo tracks. Pirog’s work in free jazz had led to him collaborating with James Brandon Lewis, one of the leading lights of the jazz community in the 21st century. The Messthetics joined Lewis in the studio for one track on his 2023 album Eye of I, and they’d performed together live on several occasions when they agreed to make an album together. Recorded in just two days, The Messthetics and James Brandown Lewis was issued in March 2024 by the prestigious jazz label Impulse Records. ~ Mark Deming