ESW group to perform at Jazz at the Duck event Thursday

Thursday, November 10, 2011

DePauw Jazz at the Duck will present Indianapolis-based ESW from 8:30-10:30 p.m. Thursday in The Fluttering Duck at the Inn at DePauw.

ESW is an experimental music collective borrowing from jazz, heavy metal, electronica, dub and world music.

Its core group features Joshua Silbert (Johnny Socko, Chindi) and Adam White (Aimee Allen, Corey Cox) as well as a revolving line-up of guest musicians.

Thursday's lineup will feature Silbert on saxophone and loops, White on drums, Evan Mitchell on bass, Sandy Williams on electric guitar and Ebow and C.T. Wagoner on electric guitar and ambient effects.

ESW has been steadily building a Midwest buzz on the strength of its self-titled debut CD. Recorded by Eric Klee Johnson (Jurassic 5, John Waite) and mastered by Andy VanDette (Beastie Boys, The Prodigy), the disc is an experiment in sonic imagery and a perfect example of the band's creativity and musical range.

Shows with bands such as Shiny Toy Guns and Drums and Tuba, and an aggressive online free music downloading campaign have helped ESW to quickly gain an impressive fan base.

Their music has been described as "the work of an insane DJ, creating a place where George Clinton jams with Sabbath and Pink Floyd swings with Coltrane."

NUVO Newsweekly writes, "Josh Silbert and Adam White are contortionists in the world of music ... (they) have combined musical talents to create a wondrous, warped sound ... ESW is a collage of weird seduction and synthesized mayhem."