Sonic Youth Gossip - Lee collaborates with Wild Classical Music Ensemble at Grauzone Festival!

Both Thurston and Lee will play at the Grauzone festival in The Hague, NL on 7 & 8 February. Thurston will play with his band on February 7, but according to the site he will not be playing ‘Alice Moki Jayne’, what he will play is still unknown. And on February 8 he will do a spoken word performance.

Lee will collaborate with the Wild Classical Music Ensemble on February 8. Quoting from the site:

Quote:

Lee Ranaldo & Wild Classical Music Ensemble
Two co-founders of the legendary Sonic Youth are represented at Grauzone 2020! It is with great pleasure to tell that Lee Ranaldo is also in an more experimental period, in a totally different way than his former Sonic Youth companion. Lee Ranaldo is playing Grauzone with a unexpected collaboration this time. After producing albums, writing tour journals, working with jazz drummer William Hooker (also in the band Text of Light with Steve Shelley) and the duo Lee formed with his wife Leah Singer, Drift, it is The Wild Classical Music Ensemble’s turn.

The Wild Classical Ensemble from Belgium is making in-your-face punk noise since 2007. With five mentally disabled people in their band, they are confronting their audience with their creative force and abounding energy. Originally the band focused on free improvisation but later on, when they started to incorporate punk/rock riffs, they developed a tight and strong sound that got noticed by Born Bad records (Frustration, JC Satan) were they released their 2019 album “Tout Va Bien Se Passer”.

This experimental collab is orchestrated by Johan Tahon, Belgium (sculpture) artist who invited Lee and The Wild Classical Ensemble for a film adaptation of “Hell Gate”. Earlier in 2019 Johan placed them all together in his studio in Belgium the middle of his world of images. The Wild Classical Music Ensemble & Lee Ranaldo created a new experimental piece of music creating a swirling whole of image and music performed just once before.

Tahon crosses very special people on his artistic path, not only does he appear to know Sonic Youth members personally, musicians from the band Rammstein are in his circle as well. An artist in residency in the Tahon studio? Or a musical step through Hell Gate?'' Go and see this unique performance at Johan Tahon’s exhibition at GRAUKUNST on Saturday 8th. Things will work out just fine / Tout Va Bien Se Passer.

Date: Saturday February 8
Time: tba
Location: tba

I've been watching Youtube this morning and couldn't get enough of the videos that are posted of the Wild Classical Music Ensemble! Their music is so brilliant and unique! There are some bands in the Netherlands that consist of mentally disabled people, such as Wimpie en de Domino's and especially the Josti Band, the latter exists already for 50 years! But they cover regular pop and/or children songs in semi-amateuristic way. WCME however sounds like The Ex or early Sonic Youth with Lydia Lunch on vocals (well, that not even covers it, don't know how else to compare them, Devo perhaps), and they play their own unique songs.

What might be difficult for you English speaking folks is that they sing in English, French and Dutch, which makes it difficult to understand. Well, get over it!
Go check 'em out, and buy their albums if you like! They are even on bandcamp! But I bought the last remaining copy of the vinyl :)
I hope there will be a collaborative album of Lee with WCME...