The Messthetics head to Phoenix, blending Dischord Records roots with jazz

Seasoned musicians Joe Lally and Brendan Canty, who first found fame with the legendary hardcore Washington, D.C., outfit Fugazi, now make up the rhythm section of The Messthetics. They're joined by Anthony Pirog on guitar and relative newcomer to the act James Brandon Lewis on saxophone. As a quartet, they're without peers — albeit in the world of punk-jazz crossovers.

And the convergence of these four skilled performers promises to fill the small but mighty Linger Longer Lounge on Wednesday with a certain joyful moodiness, panache and sonic freedom. The show is part of a tour to tout their improvisational yet polished March release, "The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis."

A few weeks ago, Phoenix New Times caught up with three of the four Messthetics via Zoom. The charming bandmates more than made up for the absence of bassist Lally. Like a well-oiled jazz machine, each member drifted into the meeting in an almost perfectly timed cadence and were soon finishing each other’s sentences.

“This is my first time playing Phoenix, actually,” newest member Lewis says, prompting a discussion of the city's heat. “I’m from Buffalo, New York, so I can appreciate 108 degrees."

Prior to joining the band, The Messthetics contributed tracks to Lewis’ 2023 record, "Eye of I." The transition from trio to quartet has been smooth, he assured. “I’ve known Anthony (Pirog) for about 10 years. We’ve been collaborating all along... It’s been quite natural, and it felt like a natural fit when (Pirog) asked me to come and sit in,” says Lewis.

“It’s been just incredible to add James," Pirog jumps in. "He was extremely generous with me, with his groups, and his music... I just like being around him and to play with him has always been very exciting. We’re on the same wavelength."

For an entirely instrumental band, the group somehow manages to subvert dull moments, starting with its 2018 eponymous debut and the follow up, 2019’s "Anthropocosmic Net." Not long after, Pirog asked Lewis to join the band for another set at Union Pool in Brooklyn when venues started to reopen post-pandemic shutdowns. That cemented the foundation for expanding the band.

“We were just coming out of not seeing each other for a while due to the pandemic and we just had a genuine excitement for playing. James, specifically on “Serpent Tongue," we can just trade roles and play off each other and have a conversation. Brendan and Joe can react to what we’re doing, and it’s just a high-energy piece that is a lot of fun,” Pirog says.

The inclusion of Lewis allows Pirog to have an expanded role on the new album. “I could just stop playing (and let Lewis take the lead) or I could be part of the rhythm section," Pirog says. "I knew we could do different types of compositions. It’s exciting because everyone knew there was going to be these new approaches available."

Drummer Canty continued about the new dynamic of the four-piece. “I think now we are at this point where James and Anthony can do whatever the hell they want all the time. We write the heads (the main theme or melody of a jazz song), and they can go nuts every night. It’s a fucking awesome place to be and it allows for much more spontaneous ways to make records and perform,” he says.

On the newest album, what you hear is pretty much exactly how it was initially recorded. Engineered by Don Godwin, the band did very little mixing and recorded the whole thing live in just a matter of a few takes.

“We got together and ‘Bam!’ It was like, a day and a half. It was an amazing fluid session. We felt great about it. A friend of ours was at Impulse! (record label) and said he would love to hear it. We were pretty much done after those two days and I sent him the recordings and after a couple of weeks. He said, ‘I’d love to put this out,’ and we never even mixed the damn thing,” says Canty. “That never happens. Never, ever.” The band's Phoenix show promises that same just-right-from-the-get-go energy from a group of experienced music men still discovering their new path together.

The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis. 7 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 4. Linger Longer Lounge, 6522 N. 16 St., #6. Tickets are $22.04.