Quiet Winter at Bug Incision
Photo credit: Stone Heart Photography
After being on the road touring internationally, 36? singer Taylor Cochrane and art-pop musician Laura Hickli teamed up with guitarist Brandon Garay in their home city of Calgary for the first time in a while, performing at Bug Incision with the Dadge / Wilcke / Rodger trio and the Dan Pitt Quintet. Performing new material from their upcoming release “Action Painting,” their music transformed from calm ambient to emotional and noisy post rock, dripping with emotion and power.
Despite Bug Incision being known for their avant-garde improvisational concerts, Quiet Winter’s set was considerably more accessible than the usual fare, playing an hour of instrumental post-rock ranging from quiet and reflective to heavy and rhythmic. The band’s ability to change style and tone smoothly was excellent, performing each song thoughtfully and without a beat. One of my favourite moments of their set was near the beginning, where they switched up from the calm intro to a rhythmic and darker piece that sounded a lot like something out of Radiohead’s “Amnesiac,” while still keeping their atmospheric sound. It was clear that the set was more in line with a traditional concert than the usual continuous improvisational sets that Bug Incision puts on, but they maintained the atmosphere and energy of their set so well that the brakes to change songs or to retune weren’t distracting at all.
This isn’t to say that the performance was completely devoid of the improvisation that Bug Incision has built itself on. One of my biggest issues with post rock are artists that neglect how to write and perform slower and quieter parts of their songs because the focus is put on the loud crescendos. This wasn’t an issue with Quiet Winter’s performance. Throughout each song, you could hear the musicians doing solos, similar to how jazz solos are performed but less apparent. Getting to see the band dip in between from performing the song conventionally and going into a jam band like trance was such a pleasure to watch, especially with how intense and involved all of the members of the band seemed. In particular, Laura Hickli on keyboard seemed incredibly in tune with the performance, with her moving around and waving her arms while the band played. Quiet Winter really seems to have a love for the music that they play, and it was apparent in their performance that night.
The other acts that night were also excellent, although much different from each other. The Dadge / Wilcke / Rodger trio was an improvisational performance of drums, saxophone and double bass. Their set was more inline with what’s usually expected of Bug Incision, considerably more avant-garde and cacophonous than the other acts. As expected from three of the best musicians in Calgary though, there were some great moments of interplay between them. In particular, Jonathon Wilcke’s sharp saxophone playing in the second half meshed really well with Keith Rodger’s increasingly dissonant bass chords. The Dan Pitt Quintet was unlike anything I’ve seen at Bug Incision, with them performing a straightforward jazz set. This isn’t at all a criticism to them, but rather the opposite. Their set served as a nice contrast to the improv trio, with their energetic ECM inspired jazz. With their newest release “Horizontal Depths” released at the start of the month, their set was them performing their material of the album, and they sounded wonderful. All of the songs sounded amazing and their solos were all impressive, not to mention the very friendly stage presence that the band brought that night.
Overall, if you have the chance to see Quiet Winter, as well as the other groups that played that night, you should take it. For that matter, everyone who’s interested in alternative local music should go see a Bug Incision performance at least once. Even if improvisation isn’t your jam, this performance shows that there’s something for everybody.
The next Bug Incision event will be held at High Line Brewing on Sunday, February 2, 2025 featuring Victoria’s Shane Krause. Krause will be joined by a who's who of Calgary improvisors: for one set, he will be joined by drummer Erik Allen (known for his work with Amy Nelson, John Rutherford, and who is also currently putting the final touches on a new solo album), double bassist Jeff Gammon (recently relocated from Vancouver, busy member of the Calgary's jazz scene and plays in Nate Waters' new trio), and saxophonist Jonathon Wilcke (Bug Incision co-runner, Wilcke/Dadge duo, Eating Speed). In a second grouping, Krause will be joined by guitarist, composer, and vocalist Rebecca Bruton (known for her compositions, performed by the likes of Quatour Bozzini, and her new song-based project Swanherds), and percussionist Chris Dadge (Bug Incision founder, producer, Eye of Newt). More information here.