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The Harmony & Blessings Concert Series is proud to present: The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis on Sunday, May 3rd at Centennial Hall, with special guests Saturn to Brazil. *The Messthetics are an American musical group founded by bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty of Fugazi, along with guitarist Anthony Pirog. Their music is entirely instrumental and has been described as "jazz punk jam."
The Messthetics formed in 2016 in Washington, D.C., drawn together by mutual admiration: Pirog had grown up listening to Fugazi, the era-defining post-hardcore band anchored by the rhythm section of Lally and Canty, while the bassist and drummer heard the genre-spanning guitar visionary play around town and took note of his unusually inclusive aesthetic. Pirog had played and bonded with Lewis before the Messthetics formed, and in 2019, he invited the saxophonist — whose massive, soulful sound has made him a star of the contemporary jazz scene — to sit in with the group live. The collaboration blossomed and eventually led to the quartet’s 2024 LP.
James Brandon Lewis is an American jazz composer and saxophonist.Lewis graduated from Howard University in 2006, after which he focused on gospel music. He received his MFA in 2010 from the California Institute of the Arts. During his graduate training, he studied the work of music theorist Joseph Schillinger. In 2012, he relocated to New York City and switched to jazz, releasing his first album Divine Travels in 2014. This album was followed by nine more albums, including Jesup Wagon, which was selected as Album of the Year by DownBeat critics in 2022. He graduated with a PhD in Creativity from the Rowan University in Philadelphia in 2025.
*YR KNIVES is a new group made up of Chicago regulars.
Quin Kirchner is an in demand drummer/composer who has played with the entirety of Chicago’s jazz and improvising community as well as various rock bands including Wild Bell. Douglas McCombs plays in the groups Tortoise, Eleventh Dream Day, and a whole slew of others as a leader, collaborator, and sideman, depending. McCombs is on bass in this group. Guitarist Brian Sulpizio’s long running project is Health and Beauty and he’s worked often as a sideman, notably with Ryley Walker. In addition Sulpizio works as a recording, mixing and mastering engineer. Andrew Trim is a first call guitarist and leader/member of the group Hanami
*Saturn to Brazil is an Erie, PA-based musical collective whose 2025 album, "Cosmic Tumblers" was voted "Best Local Album" by the Erie Reader.
Advanced Ticket Link Below’
https://tickets.eriereader.com/events/the-messthetics-and-james-brandon-lewis-5-3-2026
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Event Venue
Centennial Hall Erie, 145 W 11th St, Erie, PA 16501-1722, United States
Tickets
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