The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis

One of the highlights of Enjoy Jazz 2025 was undoubtedly James Brandon Lewis’s electrifying quartet, which brings to life the energetic sound of Coltrane or David S. Ware with great passion. Lewis is one of the most exciting and versatile improvisers of our time. This time, he’s performing with The Messthetics, a band with roots in the hardcore scene featuring Joe Lally on bass and Brendan Canty on drums—both former members of Fugazi—as well as Anthony Pirog on guitar. Their instrumental rock is so direct, raw, powerful, and yet finely crafted that Lewis’s powerful playing serves as a magnificent complement. Following their debut album released on Impulse!—Lewis joined the recording sessions after the tracks had already been recorded—the four performed extensively. The atmosphere was euphoric, the chemistry fruitful, which is why they headed into the studio with new material—and this time as a real band—while still on tour: “Deface the Currency” perfectly captures the live ecstasy of punk rock, free jazz, and funk. Everything feels effortless, says Pirog; they’re “so in the zone of playing together.”