Sean Fay: Hello and welcome to 89.1 FM WNYU. I am Sean Fay, your host of ‘jazz died??’. I’m here with The Messthetics and how would you guys like to introduce yourselves? I think the best way is just to go one at a time.

Brendan Canty: Okay, this is Brendan Canty.

Anthony Pirog: Hi, this is Anthony Pirog.

Joe Lally: This is Joe Lally.

James Brandon Lewis: And this is James Brandon Lewis.

Sean Fay: Awesome. And how would you say your group, The Messthetics, really came to be?

Anthony Pirog: Oh man, well, we formed when Joe came back from Italy in 2018.

Joe Lally: 2015.

Anthony Pirog: Joe, go ahead, tell him how it went.

Joe Lally: I think we started formally playing as a band in 2016. I had been living in Italy and I came back and worked on some music there that I didn’t really understand but was instrumental. I played that for Brendan and Brendan said, “I know this guy Anthony that should play with us.” Anthony?

Anthony Pirog: Then they asked me to play, and we started playing, and we became a band. It’s been wonderful ever since.

Anthony Pirog: And then every time we played up in New York, James Brandon Lewis would come out and play because James and Anthony had been playing together in James’s bands and in other projects, and they played incredibly well together. Every time we played New York, James would come out and play with us, and all of a sudden, it dawned on us. We should make a record together. Exactly. Right? You take it from there.

James Brandon Lewis: Yeah, thanks for putting me on the spot. Anyways, me and Anthony and I have been working together for 10 years. The first time we played as a band, we sat in with The Messthetics at Winter Jazz in 2019, and we were rocking ever since.

Sean Fay: Awesome. And before you guys get on stage, do you have any rituals, any meditation, anything you do to get ready before you get up there?

Anthony Pirog: I think that takes place individually. There’s no group thing that happens.

James Brandon Lewis: Yeah, we just kind of go for it.

Sean Fay: You want to share any individual practices, or are those all top secret?

Anthony Pirog: I used to have a favorite shirt. I don’t have a favorite shirt anymore. Essentially, I say, “Hey, where’s the setlist?” That’s usually good.

Joe Lally: That’s a critical ritual. And I write the setlist. That’s part of my ritual.

Sean Fay: Is Newport a noteworthy destination for you guys to perform at? And how so?

Brendan Canty: Well, I’m been extremely honored to be here because I’ve been watching jazz on a summer days here at the Newport Festival my whole life and listening to Ellington at Newport. I grew up with the idea of Newport and live performance. And so for me, it’s always been a place I’ve always wanted to see the festival, and to be able to play, it’s been a dream come true, honestly.

Sean Fay: Awesome.

Brendan Canty: And James has already played it last year?

Anthony Pirog: Oh yeah.

Brendan Canty: He’s all that around here, mate, and shows up.

James Brandon Lewis: Every playing opportunity I’m thankful for. I don’t take things for granted.

Sean Fay: Awesome. Would you guys say any particular cities or venues have influenced your sound? Do you have favorite venues or cities to perform at?

James Brandon Lewis: I mean, today it’s pretty high on the list playing at Newport. It’s pretty high on the list. The favorite. The sound was on point, you know? The audience, the energy of the audience.

Brendan Canty: I’d say any place where people are really listening to the music. They’re really here listening to the music, and they’re open-minded, ears are open. A place like Newport or Big Ears Festival in Knoxville. Full of real music for real music fans.

Sean Fay: That answers my next question—are there any places left in your bucket list that you’d love to play that you haven’t yet?

James Brandon Lewis: Yeah, yeah.

Joe Lally: Where are we trying to go next?

Anthony Pirog: We’ve played Big Ears. We’re playing South Elton Jazz Festival in Austria. That’s a great festival. We’re hitting a lot of our dream gigs here. We’re having a good run of shows. They can be happy.

Sean Fay: This next group of questions is about your soundscape. What artists or albums do you go to first whenever you’re putting on headphones or deciding where you’re going to go out for the night? What sort of soundscapes did you guys grow up in? What was your musical involvement from wherever you’re from?

Brendan Canty: The music from the DC area was always really important. There was so much going on, all different kinds of things. It’s always been an honor for me to just be living there and take part in what’s happening. But I mean, you know, you could hear rockabilly bands that really got me excited. Early rock and roll, surf music, instrumental hits from the ’50s and ’60s, and then later, you know, free improvisation and jazz. But yeah, that’s what got me excited. Also, the radio station WPSW Washington DC would play some really experimental things Saturday nights at midnight, so I used to just hang around and listen to that, trying to hear new sounds.

Joe Lally: I grew up listening to late ’60s, early ’70s R&B and soul and funk. In Washington DC, there was WOOL and WOOK. That was the sound of music to me when I was growing up. I just went on to look into everything and try and understand classic rock and then punk rock came along. I understood that the go-go scene was happening in DC and it was just really trying to listen to what you could. Enjoying being in the DC area.

Anthony Pirog: You want to go, James?

James Brandon Lewis: No, you go ahead.

Brendan Canty: Okay, I’ll go. Some of the more influential music would be like the MC5 or big bands that were sort of big and loud, but also experimental. Their goal was to elevate the room and have a communal experience with everybody in the audience. I think that still manages to be the goal of the day.

Sean Fay: Awesome. Next question—I’m gonna go around the horn. What’s your favorite soundscape where there’s no music around? Just sitting in a place where no music’s going on, but you love the sonic environment.

Joe Lally: Nature. Nature, I would say nature.

Sean Fay: Where in nature?

Joe Lally: Like in Europe. The ocean, a river, or a creek. You just hear the sounds. You can hear sounds far away. When you’re not in the city, you can hear things that are happening 2 miles away. It’s peaceful. I like that kind of sound.

Brendan Canty: I’m going to go with, like Joe, the ocean. I’ll say at night, Northern California. When I was young, we used to live there. That was something that I loved—being on the colder beach at night. It’s calming.

Anthony Pirog: You know, when you’re in a city, there’s no silence anymore, so I embrace the silence. The whistle of the ringing in my ears. Yeah, right.

James Brandon Lewis: I’d say I like the first part of the morning when the sun is rising and the birds are chirping. I wouldn’t say I’m a nature person per se, but I definitely like going after the day when the sun starts rising, the birds start chirping a little bit. And then I’m from Buffalo, so in the wintertime, I love hearing the nature and the vibe of the snow, just that crispness in the air. It’s definitely a vibe.

Sean Fay: Awesome. And if each of you guys had to name or create your own sub-genre—it doesn’t have to be something you play—what would it be? Musicologists have been using the same words to describe music for the past two decades. I’m trying to get some new vocabulary going. What’s a new word you’re trying to put out there?

Brendan Canty: You really put us on the spot.

Anthony Pirog: Yeah, true. Like, post-gig brain dead zone.

James Brandon Lewis: Let’s see. That is a tough one.

Sean Fay: They can just be adjectives.

Joe Lally: I thought we came up with one the other day, what was it?

Anthony Pirog: We did. I’m just going to get this out of the way and say, when Spin ran a review early on, they said, “post-everything,” and that made me feel very good. So I’m going to go with “post-everything.”

Brendan Canty: I like to think we were prequel music.

James Brandon Lewis: I like “flame on.” Intensity. Energetic. Playing like it’s your last time playing. It’s crazy. Flame on. Maximum amount of intensity. No sleepy time. No sleepy time.

Anthony Pirog: That’s three. Yeah.

Brendan Canty: I mean, I got a lot. I need one more.

Joe Lally: He took care of mine.

Sean Fay: And up next, we’ll go to some hopefully easier questions. What’s our movie? You can always re-watch. Either one of you or as a group.

Joe Lally: So now a TV show is coming. The bands would be, It’s Alive.

Brendan Canty: Oh, so we’re like a… Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Anthony Pirog: I was totally not expecting that. I’m going to say Lawrence of Arabia. I don’t watch that anytime it’s on time. It’s my favorite movie. Yeah. Just behind Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

James Brandon Lewis: I mean, I like… That’s a bunch of stuff that I can watch. It’s The Sandlot. A Beautiful Mind. Oh, yeah. Good Will Hunting.

Joe Lally: The Wizard of Oz.

James Brandon Lewis: The Wizard of Oz. Yeah, I can’t watch that multiple times.

Anthony Pirog: I watch that so many times.

Brendan Canty: I can watch it until the munchkins show up. I can’t stop hearing about it.

Joe Lally: It’s scary.

James Brandon Lewis: Oh, Back to the Future.

Sean Fay: You got to get on Letterbox yourself. Let everyone know. You got a good list.

Brendan Canty: You’re actually citing films after 1945. It’s really incredible. Thanks! I don’t know. I come over and I put on black and white TV with some title. My kids are like, “Fuck you, Dad.” It’s like the worst.

Sean Fay: Now we’re going to teleport real quick. We’re out a bodega. And I’m taking all of your orders. What’s your go-to order at this bodega?

James Brandon Lewis: You know what? You’re on your job today.

Sean Fay: You’re guys seem ready to sleep. I gotta keep you awake.

James Brandon Lewis: This is active. This is active participation right here. Go on, go.

Anthony Pirog: I’m ready. Roast beef, hero, mayo, salt and pepper. Provolone. Oh, come on.

Joe Lally: I’ll take some fish tacos.

James Brandon Lewis: Okay. Okay. Since you didn’t specify the day, I’m going breakfast. Scrambled eggs. Cheese. Chorizo. Onions. You know what I’m saying. On a roll. Maybe some sriracha mayo on there.

Brendan Canty: I like it. I like it. I’d say tuna fish and Andy Capps hot fries on a Kaiser. Yeah.

Anthony Pirog: Okay. Okay. And that was breakfast too.

Joe Lally: This isn’t really going to be on the radio, right?

Sean Fay: Yeah. Yeah. This is what WNYU’s all about. Good. And you guys have a favorite physical medium of music? CD, vinyl, tapes, or USB drives.

Brendan and Joe : Vinyl. Vinyl.

Anthony Pirog: Yeah. I like CDs, man.

Sean Fay: This seems to be the big debate. Vinyl or CDs?

James Brandon Lewis: I like them all, but you know…The mini-disc used to be… I mean, that wasn’t too popular. That was a great sound, right? Remember that? I used to have a mini disc recorder. What ever happened to that?

Brendan Canty: I still have one.

Anthony Pirog: I think that live Link Grant’s record from the 55 bar is a mini disc recording.

James Brandon Lewis: Oh, I think we talked about that here.

Sean Fay: Yeah. Awesome. That wasn’t even on my radar. Oh, wow. I’m going to add that to the list.

Brendan Canty: We used to record everything on DAT tapes in Fugazi. That’s a shitty format.

Sean Fay: So, it was a fall apart. This is awesome. And I heard from a little bird that some of you guys play softball together. How’s your team? What’s your position?

Brendan Canty: Oh, no, that’s actually mostly friends of ours. We have played on that team, but it’s been a long time. Wow.

Joe Lally: Just a little bit on that team. That was out in the field. It was in the outfield. Nice. Yeah.

Anthony Pirog: Yeah. Yeah. And I’ve never got a position. I think I was the waterboy.

Brendan Canty: Left out. Left out.

Joe Lally: He was the left out. Oh, that is a very good one. Yeah.

Sean Fay: And walk me through your creative process. If you want to record something, who’s the first person you get around? I’m guessing each other. Or the first steps you start to take.

Brendan Canty: Well, we all jump up. We just practice. Joe and Anthony practice a couple of times a week in the mornings for a couple of hours. Mondays and Fridays. I tend to do. Just a ritual. Whatever. And so hopefully things come out at that point. And that’s usually, for this band, the beginning of your creative process. But anytime you’re in a group with each other, like anytime James is in a room with us, or anything else, that’s a whole nother approach to a creative project.

Sean Fay: Any advice you guys have for younger musicians?

Joe Lally: Play. Play with whoever you can play with and write.

James Brandon Lewis: Remain curious. Remain curious. Don’t get content. Or complacent.

Sean Fay: And up next, this is usually my last question, but I got one more for you guys. Is jazz dead? And can jazz die?

Joe Lally: I’m not going to answer that. I love Steve Albini’s answer. When somebody asked him about, “Is rock dead?” He said, “Shit man, they can’t even kill ska.”

Anthony Pirog: That’s so good. Yeah, I don’t see jazz. I don’t see a genre dying, man. As long as people are making music, they’ll represent or what have you.

Sean Fay: And that kind of goes into the last question. Is punk dead? Because I know with Fugazi, a lot of the people in our radio stations are still playing all those other Fugazi tapes.

Brendan Canty: Oh get out. Why would they-

Sean Fay: They eat that up!

Anthony Pirog: That’s Pathetic!

Sean Fay: I’m bringing these other sides with jazz to the station. Right.

Joe Lally: I mean, you know,young people come up and they discover. You discover everything. I mean, you discover it all anew. You discover jazz, new, and it’s so much easier than ever to find all that stuff on the Internet. It’s one of the beautiful things. One of the only useful things about the Internet is the endless amount of music that you can find on there. So my kids and the kids around them, they go out there, they know more about music than I ever did when I was younger. And that can mean Ella Fitzgerald. You know, like, my daughter is a huge Ella Fitzgerald fan. And she found that all on her own. So, like, Punk rock and all these records that came out in the 20th century and the records that are coming out. Now we’re going to live a lot longer than we are.

Sean Fay: Yeah. And anything you guys want to promote, say to the listeners?

Anthony Pirog: Well, we’re playing a bunch of shows. Keep an eye out. You will look at The Messthetics‘ website, and we have a list of all the shows that we’re playing. You know, come out and see us, spread the word. I appreciate it.

Sean Fay: Awesome.

James Brandon Lewis: When is this going to be out?

Sean Fay: This will be out on Thursday.

Anthony Pirog: Yeah, we’re playing Thursday night. There’s a new Union Pool. Oh, we played last night at Union Pool thanks for coming.

James Brandon Lewis: And keep supporting the music! The Messthetics with James Brandon Lewis!

Sean Fay: Thank you! And it has been so great talking to you all!

This was recorded live at the 2024 Newport Jazz Festival on Sunday, August 4th. Broadcast on 89.1 FM on Thursday, August 15th for ‘jazz died??’.