THE MOTET HEAD EAST

The Motet Takes the East Coast By Storm

The Motet

After two long years the newly revamped Motet is heading back to the East Coast, making stops in Virginia, Maryland, Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts.

The Motet’s latest album, Instrumental Dissent (their final collaboration with percussionist Scott Messersmith), is an album that proves The Motet will not be confined by genre.

“Our tendency to avoid being pigeon-holed is a reflection of who we are as musicians,” said Motet’s drummer Dave Watts, the band’s founding member. “We try to be open-minded about how we approach different genres and traditions.”

Since The Motet’s inception, songwriting has been the task of Watts, an unusual trade for a drummer. But with the departure of Messersmith, a nine-year Motet veteran, bass virtuoso Garret Sayers has stepped up with fresh ideas for a new direction. While Messersmith was driven by a love for Afrobeat and Cuban music, Sayers’ influences represent the new paradigm for ever-evolving Motet sound.

In a recent interview with Bass Player Magazine Sayers spoke of his musical influences. “I’m drawn to songwriting and general emotion. It’s a reaction from playing and listening to jazz as a teenager. At one point I realized jazz didn’t inspire me as much as bands like Radiohead and Boards Of Canada. So I gravitated more toward song-oriented indie rock and electronic music, which has been my focus ever since.”

With Sayers’ passion for indie rock and electronica and The Motet’s history of improvisational exploration, the group is headed in a new direction that is sure please fans, both old and new.

Bringing a dynamic sound that defies classification and a live performance that must be seen to be believed, The Motet is sure to have the east coast begging for more.

Upcoming Dates Include:
03.25 The Goat Tavern: Keystone, CO
04.17 Attitudes: Blacksburg, VA
04.18 Frostburg State, Frostburg, MD
04.19 Paradise Lounge: Boston, MA
04.20 Sully’s Pub: Hartford, CT
04.21 Pearl Street Night Club: Northampton, MA
04.23 SOB’s: New York City, NY
04.24 Castaway’s: Ithaca, NY
04.25 Waterstreet Music Hall: Rochester, NY
04.26 Java Barn: Canton, NY
04.28 Mezzanote Lounge: Syracuse, NY
04.30 Chamaleon Club: Lancaster, PA
05.02 The Kent Stage: Kent, OH
05.03 Kinetic Playground: Chicago, IL
05.05 Der Rathskeller: Madison, WI
06.02 Ft. Collins/Loveland Municipal Airport: Loveland, CO
06.07 Wakarusa Music Festival, Lawrence, KS