Michael Thieke (clarinet, zither), Derek Shirley (double bass), Dave Bennett (electric guitar). Using the clarinet, zither, electric guitar and contra-bass, played both conventionally and with extended techniques, the Canadian/German trio HOTELGÄSTE, in the traditions of No Wave, New Music and the “genialen dilletanten”, alternates dense soundlayers with silence, as well as urban disharmonics with ecstatic moments of rocking music and field recordings, creating spontaneously improvised soundarchitectures.
Their debut CD “flowers you can eat” was released in august 2005 on the berlin based label schraum. In 2010, “The Whispering Land” (a vinyl edition of live shows recorded in Germany and Switzerland) was released. HOTELGÄSTE recently played in the Spielfeld-Initiative concert series for new Jazz in Berlin, which was broadcast live by RBB (Radio Berlin Brandenburg). Right now they are planning a film-concert series using the silent film “cowards bend the knee”, from canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin.
“A pleasure to hear: improvised enough, but also a bit composed, played freely among tight plans, crossing the boundaries of old and new improvisation. Quite nice!“ Frans de Waard, VITAL WEEKLY
Bios:
Michael Thieke
Clarinet | composer/performer, *1971 in Düsseldorf/D , lives in Berlin and Rome, Michael Thieke is currently involved in a number of projects which focus on diverse and contrasting facets of his musical interest. They reach from song based bands, outer jazz areas, totally composed material to projects with the concentration on the silent noises and sounds.
Some of his current Projects are: Michael Thieke Unununium (with Luca Venitucci acc/p, Eric Schaefer dr, Derek Shirley b, CD on charhizma), The International Nothing (with Kai Fagaschinski cl, CD on ftarri), The Magic I.D. (with Christof Kurzmann, Kai Fagaschinski, Margareth Kammerer, CD on ErstPop), Hotelgäste (with Derek Shirley b, Dave Bennett g, CD on schraum), Nickendes Perlgras (with Michael Anderson tp, Eric Schaefer dr, CD on JHM and Konnex), TGW (with Christian Weber b, Michael Griener dr, CD on ayler records), Spirit Songs (with Mike Cooper voc/g, Elio Martusciello el, Fabrizio Spera dr, Luca Venitucci acc/el.), Roman Tics (with Burkhard Beins, Luca Venitucci, CD on Cathnor). He played on festivals such as Donaueschinger Musiktage (Donaueschingen/D 2007), Jazz a Mulhouse (Mulhouse/F 2007), Standard:Abweichung (Marburg/D 2007), Risonanze (Venezia/I 2007), Ahornfelder Festival (Leipzig/D 2007), Stuttgarter Jazztage (Stuttgart/D 2007), Music Unlimited (Wels/A 2006), ZJFT (Groningen/NL 2006), Contemporaneamente (Lodi/I 2006), Festival de la Cité (Lausanne/CH 2005), Jazz em Agosto (Lisbon/P 2005), International Jazz Festival Münster (Münster/D 2005), Jazz Focus (Berlin/D 2003), Festival Brugge (Brugge/B 2002), Kryptonale (Berlin/D 2002), Konstanzer Jazzherbst (Konstanz/D 2002), Wintersongs (Cologne/D 2001), In Planten und Blomen (Hamburg/D 2000).
Dave Bennett
Guitar, born 1973, lives in Berlin, studied electro-acoustic composition and classical guitar at the McGill University Montreal. For twelve years now he is playing together with Derek Shirley. Apart from Hotelgäste he plays in bands, as different as Tunar, the hollowmen, Erik&Me and Splatterdandy. CD releases on sinistre sound records, charhizma and japan-improv.
Derek Shirley
Bass, born in Ottawa/Canada, lives in Berlin. Derek Shirley was born in Ottawa/Canada and lived in Montreal, performing and touring extensively through canada and america with such bands as Zebradonk and the Woodchoppers Association. In 2001 he moved to Berlin and since then he participates in numerous projects between improvised music, noise rock and jazz, among them the bands Hotelgäste (with Dave Bennett, Michael Thieke- CD at Schraum), Paul Brodys Tango Toy, Coal Oven, Silk Convertor, Alfred France and the Experimental-Noise-Band Monno (with Antoine Chessex, Gilles Aubry, Marc Fantini- CD at Conspiracy Records). He played with David Moss, Michael Griener, Mathias Bauer, Chris Dahlgren, Tony Buck and others.
