Performers

Fond of Tigers (B.C.)

Fond of Tigers, a seven-piece ensemble from Vancouver, explores the territory opened up throughout the history of rock-influenced instrumental improvisation, from In a Silent Way, touching on Tortoise post-rock, and absorbing very much in between and beyond.

Formed in 2003 by guitarist Stephen Lyons, the band is part of the estimable Drip Audio record label, which reflects the new generation of improvising musicians from BC. To quote www.dripaudio.com, Fond of Tigers music is “a focused synthesis of mathy freakouts, off-kilter jazz, ambient sound sculpture, abstract improvisation, and a rare feel for making music that is both challenging and highly listenable.”

It is, of course, a cliché to talk about the futility of labels to adequately characterize today’s creative music and, thus, one critic’s summation of Fond of Tigers as “post-everything” seems, at first glance, to be almost comical in its near-meaninglessness. However, in the face of a radical music like this band’s, one that absorbs its source material with catholic taste, and synthesizes it through exceptional musicianship and smart interplay, the difficulties that writers face are a welcome symptom of the exciting development in the Canadian musical landscape that Fond of Tigers represents.

Website:

www.fondoftigers.com