Ed Kuepper - Laughing Clowns Golden Days

Already confirmed for next years inspired Womadedaide line-up and appearing in Canberra next February at the Ainslie & Gorman Arts Centre Improvised Music Season, Asteroid Ekosystem are now excited to announce their debut Sydney show(s) for the Jazz: NOW Summer Festival plus a headline Melbourne appearance.

‘It’s not jazz, it’s not rock…Whatever you want to call it, this is one mighty sonic trip that paints colourful pictures in the mind.’ - Noel Mengel, The Music Review Loudmouth Magazine.

The brainchild of pianist and composer Alister Spence, Asteroid Ekosystem is a supergroup for the 21st century bringing together four of the countires most acclaimed and talented musicians. Spence; the leader of avant-improv group the Alister Spence Trio and touring keyboardist with Sunnyboys, The Aints! and Laughing Clowns, bassist Lloyd Swanton of jazz giants The Necks and the catholics), world class percussionist Toby Hall on drums and the legendary and pioneering Ed Kuepper; guitarist and founding member of The Saints, Laughing Clowns, The Aints! and a solo career that has now stretched into 37 years.

"I first heard Ed Kuepper’s music more than thirty years ago. His interest in and skill with sound and improvisation came across so clearly. His songs always unfolded in interesting ways and often opened out to be extended by the players in his bands.” - Alister Spence

Late in 2020 Asteroid Ekosystem released their eponymous debut album, a double length CD that took Spence’s verbal sketches and melodic cells into new and unknown terrain that earned them rave reviews from around the world and saw them shortlisted for the 2021 APRA/AMCOS Art Music Awards under ‘Jazz Work of the Year’.

With Kuepper’s schedule of releases and live activity - most recently with Dirty Three drummer Jim White - plus Swanton’s ongoing commitments with The Necks coupled with the many covid-inspired lockdowns meant live activity has not been an option for the fab four but finally a window of opportunity has opened up that will see Asteroid Ekosystem play live in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne this February-March.

Previous events

Date	Event	Location
Sunday, June 12, 2022 Sun, Jun 12, 2022	Orange Jazz Festival
Monday, March 14, 2022 Mon, Mar 14, 2022	Womadelaide
Saturday, February 26, 2022 Sat, Feb 26, 2022	Sydney Jazz: NOW Summer Festival, Marys Underground
Thursday, February 24, 2022 Thu, Feb 24, 2022	Melbourne, Brunswick Ballroom
Wednesday, February 23, 2022 Wed, Feb 23, 2022	Canberra, Ainslie Salon @ Ainslie & Gorman Arts Centre

LAUGHING CLOWNS

Limited released available 28.5.2021 on clear vinyl via artistfirst.com/edkuepper and select record stores.

Out May 28

Full Track Listing

Eternally Yours
Theme From Mad Flies, Mad Flies
Winters Way
Mr Uddich Smuddich Goes to Town
Holy Joe
Don’t Know What I Want
Possessions
Eulogy
The Flypaper
Every Dog Has Its Day

Prince Melon Records
Catalogue no. PM 21stCentury
Another initiative of Feel Presents

GOLDEN DAYS // WHEN GIANTS WALKED THE EARTH

"This is the band that I've called "the greatest live rock'n'roll band in the world ever, full stop". This is the band that made me walk out of a Birthday Party gig, because I knew there wasn't a hope in hell that Nick Cave's group, even at the height of their awesome, spontaneous powers, could follow them.” - Everett True

Following the demise in 1978 of the original line-up of The Saints, guitarist Ed Kuepper returned to Australia and teamed up with his schoolyard chum and former Saints drummer, Jeffrey Wegener, embarking upon his most ambitious project to date, the Laughing Clowns. Taking inspiration from such disparate genres as free-jazz, bluegrass and krautrock the Laughing Clowns would polarise opinion in much the same manner as John Lydon did with his post-Sex Pistols outfit PiL. In reality, though, the Laughing Clowns were the logical extension of The Saints continuing the musical themes already explored on The Saints second and in particular, third album, Prehistoric Sounds.

“People always misinterpreted what we were doing [in Laughing Clowns]. There were too many references to jazz. We weren’t a jazz band. I think people got fixated on some of the dissonant and atonal stuff more then ever was my intention. That stuff was easy. I know how to make something sound atonal really easily. What I want is for something really beautiful to come out of it.” - Ed Kuepper

Golden Days… is an entry-level collection of Laughing Clowns material - curated by Kuepper - and spanning the band’s entire time frame of 1979 - 1984 (as long as The Saints themselves). The classic Eternally Yours is included here as are the equally as worthy Everything That Flies, Holy Joe and more.

"This group in my opinion were one of the most important rock groups of the last 30 years” - Julian Cope (2006)