The Messthetics

How Anthony Pirog explores uncharted sonic territories

- JIM BEAUGEZ

WHEN ANTHONY PIROG describes what changes when saxophonist James Brandon Lewis joins his avant-noise-jazz trio the Messthetics onstage, he talks about space. With Lewis carrying a melodic line, Pirog can let the guitar drift into texture as bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty — the rhythmic core of punk icons Fugazi — navigate the twists and turns. That sensitivity to space runs through Pirog's playing more broadly. Based in Washington, D.C., he’s spent years moving through punk, jazz, noise and free improvisation without settling into a single lane. What connects those projects is a curiosity for what lies beyond the familiar.