«He has no dog and he has no friends / and his lawn is dying / and what about all those packages he sends?» –Tom Waits

hi there 👋

Here are some very nice pictures by Irina Garcia from our concerts @ Rank in Spring 2023. Find our Tour Dates and more stuff below!

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11.12.23 Das Gleis, Zürich 25.11.23 MuWo, Basel 23.11.23 Gewürzmühle, Zug 08.11.23 Lebewohlfabrik, Zürich 20.10.23 playmob.il releaseshow 74 feat. silent neighbor, Ikan Hyu, Big Zis & Fabe Vega @ Helsinki, Zürich 13.10.23 Surprise am Mittag @ Wasserkirche, Zürich 13.05.22 Dimensione, Winterthur 12.05.22 Xylo, Zürich 05.05.22 Aglophon, Regensdorf 29.04.23 Am Rank, Zürich 28.04.23 Am Rank, Zürich 27.04.23 Am Rank, Zürich 23.04.22 Artliners, Berlin 22.04.22 Peppi Guggenheim, Berlin 21.04.22 Kapitel 21, Berlin 20.04.22 Kukuryku, Frankfurt (Oder) 17.04.22 Lazy Sunday Session @ Artliners, Berlin 16.04.22 Litteranova, Hildesheim 14.04.22 Glockenbachwerkstatt, München 04.12.21 SONIC MATTER, Zürich 29.10.21 Mehrspur, Zürich 19.09.21 Club L, Würzburg 18.09.21 Artliners, Berlin 16.09.21 Komm Du, Hamburg 15.09.21 Mon Ami, Weimar 01.09.21 Keynote Jazz, Zug 13.09.20 Kupperhaus, Brugg 10.09.20 Musigbistrot, Bern 05.09.20 Fasskeller, Schaffhausen 27.08.20 Rote Fabrik, Zürich 30.05.20 Fasskeller, Schaffhausen ABGESAGT 28.05.20 Xylo, Zürich ABGESAGT 17.05.20 Tuchlaube, Aarau ABGESAGT 14.05.20 Musigbistrot, Bern ABGESAGT 25.04.20 Hyperlokal, Zürich ABGESAGT 16.04.20 Artliners, Berlin ABGESAGT 15.04.20 Jugend- und Kulturzentrum Mon Ami, Weimar ABGESAGT 14.04.20 Glockenbachwerkstatt, München ABGESAGT 13.04.20 Altes Spital, Viechtach ABGESAGT 20.03.20 Viva con agua, Dürnten ABGESAGT 13.03.20 Rittersaal, Zürich 30.11.2019 Cuadro22, Chur 24.11.2019 Villa K., Winterthur 22.11.2019 Mehrspur, Zürich 20.09.2019 Boogie Nights, Olten 11.09.2019 Barfussbar, Zürich 01.07.2019 Geigenbauatelier Koch, Luzern 10.06.2019 Bäckeranlage Sommerkonzerte, Zürich 07.06.2019 Fasskultur, Schaffhausen 31.05.2019 Kulturkeller Höngg, Zürich 11.05.2019 Alter Zoll, Basel 27.04.2019 Freilager14, Zürich 01.12.2018 Wohnzimmerkonzert, Zürich 30.11.2018 Café Con Letras, Basel 29.11.2018 Galvanik, Zug 22.11.2018 Langstrassenkultur, Zürich 17.11.2018 PAM-Festival HÖR MAL!, Uster 16.09.2018 Guck Mal Günther, Kunst!, Lenzburg 13.05.2018 Maison du Bonheur, Zürich 11.05.2018 Xylo, Zürich 05.05.2018 Schalter, Zürich 21.04.2018 Bistro Home From Home, Visperterminen 06.04.2018 Lindbergh Pub, Sissach 24.03.2018 Weinlounge buonvini, Zürich 10.03.2018 MOLO Bar, Luzern 15.01.2018 Portier, Winterthur 10.01.2018 Bistrot Chez Marion, Zürich 09.01.2018 The Phrontistery, Luzern 14.12.2017 Scala Wetzikon supporting Baba Shrimps 25.11.2017 Hotel de la Couronne, Avenches 24.11.2017 Hotel de la Couronne, Avenches 05.10.2017 KH5 Gallery, Zürich 30.09.2017 Mehrspur, Zürich 21.09.2017 Viertel vor Fritig, Galvanik, Zug 07.09.2017 Stubekonzert "sächsi", Aarau 26.08.2017 Musig i de Altstadt, Aarau 27.07.2017 Albishaus, Langnau a.A. 10.06.2017 Klang '17, Wädenswil 30.05.2017 Sound & Sandwich, Bern 25.05.2017 Vorstadtsounds Festival, Zürich 11.05.2017 Sihlcity Street Art & Music Festival, Zürich 09.05.2017 Sihlcity Street Art & Music Festival, Zürich 29.04.2017 Honky Tonk Festival, The Room, St. Gallen 26.04.2017 Song Circle Zürich, Bagatelle, Zürich 16.03.2017 Kiff, Aarau 04.02.2017 Büelesessions, Wädenswil 03.12.2016 Barrio5, Zürich 03.12.2016 Toni Märt, Zürich 01.12.2016 PHZ, «Deutsch für Alle», Spendenanlass, Zürich 11.11.2016 Ambossrampe, Zürich 28.10.2016 Au Reservoir Festival, Zürich 22.10.2016 Blue Note, Winterthur 19.10.2016 Funky Claude's Bar, Montreux 12.10.2016 Bistrot Chez Marion, Zürich 01.10.2016 Raum 132, Wetzikon 26.09.2016 Commihalle, Zürich 24.07.2016 Openair Albishaus, Albis 08.07.2016 Jazzfestival Montreux, Music In The Park, Montreux 15.06.2016 Cafe Auer, Zürich 08.06.2016 Langstrassenkultur, Zürich 30.04.2016 Jazzbrig, Brig 27.02.2016 Mehrspur, Zürich

Here’s a trippy video and a few fotos from our rehearsal space preparing for the shows:

📸 Ben Saner

TIRED OF YOUR SMILE

Our debut album from 2020 is still available on all the streaming platforms and also as CD and LP – order your copy on Bandcamp today!

 

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artwork by Anaïs Voirol

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i’m good, i’m healthy, i’m whole

OUR NEW EP IS OUT NOW ON ALL THE POPULAR PLATFORMS

artwork by Anaïs Voirol

BANDCAMP

SPOTIFY

ITUNES

DEEZER

 

check out our video clip «mellow heart» from 2019

 
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foto by Irina Garcia

 
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Wilco? Tom Waits? Daniel Johnston played by a free jazz combo or maybe an Ed Sheeran-Stravinsky crossover? «Tired Of Your Smile», the new album by silent neighbor, is just as multifaceted and sometimes seemingly contradictory as these comparisons suggest. The unconventional songwriter and his unusual band take trips in every direction: after a theatrical beginning, beautiful pop and folk melodies emerge just to be torn apart by soundscapes that are reminiscent of 19th and 20th century compositions, as well as complex harmonies borrowed from the world of contemporary jazz. «Tired Of Your Smile» is an album filled with musical wit and lyrical poignancy, bipolar emotional states and unexpected turns, but still is accessible to the listener. At the heart of it, there’s always the songwriter’s craft: a clear structure, textual consistency and reduction to the max.

The four musicians of the distinctive quartet each have a background in improvised music and they are used to following their intuition without compromise. After two years of playing together, there was therefore no question of how the album was to be recorded. All ten songs were recorded on just one weekend in September 2019. After a few cuts and exactly one overdub – a musical saw – the songs were ready to be mixed. Because of this, «Tired Of Your Smile» is a vivid snapshot filled with spontaneous interactions between the four band members who sculpted every song into a unique version. On the cello we hear Joachim Flüeler, an experienced improviser who also works as a composer of film and theatre music. Philipp Hillebrand plays the clarinet and switches effortlessly between traditional and more modern and open forms of jazz, while always maintaining his signature style with a strong focus on melodic cogency. On the drums, the sampler, and many other electronic gadgets that he often uses to catapult the band sound to unexpected places, is Maxime Paratte. For years, Maxime has been one of Switzerland’s most sought-after drummers, whether it’s for adding some groove to the next big radio hit or sensitively shaping the sound of a modern jazz combo. And lastly, there is of course the songwriter himself. Philipp Saner started his musical career as a slightly depressed Nirvana teen, who went through an explosive Punk Rock phase and ended up as a jazz nerd who spent day and night practicing. He then managed to bring back the punk spirit into the world of jazz by the means of free improvisation. At the same time, he never lost his passion for language and songwriting, which was the reason he picked up a guitar in the first place. The «silent neighbor»- project has been around in different forms since 2012. With this new quartet, Philipp has finally found a setting that allows him to play his songs the way they naturally flow out of him without forcing himself into a stylistic straitjacket.
Even the name chosen for his songwriting project, silent neighbor, is sourced in two different worlds: The name is based on the title of a composition by the avant garde guitarist Ben Monder, and also inspired by Tom Waits’ spoken word song «What’s He Building in There». The artwork for «Tired Of Your Smile» was contributed by the Zurich based artist and animator Anaïs Voirol. The characters she created, lost somewhere between toddlers and old age, enter into a dialogue with the songs on the album and create new associative spaces where imagery and music influence each other in their perception and meaning.

Line up:
Philipp Saner: vocals, guitars, composition
Philipp Hillebrand: clarinet, bassclarinet
Joachim Karl Melchior Flüeler: cello
Maxime Paratte: drums, electronics

 
 
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