Russian experimental band Messer Chups will play The Brass Rail on Friday, June 21, with openers Big Jaw. 

Teetering on the edge of several genres, Messer Chups’ mix of music often features a foundation of surf drums on which they build collages of samples from odd sources, such as circus music, jazz, east European animation soundtracks, and American B-pictures. On top of that, they play solos from guitar and a theremin. 

Austin, Texas-based Big Jaw, fronted by Leo-Cedarville native Clint Roth, are making their long overdue appearance in The Fort after a scheduled 2020 show was cancelled due to the pandemic. 

Describing themselves as “if Paul Simon joined AC/DC but refused to help with lyrics,” Big Jaw are playing their first show outside of the Lone Star State since the pandemic, promising an energetic show designed to get the audience ready for the headliners. 

Roth, who has worked with the likes of The Isley Brothers, Third Eye Blind, Raphael Saadiq, Lifehouse, Guster, and The Barenaked Ladies, uses Big Jaw as his personal music outlet and is excited to play in front of a hometown audience.