A duo ensemble born from a childhood friendship in the Midwest, Joe Westerlund (Megafaun, DeYarmond Edison) and Trever Hagen (Bon Iver) have merged their solo work on drums and trumpet into a distinct sound world of melodic, rhythmic, and lush electroacoustic texture. The pair pays respect to this instrumentation’s historical context, while reaching further into sonic geographies with their shared voice. Their forthcoming debut release on Totally Gross National Product consists of four compositions born and molded from sprawling improvisations during a winter tour in late 2024.

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Joe Westerlund has emerged as an intuitive improviser and composer during the last decade, scoring deep meditative practice over the course of three full-length solo records. Westerlund—a longtime student of Milford Graves—has now spent more than a quarter-century gleaning lessons from folk musicians and avant-garde icons, from close friends and challenging strangers alike. He served as the dynamic backbone of Megafaun, the North Carolina trio of sophisticated songwriting and winning charisma that he cofounded. As a session drummer, he has worked as the pulse beneath the plaintive Americana of Watchhouse, Daughter of Swords, and Jake Xerxes Fussell and been a textural anchor for the folk abstraction of Califone and Bon Iver. Currently, he tours and records primarily in an improvisational trio, Setting (with Jaime Fennelly and Nathan Bowles), and as a solo artist on Psychic Hotline.

Trever Hagen is an trumpet player and producer who has collaborated with a range of musicians and ensembles (Bon Iver, Mouse on Mars, Marijuana Deathsquads, CARM, Aero Flynn) and is one-third of the electronica pop trio Heavy MakeUp, which also features Edie Brickell and CJ Camerieri. Hagen's solo trumpet electronica albums have been released by the labels 37d03d, Audiotong, Music of New Reference, and No Icon.