Hidden Fortress

Thom Golub (Edmonton) - String Bass

Chris Dadge (Calgary) - Drums
and Percussion

Shane Krause(Vancouver)
- Baritone Saxophone,
Bass and Bb Clarinets


Hidden Fortress' music draws elements from sources as disparate as; 60's Fire Music, European Free Improvisation, the works of John Cage, modern Avant-Rock, and Traditional Jazz, bringing them all together into a mixture where space and pacing are on an equal footing with ferocious improv; where long improvisations are juxtaposed with 1 minute long miniatures. Hidden Fortress performs music by Krause and Golub as well as improvising freely.

Formed in 2006 after Golub, Dadge and Krause attended the Vancouver Creative Music Institute, where they studied with Mats Gustafsson, Marilyn Crispell, Mark Helias, Nels Cline and others, Hidden Fortress was formed because of a strong sense of musical kinship, and despite a fairly large geographical divide between the home-bases of the group members.
Hidden Fortress has convened several times a year since then for intensive rehearsal, performance, and recording which has resulted in two tours, a limited edition miniCDR release on Standard Grey Editions and a large backlog of recorded material.


Thom Golub is an active Bassist and Composer working within Edmonton's musical scene, performing within Jazz and Folk music contexts; with dancers and as a free improviser. Thom has released two solo CDs: one on Arrival Records and one on Lexicon. Thom was also one of the founders of The Improvised Network (T.I.N.), who produced two improvised music festivals and ran a weekly creative music series in Edmonton.

Chris Dadge is an important member of Calgary's improvised and experimental music scenes. A principle organizer for Bug Incision Improv series, Bug Incision Records and a very busy drummer, performing with the Bent Spoon Trio, Lorrie Matheson, Jay Crocker, Malleagle, the Musk Cup, Aaron Booth, Chris Vail and many others. He performs his own songs as Phil Withers. Chris recently toured England with his Bent Spoon Duo, sharing bills with the likes of the Evan Parker trio and Simon Rose.

Shane Krause has been involved in music in Vancouver since the late 90's as a performer, concert organizer, sound technician, and woodwind teacher. Shane has shared the stage with artists as varied as improvisers Peter Evans, Myk Freedman, and Jesse Zubot, proto-punk pioneers the MC5, Indie rockers They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, and glitch-poppers Secret Mommy. Shane performs regularly around Vancouver in various bands and ad hoc groupings of improvisors.