MaxMantis
#Making Jazz
SexyAgain!
« MaxMantis swore an oath to protect the Mantisphere from all who wish to upheave the natural order of things – especially those who don’t respect the high artform of Jazz!»
For ten years, MaxMantis has toured the world with melodies inspired by the fascinating microcosm of the insect world. These underestimated arthropods not only inspired the band’s name but also invigorate its compositions and gave the band a face, a story, and its own universe. Sounds crazy? It is!
The speed with which a praying mantis catches its prey, the strength of the Australian bull ant that carries one hundred times its own weight, and the beautiful complexity of the golden-orb-weaver spider’s web: These exaggerated superpowers link the tiniest creepy-crawlies to the MaxMantis clan. With an innate dose of Swiss precision, they perform the «Dance of the Moth Hunters», dive into the world of the «Lady Bug Thugs», cautiously adore the «Prey-ing Mantis» and explain in «Queen Bee» what the hype around the 'flowers and the bees' is really all about.
The concerts of MaxMantis move, touch, fascinate, surprise, and transport audiences into a world full of energy, adrenaline, and musical adventures – to infinity and beyond!
Max-Who?
Lukas Gernet
A.k.a. Jeff Mantis
Piano
He skillfully interweaves jazz with his folk-roots on the piano, his compositions enhance the band’s harmonic spectrum from infrared to ultraviolet. One moment his fingers glide over the keys like millipede's legs, the next with the brunt of a beeswarm. Gernet lectures piano and music theory at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. He tours Europe and the world with jazz and folk music luminaries and co-produced the project «äiniger-masse dehäi» with Lucerne yodler and singer Simone Felber.
Rafael Jerjen
A.k.a. Rex Mantis
Bass
He is a walking cosmos of musical creativity and buzzes with excitement, whilst pulling the strings – both on and off stage. His powerful playing and creative compositions make Rafael Jerjen a nationally and internationally recognized bassist and composer whilst propelling the trio beyond stylistic boundaries. Since 2022, he is artistic professor for double bass at the same institution. Jerjen stood on the largest of stages and sat in the smallest of studios with various groups and renowned musicians.
Samuel Büttiker
A.k.a BOB Mantis
Drums
He provides the most exciting sonic eruptions on stage. His precise use of drumsticks makes for the best defense against pesky mosquitoes, his com-positions are the most accurate sonic imagery of the insect world. In 2017 and 2024, he received a prize from the canton of Zug for «Free Artistic Creation». Alongside his musical activities, he advocates for cultural diversity in his home region: In 2022, he received the Zuger Cultural Award as project manager of the «KunstOff Festival».
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