Tomorrow my beloved improvisation collective (co-led alongside my long time collaborator Sophia Brous) will play Le Poisson Rouge in New York. We traverse experimental sound-worlds featuring word-class musicians in New York. Some of the past people to play with ExoTech include: David Byrne, Moses Sumney, Caroline Polachek, Quest Love, Sean Lennon, Kate NV, L'Rain, Laraaji, Jeff Parker (Tortoise), Ian Williams (Battles), Jim White (Dirty Three), Dave Harrington, Tyondai Braxton, Angel Deradoorian (Dirty Projectors), Bilal, Joan As Policewoman and Marc Ribot just to name a FEW.
You can buy tickets here.
If you don’t live in New York or can’t make the show, I thought I’d share more about this project with you as I think the culture of this collective embodies the larger ethos I have as an artist and also as a human being.
ExoTech has existed as an improvisation collective since 2016. My close friend Sophia Brous asked me to join her for a random night of improv with a few musicians she knew at the amazing venue, Manhattan Inn in Greenpoint (which sadly no longer exists.) We had such a blast and decided we should do it again.
Then we started doing it a lot. Inviting different musicians we respected and felt would add something important to the line up. Soon enough we were garnering a lot of attention. Selling out venues in LA and doing residencies at Public Records.
It’s a deeply spiritual experience for me. We step on stage and just… start. No rehearsal, no plan, few discussions—just pure spontaneity and trust.
There’s no stage. No rehearsal. We perform on the floor with our audience, in the round…
I experience the music making as a kind of cosmic download. Despite often meeting these musicians for the first time that night, we immediately become fluent in a common language. We surrender our individual wills to the collective and vow to listen—laying foundations for a musical trust fall. The danger is crucial.
The largest ensemble we’ve had to date is 15 musicians so as you might imagine, listening is very important. Otherwise, everyone’s just talking over each other and no one’s saying anything.
ExoTech is more than a band or a performance. It’s an embodiment of what I want to see in the world: true collaboration and witnessing of one another. Contemplation and action. Listening and responding. It’s raw, visceral, sometimes dark, sometimes still. We discover our interdependence. We’re stronger as a whole. Letting the audience into this vulnerable process is what makes it feel so alive.
What I also like about ExoTech is: all I have to do is show up.
My solo shows require intense preparation—week long rehearsals, writing out lighting cues, styling appointments, set design plans, written notes for FOH, meet-and-greets, press… there is a constant need to be “on.”
This outlet offers something different for me. It’s also inspired me to bring more improvisation into my headline shows. That’s ultimately where I feel most at home.
During these shows, we aim to build compositions. Motifs tend to emerge, sometimes even full structured sections form and lyrics rise out of abstraction. I keep my eyes on everyone around, waiting for the moment to jump. Sophia always catches me. She begins something new. I follow. We swim.
I love to sing with Sophia. Our voices contrast in a very interesting way. As a vocalist that has mainly collaborated with male singers (though admittedly I had a lot of female features on my last album Idols & Vices, Vol. 1) I love the chance to play with the frequency of another female voice in a live setting. The way we weave, shout and coo to one another is an exploration born of friendship and a synchronicity forged through years of responding to one another in these improvisational contexts.
Below are some clips from our recent LA show. One day we will release our live recordings, but of course, nothing beats being there. The sweat, the tension, the risk of everything falling apart before finding form. Patience is paramount. There is no rushing emergence.
Collaboration, connection, creativity.
Has there ever been a more pertinent time to birth these values not just on stage, but in the world at large?
Come along. Tell your friends. It’s going to be special.
I'm a $5 a month subscriber. I have some money, not a lot, and this will delay trip to LA, but it's worth it. Martin Jones? No payment necessary.
Fantastic! An Irish session without the Irish music! Come and play in Dingle, please!!