Arts & Literature Laboratory‘s Auricle New Music Series welcomes percussionist & composer Ches Smith in support of his new album Clone Rowon Tuesday, October 7, 2025 at 7:00pm. Smith leads an adventurous new quartet featuring guitarists Mary Halvorson & Liberty Ellman & bassist Nick Dunston. Mr. Smith finds endless possibilities in this seemingly limited instrumentation, weaving together varied threads from his divergent earlier projects in ways that sound not quite like any of them. “This definitely ain’t your father’s guitar band,” writes no less an expert on six-string subversion than recent guest at ALL, Marc Ribot, who penned the album’s liner notes. 4 renowned composer-improvisers tangle with Ches’ newest compositions. 2 highly individualistic guitarists swirl, echo & double-take, squaring off with a bass & drums team that anchors and unhinges through doubling sounds — drum machines & acoustic drums, low-end analog synth & acoustic bass, digital samples and repeated fragments performed in real time. In a dance of coherence and chaos, the four musicians plunge headlong into the feedback loop of composition and improvisation armed with chemistry created by their mutual appreciation and enduring friendships.
I had a chance to catch up with Ches Smith ahead of this event in Madison. We got into how this group of improvisors will create the skin and organs onto the skeleton of the compositions. When they will now that the landmarks they know will be reached and how they go back to where they feel they need to be. I am a big admirer of the work of Mary Halvorson so it was fun to understand just how important she is in Ches’ world. They seem to find each other at the right times and anytime they create or find their spots toGether live, that will be the right time for all involved. We talk about how this latest release they are touring on went from an idea and conversation wo a place where they will be one week in on playing it out live when they get here. We dissect the title track a bit as both he & I seem to be on the same page that this is one of the centerpieces of the album. How working with the sounds will continue to grow as each night’s show will be a new take-off and landing spot. By the end, I ask Ches to choose one off the new record and a few other artists/songs to build a set with. Dive on in.
