Neti - Neti (Amirtha Kidambi & Matt Evans) & Strider (Joanna Mattrey & Steven Long)

Neti - Neti (Amirtha Kidambi & Matt Evans):

Neti-Neti is the lo-fi ritual music duo of Matt Evans (drums/electronics) and Amirtha Kidambi (vocals/electronics) that formed amidst their mutual experiences surrounding grief after the death of loved ones. Neti-Neti, translated as “It is not this, it is not that” from Sanskrit, is a contemplation on the nature of reality, life, death, birth and rebirth extracted from the Hindu text of rituals The Upanishads. The duo has performed at Skanu Mezs Festival, Latvia, Suoni Per il Popolo Festival, Montreal, and Tone Festival, Toronto amongst others. Their debut album Impermanence was released with Dinzu Artefacts in 2022. Their new recording, Echo of Being / Grace in Rot channels the weight of modern atrocities—from systemic violence to the relentless barrage of traumatic imagery in digital spaces. The record challenges listeners to confront these overwhelming realities, transforming mourning into a shared act of resistance and healing. It reclaims humanity amidst the unimaginable, offering a space for reflection and resilience. The music weaves syncopated grooves, cathartic outbursts, and meditative drones, blending South Asian vocal traditions with textured, treated percussion to create a devotional, ritualistic sonic space.

Matt Evans is a drummer and composer known for his collaborative projects in the new music sphere with bands Tigue and Bearthoven, and as an occasional collaborator with Deerhoof, OHYUNG, and Ayano Elson. His solo-work presents concept driven embodied improvisational performance through an eco-fictional lens and is the basis for his large ensemble Big Spin featuring Amirtha Kidambi on vocals and saxophone. This duo is Evans’ first fully free improvised foray, finding a natural partner in Kidambi who is deeply immersed in the world of free improv and free jazz.

Amirtha Kidambi is the bandleader of incendiary protest group Elder Ones, and has duos with improvisers including Luke Stewart, Darius Jones, Matteo Liberatore and Maria Grand, and is a performer and collaborator in Mary Halvorson’s Code Girl, various projects with William Parker and in Robert Ashley’s “New Band”.

Strider (Joanna Mattrey & Steven Long):

Joanna Mattrey is a violist working in free improvisation, new music, and classical music. She uses extended techniques, modern compositional approaches, and electronic alterations to challenge the conventions of the viola. Joanna creates an embodied performance practice centered on ceremony and ritual. Recent and upcoming releases include, 'Soulcaster' (Notice Recordings, 2023) 'Strider' (Dear Life Recs, 2023) 'Oracle' (Relative Pitch Records, 2022) ‘Dirge’ (Dear Life Recs 2021). Mattrey is a current Roulette Resident, and past residencies include ISSUE Project Room, Banff's Creative Gesture for Composers and Choreographers, 14th Street Y, Wild Project, and MoMa PS1's ALLGOLD. Mattrey has performed with icons Tyshawn Sorey, Henry Threadgill, Marc Ribot, John Zorn, Mary Halvorson, Billy Martin, Elliott Sharpe, Miya Masaoka, and the International Contemporary Ensemble.

Steven Long, a lifelong New Yorker from Canarsie, Brooklyn, is an artist and organizer working with sound, language, and space. His interest in music began at age 11 when a derelict piece of furniture, formerly known as a piano, was moved into his family’s home. He studied composition at the Manhattan School of Music before receiving his BA in linguistics from the American University of Rome. He received an MMA in contemporary improvisation from the New England Conservatory of Music.

accessibility: two steps from street to venue.

Please note, entrance is via the side door on Arizona Street.