Experimental Music Summer Camp

In the summer of 2018, nestled in the Catskill Mountains, five eclectic musicians embarked on a five-day retreat, crafting improvisational pieces that traversed diverse moods and styles. The chosen venue — a rustic barn studio transformed into a musical sanctuary — was integral to the project.

Conceptualized by OSC founder and composer Christopher Bono following the completion of the still love album from Ghost Against Ghost. Bono organized four different collaborative projects in 2018, of which EMSC is one.

Core quintet: Thor Harris (Swans, Shearwater, Xiu Xiu), Christopher Pravdica (Swans), Anni Rossi, Kevin McMahon, and Christopher Bono. Guest artists included Karl Berger, Jeremy Kinney, Amanda Palmer, and Arone Dyer (Buke and Gase).

Thor Harris on the project: "A lot of times, in an improvisational setting, someone dominates. But music is amazing at building community. It's a fairly terrible way to make a living, but as far as I can tell, it's the best way to meet the coolest people in the world."