Neurodivergent Orchestra
I Splode You So
Excerpt From Liner Notes by PEK
“… I Splode You So follows the trend over these sets of a little more planning each time on the narrative arc of the performance. The first sessions’ spoken words were wholly improvised in the moment, but as we have gone along, we have selected themes (various commentaries on Pop Culture) in advance to focus the dialog and to provide more of a through-line in the storytelling. This time I had a plan specific for the opening and each of the first 4 main dialog sections with one wide open for the ending. The words and interactions are still wholly improvised, but we knew we would start by talking about disaster movies in general, then do the Poseidon Adventure, then the Towering Inferno, then When Time Ran Out, and end with an open section which became a fictional Irwin Allen Santa Claus Disaster Movie we made up on the spot…”
Neurodivergent Orchestra
Evil Clown Headquarters, Waltham MA
13 December 2025
1) I Splode You So – 1:10:16
2) Q.E.D. – 6:02
PEK – wacky banter, clarinet, contralto & contrabass clarinets, alto & tenor saxophones, piccolo oboe, melodica, ms-20, prophet, moog subsequent, novation peak, Linnstrument controllers, Godzilla harp, lfo percolator, log drums, wood & temple blocks, orchestral chimes, chimes, Tibetan bells, [d]ronin, 17 string bass, crotales, glockenspiel, spring & chime rod boxes, Englephone, danmo, gongs, plate gong, seed pod rattles, brontosaurus & tank bells, rubber chickens
John Fugarino – trumpets, flugelhorn, trombones, French horn, prophet, nord stage 3, array mbira, Tibetan bells, crank siren, triangle chimes, orchestral anvils, almglocken, Englephone, rubber chickens
Eric Dahlman – wacky banter, flugelhorn, overtone singing, glockenspiel, crotales, gongs, 17 string bass, nord stage 3, orchestral chimes
Cliff White – alto & tenor saxophones, flute, talking drum, wood blocks, TIbetan bells
Count Robot – wacky banter, sonic springboard, effects, sleigh bells, Tibetan bell, gongs, theremin with moogerfooger, moog subsequent, novation peak, Linnstrument controllers, ms-20, spring & chime rod boxes, ratchet, log drums
DNA Girl – wacky banter, voice, electric mandolin, horse shoes, nord stage 3, moog subsequent, novation peak, Linnstrument controllers, balafon, xylophone, almglocken, log drums, wood & temple blocks, orchestral chimes, Englephone, damno
Tim Mungenast – wacky banter, overtone singing, guitar, guitar pedals, Godzilla harp, Tibetan bells, moog subsequent, novation peak, Linnstrument controllers, lfo violin, goat horn, rubber chicken
Scott Samenfeld – fretless 5-string electric bass, electric flute
Jared Seabrook – drums, drones, gongs, spring & chime rod boxes, log drums, wood & temple blocks, brontosaurus & tank bells, orchestral anvils, almglocken, Tibetan bells, xylophone, balafon
Joel Simches – live to 2-track recording, real-time signal processing
Full Video
Video Shorties
Liner Notes by PEK
I Splode You So marks the tenth set developing the wacky banter concept brought in to Evil Clown by Count Robot, DNA Girl and Tim Mungenast. They bring an odd sensibility that involves improvised spoken word banter between the three of them and a more pop-culture oriented use of guitar, mandolin and electronics than is typical in the other Evil Clown ensembles. Over the first ten sets I have embraced wacky banter delivery and now the banter is a four-part interplay.
While most of the Evil Clown ensembles perform strictly instrumental music that does not contain words, a few of the bands do use words and I like how text provides an entry point for the audience to access the music. Metal Chaos Ensemble uses text from literature and movies and Axioms uses the Poetry of the amazing poet Jane SpokenWord who recites her words in small ensembles which also feature the amazing bass playing of her husband Albey onBass. In these settings, the words come from fixed text, but the delivery and the choice of which words and when to place them are improvised. In Neurodivergent, the improvisation of the words is on another level… None of the text is fixed in advance; all the words are improvised in reaction to the Wacky Banter of the others. This music contains a great deal of playfulness and humor which is often lacking in the world of pure improvisation. I have long valued humor in music as a method of engaging people and I think this band is the best example so far of an Evil Clown ensemble which centers humor as a critical element.
I Splode You So follows the trend over these sets of a little more planning each time on the narrative arc of the performance. The first sessions’ spoken words were wholly improvised in the moment, but as we have gone along, we have selected themes (various commentaries on Pop Culture) in advance to focus the dialog and to provide more of a through-line in the storytelling. This time I had a plan specific for the opening and each of the first 4 main dialog sections with one wide open for the ending. The words and interactions are still wholly improvised, but we knew we would start by talking about disaster movies in general, then do the Poseidon Adventure, then the Towering Inferno, then When Time Ran Out, and end with an open section which became a fictional Irwin Allen Santa Claus Disaster Movie we made up on the spot…
Anyway, we had a terrific Livestream performance. I really dig this set and I bet you do too…
PEK 12/14/2025
Paul Brennan Photos
and Video Screen Grabs
