Zoë Keating

Technology should always be treated as another skill to be mastered, and rarely as something to make the creation and performance of music simply easier. It can be used for that in few cases, no-one bar maybe Thurston Moore is going to complain about the self-tuning guitar but true music technology should be used to broaden the horizons of what an artist can do. Canadian born, San Francisco based cellist Zoe Keating is quite possibly the alpha example of what an artist is capable of when they use technology as another instrument in their repertoire and not as a crutch. She’s a magnificent composer and performer in her own right, playing her cello more as an extension of herself than a rather cumbersome instrument in her arms. However, her use of live sampling and loop pedals is what truly sets her apart, able to create pieces of near symphonic levels of complexity simply by playing her melodies and interweaving them with others as they loop around her. It would be simply astonishing to watch if the pieces she could create weren’t so beautiful, which is what stops this from becoming a soulless expression of purely technical wizardry. Her pieces are heartfelt, moving and worthy of anyone’s time, money and attention. You will not see a talent as unique as hers for a very long time, so see it the next chance you get!

Zoë was funny and engaging, and suffering from an injured finger from the night before. But if it was giving her difficulty, I couldn't see it.

The performance was full of altered renditions and improvisations, which, for someone like me that has listened to every note of every album over and over, was a fascinating experience — to see where the core of the song lies, even after it has been altered. It made the live performance worth so much more.

For a full review of the show, check out my blog post on this performance, in which I explicate the work of cellist Zoë Keating (@zoecello) as the apotheosis of SUCCESSIVE APPROXIMATION… https://www.lichtenbergianism.com/blog/2020/3/5/successive-approximation-cello-edition

The concert was amazing, beautiful, inspiring, moving, stirring, evoking, funny, engaging, perfect.
Zoe was so engaging and funny. The venue was great and intimate. She even met with audience after in the courtyard.
One could get lost in her music. I simply love her.

It was great performance and she is lovely as always. Also it was great to hear her new songs which are still untitled :) I would definetely go again on the next chance