FMRL Presents Dark Tips w/Haint Whoop Tonight at Emma

Last month, some strange things began brewing across First Avenue from the Hermitage Cafe. Chris Davis and Tate Eskew, longtime performers in and boosters of Nashville's experimental/experiential/improv music scene, held their first jointly promoted show under the name FMRL at the Bistro, a sort of communal workshop and meeting space maintained by locally grown email marketing firm Emma. The environment was perfect for sound artist

, who turned the room itself into an instrument, channeled through old microphones and tape machines he brought along for the occasion. It's a clean, comfortable space that adapts easily to the needs of an unconventional performer: Just add a small P.A. and away you go. Davis and Eskew followed that show with

featuring Experimedia's Jeremy Bible, local visual and audio artist Derek Schartung, mad synth scientist (and Lylas/Lambchop/Cortney Tidwell sideman) Ryan Norris performing as Coupler and a set from Eskew himself.

If you missed out on either of those, don't worry — the FMRL dudes have plenty more up their sleeves, starting with a super-spooky show tonight. As Dark Tips, Jessica Pavone and Raquel Bell — whose respective backgrounds in art music and theater are put to good use in their music — perform a series of improvisations for viola, organ and voice that make even the cute kitten picture they're paired with kind of unnerving. See the Soundcloud embed after the jump and you'll understand what I'm talking about. Then, Haint Whoop make their debut performance. That's the astounding Evan Lipson on upright bass and percussion pro Bob Stagner, both of whom are active in the burgeoning Chattanooga arts scene.

It's a school night, so the show kicks off early at 8 p.m. You can snag tickets at the door for $10, or get them early for $7 at FMRL's website. News you can use: If you head to the site, you'll find a handy map that shows you how to get to the correct parking lot, which is conveniently located right outside the Bistro's door. Keep your eye on the Facebook event page for updates.

Dark Tips, "And At Last." Don't say I didn't warn you!