Music as Story. Music as Gathering. Music as Place.
Four interconnected projects exploring voice, landscape, queerness, and myth.
Exquisite
Songs as artifacts. Albums as chapters.
Jess Martin’s individual music projects explore transformation, rupture, and return. Based on the creative exercise: the exquisite corpse, four of Jess's original songs are transformed by four different music producers.
Current releases include Bridge of No Returning, the first in this four-part series developed in conversation with the Shadow, Sound, Spectacle universe and produced in collaboration with guest artists.
→ Listen | → Releases & videos
Literary monsters. Queer mythmaking. Visual music.
Shadow, Sound, Spectacle blends original music, shadow puppetry, video, and sound effects to create theatrical punk rock storytelling for adults and teens. Co-created with Amy J. West and Abby Hanna, this project transforms classic and contemporary texts into immersive, touring experiences.
→ Learn more | → Media Kit
Song Share Sessions
For Nonbinary, Trans & Women singer songwriters
A monthly community gathering for nonbinary, trans, and women singer-songwriters, started at Drawing Board Brewing and now hosted at Mill River Music in Northampton, MA.
→ Upcoming sessions: Thursday, Jan 8 2025 @ 7 pm | → Read the story
Coming Up Next
![“Shadow, Sound, Spectacle brings a queer, creative twist to classic monster tales.” 🖤
Our final show of the 2025 Literary Monsters tour made the pages of The Heights!
“It took something familiar — these iconic monster stories — and transformed it with music, shadow puppetry, and a new way of seeing.”
Monsters, music, and metamorphosis — what a way to close the curtain.
@ajwpuppets @abee.jpeg.mp4 @newtonfreelibrary @newtonculturalcouncil on
Read the full piece ➡️ [link in bio]
#literarymonsters #puppets #shadowsoundspectacle #queerart #livemusic #puppetry #creativetransformation](https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/573532398_18538868683034517_7494879709852949591_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=103&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiRkVFRC5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=rB6XacUwOJQQ7kNvwGxVqhJ&_nc_oc=Adn6fcm-xIar9MFEBl6ggQh7dM4l0xn0kkTSCgz-uKXpG93vfY5EYBYKau6xIXQzIC4&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=UT0O2MTSLo0VucF2DhCFjA&oh=00_AfkZqC_xafoqZ3z-s1J8bzHjqyH1xBg1eDKmLEScsrzF1A&oe=694DD900)
ABOUT JESS MARTIN
Jess Martin is a queer singer-songwriter and performance artist whose work lives at the intersection of music, theater, and community. From intimate solo sets to immersive collaborations, Jess creates story-driven performances rooted in myth, place, and queer possibility.