A movement of musicians and visionaries called Tribe in the Sky is quietly bringing talent to the fore.

It can be difficult to define Tribe in the Sky. Call them a community – musicians, creative sorts and supporters who gather on a weekly basis. Some members refer to the group as a movement, collectively trying to bring fun and understanding. They also promote local musicians and produce shows. They have a stage at the West End Festival and organized last year’s summer music series by The Beach House restaurant on Lovers Point. So Tribe also plays a marketing role.

How it all came together, well that’s one thing everyone is clear on. Tribe in the Sky started with a birthday party.

Three years ago on Feb. 21, Jacqueline Kabat invited friends and acquaintances to the rooftop bar at Monterey’s Hotel 1110 to celebrate her birthday. She had arrived in Monterey County a few years earlier after 17 years in New York with an improvisational comedy troupe and as a stand-up comedian. A lively and outgoing sort, Kabat had encountered a range of characters – “rock stars, hippies, pirates and cowboys,” she says of her circle. “It’s very complete.”

One Tuesday party led to another, and then another. And then one day someone brought a guitar.

Those are the essentials of Tribe in the Sky’s beginnings. The group may not be large – 20 or 30 people show up each Tuesday, although they have thousands of followers across social media platforms. Visionaries, doers and those who inspire are included in its mix. Laurabeth Messimer Lopez is part of the tribe. She founded G.I. Josie, a nonprofit that aids women who were sexually assaulted while serving in the military. Musician Brad Mallory, who ran the Rock and Art Festival, frequents the gatherings, as does Christine Kerr, owner of the Bulldog Pub in Monterey. Popular local musicians like Bronwyn Koryn and Sej Miles take part, as well.

It’s an amorphous group, held together by a desire to converse, share thoughts, create some community good – and by music.

“A lot of musicians want to be off stage with other musicians and chat,” Kabat says. The weekly meetups give them space to talk, for those just starting out to learn from veterans, to collaborate with others, as well as to play.

During one session, an aspiring singer-songwriter who had been busking on Cannery Row took the floor and launched into one of his originals. Later that evening, Kabat shared video of Zack Freitas’ performance on social media. “By 9am he was booked at the Big Sur Fashion Show,” she recalls.

None of this was ever planned, not even Kabat’s residence in Monterey County. During college at the University of Georgia pursuing a degree in journalism, she dabbled in theater. This took her to the Big Apple and improv, where she was successful enough to land gigs teaching the art – and the healing power – of comedy. Kabat did a turn as an educator at the Esalen Institute.

In 2014, she made the decision to head west. First Kabat looked to establish herself as a comedy writer in Hollywood, but stopped in Monterey to visit a friend she met at Esalen. “I basically never left the area,” she says, smiling.

If her life and her efforts with Tribe in the Sky seem like one big improvisational skit, perhaps there’s a reason. “Improv is very much in alignment with how I roll,” Kabat notes. “I don’t like to memorize lines.”

As a group, Tribe in the Sky has been quick to adapt. After a few months of residence atop Hotel 1110, they were politely asked to put away their instruments (or were “kicked out,” in Kabat’s words). So the group moved to Monterey Tides, and got another request to meet elsewhere. They outplayed their welcome at Barmel, the former Jade Lounge and downtown Monterey’s Bull and Bear, as well.

“It ended up being the essence of what we are,” Kabat says. “We’re a movement – we move, people join.”

When Kabat speaks about Tribe’s growth over three years, it’s with an expression of awe. Through her comedy, her teaching and now with this, Kabat always sought to build such a community, an inclusive one devoted to creativity and good. Her stated philosophy is “creativity + nature + a supported authentic community = magic.” Through Tribe in the Sky she sees it as working.

“We set up pockets of light. Maybe that’s what the mystics call oneness,”

“We set up pockets of light. Maybe that’s what the mystics call oneness,” Kabat says. “That’s what music is, that’s what comedy improv is – you water me, I water you, together we grow.”

The tribe’s current home is at Carmel Craft Brewing Company, where they have been met with a welcome mat. The group remains difficult to pin down – movement, community or music promotion – take your pick or go with all of the above. But Tribe in the Sky is a force in Monterey County’s music scene that started with a simple birthday party.

“We are a show,” Kabat says. “We think we have a story to tell.”