Photo: Roberto Johnson
Instrumentalist psych-experimentalist, Circles Around The Sun, have announced the second chapter of their pivotal legacy soundtrack, Interludes for the Dead: Volume II, due in full on November 7, and debuting this weekend over the speakers at Dead & Company’s highly anticipated three-night Golden Gate Park run in San Francisco. As an initial preview, the band shares their initial singles, the 11+ minute “Golden Boots” and “Charleston Choogle,” which clocks in at over 20 minutes, providing fans with a half hour of songs that summon the spirit of their debut release with Neal Casal.
Volume II was recorded at Dan Horne’s UHF Studios in Los Angeles and was notably conceived with nothing written or released prior to the group’s workplace arrival. All songs were generated in real time, allowing Adam MacDougall (keys), Dan Horne (bass), Mark Levy (drums), and John Lee Shannon’s (guitar) improvisational spirits to flourish. The secondary batch of music arrives 10 years after the original, Interludes for the Dead, which debuted live during Fare Thee Well shows celebrating the Grateful Dead’s 50th anniversary in 2015.
“It felt important to make a 10 years later companion piece, and share it for the Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary, 10 years from the ‘Fare Thee Well’ shows that we were commissioned to do the house music for–that our friend Neal Casal brought us all together for, and keep carrying that torch,” Horne reflected, before providing details on the backstory behind the impending set of music, “We spent four days together at my UHF Studio, writing and recording it all on the spot, to capture that spirit of improvisation and spontaneity.”
He continued, offering comments on today’s single releases, “‘Charleston Choogle’ was the first notes we played in the session, and it just instantly felt like we were picking up where we left off. While missing Neal, the spirit was there.” Adding, “We continued that challenge with ‘Golden Boot,’ which sounds like a classic CATS jam. Could have been written at any time over the last decade. We tend to come up with a groove that allows the framework for us to explore and improvise around, and then go to outer space with.”
“We decided to release those two songs because they both felt just like we picked up where we left off 10 years ago, and like it was magically coming from the same batch of inspiration,” He said, concluding his statement.
Notably, attendees of The Heart of Town hosted by Grahame Lesh & Friends were treated to an initial preview, which played during set break as a precursor to what’s to come during Dead & Company’s impending Golden Gate Park setbreaks.
Circles Around the Sun will commence a run of live appearances through the Pacific Northwest and Colorado, beginning August 22, at Portland, Ore.’s The Den. Scroll down to view a complete list of tour dates. Purchase tickets here.
Visit Circles Around The Sun’s bandcamp.com page to hear the first two singles, “Golden Boots” and “Charleston Choogle,” and pre-order the album.
Tour Dates:
8/22 ❊ Portland OR – The Den
8/23 ❊ Seattle WA – Nectar
8/25 ❊ Boise, ID – Shrine Social Club
8/27 ❊ Basalt, CO – The Arts Campus at Willits
8/28 ❊ Boulder, CO – Fox Theatre
8/29 ❊ Bellvue, CO – Mishawaka
8/30 ❊ Steamboat Springs, CO – Schmiggity’s
1/20 – 1/24 ❊ Panic en la Playa – Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya – Puerto Aventuras, Q.R.
Content shared from relix.com.