CIRCLES AROUND THE SUN / NEAL CASAL
INTERLUDES FOR THE DEAD (EXPANDED 4LP) - LP
UPC: 603497842872
Label: RHINO
Format: LP
Release Date: October 21, 2022
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This 4-LP set includes, for the first time on vinyl, the complete track listing featured on the double-CD version of the 2015 album. The new set will be limited to 3,000 copies pressed on 180-gram vinyl. The final side of the set includes a special etching of Casal.
In addition, this new collection features the vinyl debut of the band’s covers of two Grateful Dead classics, “Mountains Of The Moon” and “Ship Of Fools.” Until now, both tracks were only available digitally. The songs debuted in August 2020, on the one-year anniversary of Casal’s passing. They were a tribute to Casal by his CATS bandmates – keyboardist Adam MacDougall, bassist Dan Horne, and drummer Mark Levy. Both feature Casal’s previously recorded performances, which were updated with new music by the surviving band members.
INTERLUDES FOR THE DEAD began when Casal enlisted MacDougall, Horne, and Levy to record soundscapes and grooves inspired by the Grateful Dead for the band’s 2015 Fare Thee Well shows. All of the music was written collectively during a marathon two-day recording session, with nothing prepared beforehand or added afterward. When the music was revealed during the set breaks of Fare Thee Well, it was clear the one-off project had a future of its own. The quartet agreed to continue together and returned in 2018 with CATS’ second album, Let It Wander.
Tragically, Casal passed away in August 2019. In the wake of this loss, the Neal Casal Music Foundation (NCMF) was formed as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2020 to honor Neal's memory. Along with preserving his artistic legacy, the NCMF provides musical instruments and lessons to students in New Jersey and New York state schools where Neal was born and raised, as well as donating to mental health organizations that support musicians in need. The NCMF’s most recent initiative is the Neal Casal Fellowship. Announced on the third anniversary of Casal’s passing, the fellowship program is in collaboration with Backline, a non-profit organization focused on providing customized mental health and wellness resources to the music industry and their families. The Neal Casal Fellow will support Backline's long-term clinical strategy, working alongside Backline's Clinical Director and key partners to build programming to support the real-time needs of the music industry.
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