Psychedelic Sangha detailed the new live album, Sounds From The Bardo, Vol. II, set to arrive via Bandcamp next Friday, February 5. The record features a fully improvised session from guitarist Scott Metzger (Joe Russo’s Almost Dead/RANA), percussionist Tony Leone (Chris Robinson Brotherhood/Little Feat) and bassist Jeff Hill (Chris Robinson Brotherhood/Rufus Wainwright).
The trio’s set took place on November 10, 2020 during a meditation session at Judson Memorial Church in New York City. “Sounds from the Bardo is Psychedelic Sangha’s album-based series of immersive journeys into liminal states of consciousness, also known as the bardo,” as per a press release. “The listener is invited to ‘turn on’ with a short ‘Going Out’ meditation, followed by 60 minutes of mind altering music, before gently returning via a ‘Coming Back’ meditation.”
“We approached the music knowing that people would be meditating, so we wanted the music to be conducive to that,” Leone said in a statement. “We also hoped to lead the meditators on a sonic journey. The same way a dance band inspires its listener to dance, we wanted to invite our meditators to a ‘mind dance.’”
The session is fully improvised by the trio, who adhered to just three parameters: 1. “Keep the music to a whisper dynamically.” 2. “Keep the music constant throughout the meditation.” 3. “Keep the music moving rhythmically, maintaining a sense of forward motion.”
Sounds from the Bardo, Vol. II also includes the trio’s soundcheck jams, which, as Leone detailed, were important in understanding the performance as a whole. Read Tony’s word below:
Although we’ve known each other many years and have played in different situations together, the soundcheck was the first time we had ever set up as a trio and just started playing free, reacting to whatever the other guys were laying down. There is a certain openness and looseness to the soundchecks and we thought it was important to include them. Once the meditators were there, it brought more of a self-consciousness to the trio. Not necessarily a hindrance, but more of a consideration of the sonic space we were occupying, individually and as a group.
Prooceeds from the album enable Psychedelic Sangha “to continue to offer free psychedelic integration and harm reduction services to the public via their Gathering at Judson Memorial Church and online through their Global Gathering series.” Head here to pre-order the album on Bandcamp.
The multi-media collection also features guided meditations from Jessica Angima along with visuals from Bubba Ayoub. Watch a series of preview clips from the session below:
Sounds From The Bardo, Vol. II Tracklist:
- Live from Judson Memorial Church (meditation)
- Live from Judson Memorial Church (instrumental)
- Soundcheck Jam I
- Soundcheck Jam II
- Live From Judson Memorial Church (full length light show video)
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