Phish bassist Mike Gordon will release a new solo album entitled Flying Games on May 12 via ATO Records/Megaplum. Gordon confirmed a series of summer tour dates in support of the album, which features lead single “Tilting.”
Flying Games marks Gordon’s sixth solo studio album and first since 2017’s OGOGO. Mike Gordon produced the 13-track effort, which was recorded by longtime collaborator Jared Slomoff and mixed by engineer Shawn Everett (Alabama Shakes, The War on Drugs).
Mike Gordon spent months of 2020 while locked down due to the pandemic at his Megaplum home studio working on various sonic experiments that eventually yielded new songs. Once the material was more fleshed out, he brought in the other members of his five-piece band — keyboardist Robert Walter, drummer John Kimock, percussionist Craig Myers and guitarist Scott Murawski — to add their contributions. “Revealing entirely new dimensions of the kaleidoscopic musicianship Gordon has displayed as Phish’s bassist for the last four decades, the result is a work of both extraordinary vision and daring execution,” noted press materials heralding the album’s release.
“As someone who comes from a world of telepathic improvisation, the idea of one person layering sounds alone in a room might seem a bit against the mythos,” explained Gordon. “But with this record I didn’t want to work in that traditional way of going into a studio with a band and recording for two weeks; I wanted to take my time and explore, and really go deep into the fabric of the music to see what we could find.”
Mike Gordon will hit the road this June and July for his first solo dates since the pandemic began. Gordon and his solo band will start the three-week tour in Portland, Maine on June 15. Headlining shows in New York City, Buffalo, Covington (Kentucky) and Kalamazoo (Michigan) come between appearances at Northlands on June 16 and Blue Ox on June 23.
Chicago’s Thalia Hall hosts Mike Gordon on June 24 and 25. Gordon finishes the month of June with concerts in St. Louis, Indianapolis and Millvale (Pennsylvania). The bassist brings his band to The Peach Music Festival on July 1 and finishes the tour with a home state show at Burlington, Vermont’s Higher Ground on July 2.
Tickets for the new headlining dates go on sale this Friday, March 17. A Tickets Today presale is currently underway. Purchase tickets for most Mike Gordon shows via Ticketmaster.com.
Scroll below for a full list of dates followed by Gordon’s “Tilting” video.
“For me ‘Tilting’ is about being in a situation or a relationship where you don’t know if your footing is solid,” noted Mike Gordon, “but then accepting that and realizing you enjoy the feeling of disorientation. Whether it’s playing music or driving or experiencing something new, I’ve always felt more present when I don’t know where I’m going next.”
Watch the animated video for Mike’s “Tilting”:
Flying Games Tracklist
- Tilting
- Connected
- Back In The Bubble
- Mull
- Casual Enlightenment
- Pure Energy
- Revolution Of The Mind
- Guilty Pleasures
- Undone
- Moonlight
- Sughn Never Sets
- Haywire
- Tropical Rocket
