Now this has wetted my appetite....
Tedeschi Trucks Band have announced a mammoth four album project entitled I Am The Moon. The four albums in the series – I. Crescent, II. Ascension, III. The Fall, and IV. Farewell – will be released over four successive months, with the first due to land on June 3. Watch the trailer below.
The albums will be available individually on CD and vinyl, with a deluxe box set containing all four releases shipping on September 9. Pre-orders are open now.
According to a statement released by the band, I Am The Moon was "Inspired by a mythic Persian tale of star-crossed lovers, and emotionally driven by the isolation and disconnection of the pandemic era."
The tale in question is the 12th century poem Layla & Majnun by Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi, which also gave Derek And The Dominos the title of their 1970 classic Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs, while that album's I Am Yours was based on the poem, with Nizami credited as co-writer. Last year Tedeschi Trucks Band covered the album in its entirety last year as Layla Revisited.
The band describe the upcoming albums as a "modern interpretation" of the 100-page poem, while their statement continues: "The thematic I Am The Moon totals more than two hours of music, unfolding across a robust tapestry of genre-defying explorations that propel the treasured American ensemble into new and thrilling creative territory."
The album was written after the band were forced off the road by the pandemic, and recorded at Tedeschi and Trucks' home studio in Jacksonville, FL.
"It's amazing, because we wrote most of this music in a pretty short time span," says Trucks. "There are even chord changes that mirror other tunes on the albums – themes and variations, lyrical allusions, that pop back up. You always want to do something bigger and thematic. This is the first time it happened naturally."
Three days prior to each album's release, Tedeschi Trucks Band will also premiere an accompanying film on their YouTube channel, allowing fans to enjoy each album in its entirety as a communal experience.
The full release schedule for I Am The Moon is as follows.
I Am The Moon: I. Crescent
Film Premiere: May 31
Album Release: June 3
I Am The Moon: II. Ascension
Film Premiere: June 28
Album Release: July 1
I Am The Moon: III. The Fall
Film Premiere: July 26
Album Release: July 29
I Am The Moon: IV. Farewell
Film Premiere: August 23
Album Release: August 26
Tedeschi Trucks Band tour the US between June and September, with European shows scheduled for October and November.
I was reading about this yesterday, I'm pretty stoked about this. I love a good concept album, so the series sounds really cool.
Wow --- The intersection of creativity and ambition usually produces extraordinary results.
Hoping the same holds true for TTB and us fans!
Would be nice to get all the music and films released on Blu-ray.
This will be interesting. For some reason this is a band that I have never caught on with as far as studio recordings. I have watched plenty of live stuff and I do like what is being offered up in that arena from them. I kinda hoped they would have continued the four piece lineup of the Fireside Sessions. Oh well....
I wonder how much of they're live performances will be dedicated to these releases?
Not sure I could say I "love" a good concept album. Most of those ideas seem to be translated through prog rock or metal. Maybe it will be more appealing with they're genre of music.
quote "treasured American ensemble" .....that's a heavy statement.
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
This will be interesting. For some reason this is a band that I have never caught on with as far as studio recordings. I have watched plenty of live stuff and I do like what is being offered up in that arena from them. I kinda hoped they would have continued the four piece lineup of the Fireside Sessions. Oh well....
I hear ya, an even as a huge TTB fan I think their only studio album that really translated the live atmosphere of the band is Let Me Get By. Their current tour is a 6-piece Fireside Sessions tour.
I wonder how much of they're live performances will be dedicated to these releases?
I think it's completely a studio album crafted at their home studio during the pandemic.
Not sure I could say I "love" a good concept album. Most of those ideas seem to be translated through prog rock or metal. Maybe it will be more appealing with they're genre of music.
I disagree. Sounds like you're focusing on operatic concept albums from bands like Pink Floyd, Zappa, and the Who; but a concept album is thematic - Red Headed Stranger, Ziggy Stardust, Sgt Pepper, Pet Sounds, The Kink's Arthur, What's Going On, Here My Dear, Desperado, etc. Even Layla is something of a concept album with the theme of Clapton's own infatuation.
quote "treasured American ensemble" .....that's a heavy statement.
I think it's fair. I find a lot of people who don't follow TTB are unaware of the intense fandom of their following over the past decade.
I'm looking forward to these releases.
Hopefully they will finally get some big sales out of the "Moon" albums. I don't expect Dark Side Of The Moon sales but 500,000 plus for a gold disc would be fantastic. Maybe all four together will sell over a million.
I always see them when they are fairly close and really like them live but I'm another who hasn't really got super turned on by one of their albums. Same with Gov't Mule.
But I continue to hope those two bands will get a Eat A Peach, Brothers and Sisters, Four by Blues Traveler, Cracked Rear View Mirror by Hootie and the Blowhards among others that sells way over a million copies. Both bands deserve to have at least one big album.
As I've mentioned before, Derek and Susan haven't produced (imo) a killer
studio effort yet. Let's hope this is it and not a sprawling mess. Can't think
of anyone doing something like this before.
@jszfunk I'm with you, this band does nothing for me.
I try but I don't care for Mattison's voice and Susan's gets old real fast.
I've stopped going to their shows because I don't care to sit through all that just for an eventual Derek solo.
I'll stick to Mule, Allman Betts when they return, and a host of other blues acts.
@jszfunk Best "concept" album I've heard in years is Tommy Castro's A Bluesman Came to Town.
Highly recommend it.
Dion's Stomping Ground is also in heavy rotation in the car.
quote "treasured American ensemble" .....that's a heavy statement.
I think it's fair. I find a lot of people who don't follow TTB are unaware of the intense fandom of their following over the past decade.
I guess I would define "American Treasure" as something that is beloved by a nation and maybe symbolic of a culture or a country, highly valued. Not sure if I am defining it well, but i think people can get my drift. As far as a musical act or a recording artist that could be a "treasured American"? That's something I would have to think about. I just think that phrase holds a lot of gravity. Objectively, TTB are not near that. Just my opinion and we all know what those are like!! HA HA!!
I think the "intense following " may think that, which is fine and I get it. When you are a rabid fan, that's where your thoughts go.
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
@jszfunk I hear ya, it's a little bit of a pat on the back (by themselves).
But I think Warren Haynes fans would call him "treasured" in the same way. Sure, neither are Willie Nelson, but it's a different era. The Grateful Dead only ever had an "intense following" after all.
I see a lot of bands covering TTB songs over the past few years. They've definitely made their mark. It took 4 times longer than it did for the Allman Bros, but they have a huge fan base, many of whom never followed the Allman Bros. That counts for something.
many of whom never followed the Allman Bros. That counts for something.
I have a couple I know and they came over from the Susan Tedeschi camp(her solo stuff) to TTB , not really knowing of Derek and the ABB. Maybe hearing of them ,but not like we know them.
I was having this conversation with someone recently about how you come into a band. What eras,versions they tend to prefer and favor. I guess alot of it depends on your age, what point of the time line of they're career you jumped in and maybe the song/album you got hooked on.
The ABB heyday of the 70's were pretty much before me. I was to young to take notice, born in 1970. I listened to classic rock growing up and just pretty much just heard the hits from them on the radio...we all know those. Yeah I liked the songs, but was not crazy about them. Did not own any albums by them in my teen years.
It all changed the summer of 1990 when Seven Turns was released. I heard the opening guitar of "Good Clean Fun" on the radio , and that was it for me. Hooked for life.
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
@jszfunk Best "concept" album I've heard in years is Tommy Castro's A Bluesman Came to Town.
Highly recommend it.
Dion's Stomping Ground is also in heavy rotation in the car.
Red-headed Stranger.
looking forward to this.
the vinyl pre orders are selling quickly
@jszfunk it's kind of like who is your favorite Bond, right? Five years is all it takes to make for a new music era.
@jszfunk it's kind of like who is your favorite Bond, right? Five years is all it takes to make for a new music era.
True that!!
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
@jszfunk Wow born in 1970!!! I wish I were born in 1970. Instead of being stretched out in the bed right now I'd be in some Honky Tonk where some half decent blues band was playing.
I was born in 1946. I'm 75. Retired.
A friend played me the first Allman Brothers Band album and I liked it okay but I was into Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones and it didn't grab me. But in January of 1970 ( Warren was 10 and Derek wasn't even born so to me they had nothing to do with the Allman Brothers' sound and becoming successful) in January 1970 he talked me into going to see the ABB live and MAN I WAS HOOKED!! LIKE A BIG NEEDLE OF QUALITY SMACK!! HOOKED BIG TIME!! Duane Allman's slide on Statesboro Blues and the rest of the guys pressing hard with him was intoxicating and addictive.
Duane played a Goldtop Les Paul, Dickey a Fender Stratocaster, Berry a Fender Jazz Bass, Gregg an organ ( Hammond?) and electric piano ( Yamaha?)and Jaimoe had a small kit including a small bass drum. I think Butch also only had a snare, bass drum with one mounted tom, one floor tom and hi hat and a few cymbals. The jazz greats had small kits and most drummers by 1970 I saw didn't use a pile of drums.
Anyway here is the same first song I heard that night by the ABB in 1970 done by the 1990 Seven Turns band. Not exactly the energy Duane and Oakley had on stage but this is still real good ABB style blues!!
My wife and I have seen them 30 or so times. The finest band in the land. So looking forward to these releases and the accompanying videos.
