Today, Buffalo groove-rock favorites Aqueous released their a brand new live compilation album, Element Pt. I. Featuring highlights from the band’s Spring 2017 tour, the collection marks the first installment of an ongoing live series. For this release, the band went directly to their fans for input and cataloged personal highlights to figure out which jams and song versions were worthy of inclusion.
According to guitarist Mike Gantzer, “When we’re in the studio we tend to focus deeply on song structure, composition, lyrical content/depth etc, but for the live release, we wanted to put a spotlight on some of the longer and more exploratory improvisations that we’ll do within songs when we perform them live.”

The track listing of Element Pt. I spans across the diverse and ever-growing catalog of Aqueous, including a version of previously unreleased track, “Second Sight,” a song only recently added into live rotation. The version of “Aldehyde” chosen for Element Pt. I features saxophonist Nick Gerlach, a special treat for a band who rarely performs onstage with a horn section. The compilation concludes with the band’s 3/2/17 performance of fan-favorite composition “Kitty Chaser (Explosions),” off 2014’s Cycles, chosen for its particularly deep improvisational section. Each track featured on the record was recorded at a different stop along the early 2017 tour: “The Median” (Lawrence, KS), “Second Sight” (Portland, ME), “Aldehyde” (Denver, CO), “Warren In The Window” (Omaha, NE), “Staring Into The Sun” (Columbus, OH) and “Kitty Chaser” (Morgantown, WV).

You can listen to Aqueous’s new live album, Element Pt. I, below via Spotify. You can also listen to the album via Soundcloud.

Next up for Aqueous is a pair of sets at this coming weekend’s Domefest alongside Pigeons Playing Ping PongThe Main Squeeze, and many more. For more information on Domefest, head to the event website. In between their Thursday and Saturday Domefest sets, the band will play a show on Friday, 5/19 at Pier Six Pavillion in Baltimore, MD. The following weekend, the band heads to Summer Camp Music Festival for a pair of performances on Thursday, May 25th and Friday, May 26th, respectively. Summer Camp will also see guitarist Mike Gantzer help lead a special tribute to Green Day‘s classic pop-punk album Dookie with members of Umphrey’s McGee.

For a full list of upcoming dates, head to the band’s website.

[Cover Photo via Capacity Images]