On February 28th, 2020, Circles Around The Sun visited Relix for an in-studio performance with temporary guitarist Scott Metzger. Just under one year later, the instrumental jam outfit has announced a limited-edition vinyl pressing of the set, marking the first installment of The Relix Sessions Vinyl Series.
This live session came at a time when the Joe Russo’s Almost Dead guitarist was filling the slot vacated by Neal Casal following his suicide on August 26th, 2019. During a brief winter tour, CATS would also recruit Eric Krasno to sub in on guitar, fulfilling one of Casal’s last wishes that the band continues on without him as surviving members Adam MacDougall, Dan Horne, and Mark Levy brought in a rotating cast of guitarists.
The half-hour livestream saw the band take on “Leaving (Rogue Lemon)” and “Babyman” from the band’s impending self-titled album, as well as “One For Chuck” off 2018’s Let It Wander. Though Metzger was not the guitarist heard on either of those records—as Circles Around The Sun contained the band’s final recordings with Casal—he steps up to the plate admirably as he pays tribute to a colleague with his own interpretation of Neal’s handiwork.
“A year ago (almost to the day) I joined CATS for 10 shows in 10 nights,” Metzger wrote on Instagram. “We started in Baltimore, went as far north as Burlington, then headed south to Charlottesville. When the tour passed through NYC we were invited to do an in-studio set at the Relix offices in Manhattan. That set is presented here on vinyl, mixed & mastered. For a number of reasons this was a very, very special run of gigs. I’m so glad this was recorded and that you can own a slice of it in this beautiful packaging that Relix has put together.”
Circles Around The Sun’s The Relix Sessions 001 go on sale Friday at 12 p.m. ET and will be limited to 300 pressings. Multiple packages are available that include a limited edition poster, a foil variant, and a Relix Sessions slip mat. Head over to the Relix Marketplace to secure a copy, and revisit the band’s performance with the original video below.
Circles Around The Sun Live at Relix | 2/28/20 | The Relix Session