Following the early June arrival of new studio album Too Busy 4 Jail, Philadelphia trio Muscle Tough has added credence to the album’s title with the surprise release of yet another new LP, Goes to Hell, recorded live during one of bassist Jonathan Colman‘s regular all-improv Dungeon Crawl sessions at Philly’s Silk City on March 4th, 2025.
Dungeon Crawl, the monthly all-improv event featuring a revolving door of notable musicians from the jam band scene and beyond, was launched by Colman in 2024 as a way for him to test out new sounds and equipment between Muscle Tough dates. “When I started Dungeon Crawl, in a way, it was in response to Muscle Tough’s growth,” Colman explained to Live For Live Music. “With higher-profile spots and radius clauses cropping up, I needed a free-wheeling place to explore all the pedal gadgetry we employ. We use 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑡 of pedals.”
For a year, Colman recruited fellow Dungeon Crawlers from notable bands like The Disco Biscuits, Lotus, lespecial, Dogs In A Pile, Octave Cat, Snacktime, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, and more to join him in the dark, dank, improvisational shadows. During that time, he explained, “I wrote an improvising manifesto to dial players into my jamming style, had a year of no repeated players and DJs, and was feeling quite fulfilled with how the event was blooming.”
Then, for the 13th monthly edition of Dungeon Crawl, Colman condemned his two longtime bandmates, drummer Joe Baldacci and guitarist Ross Bellenoit, to a trip to the Dungeon for Muscle Tough’s first-ever Crawl as a unit.
“The music was so transcendent and cohesive (no doubt due to our 11 years of improvising chemistry), we knew that night that we had our first live album on our hands,” Colman said of the experimental two-set Muscle Tough show. The recording was later split into 16 tracks by “following the mood shifts” and mixed/mastered by Baldacci.
Beyond its dungeon-friendly aesthetic, the album’s title harkens back to a memorable Muscle Tough tour story. “A few years ago,” Colman explained, “we were headlining a show in Lancaster, PA and getting dangerously close to the curfew. Right when we said we were going to stop, an audience member jumped on stage and screamed, ‘If you don’t play another song, you three are going to GO TO HELL.’ It was so loud that the whole club and the sound guy heard it. He gave us a thumbs up to keep going, and we have avoided eternal damnation long enough to release this hilariously titled live album for everyone.”
Listen to the fully-improvised Go to Hell, the first live album by Muscle Tough, via the player below. For a taste of the band’s studio side, order the recently released Too Busy 4 Jail here. See below for a list of upcoming Muscle Tough tour dates. For ticketing details and more information, head here.
Muscle Tough – Upcoming Tour Dates
6/13 Arch Street Tavern w/ Px3 – Hartford, CT
6/14 Triumph Red Bank – Red Bank, NJ
6/24 Rochester International Jazz Fest – Rochester, NY
9/26-27 Strange Soiree IV – Quakertown, PA
10/12 The Ramble Festival – Darlington, MD
Muscle Tough – Goes to Hell (Full Live Album)
Muscle Tough – Too Busy 4 Jail (Full Studio Album)