Trey Anastasio is gearing up for the debut of his newest project, Ghosts of the Forest, which has a number of dates scheduled for this April and a record due on the 12th.
Ghosts of the Forest features Anastasio, his Phish bandmate Jon Fishman, Trey Anastasio Band members Jennifer Hartswick, Tony Markellis, and Ray Paczkowski, and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Celisse Henderson, who was featured alongside Hartswick as a backup singer at Phish’s 2016 Halloween performance of Ziggy Stardust.
Today, Anastasio has released the first full track from the upcoming release, title track “Ghosts of the Forest”, as well as the tracklisting. A psychedelic, indie rock extension of Anastasio’s typical creative ways, Ghosts of the Forest‘s first preview offers an exciting next chapter for the musical master.
In a brand new interview with Rolling Stone, Patrick Doyle reported that Ghosts of the Forest’s new album was inspired by Trey’s lifelong friendship with Chris Cottrell, one of Anastasio’s oldest and closest friends, also known as C-Cott, who lost his battle to adrenal cancer last year. “I went through a period of deep self-doubt after recording it,” Anastasio says. “I didn’t want to put it out. Maybe I was scared,” reiterating that the new music is certainly different from anything he’s ever released before.
Ghosts of the Forest – “Ghosts of the Forest”
[Audio: Trey Anastasio]
On May 24th, a 2x 180 gram vinyl release, foil numbered with limited edition rainbow foil packaging will be released.
According to the press release, Ghosts of the Forest was recorded over the span of just a few days at the Barn Studio in Vermont in April 2018. The record was produced by Anastasio and engineered and mixed by Vance Powell (Chris Stapleton, Jack White).
In addition to the album, a new feature-length documentary film, Between Me & My Mind, about Anastasio and the making of some of his most personal music to date with Ghosts of the Forest, as well as Phish’s ambitious New Year’s Eve show at Madison Square Garden, will have its world premiere at the Beacon Theatre in New York City on April 26th as part of the Tribeca Film Festival. A special performance from the Trey Anastasio Band will follow.
Following the ‘Ghosts Of The Forest Tour’, Trey will resume touring with his long-running Trey Anastasio Band for their first full-length shows since November 2017, including festival headline appearances and a two night stand during the grand opening week of Denver’s Mission Ballroom. Trey will also perform a solo acoustic set at Newport Folk Festival, marking Trey’s first return to the festival since 2008.
The tracklisting for the new album, which features the 10:29-minute “Drift While You’re Sleeping” and the 23:29-minute “Beneath a Sea of Stars”, both of which spark major curiosity for fans. See the full tracklisting below, and stay up to date on Trey’s website.