Chicago progressive rock band will be releasing a new live album called “Screenplay” featuring over 2 hours of music across 2 CDs on March 26, 2021. The album comprises all of District 97’s “Screens” album performed live at European venue Boerderij Cultuurpodium, in October 2019. Additionally, the collection includes additional live material spanning DISTRICT 97’s back catalog and covers ranging from John Lennon to Yes.
Also included is an unreleased live performance of “21st Century Schizoid Man” featuring King Crimson and UK legend John Wetton, as well as collaborations with other artists such as Dave Kerzner and Fernando Perdomo.
As a special bonus, a brand new song recorded in quarantine called “Divided We Fall” is included on the new album.
Vocalist Leslie Hunt says: “Since I joined this band in 2008, one consistent bit of feedback I’ve received is that our live shows capture our essence as a band in ways that studio albums are not as able to, given the visual component of seeing us perform live mixed with the spontaneous musical ideas bouncing around on stage.
We have been diligent about recording our live shows over the years and have been sitting on a mountain of live performances that we cannot wait to share with the rest of the word. Each song is an organism unto itself and in each performance we bring with us the culmination of the tour thus far and lessons learned about each song in the process. We throw in tiny moments to keep each other on our toes, try new interpretations based on our current emotional state and communicate on stage in ways that are seemingly mystical at times.
Being a band for as long as we have creates a certain freedom to branch out on our respective ledges and see what happens when we put a twist on the familiar. I believe that our fans are in for a treat with ‘Screenplay,’ both for the live performances and the brand new song we recorded remotely as the pandemic rendered us isolated from one another.”