The Mickey Hart Band will release their second album in two years on August 13th, 2013, titled Superorganism, just weeks before Hart's 70th Birthday. On the band's last record, Mysterium Tremendum (2012), Hart sonified light waves from space with the help of NASA and scientists from Penn State and Lawrence Berkeley Labs. Now, with Superorganism, Hart is going even deeper. "This time we journey into the micro, the hidden worlds of rhythm within us, within our bodies," says Hart. "The brain, Rhythm Central, the place of dreams is explored. My brain wave signals are reimagined in sound using a cap with electrodes that can read the throbs and signals of the brain. I have also sonified the sounds of stem cells, and heart rhythms for this recording." This idea began early in 2012 with Hart's research of the affect of rhythm on the brain with Dr. Adam Gazzalley of UCSF. The album will once again feature lyrics from Hart's longtime collaborator and Grateful Dead lyricist, Robert Hunter, as well as many special guest musicians. The band recently released three free live tracks from their 3/6/13 Solana Beach, CA show including the brand new song, "The Sermon", featuring lyrics by Hunter."The Sermon", along with Grateful Dead classics "Ramble On Rose" and "Playing in the Band", is available at https://www.mickeyhart.net/download.
The band will kick off their 2013 Superorganism Tour on August 1st in Healdsburg, CA, with special guests the Tea Leaf Trio (Trevor Garrod, Reed Mathis, and Cochrane McMillan of Tea Leaf Green) supporting the majority of the dates. Mathis will be performing double duties each night, performing with Tea Leaf Trio and the Mickey Hart Band.
Each night of the tour, Hart will perform with an EEG (electroencephalogram) cap on his head while he plays the sounds of his brain. To see an example of how this will work, watch Hart and Gazzalley's talk at AARP in New Orleans last November here.
In celebration of Mickey's 70th Birthday, many of the shows will feature special guests including some of his personal friends to be announced in the coming weeks. 100% of the ticketing fees from tickets sold through Mickeyhart.net will go to fund Musical Therapy Research at UCSF. Tickets are on sale now at https://www.mickeyhart.net/shows.
The Mickey Hart Band consists of Grammy winning percussionist and longtime band mate Sikiru Adepoju, Tony Award winning vocalist Crystal Monee Hall, singer and multi-instrumentalist Joe Bagale, drummer Greg Schutte, guitarist Gawain Matthews, bassist Reed Mathis, and keyboardist/sound engineer Jonah Sharp.
SUPERORGANISM 2013 TOUR DATES
08/01/13 Raven Theater - Healdsburg, CA
08/02/13 Roseland Theater - Portland, OR *
08/03/13 The Showbox - Seattle, WA *
08/04/13 Kaslo Bay Park - Kaslo, B.C. *
08/05/13 Emerson Cultural Center - Bozeman, MT *
08/07/13 Mill City Nights - Minneapolis, MN *
08/09/13 House Of Blues - Chicago, IL *
08/10/13 Kent Stage - Kent, OH *
08/11/13 Festival of Friends - Jerseyville, ON
08/13/13 The Town Ballroom - Buffalo, NY *
08/15/13 Mr. Smalls Theatre - Millvale, PA *
08/16/13 Norwalk Concert Hall - Norwalk, CT *
08/17/13 Paramount Theater - Huntington, NY *
08/18/13 Port City Music Hall - Portland, ME *
09/05/13 Arcata Theater - Arcata, CA *
09/06/13 The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA
09/07/13 House of Blues - West Hollywood, CA
09/09/13 House of Blues - San Diego, CA *
09/10/13 Marquee Theatre - Tempe, AZ *
09/11/13 Hard Rock Cafe - Las Vegas, NV *
09/13/13 Park City Live - Park City, UT *
09/14/13-09/15/13 Telluride Blues & Brews Festival - Telluride, CO
09/16/13 The Crossroads - Kansas City, MO *
09/17/13 The Pageant - St. Louis, MO *
09/19/13 Metropolitan Theater - Morgantown, WV *
09/21/13 Capitol Theatre - Port Chester, NY *
09/23/13 Georgia Theatre - Athens, GA *
09/24/13 The Orange Peel - Asheville, NC *
09/26/13 Musikfest - Bethlehem, PA *
* w/ Tea Leaf Trio