Inspired by Persian mythology and classic Hendrix, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi’s rock ’n’ roll extravaganza of all original material will be released in four stages across the summer
(Image credit: David McClister)
Tedeschi Trucks Band have just announced the most ambitious album of 2022, and indeed of recent memory, I Am the Moon.
A quadruple album and film project, comprising over two hours of music, I Am the Moon is inspired by Persian mythology and the poetry of Nizami Ganjavi, the disconnection of the pandemic, and immersive classic rock albums such as Jimi Hendrix Axis: Bold As Love.
With Trucks and Tedeschi’s names on it, I Am the Moon is sure to be a feast of electric guitar, with songs taking the scenic route through blues, soul, rock and whatever style fits best.
The 12-strong band led by husband-and-wife duo Derek Trucks (guitar) and Susan Tedeschi (guitar/vocals) will release each portion of the record with an accompanying film directed by Alix Lambert. Screened on the TTB YouTube channel, the films will combine studio footage with photography and performance footage to set the mood and draw the audience deeper into the arrangements.
There will be a lot of music to sink into. The album’s concept came from vocalist Mike Mattison, but it draws upon familiar inspirations for the band. Nizami Ganjavi’s poetry informed the Derek and the Dominos’ seminal 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, a record TTB have performed in its entirety, releasing it as Layla Revisited (Live at LOCKN’) in 2021.
You always want to do something bigger and thematic. This is the first time it happened naturally
Derek Trucks
Written collectively, I Am the Moon journeys back to the poem and reinterprets it, giving it the sort of expansive musical treatment it deserves, and offering TTB a freedom to cut loose musically, and exploring themes of “romantic relationships, collective struggle, faith, and the human experience”.
Trucks says the album came together quickly, and certain themes and motifs would naturally reappear, connecting the material.
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“There are even chord changes that mirror other tunes on the albums – themes and variations, lyrical allusions, that pop back up,” says Trucks. “You always want to do something bigger and thematic. This is the first time it happened naturally.”
I Am the Moon was recorded in January 2021 at Swamp Raga, Tedeschi and Trucks’ home studio in Jacksonville, Florida. It was produced by Trucks with Bobby Tis recording and mixing.
(Image credit: Tedeschi Trucks Band / Fantasy Recordings)
The first of the albums, I Am the Moon: I. Crescent will be released on May 31st, when the film goes live on YouTube. The album will be available to buy on June 3rd.
That will be followed by I Am the Moon: II. Ascension on June 28th (film) / July 1st (album), I Am the Moon: III. The Fall on July 26th (film) / July 29th (album), with the final installment, I Am the Moon: IV. Farewell arriving on August 23rd (film) / August 26th (album).
A deluxe four-LP vinyl box-set will be released on September 9th exclusively through the TTB and Fantasy Recordings online stores.
Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to publications including Guitar World, MusicRadar and Total Guitar. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.
