Bryan Beller and The Aristocrats Announce Live Album, “FREEZE!”
In February 2020, The Aristocrats were 100 shows deep into the tour cycle behind their latest studio album, You Know What…? The trio of Guthrie Govan, Bryan Beller, and Marco Minnemann were playing some of their best shows ever, performing to crowds across Spain just weeks before the pandemic brought the world to a halt. That pre-pandemic period will be featured on their next live album, FREEZE!, which is coming on May 7th.
“‘FREEZE!’ documents a particularly memorable period for the band so I think it’s really fortunate that we were able to capture this musical ‘snapshot’”, says Govan. “After months of relentless gigging, the material from our latest studio recording had started to feel really natural for us and yet… somehow, there was still an unmistakable element of excitement and musical risk-taking on stage every night when we played those songs.”
Naturally, much of the music is from You Know What…?, though they also included a version of their song “Get It Like That” with an extended drum solo from Minnemann that’s dedicated to Rush’s Neil Peart, who passed away while The Aristocrats were on tour.
“By February 2020 we were deep into the ‘You Know What…?’ touring cycle, almost up to 100 shows,” Beller adds. “We were greased up and ready to go, every night. But we had no way of knowing as we plowed through Spain that these would be some of the last shows we’d play for a while. So it’s special on several levels for us to be able to share this frozen moment in time, which is what a live album truly is. It’s a statement of what we were bringing to stages every night in the heat of a world tour; it’s something for our fans who may not have caught this tour to experience and hopefully enjoy at home; and, ideally, it’s also something to keep the flame burning for when we can get back out there and let loose onstage once again. Because that’s what we do best.”
FREEZE! Is available for pre-order through the band’s website and Bandcamp. Pre-ordering gives you instant access to the track “Spanish Eddie”.
FREEZE! Track List:
- D Grade F*ck Movie Jam
- Spanish Eddie
- When We All Come Together
- The Ballad Of Bonnie And Clyde
- Get It Like That (Dedicated To Neil Peart)
- Last Orders
