James Phillips of Bombadil stopped by Live & Local this week, ahead of the release of the band’s new album, “How the Moon Got Back Home.”
With eight full-length albums over a two-decade run – “Got Back Home” will be their ninth – Bombadil has been one of the stalwarts of the 21st-century Triangle music scene, weathering lineup changes and overseas moves along the way. But with “How the Moon Got Back Home,” the band is taking its first steps into uncharted territory – a concept album, inspired by a short story by dancer/choreographer Madison Rivis.
“It’s about the moon falling out of the sky to visit the earth and getting stuck,” Phillips says, “and three friends deciding to go on a journey to get her back into the sky and back home.”
The “three friends” are Phillips, Rivis, and fellow Bombadilier Daniel Michalak, who’s now based in France. Michalak made multiple trips across the ocean as the trio brought Rivis’ original vision into reality – Elton-and-Bernie style, with Phillips writing lyrics first and Michalak adding the melody later (and David Wax coming into the studio as co-producer).
“Madison choreographed a dance for every song on our last record,” Phillips says of how the trio came together. “So we have been in touch about wanting to collaborate, and (working with a dancer) is something we’ve never done before. It’s been really fun.”
Get more information about the album on Bandcamp.
“How the Moon Got Back Home” drops on Friday, September 12; the band is celebrating with a three-week European tour, but Phillips says they’re also planning to schedule shows in the U.S. later on. In the meantime, Bombadil has already released two singles, led by the album’s opener, “Chimborazo (You Gotta Have Friends!).”
What is Chimborazo? “I thought, ‘what hill would you want to take the moon to, to get it back into the sky,’ and I thought you’d want to go to the place that had the lowest gravity,” Phillips explains. “So I looked it up – and the volcano Chimborazo in Ecuador is technically the furthest from the center of the earth on the planet, because it’s on the equatorial bulge. And that felt very serendipitous, because my sister lived in Ecuador for years, and my brother-in-law is Ecuadorian. And a restaurant that (my wife and I) loved was also called Chimborazo.”
It’s always a nice feeling when the pieces click together so well.
James Phillips stopped by Live and Local to discuss the album and play three tracks: “Chimborazo (You Gotta Have Friends!),” “All Stories Must Be Told,” and “Closest to the Sun.” Listen:
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