Releases Moroccan-Infused Cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Bird Song.”
Today, world-class instrumental ensemble Club d'Elf announces that their upcoming album Loon & Thrush will be released on April 10 via Royal Potato Family. Recorded entirely live in the studio with minimal overdubs, the LP captures the raw, ecstatic, Moroccan-influenced energy that defines the band’s signature sound since their inception in 1998. Today, they’re also releasing a Moroccan-infused take on the Grateful Dead’s “Bird Song,” which brings a new spirit to the classic track.
Speaking on the new song, frontman/bassist/composer Mike Rivard shares: “The Dead were such a huge influence on me as a teenager in the late ‘70s, and I traveled all over the Midwest where I grew up to see them play. Their trippy, improvisational side was what really drew me in, as well as the culture that surrounded the band, and the sense of tribal community. Even though our sound is very different, the Dead's music has always been part of my DNA. It seemed time to acknowledge and honor that connection, and I started messing around with ‘Bird Song,’ playing it over a North African chaabi groove that Brahim Fribgane had taught us to play. Brahim was our direct connection to the Moroccan traditions that inspired us, but he passed away before he could record the album with us. Even though he isn't physically present on the track, I felt his spirit guiding us in the studio. Duke Levine — of Bonnie Raitt’s band—plays the melody on electric sitar, giving it this beautifully distinctive sound. The jam in the middle has a Dead-goes-to-Morocco vibe, and with Bob Weir’s recent passing, we’re dedicating it to him, to Jerry and Phil, and to Brahim.”
On the album, the band also covers the Dead’s “New Speedway Boogie,” which features Rivard on sintir, grounding the Dead’s Americana in the earthy resonance of North African trance. While previous albums have reimagined the music of artists like Miles Davis, Frank Zappa, Cream and even Phish, the rest of this record consists of Rivard originals, including first single “Loon & Thrush,” all of which were heavily influenced by Fribgane’s passing in 2024 and the teachings he left behind.
A member of the group since 1999, the Casablanca-born musician introduced Rivard to Gnawa—a centuries-old spiritual music rooted in repetition, ritual and ecstatic groove. Over time, Moroccan trance became not just an influence but the foundational pillar of the Club d'Elf aesthetic. Fribgane left a profound musical and spiritual imprint on the band – particularly through both Rivard’s sintir work and Brahim’s teachings which remain central to the band’s identity. Trance, repetition and ecstatic propulsion form the glue that holds together the band’s shifting lineups, improvisatory flights and broad stylistic vocabulary.
“Going into the recording of this album was a very heavy time for the band, as we had just lost Brahim, who was a core member,” Rivard shares. “This would be the first album we had done without him, and the thought of never being able to play with him again was a reality that was very hard to grasp.” Although it was never planned or discussed, a theme gradually emerged as the music took shape—the idea of flight. It revealed itself in many forms: the avian imagery of the title piece and the cover of ‘Bird Song,’ the realtime musical explorations the group undertakes, and the sense of Brahim’s spirit rising, guiding the music from beyond.
Built around Rivard, the band has spent 28 years with a rotating cast of fierce improvisers, navigating deep grooves, trance-drenched vamps and sprawling textures. Over the decades, Club d'Elf has toured internationally, developing a fervent nationwide underground following and a deep admiration from peers such as Dead & Company’s Oteil Burbridge and Phish’s Mike Gordon.
Gordon shares: “I have a friend who said her favorite two bands were Phish and Club d'Elf, so I thought I better check ‘em out sometime. I was pleasantly surprised to find a band that is bass forward (believe it or not, I like that aspect) and with some great players. It’s really cool to watch Michael Rivard switch from a regular bass to the Moroccan sintir and make them both sound so primal and deep.”
Weaving dub, electronica, jazz, Gnawa, hip hop, prog and ritual trance together, the band has formed a singular sound. With Loon and Thrush, the band enters a new chapter: one that honors its past, carries forward the legacy of Brahim Fribgane, while continuing its decades-long exploration into trance, improvisation, transformation and flight.
Speaking on the new song, frontman/bassist/composer Mike Rivard shares: “The Dead were such a huge influence on me as a teenager in the late ‘70s, and I traveled all over the Midwest where I grew up to see them play. Their trippy, improvisational side was what really drew me in, as well as the culture that surrounded the band, and the sense of tribal community. Even though our sound is very different, the Dead's music has always been part of my DNA. It seemed time to acknowledge and honor that connection, and I started messing around with ‘Bird Song,’ playing it over a North African chaabi groove that Brahim Fribgane had taught us to play. Brahim was our direct connection to the Moroccan traditions that inspired us, but he passed away before he could record the album with us. Even though he isn't physically present on the track, I felt his spirit guiding us in the studio. Duke Levine — of Bonnie Raitt’s band—plays the melody on electric sitar, giving it this beautifully distinctive sound. The jam in the middle has a Dead-goes-to-Morocco vibe, and with Bob Weir’s recent passing, we’re dedicating it to him, to Jerry and Phil, and to Brahim.”
On the album, the band also covers the Dead’s “New Speedway Boogie,” which features Rivard on sintir, grounding the Dead’s Americana in the earthy resonance of North African trance. While previous albums have reimagined the music of artists like Miles Davis, Frank Zappa, Cream and even Phish, the rest of this record consists of Rivard originals, including first single “Loon & Thrush,” all of which were heavily influenced by Fribgane’s passing in 2024 and the teachings he left behind.
A member of the group since 1999, the Casablanca-born musician introduced Rivard to Gnawa—a centuries-old spiritual music rooted in repetition, ritual and ecstatic groove. Over time, Moroccan trance became not just an influence but the foundational pillar of the Club d'Elf aesthetic. Fribgane left a profound musical and spiritual imprint on the band – particularly through both Rivard’s sintir work and Brahim’s teachings which remain central to the band’s identity. Trance, repetition and ecstatic propulsion form the glue that holds together the band’s shifting lineups, improvisatory flights and broad stylistic vocabulary.
“Going into the recording of this album was a very heavy time for the band, as we had just lost Brahim, who was a core member,” Rivard shares. “This would be the first album we had done without him, and the thought of never being able to play with him again was a reality that was very hard to grasp.” Although it was never planned or discussed, a theme gradually emerged as the music took shape—the idea of flight. It revealed itself in many forms: the avian imagery of the title piece and the cover of ‘Bird Song,’ the realtime musical explorations the group undertakes, and the sense of Brahim’s spirit rising, guiding the music from beyond.
Built around Rivard, the band has spent 28 years with a rotating cast of fierce improvisers, navigating deep grooves, trance-drenched vamps and sprawling textures. Over the decades, Club d'Elf has toured internationally, developing a fervent nationwide underground following and a deep admiration from peers such as Dead & Company’s Oteil Burbridge and Phish’s Mike Gordon.
Gordon shares: “I have a friend who said her favorite two bands were Phish and Club d'Elf, so I thought I better check ‘em out sometime. I was pleasantly surprised to find a band that is bass forward (believe it or not, I like that aspect) and with some great players. It’s really cool to watch Michael Rivard switch from a regular bass to the Moroccan sintir and make them both sound so primal and deep.”
Weaving dub, electronica, jazz, Gnawa, hip hop, prog and ritual trance together, the band has formed a singular sound. With Loon and Thrush, the band enters a new chapter: one that honors its past, carries forward the legacy of Brahim Fribgane, while continuing its decades-long exploration into trance, improvisation, transformation and flight.
For more information contact Missing Piece Group.
