District 97 release video for King Crimson cover of Matte Kudasai

Chicago prog rockers District 97 have released a new video for a live cover of King Crimson's Matte Kudasai, which you can watch below.

The song, which originally featured on King Crimson's 1981 album Discipline, is taken from the band's new release Many New Things, which features a selection of remotely recorded studio albums and a live set recorded in their Chicago hometown last year.

"When we've interpreted Crimson in the past, it was always music created between 1969-1974," says drummer Jonathan Schang. "It's been refreshing to explore another era of this seminal band. Matte Kudasai suits Leslie's voice perfectly, and the song itself is perfect to provide a breather for band and audience alike in the midst of our often kinetic material."

At the same time the band are offering fans a free download of Stay For The Ending from their bandcamp page.

"When I heard the demo of Andrew’s new song, I could not wait to sing that chorus melody and perform it with the band," explains singer Leslie Hunt. "It’s so powerful and catchy and I knew it would be insanely fun to wail on, provided I could come up with words / vowels that would make those notes singable for me. The version that we recorded is the exact melody that Andrew wrote and it was admittedly extremely difficult to sing in the studio…. Probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to sing in my life.

"Subject matter-wise, I combined two themes with one metaphor: the ever-shifting, omnipresent threat of COVID in its many forms, and also a person who you grew to trust only to find out that they were mutating to fit the mould of what they thought you wanted. As you discover lie after lie and countless sob stories told by the ones who came before, you realise that there are many different types of viruses and to always have a mask handy, both for your face and for your heart."

Many New Things is limited to 300 physical CDs and as a hi-red download from the band's Inside The Vault Club which you can access here. You can see the new artwork and tracklisting below.

Get Stay For The Ending.

District 97: Many New Things

Isolation (Remotely Recorded Studio Demos)
1. Stay for the Ending
2. Deck is Stacked
3. Divided We Fall (New Drums Mix)
4. Mirror (instrumental version)
5. Possession

Communion (Live in Chicago 11-19-2021)
6. Many New Things
7. Matte Kudasai
8. Ghost Girl
9. Bread & Yarn
10. Mirror (vocal version)
11. Crossover

Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.