The late John Wetton features on new District 97 live album

(Image credit: District 97)

Chicago-based prog rockers District 97 will release a new live album, Screenplay, through Cherry Red Records on March 26. The new live album, partly recorded at the legendary Boerderij in Holland, also features a previously unreleased live performance of King Crimson's 21st Century Schizoid Man featuring King Crimson/Asia/UK legend John Wetton.

The new live double CD also features two secret “encore” performances and a special bonus, a brand new song recorded in quarantine called Divided We Fall. You can see the new artwork and tracklisting below.

“The world has changed in ways we never could have foreseen since we released Screens in October 2019," says drummer Jonathan Schang. "Touring has been rendered impossible, and thus we have been unable to share this music live with many of our wonderful fans.

"Before covid-19 struck, we embarked on our UK & European Screening Tour. The centerpiece of each night was Screens performed live in its entirety. Fortunately, our show at Holland’s legendary Boerderij Cultuurpodium was beautifully recorded, and we are thrilled to present it now as part of Screenplay."

“Since I joined this band in 2008, one consistent bit of feedback I’ve received is that our live shows capture our essence as a band in ways that studio albums are not as able to, given the visual component of seeing us perform live mixed with the spontaneous musical ideas bouncing around on stage," adds singer Leslie Hunt. "We have been diligent about recording our live shows over the years and have been sitting on a mountain of live performances that we cannot wait to share with the rest of the word.

"Each song is an organism unto itself and in each performance we bring with us the culmination of the tour thus far and lessons learned about each song in the process. We throw in tiny moments to keep each other on our toes, try new interpretations based on our current emotional state and communicate on stage in ways that are seemingly mystical at times."

Pre-order Screenplay.

District 97: Screenplay

CD 1
1. Forest Fire
2. Sheep
3. Sea I Provide
4. Bread & Yarn
5. Trigger
6. After Orbit Mission
7. Shapeshifter
8. Blueprint
9. Ghost Girl

CD 2

1. Divided We Fall
2. Jealous Guy
3. Snow Country
4. Takeover
5. The Actual Color
6. A Lottery
7. Termites
8. Presto Vivace
9. Back in N.Y.C
10. Travels with Myself-And Someone Else
11. Fainting In Coils
12. Long Distance Runaround
13. Red
14. 21st Century Schizoid Man (Live w/John Wetton)
15. Out On The Tiles

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.