Exclusive: Thurston Moore Previews Spirit Counsel Boxset with “8 Spring Street” Video

Thurston Moore shared an excerpt from a performance of “8 Spring Street” exclusively via Paste Tuesday. The clip serves as a sneak preview of his forthcoming boxset of unreleased material, Spirit Counsel, set to be released Sept. 21, International Peace Day, via The Daydream Library Series, a new record label founded in 2018 by Eva Prinz and Moore himself.

The “8 Spring Street” performance footage depicts the Sonic Youth creator playing with his latest collaborators, Jon Leidecker (the newest member of Thurston Moore Group, member of Negativland), James Sedwards (Thurston Moore Group guitarist), Deb Googe (Thurston Moore Group, My Bloody Valentine) and Steve Shelley (drummer of Sonic Youth, member of Thurston Moore Group).

“8 Spring Street” is dedicated to Glenn Branca, Moore’s late teenage mentor. The title is the address to the New York City apartment where Thurston first visited Branca to rehearse. In the video, Moore speaks about the track’s meaning and his inspiration.

Spirit Counsel will contain one hour-long performance, “Alice Moki Jayne,” dedicated to Alice Coltrane, Moki Cherry and Jayne Cortez, and the Sun Ra-inspired “Galaxies (Sky),” a 55-minute symphonic track created with 12 musicians playing 12-string electric guitars, along with the 33-minute recording of “8 Spring Street.”

According to a press release, Spirit Counsel “represents a period of reflection on spiritual matters, collective musical friendships, and a time and space universally, without words or languages to distract from meditation.”

Moore has also announced upcoming tour dates in support of Spirit Counsel. He will headline shows in Europe and North America beginning in October.

Watch the “8 Spring Street” video below and check out Moore’s upcoming North American tour dates further down, along with Paste archival audio from a 1991 Sonic Youth show. You can revisit the details of Spirit Counsel here.

Thurston Moore Tour Dates:

October
14 – Newcastle, U.K. @ Riverside
15 – Glasgow, U.K. @ Classic Grand
16 – Leeds, U.K. @ Brudenell Social Club
18 – Stoke, U.K. @ Sugarmill
19 – London, U.K. @ ULU
20 – Portsmouth, U.K. @ Wedgewood Rooms
22 – Paris, France @ Trabendo
23 – Cologne, Germany @ Kulturkirche
24 – Hamburg, Germany @ Grunspan
26 – Prague, Czech Republic @ Lucerna Music Bar
27 – Munich, Germany @ Strom
28 – Vienna, Austria @ WUK
30 – Frankfurt, Germany @ Das Bett

December
03 – Holyoke, Mass. @ Gateway Arts
04 – Boston, Mass. @ ONCE Ballroom
05 – New York, N.Y. @ Le Poisson Rouge
06 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Boot & Saddle
07 – Washington, D.C. @ U Street Music Hall
08 – Baltimore, Md. @ Ottobar
12 – Chicago, Ill. @ Empty Bottle
13 – Chicago, Ill. @ Empty Bottle