At Long Last!  A new Fugs album, “Dancing in the Universe”!!!

Following in the tradition of The First Fugs album of 1965, the Second Fugs album of 1966, “It Crawled into my Hand, Honest” of 1968, “Refuse to Be Burnt Out” of 1984, “Be Free” of 2008, along comes the new Fugs CD, “Dancing in the Universe”!!!

We are very proud of this new album!  It shows the many aspects of the current Fugs, in place now for over thirty years!  Founder Ed Sanders, Steve Taylor, Coby Batty, and Scott Petito have recorded at Scott’s NRS Studio a thirteen-song work of rock and roll, protest, humor and poetic statements for a better world.

“I founded the Fugs with Tuli Kupferberg 59 years ago to combine music, poetry, topical themes, and universal dancing!!! The Fugs are very much here and now, and ready for a New World to blossom forth!!!

“We are lucky to have recorded four new tunes by Tuli Kupferberg on “Dancing in the Universe,” which we recorded before he passed away, and we have added harmony singing and instrumental tracks to Tuli’s originals.

“We invite you to enjoy and to savor the diverse and – we think – powerful tunes in Dancing in the Universe.  We are very happy to have created this album!”

—Ed Sanders, Woodstock, NY

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Ed Sanders - (founder and singer-songwriter) Ed invents musical instruments such as the Talking Tie and the microtonal Microlyre. One of Sanders recent books, illustrated by Rick Veitch, is Broken Glory, the Final Years of Robert F. Kennedy. Sanders is primarily a poet whose collected poems, Thirsting for Peace in a Raging Century won an American Book Award in 1988.  He has written biographies in verse of Charles Olson, Allen Ginsberg, and Anton Chekhov.  He is the author of a 9-volume America, a History in Verse, and an investigative history of the Manson group, The Family, which is in print in a number of countries.

‍Steven Taylor - (Guitar and vocals) Steven has collaborated on poetry and music works with Allen Ginsberg for 20 years. Other long-time collaborators include Kenward Elmslie, Anne Waldman, Ed Sanders, and Tuli Kupferberg, as well as choreographer Douglas Dunn (Bessie Award nomination for best sound design 2015). He joined the Fugs in 1984. His poems, essays, reviews, and songs have been published via magazines, anthologies, and albums. He holds a PhD in music from Brown University. His book False Prophet: Field Notes from the Punk Underground was published by Welseyan UP in 2003. His most recent publications are Don’t Hide the Madness: William S. Burroughs in Conversation with Allen Ginsberg (Three Rooms Press), and William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience (Ace Records).

‍Coby Batty - (Drums, percussion and vocals) Coby is a well known musician and songwriter with his own Jazz band, The Rhythmasters, in Richmond, Virginia. Batty has performed with Don Cherry, John Zorn, Eugene Chadbourne and many others. He has a powerful singing voice, and is a renowned actor appearing in many movie and television productions.

‍Scott Petito - (Bass and vocals) is a bassist, composer and producer from the Hudson Valley of New York. Scott has recorded, produced and performed on more than 1000 recordings. He has worked with a diverse roster of clients, collaborators and artists which include, the Band, James Taylor, Chick Corea, Dave Brubeck and Keith Richards to name only a few. He attended the Berklee College of Music as a jazz composition major, and has lent his skills to countless major artists in multiple genres: Jazz; Jack DeJohnette, John Scofield, Dave Holland Folk; Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, James Taylor, Blues: Lucky Peterson, Rory Block, and Rock; the Band  Mercury Rev, The Fugs, Sting, Jon Anderson. Petito has also worked on music for film and television.