Mike Dillon has confirmed that his next album, Mike & Beignet Go to the Zoo, will arrive October via RPF Records/Royal Potato Family. The 11-track set completes a loose trilogy of solo instrumental releases following Functioning Broke (2016) and Rosewood (2020). The LP’s first single, “Puma and the Spider Monkey,” has been released along with the album’s announcement.

The percussionist began working on Mike & Beignet Go to the Zoo in December 2020, while he was grieving the loss of several close friends and musical influences, including Ellis Marsalis, the patriarch of the legendary New Orleans jazz family. As the world started to reopen following the pandemic, and Dillon returned to an often relentless schedule of 200-plus gigs a year, he continued developing these tracks while simultaneously finishing two Punkadelick records with Nikki Glaspie and Brian Haas—2023’s Inflorescence and 2025’s Run White Boy Run.

As the album announce explains, “Mike & Beignet Go to the Zoo began as a heavy exploration of loss, but it would ultimately transform into a celebration of life, friendship, and the enduring spirit of a 5.6-pound Papillon named Beignet. The tiny pup first came into Dillon’s life in 2018 through his wife, the distinguished artist Peregrine Honig (who also illustrated the album’s cover art). Beignet quickly ‘adopted’ the hard-touring musician and became his constant road companion, by his side for thousands of miles in the van, sleeping in the Airstream, and keeping the driver’s seat warm during gigs. In the ensuing years, Dillon noticed Beignet beginning to age, and the looming fear of losing his canine companion began weaving itself into the music. Originally, the tracks were titled after his deceased friends. In a pivot to find light in the dark, Dillon and Honig decided to metaphorically transform those human comrades into animals, reimagining the album as a children’s record about a joyful trip to the zoo with their dog.”

Dillon added, “It had always been my intention to make another layered percussion and vibraphone record. To orchestrate these sounds I love so much into something bold and kaleidoscopic. As I watched so many people in my life transition to the other side over the last several years, the compositions began revealing themselves. I was also aware that our beloved dog Beignet wasn’t going to be with us forever and mentally preparing myself for that impending loss. So life and the inevitable loss of it pointed towards the idea of this record becoming something conceptual. With my wife Peregrine’s help, we ultimately shaped that vision into something joyful.”

The album’s first single boasts Haas on piano, Moog bass and MicroKorg, as well as Ginny Mac on accordion. Elsewhere, Dillon’s longtime percussion partner Earl Harvin is spotlighted on “Ronald the Rhino.”

“‘Puma and the Spider Monkey’ was inspired by my love of Cumbia and synthesizers,” Dillon explained. “I wrote the song on my MalletKAT with a sound from the Prophet 6. It reminded me of the trips I took with Beignet to Terlingua and the Big Bend area of Texas. While everything else was recorded layer by layer, this was the only track recorded live in the studio with Haas and Ginny.”

Dillon completed the final mix on November 23, 2025, with co-producer Chad Meise, while a deaf-and-blind Beignet remained curled up on the studio sofa. Just weeks later, on December 8, 2025, Beignet peacefully passed away in Dillon and Honig’s arms back home in New Orleans.

“It was time for Beignet to depart. The closing piece on the album imagines an owl taking him away from me to the ultimate ‘zoo in the sky,’ to join our other departed friends,” Dillon summed up. “Upon his passing, Chad remarked, ‘The Producer has left the building, but we will keep his water bowl in its location.’”

Dillon also recently wrapped up a string of dates on the Claypool Gold Tour. That run set the stage for a number of cross-band sit ins. He will kick off a string of solo shows at Kansas City, MO’s The Brick this evening.

Mike & Beignet Go to the Zoo ​

1. Honey the Peregrine

2. Ellis the Penguin

3. Skippy the Giraffe

4. Hollise the Meerkat

5. Gorilla and Zebra Party

6. Puma and the Spider Monkey

7. Ronald the Rhino

8. Gibby Plays Possum

9. Beignet and the White Peacock

10. Lola the Orangutan

11. Beignet Greets the Owl

Here’s a look at Mike Dillon’s upcoming dates

7/10 – Kansas City, MO – The Brick

7/11 – Wichita, KS – Central Standard Brewing

7/12 – Denton, TX – Dan’s Silverleaf Bar

7/13 – Tulsa, OK – Thelma’s Peach

7/14 – St. Louis, MO – Pop’s Blue Moon

7/15 – Cincinnati, OH – Northside Tavern

7/16 – Columbus, OH – Dick’s Den

7/17 – Williamsport, PA – Bullfrog Brewery

7/18 – Gilbert, PA – Moe.Down

7/19 – Waynesboro, VA – The Barn @ Sunnyfield Farm

7/20 – Asheville, NC – Third Room

7/21 – Charles Town, WV – Abolitionist Ale Works

7/23 – Brooklyn, NY – LunÀtico

7/24 – Harrisburg, PA – XL Live

7/25 – Cleveland, OH – The Winchester Music Tavern

7/26 – Detroit, MI – Parts and Labor