Vampire Weekend Enlist Goose, Sam Gendel for New Takes on “2021”
Vampire Weekend have commissioned Connecticut jamband Goose and California saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist Sam Gendel to each crate an extended version of their Father of the Bride cut “2021.” The reworked versions of the song, packaged as 40:42, each clock in at “20:21” and are now available on streaming platforms. In addition, both songs were released along with videos.
“We asked two of our favorite artists (West Coast saxophonist @samgendel and Connecticut-based jam vanguards @goosetheband) to create 20 minute 21 second versions of “2021,'” Vampire Weekend wrote in a post on Instagram. “They knocked it out of the park. Both created striking, exploratory works that stand on their own. We hope these 40 minutes and 42 seconds of music will provide some peaceful, vibey atmosphere as we all move through 2021.”
“The artists were given one directive: make their versions twenty minutes and twenty-one seconds in length,” read a press release. “Sam Gendel met this challenge with the track ‘2021 (in the space between two pieces of wood).’ Goose’s personal interpretation is titled ‘2021 (January 5th, to be exact).’ The combined effort comprises the upcoming EP, 40:42.”
It’s no secret that Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig, who covered the Greyboy Allstars in his high-school band and visited Wetlands, has recently become interested in the jam scene; he has previously expressed his adoration for bands like the Grateful Dead, Phish and Twiddle. Additionally, Koenig attended Goose’s 2/7/2020 show at The Troubadour in Los Angeles, sharing a clip of the band’s eight-plus minute version of Billy Joel’s “Movin’ Out” on his personal Instagram. Gendel is featured on Father of the Bride. Vampire Weekend drummer Chris Tomson also came of age in the jamband scene and famously wore a Phish t-shirt on SNL.
Read Relix‘s 2019 Vampire Weekend cover story here. Watch Goose’ and Sam Gendel’s performances of “2021” below!