Legendary rock band Jefferson Starship (featuring David Freiberg, Donny Baldwin, Cathy Richardson, Chris Smith, and Jude Gold) has announced the release of their new EP, Mother of the Sun, their first collection of new songs in 12 years. Released on their own label, Secret Knock Records, and distributed via UMG, Mother of the Sun will hit stores and streaming platforms on August 21. The seven tracks include two songs co-written by original Jefferson Starship/Jefferson Airplane members – one co-written with Grace Slick and another co-written with Marty Balin. The collection also features the return of original Jefferson Starship member Pete Sears, who plays bass on three tracks.
Grace Slick co-wrote the first single, “It’s About Time,” which was released today via all digital retailers. Lead singer Cathy Richardson, who collaborated on the song with Slick and guitarist Jude Gold, will be going live on Jefferson Starship’s Facebook page today at 4:00pm EDT/1:00pm PDT to discuss the new single and other aspects of Mother of the Sun. “Paul Kantner was our bandleader and the visionary who kept Jefferson Starship going through so many eras,” says Richardson. “He inspired so much about this record, from the messages in the lyrics to the title and album art to the collaborative process of creating music as a band with some of his original muses – Grace, Marty, and Pete.
Mother of the Sun is dedicated to PK.” While Jefferson Starship’s current members have been touring incessantly (including playing five continents with Kantner before his passing in 2016), Kantner’s final “crew” has mostly been riding out the pandemic in their homes. That hasn’t stopped them from planning a massive 2021 tour to support Mother of the Sun, though, as new dates will be announced this fall. Jefferson Starship features founding singer/multi-instrumentalist David Freiberg (who was also in Jefferson Airplane during the band’s final year), longtime drummer Donny Baldwin (who joined Jefferson Starship in 1982 and also played and sang on many hits of the band’s Starship era), lead singer Cathy Richardson (whom Kantner recruited in 2008), 25-year member Chris Smith on keyboards, and lead guitarist Jude Gold, who joined in 2012.
The current lineup of Jefferson Starship is dedicated to breathing new life into this timeless music in their live shows. Massive hits such as “Jane,” “Miracles,” “White Rabbit,” “Somebody to Love,” “Volunteers,” “We Built This City,” and “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” continue to reverberate in pop culture all over the world. Whether in the studio or on tour, the five members still enjoy pushing sonic boundaries, passionately trying to change the world, and staying true to the original spirit of all things Jefferson Starship.
