Play: Songs from Shakespeare (180 gram vinyl)

In 2008 Michael played Bottom the Weaver from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Simultaneously, he found himself teaching Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet on a rotating basis every single year. When it came time to write songs, he was somewhat stricken by “Shakespeare Brain.” The words of the Bard displaced almost every lyric idea he had. So he thought, why not use the condition to advantage? So began an experiment that lasted a number years whereby lines and speeches and conversations from these three plays would simply become lyrics for a rock tune. In 2014 HCE released Play: Songs from Shakespeare. An album of firsts, really: the first time Michael didn’t write his own words, the first album to feature René more prominently as a co-lead vocalist, and the first HCE album ever to be released on vinyl. 180 gram, translucent green. It’s a thing of beauty, and we think Bill would be proud!