Photos: Mike Dillon Shares 'Gibby Plays Possum' Single

Mike Dillon has shared the third single, 'Gibby Plays Possum,' from his forthcoming album, Mike & Beignet Go To The Zoo, due October 2 on RPF Records/Royal Potato Family.

Mike explains: ''Gibby Plays Possum' was the one of the last songs to be recorded for the album. It's an instrumental Cumbia that was composed after an afternoon playing Moog. At first I didn't think it fit this record, but once my producer Chad Meise recorded me playing a Brazilian drum called the Cuica (Portuguese for Possum), I fell back in love with the track and knew it had to be on the record. Chad and I share a love for all music Captain Beefheart and Butthole Surfers! I asked him to make the talking coffee can sound like Gibby Haynes freaking out in 1989. An evil chuckle emitted from the recordings console once the diabolical delays were added. Chad said, 'call the song Gibby Plays Possum.''

Mike & Beignet Go To The Zoo is the third in a series of vibraphone and percussion focused records, following Functioning Broke and Rosewood, on which Dillon incorporates electric vibraphone, marimba, xylophone, MalletKat, tubular bells, orchestral bells, timpani, congas, timbales, bongos, tabla, cuica, traditional drum set, drum machine programming and synthesizers.

He's joined on the recording by Brian Haas, Earl Harvin, Dan Oestreicher and Ginny Mac, Nathan Lambertson and Calvin Arsenia.

The music was conceived as the soundtrack for an imaginary trip to the zoo with his late dog Beignet in which all of the animals represent friends, mentors and influences, many of whom have passed on.

The album's first and second singles, 'Puma and the Spider Monkey' and 'Honey the Peregrine,' were previously released.

In addition to his solo career, Dillon is the music director for Rickie Lee Jones, a longtime collaborator of Les Claypool, and a member of Nolatet. He has appeared as a band member or special guest on hundreds of albums and tours, including those by Garage A Trois, Clutch, Ani DiFranco, Galactic, Ten Hands and Brave Combo among others.

Mike Dillon - Mike & Beignet Go to the Zoo is out October 2 via RPF Records/Royal Potato Family on translucent red, 180-gram red vinyl and digital formats. Available to pre-save/pre-order at orcd.co/mikeandbeignetgotothezoo.

Tracklist

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

Tour Dates

9/19 - Tulsa, OK - The LowDown (w/ Nolatet)

9/22 - Kansas City, MO - Greenwood Social Hall

9/23 - St. Louis, MO - Pops Blue Moon

9/24 - Prairie Grove, AR - Old Friends Reunion 2026

9/25 - Denton, TX - Dan's Silverleaf

9/27 - New Orleans, LA - The Broadside

9/29 - Austin, TX - Sahara Lounge

10/16 - New Orleans, LA - Snug Harbor (w/ Nolatet)

10/17 - Bay St. Louis, LA - Bay St. Louis Little Theater (w/ Nolatet)