In August 1982, Limbo District—percussionist Jerry Ayers, vocalist Craig Woodall, bass player Davey Stevenson, Farfisa player and vocalist Dominique Amet, and guitarist Tim Lacy—traveled from Athens, GA to Winston-Salem, NC to record at Mitch Easter’s Drive-In Studio. The session took place just two months after fellow Athens band R.E.M. had gone there to record their debut Chronic Town EP.
With Easter, Limbo District recorded a five-song set of bewitching rhythms and guttural poetry, chants, and howls that culminated in a Dionysian, avant-garde pulse.
These songs later accompanied photographer Marlys Cox’s images brought to life in Jim Herbert’s experimental film, “Carnival.” Aside from the few seconds of “Carnival” that appeared in Tony Gayton’s documentary “Athens, GA: Inside/Out,” Limbo District has remained unheard by anyone who wasn’t there to witness the band's powerful blend of music and performance art as it happened.
Carnival offers a glimpse behind the curtain, revealing a contemporary of the B-52’s, Pylon, R.E.M., the Method Actors, Love Tractor, and more, and presents a thread to unravel a perfect mystery.
Limbo District’s significance is matched only by its obscurity, and the complete Mitch Easter session has remained unreleased until now.
"When I moved to Georgia in 1991, the only Athens band I was looking for was Limbo District. For decades, I remained empty handed. And now, the crown jewel of the Limbo story is unearthed: Carnival. Chunklet is proud to have excavated this apparition and it is now time to celebrate the band's delirious, cryptic and in-the-moment existence. Behold: Limbo District!"—Henry Owings, Chunklet Industries
“It was exactly the kind of thing that I wanted to be doing. … Limbo District stood tall as being absolutely their own thing, and not remotely concerned with commercial music at all. Still, the songs were catchy.”—Mitch Easter (original producer, owner of Drive-In Studio, Let’s Active)
“Everything about Limbo District is kind of a surprise. Their music is its own category. What struck me was the uniqueness of it. In a college town music scene, there are so many creative young people who tend to wear their influences on their sleeve. Limbo District's music is not easily pegged.”—David Barbe (2023 producer, Chase Park owner, Mercyland)
“Michael Stipe championed Limbo District because he connected with Jerry. They were such close friends back in those early days. He helped Michael see a vision for himself that he would not have seen on his own, and things wouldn't have been the same for R.E.M.”—Lady Clare Butler, The Now Explosion
