Past Demons, an album of songs based on tales by acclaimed 1950s psychological horror author Shirley Jackson, composed by RSO with words by Jackson and Oliver is available now (Jan. 25) via Spotify, Apple Music, and all streaming platforms.
Among the stories included in the spooky collection of stories:
- In “Louisa, Please Come Home,” Louisa runs away from home, hoping to become someone new. Little does she know, some dreams come true…
- In “Remembrance of Things Past,” a woman wakes one more to realize she’s forgotten her husband’s name.
- In “6 A.M. is the Hour,” a man falls into an alternate dimension and discovers three gods playing poker. The stakes? The fate of the human race.
Jackson’s work was the basis of the hit Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House and the classic Robert Wise-directed film The Haunting. She is also the author of the iconic short story “The Lottery,” and was the subject of the recent film Shirley, executive produced by Martin Scorsese and starring Elisabeth Moss.
Past Demons features an impressive line-up of theater stars including (in alphabetical order) Jessie Hooker-Bailey, Caitlin Doak, Eleri Ward, Daniel Yearwood and Eric Ulloa, with Ethan Carlson, Nicole DeLuca and Miranda Luze.
The Band features Joshua Zecher-Ross on synths, keyboards and auxiliary instrruments, Felix Herbst on violins, Allison Seidner on cello, Andrew Zinsmeister on guitars, banjo and mandolin, Yuka Tadano on bass, and Sean McDaniel on drums/percussion. The album is produced by Zecher-Ross and Oliver (JZRSO Studios), and orchestrations by RSO.
The track list is as follows:
1: “The Real Me” — Jessie Hooker-Bailey
2: “Louisa, Please Come Home” — Caitlin Doak, with Ethan Carlson, Nicole DeLuca, and Miranda Luze
3: “Remembrance of Things Past” — Eleri Ward
4: “6 A.M. is the Hour” — Daniel Yearwood
5: “Jack the Ripper” — Eric Ulloa
SHIRLEY JACKSON was born in 1916 in San Franciscco and later moved to Burlingame. At university in Syracuse, she met her husband, the future literary critic Stanley Edgar Hyman, with whom she had four children. In 1948 she published her iconic short story “The Lottery” in The New Yorker, sparking furious letters from readers to the magazine. Her novels —— most of which involve elements of horror and the occult —— include The Road Through the Wall, Hangsaman, The Bird’s Nest, The Sundial, We Have Always Lived in the Castle and The Haunting of Hill House. Her short story collections include The Lottery and Other Stories, Come Along with Me, Just an Ordinary Day and Let Me Tell You. Shirley Jackson died in her sleep in 1965 at the age of 48.