Jefferson Starship ‘Mother of the Sun’ Is First New Music in 12 Years

Since Jefferson Starship’s previous album in 2008 two members have passed away. Paul Kantner went in 2016, Marty Balin in 2018.

Founding Starship member David Freiberg tells Noise11.com why it was important for Jefferson Starship to make new music.

“We figured it was about time,” David says. “Grace (Slick) gave us the license so no-one could screw with it. Paul (Kantner)’s family requested that we continue because we wanted to keep on carrying the fire. This band was Paul’s band for the last years of his life. Singer Cathy (Richardson) has been with us since 2008.”

Cathy Richardson was born in 1969, the same year Jefferson Airplane released their fifth album ‘Volunteers’. “Cathy had two favourite bands when she was 15 years old,” David says. “Heart and Jefferson Starship. And when she got Jefferson Starship records she realized there was a Jefferson Airplane. All the vinyl. She knew every song when she joined the band, better than Paul did”.

Jefferson Starship still tour (although like all other acts they are currently grounded due to Covid). “We’ve had a great time playing in this band. All of us were quite happy to interpret Paul and the Jefferson legacy,” he says.

Despite the new Jefferson Starship album ‘Mother of the Sun’ having some biting lyrics, David doesn’t see them as a protest band. “There are only two protest songs,” he says. But he also agrees one line off the album “they’re selling you cancer both cure and disease” speaks for today even though it was written a couple of years ago. “All these songs were recorded pre-Covid but they seem to go right along with what’s happening. Its amazing. They were written in 2017 and 2018 maybe.

Watch the Noise11.com Jefferson Starship interview with David Freiberg.