Kendall Street Company has unveiled its latest single, “Space is the Place”, a bold and funky reinterpretation of the classic composition by free jazz pioneer Sun Ra, produced by Dave Schools of Widespread Panic.
Long a staple of the band’s live performances, “Space is the Place” has evolved into an exploratory vehicle, often stretching into extended jams. When it came time to bring the song into the studio, the band tapped Schools—whose lineage traces back to Colonel Bruce Hampton and his musical philosophy of Zambiism—to help shape a version that captures both spontaneity and intention.
The collaboration came together quickly, with Kendall Street Company reaching out while Schools was working out of Spacebomb Studios in Richmond, VA. Drawn in by the band’s vision of interpreting Sun Ra through an Aquarium Rescue Unit lens, Schools signed on without hesitation.
“You can’t bait a hook better than that,” Schools told Live For Live Music ahead of the track’s arrival on Friday. “You said Sun Ra, and you said Aquarium Rescue Unit… I was like, okay, I’m in.”
The session itself was fast and intuitive—two days, one song per day—with “Space is the Place” largely captured in a single take. Rather than stretching the track to its typical live dimensions, Schools focused on tightening the arrangement for impact.
“In this short-attention-span world… I like to keep the hits coming,” Schools added. “Let’s power-pack it.”
That approach helped sharpen the band’s identity on the recording. In particular, Schools explained that he was struck by Kendall Street Company’s commitment to collective energy over individual ego. “It was a very high level of ‘all for one’ band thinking,” he recalled. “They’re not trying to be cool. They know the coolest thing is to be themselves.”
That philosophy aligns closely with the concept of Zambi, the Col. Bruce-taught creative mindset rooted in presence, absurdity, and ego dissolution. That mindset and influence that runs deep through both Schools’ musical lineage and Kendall Street Company’s approach.
“If you can allow yourself to be absurd, you throw the rulebook out the window,” Schools explained. “And when you do that, suddenly your ego vanishes. You’re just in a state of being your honest self.”
For Kendall Street Company, that spirit has been years in the making. Guitarist Ben Laderberg previously traced his connection to the song back to a formative Aquarium Rescue Unit performance in Boulder, CO, where an a cappella encore sparked a lasting fascination with the track’s mythology and improvisational potential.
“Step by step, the lore of the song became a mantra,” Laderberg explained. “I later came to find that this abstract cosmic musical absurdity had a name: Zambiism… Long live Zambi.”
In the studio, Schools encouraged the band to lean fully into that identity and trust the moment. “I had them pretend they were onstage in front of 80,000 people—but be your band, your true band self,” the producer said.
The result is a version of “Space is the Place” that distills the band’s live energy into a concise, high-impact recording—equal parts reverent tribute and forward-looking statement. Schools summed it up best: “KSC surprised me… Their unity and team spirit come to mind… KSC pulled it off admirably with energy and, as Col Bruce would have demanded, a stunning lack of ego.”
Listen to “Space is the Place” below or on your preferred steaming platform. Kendall Street Company will support the release with a run of spring and summer tour dates. Scroll down for a full list of upcoming shows, and head to the band’s website for tickets.
Kendall Street Company – “Space Is The Place” (Sun Ra)
Kendall Street Company Tour Dates
4/9 – Barrelhouse Ballroom – Chattanooga, TN
4/10 – Exit/In – Nashville, TN
4/23 – Deep Dive – Ithaca, NY
4/24 – Town Ballroom – Buffalo, NY*
4/25 – Woodlands Tavern – Columbus, OH
5/2 – Uptown Alley – Midlothian, VA
5/9 – Abbey Bar – Harrisburg, PA
5/28 – Winchester Music Tavern – Cleveland, OH
5/29 – Turntable – Indianapolis, IN
5/30 – Fairborn Phoenix – Dayton, OH
5/31 – Headliners Music Hall – Louisville, KY
6/6 – The Shakedown – Catonsville, MD
6/11 – Smith’s Olde Bar – Atlanta, GA
6/12 – 185 King Street – Brevard, NC
6/13 – Greenfield Lake Amphitheatre – Wilmington, NC%
6/14 – Nokefest – Roanoke, VA
6/19 – Harmony Woods – Bel Air, MD
7/3 – The Annex – Norfolk, VA
7/4 – Fourth On The Farm – Quakertown, PA
7/16 – US National Whitewater Center – Charlotte, NC
7/17 – The Pour House Music Hall – Raleigh, NC^
7/18 – All Jammed Up – Asheville, NC
8/6 – People Fest – Yuba, WI
8/8 – Domefest – Oak Hill, WV
* w/ Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
% w/ Big Something
^ Phish Afterparty
