Article Contributed by The Royal Potato Family
Published on 2026-07-08
July 8, 2026 – From the prolific mind of Mike Dillon comes Mike & Beignet Go to the Zoo, an 11-track, spiritually resonant, multi-dimensional percussion and vibraphone album, due October 2 from RPF Records/Royal Potato Family. A longtime collaborator of artists like Les Claypool and Rickie Lee Jones, Dillon has amassed an extensive catalog of genre-defying music. This latest effort, five years in the making, completes a loose trilogy of solo instrumental releases following Functioning Broke (2016) and Rosewood (2020). The LP's first single, "Puma and the Spider Monkey" is out today.
Puma and the Spider Monkey (Listen/Share)
Mike & Beignet Go to the Zoo began as a heavy exploration of loss, but it would ultimately transform into a celebration of life, friendship, and the enduring spirit of a 5.6-pound Papillon named Beignet. The tiny pup first came into Dillon’s life in 2018 through his wife, the distinguished artist Peregrine Honig (who also illustrated the album’s cover art). Beignet quickly 'adopted' the hard-touring musician and became his constant road companion, by his side for thousands of miles in the van, sleeping in the Airstream, and keeping the driver's seat warm during gigs.
Dillon began writing the album in December 2020. Its compositions were born from the grief of losing close friends and musical influences, including Ellis Marsalis, the beloved patriarch of the legendary New Orleans jazz family. As the world reopened and Dillon returned to a relentless schedule of 200-plus gigs a year, he continued developing these tracks while simultaneously finishing two Punkadelick records with Nikki Glaspie and Brian Haas: Inflorescence (2023) and Run White Boy Run (2025).
In the ensuing years, Dillon noticed Beignet beginning to age, and the looming fear of losing his canine companion began weaving itself into the music. Originally, the tracks were titled after his deceased friends. In a pivot to find light in the dark, Dillon and Honig decided to metaphorically transform those human comrades into animals, reimagining the album as a children’s record about a joyful trip to the zoo with their dog.
“It had always been my intention to make another layered percussion and vibraphone record. To orchestrate these sounds I love so much into something bold and kaleidoscopic,” says Dillon. “As I watched so many people in my life transition to the other side over the last several years, the compositions began revealing themselves. I was also aware that our beloved dog Beignet wasn’t going to be with us forever, and mentally preparing myself for that impending loss. So life and the inevitable loss of it pointed towards the idea of this record becoming something conceptual. With my wife Peregrine’s help we ultimately shaped that vision into something joyful.”
Mike & Beignet Go to the Zoo opens with the prayer-like “Honey The Peregrine,” transitioning through several movements, including a nod to Dillon’s earliest prog-rock influences as a teenager growing up in Texas, before returning, ghostly yet elegant, to its original form. It is followed by “Ellis the Penguin,” a simultaneously stately and funky tribute to the elder Marsalis featuring a frenetic vibes solo from Dillon. The album’s first single, “Puma and the Spider Monkey,” is perhaps best described as an analog synth Cumbia featuring Brian Haas on piano, Moog bass, and MicroKorg, alongside Ginny Mac on accordion.
“‘Puma and the Spider Monkey’ was inspired by my love of Cumbia and synthesizers," says Dillon. “I wrote the song on my MalletKAT with a sound from the Prophet 6. It reminded me of the trips I took with Beignet to Terlingua and the Big Bend area of Texas. While everything else was recorded layer by layer, this was the only track recorded live in the studio with Haas and Ginny.”
As the 11-track collection unfolds, it winds through the swirling psychedelia of “Gorilla and Zebra Birthday Party,” the anthemic percussion stomp of “Ronald the Rhino” (featuring longtime percussion partner Earl Harvin on drums), and the electro-jungle boogie-funk of “Gibby Plays Possum.” The album closes with the ambient, mournful elegy “Beignet Greets the Owl.”
On November 23, 2025, Dillon and co-producer Chad Meise put the finishing touches on the mix. For those final sessions, a deaf and blind Beignet remained curled up on the studio sofa. Just weeks later, on December 8, 2025, Beignet peacefully passed away in Dillon and Honig’s arms back home in New Orleans.
“It was time for Beignet to depart. The closing piece on the album imagines an owl taking him away from me to the ultimate ‘zoo in the sky,’ to join our other departed friends,” says Dillon. “Upon his passing, Chad remarked, ‘The Producer has left the building, but we will keep his water bowl in its location.’”
Mike & Beignet Go to the Zoo Track Listing:
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
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: https://orcd.co/mikeandbeignetgotothezoo
Mike Dillon Tour Dates
7/10 – Kansas City, MO – The Brick
7/11 – Wichita, KS – Central Standard Brewing
7/12 – Denton, TX – Dan's Silverleaf Bar
7/13 – Tulsa, OK – Thelma's Peach
7/14 – St. Louis, MO – Pop's Blue Moon
7/15 – Cincinnati, OH – Northside Tavern
7/16 – Columbus, OH – Dick's Den
7/17 – Williamsport, PA – Bullfrog Brewery
7/18 – Gilbert, PA – Moe.Down
7/19 – Waynesboro, VA – The Barn @ Sunnyfield Farm
7/20 – Asheville, NC – Third Room
7/21 – Charles Town, WV – Abolitionist Ale Works
7/23 – Brooklyn, NY – LunÀtico
7/24 – Harrisburg, PA - XL Live
7/25 – Cleveland, OH – The Winchester Music Tavern
7/26 – Detroit, MI – Parts and Labor
