Steve Gleason Announces REBIRTH Song Cycle Featuring Trombone Shorty and Mike McCready
Twenty years after delivering the iconic punt block that symbolized New Orleans’ recovery from Hurricane Katrina, former Saints safety Steve Gleason is transforming that history and his ongoing journey with ALS into a 12-song episodic project titled REBIRTH, released via Ineffable Joy Records.
Diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2011 at age 33, Gleason co-wrote the project during six months of intimate songwriting sessions starting in October 2025. His creative partnerships spanned North Idaho and Slidell, Louisiana, teaming up with artists like Marc Broussard, Trombone Shorty, Mike McCready (guitarist for Pearl Jam), PJ Morton, Ivan Neville, Anders Osborne, River Eckert, and Ben Schneider (of Lord Huron). The first two tracks, “Soul Is Invincible” featuring Broussard and “Sonic Boom” featuring Trombone Shorty, debuted alongside the announcement.
From the Superdome Turf to Tremé Recording Studios
The project draws its name from a defining moment in local sports history. On September 25, 2006, just 90 seconds into the New Orleans Saints’ first game back at the Superdome following Hurricane Katrina, Gleason blocked an Atlanta Falcons punt to set up a touchdown. The play became known as “the Rebirth,” serving as a rallying point for a displaced city rebuilding its infrastructure and spirit.
Two decades later, Gleason is examining that milestone from a very different physical reality. Through Team Gleason, he has spent years advocating for individuals living with neuromuscular diseases, while documenting his experiences in the 2016 documentary film Gleason and his 2024 memoir A Life Impossible. Rather than functioning as a victory lap, the new song cycle confronts the reality of a disappearing future and a changing body.
“Music is one of the ways I access parts of myself that ALS cannot touch,” Gleason stated. “I can’t play guitar anymore, but the need to express myself has endured. Making this felt impossible. Which is generally where the good stuff begins.”
Gleason produced REBIRTH alongside Stephen Rehage and Jim Salters. Recording sessions took place at Esplanade Studios in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans. The roster of musicians also brought together Brandon Coleman on keyboard, Ari Teitel on guitar, pianist David Torkanowsky, Shane Theriot serving as guitarist and producer, drummer Alvin Ford Jr., Tony Hall from Dumpstaphunk, and members of E-Collective. Michel Gleason provided feedback on the project’s most personal lyrical material, which drew partly from poems Gleason had written.
A Second Line Procession and Monday Night Football Live Debut
The 20th-anniversary milestone extends beyond recorded tracks. On October 5, as the Saints host the Falcons once again on Monday Night Football, a second line procession will travel from Lafayette Square to Champions Square ahead of a live REBIRTH concert.
Marc Broussard and his band are scheduled to open the event. Gleason will then join special guests for the first live performances of “Soul Is Invincible” and “Sonic Boom.” Following the concert, Gleason will participate in the game’s coin toss and lead the Superdome in the traditional “Who Dat” chant before kickoff.
Listeners can access the episodic rollout at rebirthsongcycle.com. The platform hosts behind-the-song videos, interviews, alternate versions, demos, photographs, and related archival artifacts accompanying each release.