Circles Around The Sun is a documentary included as part of the Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of Grateful Dead. The project began when Casal was asked by video director Justin Kreutzmann to compose and record more than five hours of original music to be played along with the visuals Kreutzmann was preparing for the Fare Thee Well intermissions. "The idea was to not only show reverence for the past but to ultimately, move it forward. If there's anything to be learned from the Grateful Dead, it is to dissolve your boundaries, push your limits, and discover your own voice in this world," explains Casal, the lead guitarist and co-lyricist for The Chris Robinson Brotherhood and part-time member of Phil Lesh and Friends. All of the music on INTERLUDES FOR THE DEAD was written collectively - with nothing prepared beforehand or added afterward - and recorded live by engineer J.P. Hesser.