It was recorded at the Roseland Theater in Portland, Oregon, on April 25 and 26, 2001.

The song "Ashes and Glass" contains an instrumental excerpt of Grateful Dead's well-known jam classic "Dark Star".

In a review for AllMusic, William Ruhlmann wrote: "RatDog comes off as a Grateful Dead clone band with the Dead's surviving co-lead vocalist at the helm...

In addition to the repertoire, there is the overall musical style of the band, which, despite the presence of a saxophone, has a very Dead-like feel.

"[1] Author Dean Budnick stated that, despite the presence of some "agreeable interpretations" of Dead material, "the release fails to deliver on the band's full resources.