2005 news

The Beat Circus Featured In Dresden Dolls DVD 11.22.05

Our good friends The Dresden Dolls have just released a stunning new DVD entitled Paradise featuring a behind-the-scenes documentary of The Brigade and a live show at The Paradise in Boston. Directed by brilliant in-house filmmaker Michael Pope, the DVD features incidental music by The Beat Circus. Also featured in the DVD are many of Boston's creative performers including The Grindhouse Marionettes, Bony Lil, and the Empire SNAFU Restoration Project. Paradise becomes available in the US on November 22nd.

Tubapalooza Part Quatre 10.22.05

Beat Circus tubist Ron Caswell has been throwing now-famous parties at Williamsburg's hot new club Zebulon since early 2005. The aptly titled Tubapalooza parties feature Monsieur Caswell playing tuba in multiple bands. The fourth installment of Tubapalooza will happen on Saturday November 19th and features Judith Berkson's East River Orchestra, The Beat Circus, and NYC gypsy brass band Slavic Soul Party. Tubapalooza is no cover so get there early. More information on the SHOWS page.

The Army Marching Band Of Thieves 11.10.05

Brian Carpenter, Kaethe Hostetter, and Karen Langlie of the Beat Circus and Brian Viglione of the Dresden Dolls will be making an appearance as The Army Marching Band of Thieves this Saturday November 12 with HUMANWINE at Reverend Glasseye's cd release show at the Middle East Downstairs. The set in question starts at 9pm sharp so be sure to arrive early!

Käthe Hostetter Joins The Circus 9.12.05

The Beat Circus welcomes their newest member Käthe Hostetter. We met Käthe through Bindlestiff Family Cirkus musical director Peter Bufano. Käthe is an incredibly versatile violinist who cut her teeth working in several circus troupes including the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, Circus Smirkus, and Cirkestra, leads her own classical string quartet, and is a member of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. She has also put in time with the Luminescent Orchestrii, Devil Music, and Fat Day.

Image by David Van Allen.

Splendid Feature on Alec K Redfearn 8.27.05

The e-zine Splendid has published an interview with Alec K Redfearn which can be read here.

Cartoon Score In The Can 7.15.05

The cartoon score for Lorelei Pepi's film Happy & Gay has been recorded and is currently going through synchronization and mixdown. The Ghost Train Orchestra came together in Brooklyn for two days in April and recorded 24 short pieces for film composed by Brian Carpenter. Two weeks later singers Brian King, Leah Callahan, and Brian Carpenter recorded character voices. And last weekend cellist Karen Langlie brought to the studio all manner of amazing novelty instruments and toys for foley work on the cartoon, including toy ratchets, toy phones, slide whistles, a brake drum, pots and pans, mixing bowls, car and bicycle horns, and even celery sticks! Other contributors include violinist Harumi Rhodes, bassoonist Erica Schattle, and percussionist Matt McLaren.

Hatrobot 7.12.05

Artist Chris Bodily of hatrobot has concocted another one of his brilliant black comedy flash cartoons. His latest is entitled Portrait of a Modern Man set to music featuring the multiphonic sounds of tubist Ron Caswell. You can watch it here.

The Coney Island Mermaid Parade Ball 6.17.05

The Beat Circus Sideshow Players will be performing at the legendary annual 2005 Coney Island Mermaid Parade Ball on Saturday June 25th with burlesque performers Dottie Lux and Veronika Sweet of Red Hots Burlesque and The Grindhouse Marionettes. The Beat Circus Sideshow Players are a Beat Circus spinoff focused on circus sideshow and burlesque performances, featuring Brian Carpenter (slide trumpet, trumpet, megaphone), Jim Hobbs (alto saxophone), Ron Caswell (tuba), Leigh Calabrese (musical saw, toys), Django Carranza (drums, bongos), and special guest performers.

Weekly Planet Interview 5.20.05

Scott Harrell of Weekly Planet interviewed Brian Carpenter in advance of The Beat Circus' performance at the Salvador Dali Museum in St Petersburg. The interview can be read here.

Two Shows in Boston and NYC 5.16.05

The Beat Circus returns to Boston after a very successful tour on Thursday May 26th at the Middle East Upstairs with our friends from the haunting NYC post-cabaret band Barbez. Opening the show is Alec K Redfearn and Matt McLaren's incredible Providence powerhouse duo Gutterhelmet. Another show brought to you by the fine people of Die Beat Circus Kollektief.

Then on Friday May 27 The Beat Circus hits Williamsburg's hottest new club Zebulon back with legendary sideshow performer Tyler Fyre, the lovely burlesque dancer Molly Crabapple of Ixion Burlesque fame, and burlesque clown Dottie Lux. The amazing Luminescent Orchestrii open the show. There is NO COVER for this amazing show so we want to see you there.

Florida Or Bust 5.06.05

The Beat Circus brings their traveling burlesque circus sideshow through a 5-day whirlwind tour of the lovely tropical state of Florida. Starting with Orlando on Wednesday May 11 through to Tampa on Saturday May 14 at the Tropical Heat Wave Festival in historic Ybor City, we end our run at the Salvador Dali Museum as part of the legendary Emit Series. Spread the word! More details on venue and times at the SHOWS page.

The night before the tour, on Tuesday May 10th, listen to WMBR's Pipeline program for a special live on-air performance by The Beat Circus at approximately 9PM EST. If you live in the Boston area, tune to 88.1 on your FM dial. If you're outside the area have no fear...you can listen online by clicking here and following the webcast instructions.

Vote Beat Circus! 4.17.05

Beat Circus has been nominated in the "jazz" category for the 2005 Best Music Poll. So given no category for "Fellini-esque Cabaret" in this year's poll, we have accepted the nomination and ask you to vote Beat Circus! Vote now HERE.

New York Cool 3.12.05

The Beat Circus Fat Tuesday show in NYC can be read about in this month's issue of New York Cool. Fabulous photographs from the show captured by Lizzie Heard can be seen on the GALLERY page. In other news...a few weeks ago music from the new cd Ringleaders Revolt was heard on NPR's All Things Considered. More great reviews of the new cd can be read on the MUSIC page.

Image courtesy of Lizzie Heard.

The Hobbsian Way 2.26.05

What makes Jim Hobbs tick? We'll never really know, but you can read this full-page feature on our alto saxophonist in the Boston Phoenix. Jim Hobbs leads the Fully Celebrated Orchestra who have released a new cd Lapis Exilis on the German Skycap label.

We Have A Winner 2.20.05

A few news entries back we held a contest to determine the identity of the mysterious Sagittarius Brown. Our winner from Greenfield MA correctly identified that guitarist as the one and only Brandon Seabrook. The name was bestowed upon him by bassist Tony Scherr. Click on the image at right to see David Goldin's illustration of Brandon Seabrook.

A Carnival Of Souls 2.10.05

Next Thursday February 17 at TT The Bears, The Beat Circus will be performing back in Boston with a set of original music by trumpeter Brian Carpenter and accordionist Alec K Redfearn. The show features some of the most amazing and creative bands of the Northeast. Accordionist Alec K Redfearn and his Providence band The Eyesores have just released a stunning new cd The Quiet Room on Cuneiform Records. As of this writing Gloria Deluxe aka Cynthia Hopkins is finishing a residency of her play "Accidental Nostalgia" at St. Ann's Warehouse in NYC. At this show she will present her remarkable solo set. Portland-based Cerberus Shoal has been confounding listeners for ten years and perform one of their rare sets in Boston. The experimental duo Turkish Queen open the show with their beautiful sounds. Not to be missed. More details on the SHOWS page.

Fat Tuesday with Miss Dirty Martini and special guests 1.28.05

The Beat Circus will be celebrating the Fat Tuesday tradition in their own warped and wonderful way on Tuesday February 8 at the Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn. The show features an all-star parade of incredible NYC solo performers including the International Burlesque Sensation Miss Dirty Martini, banjoist songwriter extraordinaire Curtis Eller, and accordionist of Providence fame Alec K Redfearn. If that weren't enough expect a few surprise special guest performances. The show starts at 10pm. Galapagos is located in Williamsburg on 70 North 6th Street between Wythe and Kent.

Image courtesy of Lizzie Heard.

The Genius of Goldin 2.3.05

People are saying great things about the illustrations for the new cd Ringleader's Revolt. Perhaps the most startling coincidence regarding illustrator David Goldin and The Beat Circus is that Goldin had actually illustrated the band's instrumentation including banjoist and accordionist (later to come to life as Brandon Seabrook and Alec K Redfearn) prior to ever making contact with the ringleader or hearing about the band. Goldin's unique collage approach of mixing real-life scrap objects with his illustrations was discovered by the ringleader while browsing though the comic book Blab. When they finally reached each other, an instant connection was made. Both had a deep love of the circus and each inspired the other's work. The result is one of the most incredible collections of cd illustrations in recent memory. His illustration at right (click to zoom) was used on the cover of this week's LA Times A&E section. Other of Goldin's Beat Circus illustrations can be viewed at the GALLERY page.

2005 Schedule Taking Shape 01.15.05

Exciting things are in the works for 2005. The Beat Circus is performing a variety of amazing new shows this spring in Boston, Providence, and NYC. They will also be touring the South in mid-May on their new cd Ringleader's Revolt. For the dates and details go to the SHOWS page. Also of note, The Ghost Train Orchestra is in pre-production on an original score to award-winning animator Lorelei Pepi's incredible 1930s-styled cartoon musical Happy and Gay scheduled for release this year and featuring the voices of the fabulous cabaret singers Leah Callahan and Brian King. The Ghost Train Orchestra is a tentet which performs forgotten 1920s music from Tin Pan Alley to burlesque faves to dancehall numbers arranged by Brian Carpenter.

Boston Phoenix Top 10 of 2004 12.29.05

Don't sleep on Ringleader's Revolt! The Boston Phoenix Year In Review issue ranks The Beat Circus among the top 10 acts of 2004. See the full article here.

DJ BC Spins At River Gods 01.08.05

DJ Brian Carpenter, frontman and mastermind of The Beat Circus and host of the infamous Free Association, will be spinning his maniacal brand of noise and carnival music Thursday night January 13 starting at 9 at River Gods in Central Square Cambridge as part of the monthly Ointment series. Free Association has run strong for the past three years on Boston's heralded underground college radio station WZBC 90.3FM.

Vote Ms Kitty Heels 01.02.05

Our amazing sawyer Leigh Calabrese has been nominated on the Boston Noise poll in the category "Other Instrument." You can help her win by voting here. Deadline is January 4!

A Musical Saw Appreciation crash course begins in the early 20th century. The musical saw reached its heydey in vaudeville and died with it around WWII. Even though any carpenter's saw plays, there were many saws manufactured especially for playing music throughout history. The player can change the key by the way one bends the saw and the position of the bow. When one bows the saw up and plays on the wider end near the handle, one gets lower notes. On the upper end of the saw, the notes are higher. The bowed saw sounds a bit like the Theremin but with a more organic quality. More of the dirt on Leigh can be read on the BAND page.

While you're voting you can help The Beat Circus win the WNYC 2004 New Sounds poll by voting here.

Happy 2005 From The Beat Circus Family 1.1.05

Happy new year from the entire Beat Circus family. This photo received from proud father of Alexander Carpenter who is reportedly recovering from being up all night ringing in the new year. Also from the looks of his shirt there may be another reason for his insomnia. Go figure.