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Boston Show on Wednesday July 28th 7.21.10
We'll be performing at Church of Boston on Wednesday July 28th with our friends from Jaggery on their cd release party. We'll be performing songs from Boy From Black Mountain we haven't played live in a long time, plus some new music as well. Hope to see you there. More information on the SHOWS page.
Performer Magazine May 2010 feature 5.15.10
Garrett Frierson interviewed Brian Carpenter and Paran Amirinazari last fall on the band's latest album Boy From Black Mountain, a new direction, and current plans for the next album. The feature was published in this month's edition of Performer Magazine. You can read the article here.
Back in action this spring 4.13.10
We're back in action this month after a winter hiatus. Since releasing Boy From Black Mountain to rave reviews last fall, we've been busy. Brian Carpenter has been in the studio recording with his band the Ghost Train Orchestra and recently recorded with Michael Gira's reformed Swans. Paran Amirinazari has been touring with singer-songwriter Larkin Grimm, Gavin McCarthy has been in the studio with his new band Wallcreeper, and Paul Dilley has been on tour with Miss Tess. Starting in late April, we'll be embarking on a short tour of the Northeast with Brooklyn's La Strada, who are releasing an album on Ernest Jenning. We're working on a lot of new material for our next album with new instrumentation, so expect to hear a lot of new songs.
Our May 5th show at Middle East Upstairs with La Strada and Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores will be one of only a few Boston-area shows this year so we hope to see you all there. Advance tickets are here.
Boy From Black Mountain wins IMA for Best Alt/Country Album 1.30.10
Boy From Black Mountain won the 9th Independent Music Award for Best Alt/Country Album. This year's judges included Tom Waits, Ricky Skaggs, Aimee Mann, Judy Collins, and Suzanne Vega. See the winners in other categories here.
What the critics are saying about Boy From Black Mountain 12.20.09
Beat Circus' rollicking new album Boy From Black Mountain has been earning great reviews across the land. Boy From Black Mountain is now available in our online STORE. All profits from our online store go directly to the artist!
The Boston Phoenix gives it 3.5/4 stars, raving "Boy From Black Mounain is the prettiest darn dark Americana record in recent memory."
PopMatters puts Beat Circus in their 2009 Slipped Discs, writing "For anyone still awed by Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, here was an album that promised a similar journey through innocent speculation and otherworldly magic. Beat Circus has provided one of the highs of the year."
The Boston Herald ranks Boy From Black Mountain in their top 10 of 2009.
Big Takeover writes, "At once unique and familiar, Beat Circus take American music to exotic places that feel strangely like its roots."
Foxy Digitalis writes, "Boy From Black Mountain provides another fine example of a band revitalizing traditional folk music without resorting to any post-something-or-other gimmickry, just great songs and great playing."
Fall tour dates with Blood Warrior announced 10.03.09
We'll be doing a few shows this fall with one of our favorite new bands, Blood Warrior, who is touring to release a new CD on Ernest Jenning. Blood Warrior was founded by Greg Jamie of O'Death and features some gorgeous and haunting vocal harmonies by fellow Blood Warrior Kristin Kellas. On these shows we'll be performing some songs from our new album Boy From Black Mountain as well as some brand new songs with a slightly revamped instrumentation (Farfisa organ and electric bass, for starters). We'll be performing on Saturday October 24th at Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge (also with Mr. Sister and Guillermo Sexo), October 25th at Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn, and November 12th at Union Hall in Brooklyn. More information on the SHOWS page.
Boy From Black Mountain is here! 9.13.09
Our new album Boy From Black Mountain is now available in our online STORE. Boy From Black Mountain is a collection of personal songs about children, fatherhood, dreams, lost love, revenge, and redemption. The songs are inspired by songwriter Brian Carpenter's son, stories handed down from his family in the rural Bible Belt, and the Southern Gothic literature of Flannery O'Connor, William Faulkner, and Eudora Welty. Illustrations are by Portand-based artist Carson Ellis, best known for her work with The Decemberists. The Boston Phoenix raves "Boy From Black Mounain is the prettiest darn dark Americana record in recent memory." All profits from our online store go directly to the artist!
Brian Carpenter on East Village Radio Aug 29 10PM EST 8.25.09
Tune in Saturday night August 29th at 10PM EST to East Village Radio. I'll be joining host Devon Levins on his show Morricone Youth to play music from Dreamland, Boy From Black Mountain, plus some rarities. I'll als o be playing some of my favorite soundtracks. You can listen to the online stream here.
CD release show on 9/11, tickets on sale 7/24 7.18.09
This is it! We are very excited to announce an epic bill for our Boston CD release show. This show marks a reunion with our beloved REVEREND GLASSEYE (relocated from Boston to Austin two years ago) who will debuting a new band and playing new songs as well as some of the older material. In addition, the astounding 30-piece circus punk marching band from Chicago MUCCA PAZZA, Boston supergroup KETMAN, and singer/multi-instrumentalist/phenomenon LARKIN GRIMM (Young God Records) all help us release our third full-length Boy From Black Mountain (Cuneiform Records) on Friday September 11 at the Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge MA. And we've scheduled the cd release show 2 weeks in advance of the actual street date so you can get your hands on the album early!
Tickets go on sale Friday July 24th in person at the Middle East Box Office (1-7pm every day) and at all Ticketmaster locations. Get tickets soon as these are going to go quickly! More information on the SHOWS page.
Boy From Black Mountain cover and track listing 6.13.09
Last week we announced the street date for our forthcoming album Boy From Black Mountain, September 29th on Cuneiform Records. We are planning a big cd release show in Boston on Friday September 11 so you can get your hands on it earlier. We are now happy to present the first single "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" on our MUSIC page with the album's complete track listing.
The cover illustration is by the great Carson Ellis, known for her illustrations for children's books such as The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Composer Is Dead and artwork for The Decemberists.
Boy From Black Mountain due September 29th 6.06.09
The third full-length Beat Circus album Boy From Black Mountain will see a release date on September 29th on Cuneiform Records. We are planning a big cd release show in Boston in early September so you can get your hands on it a little earlier...stay tuned. The album was produced by Brian Carpenter and Bryce Goggin (Akron/Family, Antony & the Johnsons, Bishop Allen, Angels Of Light). Special guests include vocalist Larkin Grimm (Young God Records), cellist Julia Kent (Antony and the Johnsons), and multi-instrumentalist Bill Cole (a specialist in non-Western wind instruments such as the Chinese suona). For more background behind the album, read this story published by the Boston Phoenix in advance of the cd release.
Boy From Black Mountain update 5.01.09
We're putting the finishing touches on the next album Boy From Black Mountain and targeting a September release. We'll be presenting the track list and cover illustration on this website in the next few weeks, so stay tuned. To whet your appetite, we've posted three songs from the album here and lyrics here for "The Life You Save May Be Your Own", "Judgment Day", and "Boy From Black Mountain".
WERS-FM Live Music Week 3.28.09
We'll be performing a largely acoustic set on WERS 88.9 FM in Boston as part of the station's annual Live Music Week. We'll be including some songs we've recorded but never played live. Tune in Wednesday April 1st at 1PM EST via the live stream.
April 2009 tour with Badman and Fern Knight 3.20.09
We'll be doing a short tour to Baltimore and back to Boston in April with Badman, an adventurous trio with a huge sound right out of a post-apocalpytic western, and our friends from Philadelphia, Fern Knight, a quartet of beautiful orchestration led by singer/songwriter Margie Wienk Ayre. More details on the SHOWS page.
Boston Phoenix story on Beat Circus 1.15.09
Barry Thompson of the Boston Phoenix interviewed Brian Carpenter just before the new year and wrote this story on the background behind the songs of Boy From Black Mountain and the latest incarnation of Beat Circus.
Boy From Black Mountain update 1.05.09
We're about halfway through mixing the new album Boy From Black Mountain with esteemed producer and engineer Bryce Goggin (Apples In Stereo, Pavement, Bishop Allen, Akron/Family, Antony & the Johnsons, Larkin Grimm, Angels of Light, Thalia Zedek) at Trout Recording Studio in Brooklyn. For a sneak preview, we've posted new mixes for two songs on myspace and facebook.