Beat Circus – Boy From Black Mountain (Cuneiform)

Led by singer/composer BRIAN CARPENTER, Boston’s BEAT CIRCUS specialize in Americana. That term doesn’t mean the eight-piece is another generic roots rock band, however. For Beat Circus, “Americana” incorporates not only the expected folk, bluegrass and country influences, but also circus music, cabaret stylings, Appalachian string band music, gospel, polka, klezmer and even the droning tones of funeral music – anything from the rich, eclectic tradition that is the American musical spectrum. Strings and horns do the heavy lifting, assisted by a more traditional guitar/drums/stand-up bass rhythm section; Carpenter himself provides accordion, harmonica, piano and harmonium, as well as a gritty baritone. Carpenter’s self-described “weird American gothic” tunes here concern his autistic son, making Boy From Black Mountain a song cycle about the rewards and difficulties of an unusual life. It’s an odd but rewarding journey, a trip down the back roads and through the forgotten towns of the mind, finding formerly hidden treasures along the way. At once unique and familiar, Beat Circus take American music to exotic places that feel strangely like its roots.

http://www.beatcircus.net
http://www.cuneiformrecords.com