Beat Circus

Beat Circus
Beat Circus performing in New York City, 2011
Background information
Origin	Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Genres	Alternative rock Experimental rock Americana (music) Dark cabaret
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Cuneiform Records Innova Records
Members	Brian Carpenter Paul Dilley Andrew Stern Ron Caswell Mazz Swift Gavin McCarthy
Past members	Paran Amirinazari Leigh Calabrese Curtis Hasselbring Jim Hobbs Kaethe Hostetter Briggan Krauss Matt McLaren Alec K. Redfearn Brandon Seabrook

Beat Circus is a band from Boston, Massachusetts fronted by multi-instrumentalist / singer-songwriter Brian Carpenter, who has been its only constant member since its inception.

The band's songs are characterized by lush arrangements, eclectic instrumentation, and Carpenter's lyrical themes of love, death, religion, and American mythologies. The music draws heavily from several disparate genres including experimental music, modern classical, cabaret, circus music, Appalachian string music, bluegrass music, old-time music, Southern Gospel, and funereal music. Since 2005, Carpenter has been developing a "Weird American Gothic" trilogy of concept albums, starting with Dreamland.

In 2001 Brian Carpenter moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts and formed a collaboration with tenor banjo player Brandon Seabrook, which led to the first incarnation of Beat Circus, originally named Beat Science. Aided by saxophonist Jim Hobbs, drummer Jerome Deupree, accordionist Alec K. Redfearn, tubist Ron Caswell, and musical saw player Leigh Calabrese, the group was a contemporary free improvisation instrumental ensemble which used circus music as a jumping off point. After a summer-long residency in Cambridge in 2003, Carpenter recorded the band's first album Ringleaders Revolt which was subsequently released by Innova Records in 2004.