Tomorrow kicks off the 999 Eyes Surreal Sideshow Tour, featuring the Black Scorpion, Eric Odditorium, Ballyhoo Betty and of course, THAT Damned Band! This assembly of misfits have been romping around Austin together for quite some time now, but never before has this lineup ventured out on the road together, and there are quite a [...]
Since the seminal protopunk band New York Dolls reunited in 2004, they’ve released three studio albums: One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This (2006) Cause I Sez So (2009) Dancing Backward in High Heels (2011) The two surviving members, David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain, have traded in their iconic 70s gender-bending glam [...]
Today, I would like to bring a little attention to a contemporary band reviving circus sounds for modern generations, Beat Circus. The Boston-based group came to life in 2002 thanks to founding member Brian Carpenter’s singing, songwriting and various instrument playing abilities. While the cast has been in flux since their inception, the current lineup [...]
This lovely little cinematic gem is Hellblinki‘s latest music video for the song Breaking Everything off their newest release These Bubbles Come from Ants; it was the last song written for the album and today, troupe front man Andrew answers a few questions about the making of this video: Q: Who shot and edited this [...]
The musical saw, also known as the singing saw, emerged from the Appalachian Mountain region during the early 1800s, forever changing American folk music. This unique instrument quickly became a mainstay for traveling minstrels and medicine shows, eventually earning entrée into the vaudeville scene. Today, the saw tradition is largely carried on through street performers [...]
I have stumbled onto a new obsession that I wanted to share with HeyRubeCircus readers, as I’m sure you will soon find yourself wanting to indulge in this delightful find if you haven’t already; GOOD FOR WHAT AILS YOU Music of the Medicine Shows 1926 – 1937 is a CD compilation of 48 classic medicine [...]
James ( aka Jimmy) apRoberts is a California-based graphic designer who created the circus-themed art for folk guitarist Stevie Coyle‘s recently released concept album, Ten-In-One. The name of the record refers to the old sideshow days, when rubes could witness 10 dazzling acts under a tent for one price. The album features an eclectic assortment [...]
Meet Bérurier Noir. Formed in 1983, this French punk band used power chords and circus imagery to discuss, the rejection of consumerism, politics and traditional social order and the anger felt by disaffected youth, tramps and outsiders in general… They would regularly appear on record sleeves and on stage wearing clown outfits, mock police uniforms [...]
Legendary guitar pioneer, Link Wray rose to fame in the late 1950s with his iconic brand of rock n’ roll. He’s been credited with inventing the power chord and has been dubbed one of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time according to Rolling Stone Magazine. You likely have heard his music, but you may [...]
In the golden era, circuses traveled with two bands: one for the sideshow and one for the big top. The sideshow bands were populated with African American musicians while the spots in the more prestigious big top bands were reserved for Caucasians. This disappointing segregation, however, had an unsuspected side effect: the widespread dissemination of [...]