Ladies and gentleman, children of all ages, come one come all to the big top to feast your ears upon the stylings of a collective of musicians the likes of which the world has never seen before and may never see again. Recently spawned after a year of incubation in the deep, dark recording studios commonly found in New York and Louisiana, Circus Mind is poised to unleash their unique brand of New Orleans inspired funk to all those music freaks ready to be swept away in a hurricane of euphoric melodies.
Their debut self-titled CD mixes the colorful soundscapes and hard partying vitality of the French Quarter with the raw animalistic power of Times Square. Although most of the band hails from The New York area, the music is distinctly infused with New Orleans flavor; so much so that guest musicians Cyril Neville, Leo Nocentelli and the Rebirth Brass Band felt right at home playing on the record as well as during live performances on songs such as Spy Boy, Ground Zero and Slow Start to Nowhere. The disc is peppered with guest appearances by prominent musicians, who were glad to lend their talents to the project after listening to the demos and some of the early tracks. In addition to the Cajun Contingent, Earl "Chinna" Smith (Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley) Eric Krasno and Neal Evans from Soulive, Jen Durkin from the Bomb Squad and the Rainbow Trout Horns all collaborated with the band on certain tracks on the album.
While certainly adding to the appeal and over all presentation, the beauty of Circus Mind is not the guest musicians but rather the captivating musical arrangements by bandleader Mark Rechler (Vocals, Keyboards). "When you listen to the CD, you will hear that the musicianship and songwriting is the strength of this band," said Mark. "Yes, it is nice to have special guests to spice up the CD and to help draw attention, but the proof is in the pudding."
The Circus "performers" came together through a series of meetings somehow involving a yoga class, a "Tea and Jam" party and the Ringling Brothers Circus. Consequently, David Berg (Guitar, Tenor Banjo, Vocals) George Hooks, (Drums) Chris Crosby (Bass), Dave Diamond (Everything) joined Mark to form a cohesive unit that had the chops to play any style of music. "Each musician lead us to the next, which really solidified the group."
Not wanting to fall into any one musical genre, they recruited guest musicians to help achieve the goal of each track and enhance the overall process of recording their songs. The result is a spicy gumbo of greasy New Orleans funk rock mixed with generous helpings of reggae roots and savory ska blended together with tasty tunes and jam fueled boogie. A veritable musical buffet, Circus Mind can’t help but satisfy the hunger for funky sounds that will keep the rockers stompin’, the groovers hoppin’ and the jammers jumpin'. Currently in the top ten bands in both the Funk and Jam categories on Cornerband.com, Circus mind is gearing up to take their modern day medicine show of midnight ravers on the festival circuit and exhibit their uplifting sound for the masses.
