Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams ~ 2012 January 15 ~ Tupelo Music Hall, White River Junction, VT
Band personnel: Joziah Longo (lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, mandolin); Sharkey McEwen (backing vocals, lead vocals on one song, guitar, mandolin); Tony Zuzulo (drums); Tink Lloyd (backing vocals, accordion, cello, percussion, xylophone)
Set List
Scroll down past the videos for review; photo gallery to the right.
Videos
"Tink (I Know It's You)":
"Silent Revolution":
"I Wish It Was Christmas Today":
"Alice In Space":
Review
Concert Going Partner and I weren't planning on going to this show, since WRJ is a long way from Cape Cod. Looking ahead to the spring, there were several Circus concerts closer to home that were listed on their website calendar, so we were planning on waiting for those.
And then those late winter and spring dates disappeared off the Slambovian calendar. After a few anxious days of worrying that someone was sick or something dreadful was happening, a notice was posted on www.slambovia.com that the band were going to be taking a break from performing to work on "recording, musicals, and other projects." Since lead Slambovian Joziah Longo has been hired a couple of times in the last year or two to provide the music for a couple of off-Broadway children's musicals, it seemed likely that more of the same was in the works. At least, that seemed like an explanation that would belay any anxious thoughts as we made the long, but easy, drive from the Cape to WRJ.
The Tupelo has two locations, one in Londonderry, NH, where we have seen a couple of concerts, and this one, a stone's throw over the state line into Vermont. The location was easy to find very near the Rte. 89 / Rte. 91 interchange. A short drive around the back of a restaurant led us to the venue, where we were early enough to grab one of the few parking spots near the door. It was extremely cold (wind chill below zero) and we flatlanders from the Cape aren't used to that, so we were extremely grateful to discover that we would be waiting inside the building for the doors to the performance hall to open.
The stage was good and big, with decent stage lighting, and rows of chairs gave plenty of seating for what may have been a sell-out crowd. Since it was Sharkey's birthday I wanted to sit on his side, so we found seats directly in front of his microphone, where we also had a great view of Tony, although Tink was a bit obscured over on her side of the stage.
Joziah told the crowd, to cries of dismay: "This is our last show for a while. We don't know how long it will be before we're back. It might be this Wednesday. It might be ten years from now." He repeatedly praised the crowd, expressing his love for the audience and the place.
But knowing that it was the last time these four musicians would be performing together for a long while motivated them to go above and beyond even their usual high standards. They played a considerably longer show than usual, and filled it with delightful treats for the audience. When they opened with "Sunday in the Rain," one could tell that this was going to be something of a Slambovian retrospective, focusing on their entire career, not so much the latest album. "Sunday in the Rain" is a song they frequently opened with in the past, but for the last year or so since they have been promoting The Grand Slambovians they have shelved that song in favor of the new album's title track. They did play "The Grand Slambovians" as the second song, but the retrospective/greatest hits mood had been set by the different lead song.
The band played several favorite songs from the new album, including a song that's become their signature tune, "The Trans-Slambovian BiPolar Express," with which they ended the first set. It's the only song they've played at each of the 17 Circus concerts I've attended. However, they also dug deep into their back catalog, playing several beloved songs that have received little exposure of late. One of these was "Sullivan Lane," a beautiful song about being accepted as a misfit child. Another was "Baby Jane," which Joziah dedicated to the "invincible spirit of woman." Another was a crazy medley that only the Circus could come up with: "Folsom Prison Pinball/I Wish." "Folsom Prison Pinball" is the lyrics of "Pinball Wizard" sung to the tune of "Folsom Prison Blues" (as an aside, I can no longer remember how the real "Pinball Wizard" goes); then the medley goes into "I Wish," a country-tinged love song about wanting to do one's best for one's loved one. They played "Silent Revolution," which I hadn't heard for a long time; it is Joziah's song about being inspired by great musicians who have gone over to the other side. Another treat not recently heard was "Genius," told from the point of view of an ego-driven star, from their first album. They had received a request for "Everyone Has a Broken Heart" from someone who was a child the last time they played White River Junction, and although they claimed not to remember how the song goes, they gave it a whirl, and I can't say there was anything wrong with their performance. Tink encouraged "loud singing along" on this song, as she did several times throughout the evening.
Joziah said that a problem with coming out during the intermission and mingling with the crowd is that he gets a million requests. At a recent show one fan requested "Baby Jane" and when Joziah said they weren't planning on playing it, the fan said the song had changed her life and showed Joziah the tattoo she had gotten of the song on her upper thigh. And then, well, how can you not play a song for someone who has it tattooed on their body?? This means, according to Joziah, that there is a new standard for getting a request played: show your tattoo.
At my most recent Circus concert before this one I was delighted by a special treat -- Sharkey did a lead vocal, on the Jimmy Fallon-composed song "I Wish It Was Christmas Today." I didn't expect them to play it tonight, given that it's well past Christmas, but hey, the song doesn't say "it's Christmas," it says "I wish it was Christmas." And so they could get away with playing it. But hey, Sharkey, you're being greedy -- it was your birthday, and you want it to be Christmas too?! Sharkey is a fantastic guitar and mandolin player, and now we know he also has vocal chops that could easily land him a job fronting a rock band. Tink played some sort of Christmas bells on this song and she also played the cowbell. Tony sent a message to Sharkey when he refused to end the song, continuing the instrumental part at the end so that they could give Sharkey's song some more time; the message was simply how much he has enjoyed playing with Sharkey during the 15 years or so since the Circus got started.
Joziah, knowing it was a good-bye show, did more talking than he sometimes does. He explained the meaning behind a number of the songs. He said that in Slambovia, there is a legend that the women are going to rise up and solve the conflicts (wars) caused by "the roosters", and that the band were commissioned (and paid in Slambovian money!) to write a song about the power of women. This song is "Tink (I Know It's You)," a song that has a special, mystical power all its own, brought out of the spirit world and into the earthly plane by Sharkey's powerful slide mandolin solo. This slide mandolin solo gave me the love of this band at my first concert; and it remains the ultimate moment, for me, of any Circus concert.
Joziah also gave the majestic anthem, "Talking to the Buddha," a long intro, explaining that in Slambovia people are very religious, and that they believe we all have the power to create reality. And that by getting up off our [rear ends] and creating change, we can achieve the Buddhahood within us, but it can be Christhood, or any-old-hood we believe in, as individuals. It was a smoking version of that wonderful song, driven by Tony's extraordinary drumming, building up and building up until no reservations of belief could be possible.
Another highlight, in an evening of highlights, was a new song, that Joziah said they performed at the Grand Slambovian Extraterrestrial Hillbilly Pirate Ball this past October, and that all five of his and Tink's children liked the song. That's an unusual degree of consensus. The song is "I Move." It has lyrics like "I move through fear, I move through walls." It has an enchanting melody and an uplifting, mystical feel.
For many Slambovian fans the defining moment of any Circus concert is the song "Alice in Space." While Tony laid down the Mummer's beat, Joziah gave the song a good long intro, explaining its purpose is to bring the child out in everyone, and essentially to create unbridled joy. Out came the parasols -- the clown umbrellas -- and people were dancing in front of the stage.
After a short break, the band came back for an encore. Sharkey, with a twinkle in his eye, playfully said "oh, okay" into his microphone to the adoring fans. They played "The Invisible," (a "sissy song" said Joziah), that beautiful love song about a spiritual connection from The Grand Slambovians. This particular night, it was a love song to the fans: "I'm so happy you are here with me ... I close my eyes and pray ... and enter the invisible with you."
And of course, they finished up with their unique medley of "Angels We Have Heard On High / Gloria." Fans were dancing around the stage. Wild abandon ruled the night; then the band went off the stage; and it was over. It was over.
What's next for Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams? If Joziah knows, he is not telling. As a fan, it is my task to wait and see.
After the concert, Tony disassembled his drum kit and gave away drums to some of his fans. It turns out the reason for the band's coming hiatus was that Tony was quitting the band. I heard he has become a truck driver, but I don't know if that's true. He was one of the band's founders and got Joziah and Tink focused on making music their livelihood some years ago; for that he will always have a place in the heart of all Slambovians. Good luck to you, Tony, in all your future endeavors, wherever they may lead.
More Circus
Looking for more Circus reviews? Here is a page with a handy list of links to all pages on this website with Grand Slambovians (Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams) content.
Click for 2012 Concert Page with links to all 2012 concerts ... Click for Main Concert Page with links to all years