THE SLAMBOVIAN CIRCUS OF DREAMS – AN IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW
By Ralph Beauchamp
The Slambovian Circus Of Dreams is a musical juggernaut that creates an eclectic sonic landscape. They jumble distinct layers of psychedelic folk, Americana and rock into a mixture of pure elation. The band’s music is rooted in expansive storytelling and colorful songwriting. Their use of acoustic orchestration coupled with exotic song arrangements makes them something both unique and engaging.
The Slambovian Circus Of Dreams is composed of Joziah Longo (Vocals/Guitar/Songwriter}, Sharkey McEwen (Guitars/Mandolin/Backing Vocals), Tink Lloyd (multi-instrumentalist), Matthew Abourezk {Drums}, RJ McCarty (Bass/Keys/Sax/Banjo/Backing Vocals) and Bob Torsello (Bass). Earlier this year, The Slambovian Circus Of Dreams released a live album entitled 13-Live.
A defining essence of the band’s sound is their ability to shift effortlessly between emotive ballads and rocking anthems. The Slambovian Circus Of Dreams‘ music offers dynamic vocals, expressive riffs and a contagious fervor. They create aural waterfalls of alluring inflections that easily captures the attention of their devoted listeners.
Live performance is another aspect that further amplifies the band’s cosmic identity. Their concerts are known for their immersive integrity and dynamic showmanship. They easily capture their audiences’ hearts and souls with their ability to connect on an elemental level. The Slambovian Circus Of Dreams is a heartfelt group of talented musicians that truly distribute adventurous and captivating music.
The Slambovian Circus Of Dreams will be performing at the Black Bear Music Fest being held at the Harwinton Fairgrounds in Harwinton, CT on August 14-16th.
Joziah Longo and Tink Lloyd were kind enough to sit with AMP for this in=depth interview.
AMP: What musical elements immediately tell listeners this is a “Slambovian Circus of Dreams” song?
JOZIAH: I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that there are so many different instruments in the band. Also the fact that the topics are usually pretty quirky. The prowess and unique styles of the musicians in the band are very identifiable to people.
TINK: And his voice! It goes right to the heart!
AMP: Your lyrics often feel cinematic and dreamlike. What inspires those stories?
JOZIAH: I kind of live in a dream state. It’s been a very problematic thing for me all my life because I’m usually somewhere else instead of paying attention to things. But it’s very useful in my writing because I’m always in a semi-surreal state and when I hear words they kind of conjure up images in my head that aren’t necessarily the normal way you would think about something. I think that’s got a lot to do with it.
TINK: He picks up on the wisps of consciousness that are in the air that don’t necessarily have words but are feelings and then the words reveal themselves.
AMP: Have your influences changed as you’ve grown as a musician?
JOZIAH: A lot of my songs are rooted in what came down in the ’60s and early ’70s. There were some fundamental things that happened then, kind of unprecedented things, not just with music but a new awareness that was happening in society in general. I’m influenced by that time and the mind altering creativity that was going on in art, philosophy and music.
That’s the plateau I launch from as a writer and performer. People feel that at shows. There’s still a lot of work to do from that time period. We’re trying to pick up where they left off. Always tuning into the frequencies for the latest download.
AMP: How important is space and atmosphere compared to technical performance?
JOZIAH: Massively for me. I really write in a zone more than I do thinking musically, and so there’s kind of an invisible space in the music and in the songs that gets channeled through all the musicians on stage. Then within that space, everybody takes their individual prowess and dances within that atmosphere and space to clothe the stories.
AMP: The band plays both intimate venues and large festivals like Black Bear in Harwinton next month. Do the two scenarios give the band a different vibe?
JOZIAH: Yeah, I think we naturally scale to the size of the audience we are with. The songs manifest in a different way depending on the chemistry between us and the audience and the room. When we do a UK festival with 30,000 people in front of us it obviously feels massive but it doesn’t lose it’s intimacy. Everyone is tuning in to each other and we are going somewhere new together.
Something big is trying to happen at Black Bear. We could feel it the first time we played there. Their love for the artists and the audience is palpable and gives the festival a unique vibe and their very cool sound and lighting people always grease the wheels for us and the audience! Nobody is phoning it in, everyone is aspiring to the higher.
AMP: How much room do you leave for improvisation during live performances?
JOZIAH: Well, the songs are stories. Or movies. I write like that. But the players in the band, other than myself, are extraordinary musicians capable of the impossible. The songs breath a lot and leave plenty of space for our lead guitar/mandolin player Sharkey Mc Ewen to do his magic.
AMP: How do you preserve the organic feel of your music while experimenting with sound?
JOZIAH: The relationship with us and the audience is the organic part. Whatever we add from there is just to enhance the show and experience. Keep punk cred while not being afraid of prog experimentalism.
AMP: What emotions or experiences do you hope that your listeners take away from an album/show?
JOZIAH and TINK: Music is many things to us all – escape, communication, entertainment, medicine.
The relationship with music is so fundamental to the human experience. We always hope that any festival or show we play at fulfills what people came for. Our hope is to offer new angles or unusual points of view to consider that may give some extra tools to get through the year ahead. We are especially happy to be part of the Black Bear Festival this year.
AMP: Does the storytelling come before musicianship, or do they develop in unison?
JOZIAH: I’m primarily a storyteller myself, more than a musician. But there are chord progressions or certain sounds that ignite the stories into songs. So it is a combination, and it works both ways actually. A series of chords can tell me a story that I then turn into lyrics and learn something from.
AMP: How important is mystery in your music?
JOZIAH: Well, I think it’s the key element. We’re chasing the great mysteries of the Universe. I think, ’cause I’m always asking questions, always searching for the why’s, always trying to find out if there’s a more organic way we can think and feel and say and do things that might be better than the way we’ve done it for the past several thousand years, so that we can wind up in a better place. So that mystery and belief that there might be some spiritual and scientific revelations that can help us become those people that can create a better world just through interaction with each other drives everything that I write.
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