The Orange Circus

Current members

Flash Hearth (lead vocals, guitar, mouth harp)

Shep! (vocals, banjo, mandolin, 12-string guitar, box drum)

The Mighty Raven (vocals, fiddle)

Jessie Moonlight (lead vocals, tambourine, banjo)

Honorary Members

Granny Alice

The Reverend Zebediah

Dusty

The Lonesome Pine

Colonel Teddy

Hank Atlas

The Talisman

Cam The Whizz Kid

Cam Mitchell

Chaz Mingus

Sonny Boy Thoy

Ketsa

Maudie Na Nakhorn

History

Origin

The collective is based on a comic book that front man Flash Hearth wrote with his cousin and friend when they were children. Its name was The Sin Circus, showing the horrors of the world. And amid the chaos and sin developed The Orange Circus, unveiling the virtues of humankind through wholesome art and music.

Early Years

Years later, front man Flash Hearth went to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia (Granny Alice's home). Along his travels he met Hunter Wolfe, Peter Stanley, and The Free Way Revival. There he began learning a lot of Appalachian music, which Flash and Hunter brought back to Flash's home in England, sharing it as they toured together. "We were sleeping on people's floors, and creating a ruckus wherever we went." They then began playing with Shep!, Chaz Mingus, Cam The Whizz Kid, and The Reverend Zebediah.

Whilst the band now has its core members, it has in its time seen a rotating line-up with contributions from Dusty (vocals, bass guitar), The Reverend Zebediah (vocals, dobro, electric guitar), Cam The Whizz Kid (drums, mandolin, bass guitar), The Lonesome Pine (bass guitar), The Talisman (vocals, double bass) Hank Atlas (bass guitar), amongst others.

In its early days the band began playing at the historic, world-famous Troubadour in Earl's court, London. A revolutionary's haven, this place developed into the centre for rebellion and new music. The Black Panthers met here when they left Paris after the '68 riots, and is where Bob Dylan first performed when he came to London. Other faces of old include Charlie Watts, Sammy Davis Jr. and Jimi Hendrix. And more recently it has guested Adele, Ed Sheeran and Laura Marling.

Musical Style and Development

From the beginning, the band have been intent on updating traditional Appalachian music. Their approach is to represent the current cultural moment whilst still acknowledging a link to the past, creating a sense of connectivity.

When asked what the band's influences were Flash responded, "The mountains. Virginia. My influences came from Bluegrass players in Virginia, and playing with them. I met Pete Seeger who talked about the importance of getting audiences singing along. And one of my main focuses is to create songs that people can sing along to. It unifies people, creating a sense of togetherness. In this time of separation and distraction, music - this music - is a great unifying force."

Carmen Town (2015)

During 2014 Flash Hearth wrote Carmen Town, and later recorded it with Shep!, The Mighty Raven, Jessie Moonlight The Reverend Zebediah, and The Lonsome Pine. The track was recorded and produced by Leigh Lawson. Following its release on 16 February 2015, it was played alongside a live interview on BBC Radio, as well as being played on Swedish and French radio stations.

It has since been toured across Europe, within Italy, Sweden, France and Germany. And in May 2015 it was sung at Dylan Thomas' birthplace in Swansea to help celebrate the centenary of one of the 20th Century's most recognised and celebrated poets.

Press

Record-Breaking Sunset Concert in Jersey www.itv.com/news 28/06/15, retrieved 02/07/2015

Crowds Enjoy Two Nights of Sunset Concerts jerseyeveningpost.com 29/06/15, retrieved 02/07/15

Oh What An (Orange) Circus! www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/ 27/05/2015, retrieved 02/07/015

Granny Alice, 90, Is Set to Tour with Group as Dancer ; Langton Green's Orange Circus Band Boast Their Very Own 'Bez' www.highbeam.com 11/07/15, retrieved 02/07/15

Bluegrass Band tune-up for Tunbridge Wells gig tomorrow www.courier.co.uk 07/07/14, retrieved 02/07/15

The Charity Busk: The Orange Circus Band www.huffingtonpost.co.uk 25/02/2013, retrieved 02/07/15