written by Josephine - photo by Mike Rhine

ONLY CERTAIN SOUNDS can possibly accompany some situations. For example, a woman suspended in mid-air by hooks in her back, appearing to give birth to a sandwich. And then eating it.

The Midway Orchestra provides the sound track for Pure Cirkus, whose performances can easily be described as shocking and intense. From mid-air sandwich births and aerial acrobatics to indescribable acts of contortion, the band enhances each performance with a unique and sinister sound. It’s only fitting that their nightmares stage antics poses an equally haunting and unexpected sound track.

A hard and heavy metal band of misfit carnies at it’s core, the Midway Orchestra adds orchestral wind instruments to their set. Primal sounds, like the surprisingly fitting didgeridoo, round out the band. As your favorite horror flick wouldn’t be the same without its sound track (shower scene in Psycho, anyone?), a freakish circus isn’t complete without the right music. The members of the band combine complex songs, often inspired by specific circus performers, with improvised melodies to complement the stage performers at work. Just as Pure Cirkus takes advantage of both traditional circus acts and modern performance art, Midway Orchestra incorporates the playful elements of typical circus music with their darker, modern sound.

The six members of Midway Orchestra are active in a variety of other projects, bringing influences from death metal, progressive rock, jazz, and classical. The Orchestra consist of BOOM! (Paul Turner) the band’s ringleader and drummer, Funky Reymundo the III, Dark Prince of the Windswept Islands (Donovan Raymond) on bass, Crumpet (David Testa) on guitar, saxophonist Butterhorn (Talbot Shoemaker), clarinetist Squeaks (Rosalynn De Roos), and percussionist and didgeridoo player Azreal (Jeff Kimes). Last but not least, King Fuck You completes the lineup with plenty of gravel in the vocals. The band obviously has no shortage of characters. Characters who bent over backwards to leave a good impression on The Sinner and its readers. We were even invited to a private band practice, where not one soul could stand still while the band worked on new tracks with amazing drive.

The band easily can, and does, hold its own with or without the rest of the circus in tow. Some performances feature Pure Cirkus, while others put The Midway Orchestra at the forefront. The band performs with some involvement from the Pure Cirkus on September 6th at the First Thursday Gallery Walk in Pioneer Square, presented by The Seattle Sinner. The walk begins at 6:00 pm at Main Street and Occidental. On September 29th both groups fully combine to perform their “Evil Live” show, on Whidbey Island with details to follow on www.purecirkus.com. You can keep up to date on happenings with The Midway Orchestra via their myspace page, www.myspace.com/themidwayorchestra