Circles Around the Sun Lights Up Gypsy Sally’s [Video/Audio/Photos]

Circles Around the Sun Lights Up Gypsy Sally’s [Video/Audio/Photos]

Seth Gordon-Lipkin
June 5, 2019

Circles Around the Sun returned to Washington, DC last Thursday, putting on an outstanding show at Gypsy Sally's, treating those in attendance to an evening of instrumental psychedelia and extended jams. Kicking off the northeast run of their North American tour with the performance in Georgetown, the quartet, led by guitarist Neal Casal of Cris Robinson Brotherhood, offered up a two-hour set of original tunes inspired by the music of the Grateful Dead.

Mark Levy of Circles Around the Sun

Originally formed to record set-break music for the Dead's 2015 "Fare Thee Well" shows, where the four living members of the Grateful Dead shared the stage for the last time, the band has gone on to release a second album, entitled Let It Wander, and has now embarked on its most extensive tour to date. It's clear the band is enjoying playing together and growing into its own sound. In addition to Casal, keyboardist Adam MacDougall - also a Cris Robinson Brotherhood alum - bassist Dan Horne and drummer Mark Levy have developed a unique voice that blends their inspiration from the Dead with synth driven grooves and laid back guitar licks to produce ethereal, dreamy soundscapes.

Mark Levy of Circles Around the Sun

Adam MacDougall of Circles Around the Sun

Opening their show with the lead track from Let It Wander, "On My Mind," the band instantly stretched its improvisational legs, jamming for nearly 20 minutes from the tune that heavily features licks from "The Music Never Stopped." The psychedelic character of the music was beautifully complemented by the stage design, which featured five disco balls across the stage, fractaling the lights and scattering them around the room in a beautiful display of color. Following a loud and lively exploration, the band dropped into the slower jam from their original set-break music, "Hallucinate a Solution," which was similarly extended, clocking in at 15 minutes when all was said and done.

Adam MacDougall of Circles Around the Sun

Dan Horne of Circles Around the Sun

The band would continue to shift tempos and jam freely throughout the set, with a 22 minute performance of "Halicarnassus" serving as the show's centerpiece. As the band continues to hone its sound and tour more extensively, it will be no surprise if Circles Around the Sun becomes one of the must-see bands in the jam-band circuit.

Dan Horne of Circles Around the Sun

Circles Around the Sun will return to the DMV region this summer, performing a late night set at Lockn' Festival in late August, where the laid-back grooves and psychedelic show will be uniquely impacted by a beautiful setting in Garcia's Forest.

Setlist

Setlist

Setlist


Click here to see the setlist for Circles Around the Sun's performance at Gypsy Sally's on May 30 2019 

Videos

Videos

Videos


Audio Recordings

Audio Recordings

Audio Recordings


Photo Gallery

Photo Gallery

Photo Gallery


Photo Gallery by Kevin Shanahan of Good Foot Media:

About the author

Seth Gordon-Lipkin

Seth caught the bug of live music after seeing Elton John play the MCI Center at the age of 10 and has been frequenting DC"s concert venues since moving to our nation's capital in 2006. A dedicated fan of the jam band scene, Seth has logged countless miles attending upwards of 70 Phish shows, dozens of Umphrey's McGee shows, and trips to LOCKN' and Peach festivals. Also an activist, you're likely to spot Seth registering voters with Headcount at DC's local music venues.


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