Reflections on a visit to the Flea Circus

For years, Pete Siers has wanted to follow in the footsteps of master percussionists j.C. Heard and Roy Brooks by collaborating
one-on-one with Mr. B. Flea Circus is their stroll through the endlessly rewarding gardens of our traditional culture.
Everything that grows here is nourished and sustained by the honesty born of lessons learned from life in the real world.

Little Brother is the kind of music that grows directly from personal experience; in this case, B's longtime friendship with
Eurreal Wilford Little Brother Montgomery. The affection they shared comes through without one iota of affectation.
"Brother was not a showoff" says B. "He was the antidote to showing off': Montgomery made it clear to B that the heart and soul
of Vicksburg Blues came right out of church. In fact both of these pieces are anchored by a strong spiritual component, which
B describes as "pure truth of vision and beauty”.

Tremblin’ Blues is credited to Cooney Vaughn, who recorded in 1936 with a trio billed as the Mississippi jook Band. B says the slow
rumination presented here is a direct result of hearing Cooney's tune played in person by Little Brother. Jimmy's Stuffs by one of B's
earliest inspirations, Jimmy Yancey. His specialty was to infuse the blues with a Caribbean habanera rhythm, like an aria from
Bizet's opera Carmen, or the bridge in W.C. Handy's 'StLouis Blues'.

Do Me like You Did is a modified title fur one of Roosevelt Sykes' catchiest Louisiana dance tunes. it invokes the sort of magically
effulgent intimacy that lingers only to return in daydreams garnished with smiles of retrospective contentment This version of
When l Lost My Baby traces back to one night in Chicago when young B played it on the piano in Blind john Davis' flat while Davis
accompanied him on a melodica. What Was I Thinking of? is the tale of a guy whose rational thought processes became flummoxed
by an encounter with a strikingly attractive woman. it is B's cleverly worded paean to the inner hormonal cocktail.

Kirksey Flash is dedicated to B's personal hero, longtime Ann Arborite and American basketball legend Web Kirksey. Pete explains: 'Web does
not only hear the music, he feels it I met him through B, and felt an immediate connection on several fronts. For one thing, B's from Flint but
Web and I are both from Saginaw. His friendship has schooled me about the history of Saginaw what could only be told by someone who grew up
on the other side of the tracks. in fact he didn't know there was another side of the tracks until riots broke out in the 1960s. Every time I am with
him I leave with an expanded view of the world. Web Kirksey, acquaintance, friend, older brother, father, grandfather, guru, mystic, deity.”

B discovered the gospel tune Never Would Have Made It while immobilized, recuperating from a motorcycle mishap. it features
trombonist Chris Smith. Pete says "Marcus Belgrave was to blow on this, but he passed too soon He really meant a lot to us”.
Ypsi Gypsi is a healthy postmodern experiment combining jaw harp, hambone, sampling, scratch, piano and real-deal drums sounding
like techno. Pete again: "The music took on a world of its own and began to tell us what to do next The title is a bit of a play on this
rite of passage personality that seems to roll through these parts so often:' Arwulf Arwulf- autumn 2015

I have always wanted to play drums with the circus and this record allowed me to come close to that childhood dream. Mark and I play in a duo format
that brings to mind a three ring circus: Old-School entertainment with a flair for the outlandish. Flea Circus came together shortly after Mark’s epic
ride on his piano bike, The Joy Box Express, along the entire length of the Mississippi River. The completion of such a life changing event allowed his focus,
emotion and soul to emerge during this recording. Simultaneously, another dear friend and former student reappeared in my life, Eric Sills, now
owner/sound engineer of Stone Soup Studios, was generous and eager to make this project a reality.
I express deep gratitude to Mark and Eric for your consistent, positive and creative inspiration. Much appreciation to Nick Ayers and Kurt Krahnke
for your inventive intuition the guided ‘Ypsi Gypsi’. Thank you, Chris Smith, for your talent and contribution on ’Never Would Have Made It’.
This Track in dedication to our mentor, Marcus Belgrave.
Love and Gratitude for your daily inspiration to my partner Stephanie and our children Charlie and Neva. Thank You to J. C. Heard, Roy Brooks,
Zutty Singleton, George Wettling, Jim Dapogny, Tad Weed, Jeff Hamilton, Bill Stewart and Paul Keller. –Pete