Boy From Black Mountain is the third studio album by Beat Circus

Beat Circus

Beat Circus is a band from Boston, Massachusetts fronted by multi-instrumentalist / singer-songwriter Brian Carpenter, who has been its only constant member since its inception.-Musical style:...

. It marks the second release in songwriter Brian Carpenter

Brian Carpenter (musician)

Brian Carpenter is an American composer, multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and radio producer. He is the lead singer and songwriter for the Boston, Massachusetts band Beat Circus. His primary instrument is the trumpet. He also leads the Ghost Train Orchestra in New York City...

's Weird American Gothic trilogy. Several songs on the album were inspired by Carpenter's response to his son's autism

Autism

Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...

. Larkin Grimm

Larkin Grimm

Larkin Grimm is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Memphis, Tennessee.She was born into a monastic order called Holy Order of MANS...

 provides guest vocals throughout the album. Album artwork was created by Portland artist Carson Ellis

Carson Ellis

Carson Friedman Ellis is an artist living in Portland, Oregon. She is best known for her children's book illustrations and her album art.- Career :...

. The album won the 9th Annual Independent Music Award for Best Alt/Country album.

Track listing

1. "The February Train" - 4:16
2. "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" - 2:59
3. "Boy From Black Mountain" - 5:48
4. "Clouds Moving In" - 1:25
5. "Petrified Man" - 3:43
6. "As I Lay Dying" - 4:13
7. "Saturn Song" - 3:27
8. "The Course of the River" - 1:45
9. "The Quick and the Dead" - 5:00
10. "The Sound and the Fury" - 4:11
11. "Judgment Day" - 3:55
12. "Nantahala" - 3:48
13. "Lullaby For Alexander" - 1:59

Personnel

Beat Circus

• Brian Carpenter
  Brian Carpenter (musician)
  Brian Carpenter is an American composer, multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and radio producer. He is the lead singer and songwriter for the Boston, Massachusetts band Beat Circus. His primary instrument is the trumpet. He also leads the Ghost Train Orchestra in New York City...
  
   - Lead Vocals, Harmonica, Accordion, Piano, Trumpet, Harmonium
• Paran Amirinazari - Violin, Backing Vocals
• Jordan Voelker - Viola, Backing Vocals
• Paul Dilley - Upright Bass, Acoustic Guitar
• Andrew Stern - Electric Guitar, Banjo
• Doug LaRosa - Trombone
• Ron Caswell - Tuba
• Gavin McCarthy - Drums

Additional musicians

• Bill Cole
  Bill Cole
  William Shadrack Cole is an American jazz musician and educator. Cole, most unusually for his genre, specializes in non-Western wind instruments, including the Ghanaian atenteben, Chinese suona, Korean hojok and piri, South Indian nagaswaram, North Indian shehnai, Tibetan trumpet, and Australian...
  
   - Chinese Suona
• Larkin Grimm
  Larkin Grimm
  Larkin Grimm is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Memphis, Tennessee.She was born into a monastic order called Holy Order of MANS...
  
   - Vocals
• Julia Kent
  Julia Kent
  Julia Kent is a New York City-based, Canadian-born cellist who is best known as an original member of the all-cello group Rasputina, and later on as a member of Antony and the Johnsons....
  
  - Cello
• Ellen Santaniello - Voice