Jessica Martinez: Thank you for sitting with us, how was your drive over from Toronto?

Circe Romano: I slept most of the way through the farm grid, but I had a nice room in Kincardine on Huron.

JM: What were you doing way out there?

CR: Meeting some family who were doing some research up there, something to do with the power plant. I'm the only one in my family that didn't go into science, so I don't really understand what they're doing exactly.

JM: So you're performing tomorrow night at the amphitheatre. How has your show changed since the last time you were here a few years ago?

CR: Marcie Johnson joined us on bass last summer and has really reinvigorated us. She introduced me to some old free jazz stuff I hadn't heard before. Apparently after it had made its way over to Europe (with Machine Gun and all that) there was a small theatre troupe in Denmark that improvised scenes along with a five-piece band. There aren't any surviving video recordings of a performance, but the few 8-tracks that survive are very inspiring. I wish I could've seen what it looked like though.

JM: Oh that does sound exceedingly interesting. Did you hear or read anything about what it may have looked like?

CR: I did read one review online. It was translated from Danish, so I can't be sure how accurate it was. The stage was almost pitch black when a muted trumpet began slowly playing. It was like a funeral march and produced a strange echo off the stone walls. All of a sudden, the rest of the band started up at full speed and through the darkness a dozen people ran out from the stage curtains. The crowd gasped and instinctively lurched back as the dark shapes ran towards them before stopping at the edge of the stage. The instruments mellowed for a moment then descended fully into improvisation. As they did, dim lights flicked on and you could see the people on stage whose bodies were covered in handprints. They began to writhe across the ground, shrieking and whimpering occasionally. At one point, two of them paired off and began to waltz in the background. As the music continued to ebb & flow, one performer began reaching their arms up, trying to reach something in the sky as if gravity were heavier for them. The others began to watch but kept their distance as the figure continued to struggle. The saxophonist began to blow with immense power. This went on for several more minutes when suddenly the person's body went slack and they slammed against the ground. The other performers crowded around like feral animals as the music became increasingly discordant. It became dizzying as it rose and crashed repeatedly. When it finally settled the performers lifted up the figure above their heads and carried their body to the edge of the stage. They motioned and those in the front row took it and the body was moved across the top of the crowd, hand to hand, all the way to the very back where it was let down on its feet and joined the crowd nonchalantly. The performers began to leave the stage one by one as the music continued until all that was left was the empty stage, the band in the orchestral pit, and the lone performer hidden in the audience.