Julian Koster (The Music Tapes, Neutral Milk Hotel) and Night Vale Presents invite you into the world of popular new podcast The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air) with an enchanting live immersive evening of songs, stories, games, magic, and more by the Music Tapes beginning in May. This fictional narrative podcast, created by Koster and presented by the creative team behind Welcome to Night Vale, has reached the top ten in the iTunes U.S. podcast charts and built a loving cult fandom around the world.

The audience is invited to walk into the world of the Orbiting Human Circus and spend an evening with the show’s lead character—the hapless Janitor of the Eiffel Tower, played by Koster—who will attempt, and fail, to clean each evening’s venue, as surreal events, songs, and magic simply happen all around him and the audience in the most unexpected ways.

The podcast—a combination of cinematic audio narrative, song, and sound collage—featured roles performed by Mandy Patinkin, Charlie Day, Tim Robbins, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch’s John Cameron Mitchell and new songs by the Music Tapes. This tour supports both the podcast and the Music Tapes’ new EP The Orbiting Human Circus, a collection of songs from the podcast and the Music Tapes’ sixth release.

The Music Tapes—founded by Koster and Robbie Cucchiaro, and featuring co-composer and collaborator Thomas Hughes (Spinto Band, Carol Cleveland Sings)—are seminal members of the beloved Elephant 6 Collective and are known for creating unique and extraordinary live events in spaces ranging from opera houses to living rooms. Their most recent show, 2012’s The Traveling Imaginary, toured in a circus tent with its own carnival of surreal games. This tour may be the Music Tapes’ most ambitious offering to date.

The Orbiting Human Circus feat. The Music Tapes on tour:
May 02 Baltimore, MD - The Metro Gallery
May 03 Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Small's Theatre
May 04 Cincinnati, OH - Woodward Theater
May 05 Bloomington, IN - The Bishop
May 06 Chicago, IL - Subterranean
May 07 Minneapolis, MN - Ceder Cultural Center
May 09 Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room
May 10 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
May 11 Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Bar
May 12 Boise, ID - The Olympic
May 13 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
May 14 Seattle, WA - The Vera Project
May 16 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
May 18 Los Angeles, CA - Bootleg Theater
May 20 Phoenix, AZ - The Trunk Space
May 22 Dallas, TX - Club Dada
May 23 Austin, TX - The North Door
May 24 Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall
May 25 New Orleans, LA - Gasa Gasa
May 26 Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn
May 27 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club
May 30 Asheville, NC - The Grey Eagle
May 31 Durham, NC - Motorco
Jun 03 Cambridge, MA - Middle East Downstairs
Jun 04 Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bazaar