Sam Silbert, Floating, 1910 Chainsaw Company
Richmond Street Flea
Port Richmond, Philadelphia
May 31, 2026
Every band you could want to see in Philadelphia was playing outside this weekend. All Saturday afternoon, miles of houses and stairwells were filled with free shows going on into the evening for Porchfest. You could even walk down to the beautiful Spruce Street Harbor that night and see Uranium Club play a free show outside on the riverfront. On Sunday, if one wanted to continue basking in the festive spirit, you could go watch bands play outside on Clementine Street at the Richmond St Flea. For those fortunate enough to catch Sam Silbert's group, The Circle of Fire, doing a set outside on a sunny 75° afternoon, we know we witnessed something special.
You may know Sam as the other half of the duo Hooky, who've been making electronic-inflected bedroom pop since around 2018. Whereas Hooky seems to be the songwriting vehicle for Scott Turner, The Circle of Fire inverts this dynamic, featuring Silbert as the songwriting force and Turner as support. The new crew consists of Silbert singing and playing electric guitar, Scott Turner strumming a nylon six-string, Jack Chaffer on minimal kit with shakers, and Melanie Kleid on a beautiful old chipped wooden electric Korg organ. I'd seen about ten bands play full sets in the 24 hours leading up to this performance and The Circle of Fire still left me gobsmacked.
Naming your group "The Circle of Fire" is a bold choice. It's bound to make minds associate you with with the country standard "Ring of Fire," a desperate and dark love song that feels more like it's dealing with addiction than love. The band's name matches the music's spirit. Silbert sings with a vocal intonation intended to haunt you rather than heal you, producing high and wavering lines up the top of his vocal register. He hits falsetto sustains that swell up and dissipate like an arctic wind, and, Jesus, it's chilling. The ghostly sound of his voice is matched at every point by a quivering reverb-laden guitar. Sam has an unusual way of playing and seems to barely strum or pick, expending most of his energy continuously sustaining notes and pulling the whammy bar to control any feedback beginning to well up. His soloing takes impulsive, slightly reckless directions that communicate small waves of anxiety that dissolve in blissful sustain. His guitar style references the '50s (think Santo & Johnny) but also easily steers towards the psychedelic. Additionally, his employment of a glass slide cements the country instinct of the songs.
The band works like a slow, sparse engine that props up Silbert's delicate effect. Scott strumming a nylon string guitar creates a softened lull, but his constant rhythm along with the drummer's snare and shakers moves the pieces along. Rounding this sound off perfectly is the electric organ. The beautiful warble of cords buzzing under this bare structure adds just enough warmth to keep the ember of the songs glowing. The organ and slow tempo conjure up some gorgeous classic melodies similar in tone to "Whiter Shade of Pale." I also can feel a lot of Neil Young in there, and also something newer, pretty and emotive like Angel Olson or Orville Peck.
All these broad influences mentioned could end up sounding generic in their nonspecificity, but Silbert's experience writing smart, catchy electro bedroom pop with Hooky is what informs the structure and heart of his newer songs. This is real pretty stuff. I really hope someone gets the gumption to record this apparition of a band while it's still here. In the meantime, there exists a really good live capture on his Bandcamp that is close to what I had experienced seeing them at the flea. Shout-out to Nico Trevizo from "Tilted" who cultivates great shows like this every month for the Richmond Street Flea that you can roll up to with friends and watch outside for free.
