Circle Jerks
This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2017) |
Circle Jerks | |
---|---|
Members | Keith Morris Greg Hetson Zander Schloss Joey Castillo |
Past members | Lucky Lehrer Roger Rogerson John Ingram Chuck Biscuits Earl Liberty Keith Clark Chris Poland Kevin Fitzgerald |
Website | CircleJerks.net |
Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American
The band has broken up and re-formed several times, sometimes with different bassists and/or drummers. They disbanded for the first time after the release of their fifth album
Many groups and artists have cited Circle Jerks as an influence, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers,[3][4] Pearl Jam,[3][4] Anti-Flag,[3][5][6] Dropkick Murphys,[3][7] the Offspring,[3][6] NOFX,[3] and Pennywise.[6]
History
Early days and increasing popularity (1979–1982)
Lead vocalist Keith Morris was an original member of Black Flag, co-founding the band with guitarist Greg Ginn and recording the Nervous Breakdown EP with them before suddenly departing the group in December 1979. Morris formed Circle Jerks as the Bedwetters[8] along with guitarist Greg Hetson, bassist Roger Rogerson (a classically-trained guitarist) and drummer Lucky Lehrer (a jazz-trained drummer). Lehrer did not like the name the Bedwetters, so Morris looked through a dictionary of slang words and renamed the band the Circle Jerks.[8]
The band's first recordings took place in spring 1980, including the original version of "Wild in the Streets", which appeared on
In late 1980, the group signed with
Later years (1983–1989)
They signed a management deal with
Biscuits and Liberty were eventually replaced by Keith Clark and Zander Schloss (who also appeared in Repo Man), respectively. The band also changed labels for the fourth time, signing a deal with Relativity Records' metal imprint Combat Records, which had started a punk sub-label, Combat Core. The newly revamped group recorded Wonderful, released in 1985. Their newfound stability allowed the lineup to record a second album for Relativity, VI, issued in 1987. One track from VI, "Love Kills", had been commissioned by Cox for the soundtrack of the 1986 movie Sid and Nancy, and was heard in the film.
Chris Poland played bass with Circle Jerks briefly circa 1989 after being fired as guitarist for Megadeth (Schloss had left the band by that point).[10]
Hiatus (1990–1993)
Circle Jerks dissolved in 1990 after Hetson left the band to continue recording with Bad Religion. Live recordings made during what would be their final tour at the time were immortalized in the live album Gig in 1992, their third and last release for Relativity.
During the hiatus, Hetson would continue playing in Bad Religion; Schloss played guitar and bass with various acts; Clark initially retired from music; Morris worked menial jobs and battled health problems (he had kicked a longtime dependence on drugs and alcohol in 1988).[11]
Reunions and hiatuses (1994–2011)
A long period of inactivity for Circle Jerks ended in 1994, when the Wonderful-era lineup reunited and signed a major label deal with Mercury Records, a move that had a few business complications: Hetson was still with Bad Religion, who had signed a long-term contract with Atlantic Records, while Schloss had been part of a band contracted to Interscope Records. After ironing out these difficulties, the band recorded their final studio album to date, Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities, released June 20, 1995. One track on the album, a cover of the Soft Boys' "I Wanna Destroy You", featured backing vocals from pop singer/songwriter Debbie Gibson, who had just finished a solo album with the same producer that Circle Jerks were using. Gibson later made a surprise appearance at Circle Jerks' performance at punk mecca CBGB to perform "I Wanna Destroy You" with the band. Despite such media attention, the group suddenly imploded three weeks into a tour behind the album. The breakup would not be totally permanent, with the Jerks playing sporadically throughout the late 1990s, but Clark left music for good afterward. Original bassist Rogerson died in 1996 of a drug overdose. He was 41 years old.
Further Circle Jerks activity was suddenly held up when Morris announced that he had been diagnosed with adult onset diabetes in 1999.[12] A multitude of punk bands held benefits on his behalf.
The core of Morris, Hetson and Schloss, with drummer Kevin Fitzgerald, continued to tour until 2011, in between other commitments — Hetson was still a full-time member of Bad Religion, Schloss played bass for the reformed first-generation LA punk band the Weirdos, and Morris was an A&R director for V2 Records until the label was suddenly shuttered by its owners in 2007.
In 2004, the Circle Jerks shot a live concert DVD as part of
For several years, a rumored Circle Jerks album featuring new material was said to be imminent, although no further formal announcement was made. In late February 2007, the band released their first new song since 1995 on their Myspace page, titled "I'm Gonna Live", adding more anticipation to the possibility of a new album emerging. However, in an April 2008 interview, guitarist Hetson admitted that Circle Jerks would not release any new studio material, saying that he does not know what will happen in the future, "but in the near future, no Circle Jerks stuff will come out".[13]
Circle Jerks were featured on a television commercial for XM Satellite Radio (they were the first band played in the commercial, which included "Operation" from the album Group Sex), and the band also posted a cover of Germs song "The Slave" on their Myspace page.
The Circle Jerks played their final show for nearly a decade at the Bluebird Theater in Denver on January 27, 2011.[14][15]
From 2011 to 2019, the Circle Jerks were on hiatus due to a dispute between Morris and the rest of the band. The conflict was over songs that were written by Morris and
Group Sex anniversary shows (2019–present)
On November 22, 2019, the Circle Jerks announced that they were going to reunite in 2020 for a number of shows to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their debut album Group Sex, including that year's Punk Rock Bowling. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused performances to be postponed until 2021.[17] Three-fourths of the final lineup — Keith Morris, guitarist Greg Hetson, bassist Zander Schloss — were involved in the reunion.
On July 15, 2021 it was announced that former Queens of the Stone Age and Danzig drummer Joey Castillo would be joining the band on drums.[18]
In April 2022, six dates on the anniversary tour were postponed after Morris tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.[19]
Band members
Current members
- Keith Morris – vocals (1979–1990, 1994–1995, 2001–2011, 2019–present)
- Greg Hetson – guitars (1979–1990, 1994–1995, 2001–2011, 2019–present)
- Zander Schloss – bass (1984–1988, 1989-1990, 1994–1995, 2001–2011, 2019–present)
- Joey Castillo – drums (2021–present)
Discography
Studio albums
- Group Sex (1980)
- Wild in the Streets (1982)
- Golden Shower of Hits (1983)
- Wonderful (1985)
- VI (1987)
- Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities (1995)
References
- ^ Grow, Kory (August 8, 2012). "Circle Jerks Tell Tales About Being Jerks in New Doc". Spin. Archived from the original on November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
- ^ "Circle Jerks reforming for 40th anniversary of 'Group Sex,' playing Punk Rock Bowling". Brooklyn Vegan. November 22, 2019. Archived from the original on November 23, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f "Circle Jerks Announce Summer Western U.S. Tour Dates". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
- ^ a b "Live Slow, Die Old". goodtimes.sc. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
- ^ "Anti-Flag at AllMusic.com". AllMusic.com. Retrieved April 1, 2007.
- ^ a b c "Circle Jerks". Fabu.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2009.
- ^ "Dropkick Murphys at Allmusic.com". AllMusic.com. Retrieved April 1, 2007.
- ^ a b "Lucky Lehrer biography". Thebrpages.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
- ^ "Circle Jerks Interviewed". Thrash and Tool, Issue 5. February 1983. p. 12. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ "Where Are They Now? Chris Poland of Megadeth". Noisecreep. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
- ^ Rogers, Paul (May 3, 2012). "Still a Malcontent". Laweekly.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
- ^ "From Black Flag to OFF! What's bugging Keith Morris". Mysanatonio.com. August 6, 2014. Archived from the original on August 26, 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
- ^ "Interview With Bad Religion". Europunk. Marnix. Archived from the original on May 3, 2008. Retrieved April 29, 2008.
- ^ "The Circle Jerks's Concert & Tour History". Concert Archives. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- ^ "CIRCLE JERKS @ THE BLUEBIRD THEATER 1/27/11 DENVER-CO". Keep Music Evil. January 26, 2011. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- ^ "Keith Morris (OFF!, Black Flag, Circle Jerks)". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on August 29, 2012. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
- ^ "Circle Jerks Unveil Rescheduled 40th Anniversary Tour | Exclaim!".
- ^ Gentile, John (July 15, 2021). "Joey Castillo is the new drummer for Circle Jerks". Punknews.org. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
- Brooklyn Vegan. April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2022.