Circa:
Encyclopedia
Circa is a progressive rock
supergroup
founded by four musicians associated with Yes
: current Yes member Alan White
(drums), former Yes members Tony Kaye
(Hammond, keyboards) and Billy Sherwood
(bass, vocals), and guitarist Jimmy Haun
, who played on the Yes album Union.
(Billy's elder brother) were childhood friends and went on to form the band Lodgic
, which Billy joined in 1981. A few years after Lodgic split up, Billy Sherwood was introduced to Yes bassist Chris Squire
and other members of Yes, including Kaye and White. Sherwood worked with the band on material for their next album. Meanwhile, both Haun and Michael Sherwood came to do session work on the second album from the Yes spinoff band, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
. Material from both projects was combined for the 1991 album Union, which thus features Billy Sherwood on the track "The More We Live—Let Go" and Haun and Michael Sherwood on further tracks. Squire and Billy Sherwood had written a body of material not used on Union; subsequently, they briefly toured this under the name of The Chris Squire Experiment in 1992, with a line-up including White and Haun. (The Chris Squire Experiment later evolved into Conspiracy
.)
Billy Sherwood continued an on/off association with Yes over the next few years, joining the live line-up for the Talk tour in 1994, with Jon Anderson
, Trevor Rabin
, Chris Squire, Alan White, and Tony Kaye. After this, in 1995, Sherwood and Rabin did some writing together, and two tracks on the Circa 2007 album are based on this material.
Billy Sherwood eventually joined Yes for a few years before leaving again. In the mid-2000s, he organised two Pink Floyd
tribute albums, Back Against The Wall
and Return To The Dark Side Of The Moon
, and some further projects which featured an array of former and current Yes members as guests, including Kaye, White, Geoff Downes
, Peter Banks
, Bill Bruford
, Steve Howe
, and Rick Wakeman
. Coming out of the second of these projects, Sherwood suggested to Kaye that they put together a project using former and current members of Yes. Going under a working title of Family or Family Project, various names were floated, and White and Banks were approached.
However, in 2006, as the project developed, Sherwood and Kaye decided to change tack and focus on creating a unitary band. They recruited Alan White on drums and Jimmy Haun on guitar and recorded their debut album. Circa was formally announced in March 2007.
The band's debut live show was on August 23, 2007 in San Juan Capistrano, with a set including an extended instrumental medley of Yes tunes. A DVD of this show was released as Circa Live in February 2008. A few North American dates followed in early 2008, with Jay Schellen
, a past collaborator of Sherwood's and Kaye's, filling in for White on one date.
singer, Bobby Kimball
, was announced for February 2009, playing a set consisting of music by Circa, Yes, and Toto. Kimball and Circa then joined to create a new band, Yoso
(originally to be called AKA), although the Yoso line-up changed further until only Sherwood and Kaye from Circa were still members, joined by Johnny Bruhns on guitar and Scott Connor on drums.
and Unruly Child
. Connor was originally to take over on drums, but withdrew and Ronnie Ciago joined the band. On March 7, 2011, Michi Sherwood (Billy's wife) revealed the band's next album will be called And So On.
However, with western North American tour dates, Ciago left the band and Connor joined.
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
founded by four musicians associated with Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
: current Yes member Alan White
Alan White (Yes drummer)
Alan White is an English rock drummer known for his work with the progressive rock band Yes. White was also a member of the Plastic Ono Band, playing live in 1969 at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival, which was recorded and released three months later as Live Peace in Toronto 1969...
(drums), former Yes members Tony Kaye
Tony Kaye (musician)
Tony Kaye is a British musician.Kaye was the original keyboard player for the progressive rock group Yes from 1968 to 1971, and rejoined Yes from 1983 to 1995...
(Hammond, keyboards) and Billy Sherwood
Billy Sherwood
William "Billy" Wyman Sherwood is a musician, record producer, and engineer.-Family:Sherwood comes from a musical family which includes his father Bobby Sherwood, who was an actor, musician, and big band leader, his mother Phyllis, a singer and drummer, and brother Michael, a keyboardist and...
(bass, vocals), and guitarist Jimmy Haun
Jimmy Haun
Jimmy Carey Haun is a U.S. left-handed guitarist, known for his work with the bands Yes, Air Supply, and Circa.-Career:Haun's first band was Lodgic with childhood friend Michael Sherwood and, later, Michael's younger brother Billy Sherwood. Haun went on to play on Yes's Union album before work in...
, who played on the Yes album Union.
Origins
Jimmy Haun and Michael SherwoodMichael Sherwood
Michael Sherwood is a U.S. keyboardist and singer.-Biography:Michael Sherwood comes from a musical family which includes his father Bobby Sherwood, who was an actor, musician, and big band leader, his mother Phyllis and younger brother Billy...
(Billy's elder brother) were childhood friends and went on to form the band Lodgic
Lodgic
Lodgic was a United States rock band who released one album, Nomadic Sands .-History:The band was formed in Las Vegas by childhood friends Michael Sherwood and Jimmy Haun with Gary Starnes and Mike Hulsey...
, which Billy joined in 1981. A few years after Lodgic split up, Billy Sherwood was introduced to Yes bassist Chris Squire
Chris Squire
Christopher Russell Edward "Chris" Squire , is an English musician, known as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the progressive rock group Yes. He is the only member of the group to appear on every album.-Before Yes:...
and other members of Yes, including Kaye and White. Sherwood worked with the band on material for their next album. Meanwhile, both Haun and Michael Sherwood came to do session work on the second album from the Yes spinoff band, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe was a project of four progressive rock musicians, vocalist Jon Anderson, drummer Bill Bruford, keyboardist Rick Wakeman, and guitarist Steve Howe . They had played together in Yes in the early 1970s...
. Material from both projects was combined for the 1991 album Union, which thus features Billy Sherwood on the track "The More We Live—Let Go" and Haun and Michael Sherwood on further tracks. Squire and Billy Sherwood had written a body of material not used on Union; subsequently, they briefly toured this under the name of The Chris Squire Experiment in 1992, with a line-up including White and Haun. (The Chris Squire Experiment later evolved into Conspiracy
Conspiracy (band)
Conspiracy was a progressive rock band founded by Billy Sherwood and Chris Squire . The band released two albums: Conspiracy and The Unknown , and a live DVD...
.)
Billy Sherwood continued an on/off association with Yes over the next few years, joining the live line-up for the Talk tour in 1994, with Jon Anderson
Jon Anderson
Jon Anderson is an English singer-songwriter and musician best known as the former lead vocalist in the progressive rock band Yes...
, Trevor Rabin
Trevor Rabin
Trevor Charles Rabin is a South African born musician, best known as a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the British progressive rock band Yes from 1983–1994, and since then, as a film composer.- Early years :...
, Chris Squire, Alan White, and Tony Kaye. After this, in 1995, Sherwood and Rabin did some writing together, and two tracks on the Circa 2007 album are based on this material.
Billy Sherwood eventually joined Yes for a few years before leaving again. In the mid-2000s, he organised two Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
tribute albums, Back Against The Wall
Back Against The Wall
Back Against the Wall is an album released in 2005 by Billy Sherwood in collaboration with a number of progressive rock artists as a tribute to Pink Floyd's album The Wall...
and Return To The Dark Side Of The Moon
Return to the Dark Side of the Moon
Not to be confused with the covermount album of the same name with Mojo magazine in 2011Return to the Dark Side of the Moon is a tribute album organised by Billy Sherwood, and released in 2006 on Purple Pyramid. It is a re-creation of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, and a sequel to...
, and some further projects which featured an array of former and current Yes members as guests, including Kaye, White, Geoff Downes
Geoff Downes
Geoffrey "Geoff" Downes is an English rock keyboard player, songwriter, best known as the keyboardist for the bands The Buggles, Yes and Asia, of which he is the only consistent member. When he was a keyboardist for The Buggles, he played multiple keyboards to achieve a New Wave technopop sound...
, Peter Banks
Peter Banks
Peter Banks is an English guitarist. He was the original guitarist of the progressive rock band Yes.-Early career:When Banks was a young boy, his father bought him an acoustic guitar...
, Bill Bruford
Bill Bruford
William Scott "Bill" Bruford is an English drummer, percussionist, composer, producer, and record label owner. He was the original drummer for the progressive rock group Yes, from 1968-1972. Bruford has performed for numerous popular acts since the early 1970s, including a stint as touring...
, Steve Howe
Steve Howe (guitarist)
Stephen James "Steve" Howe is an English guitarist, known for his work with the progressive rock group Yes...
, and Rick Wakeman
Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
. Coming out of the second of these projects, Sherwood suggested to Kaye that they put together a project using former and current members of Yes. Going under a working title of Family or Family Project, various names were floated, and White and Banks were approached.
However, in 2006, as the project developed, Sherwood and Kaye decided to change tack and focus on creating a unitary band. They recruited Alan White on drums and Jimmy Haun on guitar and recorded their debut album. Circa was formally announced in March 2007.
First album and touring
On 30 July 2007, the band self-released their nine-song debut album, Circa 2007, with guest appearances by Michael Sherwood and Cole Coleman. The album includes two tracks based on material Billy Sherwood co-wrote with Trevor Rabin in 1995. A two-track download-only EP was previously available for a short period in the United States.The band's debut live show was on August 23, 2007 in San Juan Capistrano, with a set including an extended instrumental medley of Yes tunes. A DVD of this show was released as Circa Live in February 2008. A few North American dates followed in early 2008, with Jay Schellen
Jay Schellen
Jay Schellen is a U.S. drummer who is best known as a member of the hard-rock band Hurricane. Schellen has also worked and currently working with a number of other heavy rock and progressive rock bands, including with Asia World Trade, CIRCA:, Unruly Child and several members of Yes.-Career:in...
, a past collaborator of Sherwood's and Kaye's, filling in for White on one date.
Second album and Yoso
In July 2008, Jay Schellen permanently replaced Alan White, who chose to focus on his work in Yes. The new line-up recorded an album, Circa HQ, in the latter half of 2008. The album was released on 14 January 2009. A short Italian tour with former TotoToto (band)
Toto is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The group currently consists of Joseph Williams , David Paich , Steve Porcaro , Steve Lukather , Mike Porcaro , and Simon Phillips . Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard...
singer, Bobby Kimball
Bobby Kimball
Robert Troy "Bobby" Kimball is an American singer, best known as the longtime frontman of the rock band Toto.- Early life:...
, was announced for February 2009, playing a set consisting of music by Circa, Yes, and Toto. Kimball and Circa then joined to create a new band, Yoso
Yoso
Yoso is a melodic rock/progressive rock supergroup combining former members of Yes and Toto...
(originally to be called AKA), although the Yoso line-up changed further until only Sherwood and Kaye from Circa were still members, joined by Johnny Bruhns on guitar and Scott Connor on drums.
Third album
Yoso disbanded in early 2011, and guitarist Bruhns moved to replace Haun in Circa. Haun had withdrawn to focus on his work providing music for commercials. Jay Schellen also departed, wanting to focus on work with Asia Featuring John PayneAsia Featuring John Payne
Asia Featuring John Payne are a rock group formed in 2007 following a schism in the then line-up of Asia. The band is based around singer and bassist John Payne, who was a member of Asia from 1992–2006, and the band tours playing material by Asia...
and Unruly Child
Unruly Child
Unruly Child is an American Adult-oriented rock band, founded in 1991.-Discography:-Band members:*Marcie Free - Vocals*Bruce Gowdy - guitars*Guy Allison - keyboards*Jay Schellen - Drums, percussion*Larry Antonino - Bass guitar...
. Connor was originally to take over on drums, but withdrew and Ronnie Ciago joined the band. On March 7, 2011, Michi Sherwood (Billy's wife) revealed the band's next album will be called And So On.
However, with western North American tour dates, Ciago left the band and Connor joined.
Discography
Studio albums- 2007: Circa 2007
- 2009: Circa HQ
- 2009: Overflow
- 2011: And So On
External links
- CircaHQ.com – official website
- Circa at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- NFTE interview part 1 and part 2
- Where Are They Now? news page