A Perfect Circle
Encyclopedia
A Perfect Circle is an American rock
supergroup
formed in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel
and Tool
vocalist Maynard James Keenan
. The original incarnation of the band also included Paz Lenchantin
on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen
on guitar, and Tim Alexander
on drums. The latest line-up features Puscifer
and Ashes Divide
live bassist Matt McJunkins, former guitarist for The Smashing Pumpkins
, James Iha
; and session
drummer Josh Freese
, who is best known for his work with Nine Inch Nails
, Devo
, and The Vandals
. Despite having a varied cast since inception, the stylistic content of the songs has remained consistent with Howerdel as composer, and Keenan penning the lyrics.
A Perfect Circle has released three albums: Mer de Noms
, Thirteenth Step
and eMOTIVe. A CD-DVD set, aMOTION
, has also been released and contains thirteen music videos in addition to a number of song remixes created by Danny Lohner
, Robert Del Naja
and other artists.
The band went into hiatus in 2004. Since then band members have worked on other projects; the most notable being Keenan's work on Tool's 2006 album 10,000 Days
, and Howerdel's founding of the band Ashes Divide
. In a September 2008 interview, Keenan announced that he and Howerdel have been working on new material, officially ending the group's hiatus. However, the band did not start to really become active until almost two years later, in September 2010, when the band announced touring and the release of new music which may or may not be in the form of a new album."
, a former guitar technician
for Nine Inch Nails
, The Smashing Pumpkins
, Fishbone
and Tool
. Howerdel met singer Maynard James Keenan
in 1992 when Tool was opening for Fishbone, and the two became friends. Three years later, Keenan offered Howerdel, who was looking for lodging, a room in his North Hollywood
home. This provided Howerdel the opportunity to play demos of his music for Keenan. Pleased with what he heard, Keenan remarked, "I can hear myself singing [those songs]." Although he originally desired a female vocalist, Howerdel agreed that Keenan would be a good fit, and A Perfect Circle was formed a short time later. They were then joined by bassist and violinist Paz Lenchantin
, former Failure
guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen
, and the previous drummer for Primus
, Tim Alexander
. The band played their first show at LA's Viper Club Reception on August 15, 1999. After playing shows in L.A., the band entered the studio to begin work on their first album. Alexander was soon replaced with session drummer and member of The Vandals
, Josh Freese, but Alexander's performance can still be heard on the album version of the song "The Hollow
".
The band's debut album, Mer de Noms
(French for "Sea of Names"), was released on May 23, 2000. The album is distinctive in that it is the highest ever debut for a rock band, selling over 188,000 copies in its first week, and appearing at number four on the Billboard 200
.
Howerdel had been working on some of the music, including tracks "The Hollow" and "Breña", as far back as 1988. Soon after recording for the album was finished, the band began touring. Initially, they served as the opening act for Nine Inch Nails on the 2000 Fragility v2.0 tour, but they then embarked on a number of headlining tours all over the world, including the Canadian festival, Summersault
. As Keenan was well known through his other band, he would often wear long wigs on his otherwise bald head when performing, to distinguish himself from his Tool persona. Mer de Noms went certified platinum by the RIAA on October 31, 2000, while the band was on tour.
The album produced three singles: "Judith
", "3 Libras
", and "The Hollow". "Judith" is named after, and about, Keenans's mother who suffered a stroke
and was left paralyzed
when he was 11. The song "Renholdër" is a reference to guitarist and sound engineer Danny Lohner and reads Re:D.Lohner backwards. Lohner did not know the song was about him despite his first name being sung—albeit in a distorted fashion—in the song.
In the album review by Rolling Stone
, Pat Blashill wrote that Keenan "added an almost operatic angst to Howerdel's songs" and concluded that "A Perfect Circle sound like a desperate dream of what rock used to be. Maybe that's the point." Allmusic's review expressed that "there's little question that the addicting combination of Keenan's aching voice and Howerdel's accomplished songs and production skills made for one of 2000's best splashes in whatever was left of 'modern rock'."
, from 2000 to 2002 the band experienced a considerable amount of downtime. This made the band extremely dynamic in terms of its members. During the recording of Thirteenth Step, A Perfect Circle lost two of its members, Paz Lenchantin & Troy Van Leeuwen. Lenchantin left to join Billy Corgan
's new band Zwan
in April 2002, while Van Leeuwen left to handle touring duties as the new guitarist for Queens of the Stone Age
. Ex-Marilyn Manson
bassist Jeordie White
, formerly known as Twiggy Ramirez, replaced Lenchantin on bass in January 2003, with Danny Lohner taking the reins on guitar. However, Lohner did not quite fit as a second guitarist, and former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha
eventually replaced him.
The band released their second album, Thirteenth Step
, on September 16, 2003. With the new album came a new sound. While Mer de Noms had a heavier, deeper sound, Thirteenth Step was more melodic and straightforward. After the release of the album, John Lappen from The Hollywood Reporter
wrote, "They were never a band who beat the listener over the head with metal brutality, but now they're even more song-oriented than before—a move that illustrates that the band has a knack for writing instrumental hooks that show off a melodic talent that was not as apparent on the first album." This different sound can be heard in the three singles that came off the album: "Weak and Powerless
", "The Outsider
" and "Blue
". Following the release of the album, the band toured throughout the U.S. until the year's end. Then, in January 2004, the group left the country to play shows in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. They headed home in mid-March and finished touring in mid-June.
The album received mostly positive reviews. Allmusic's review stated the album "is the sound of a musical and lyrical maturity that normally doesn't occur until a band's third or fourth albums". The review by Yahoo! Music
expressed that the album "has its share of anthemic moments, but the real passion spills over in the moody overtures where menacing danger feels seconds away". Rolling Stone wrote in an attempt to summarize the album that it "sounds more like the dusky thrum of Disintegration-era Cure than it does any of the members' previous bands", and continued "Thirteenth Step doesn't bludgeon listeners into submission—it lulls them with droning guitars, dub-deep bass and simmering vocals."
in the United States), and contains covers of anti-war songs by artists such as John Lennon
("Imagine") and Joni Mitchell
("Fiddle and the Drum"). Emotive was recorded with current and former members of the band, but is mostly the work of Keenan and Howerdel. The single "Passive
" was adapted from the defunct band Tapeworm
, a project composed mainly of Keenan, Trent Reznor
of Nine Inch Nails, and Danny Lohner. "Passive" first appeared under the title "Vacant" at a show played by A Perfect Circle in Portland, Oregon
on January 31, 2001, notably, without the blessing of Reznor to play the song. The song remained unreleased by any artist until it appeared on Emotive as the song "Passive". The single "Passive" can also be heard in the 2005 movie Constantine
when John Constantine (Keanu Reeves
) enters Papa Midnite's office in his club in the second half of the movie. The song "Counting Bodies Like Sheep" is used in the teaser trailer for The Fantastic Four as well as the trailer for The Taking of Pelham 123.
The album received mixed reviews. An Allmusic review stated the album "falls flat and fails to raise the bar set so high by the quality of their previous two releases". Rolling Stone
praised half the album while criticizing the other, as did The Guardian
which stated "cover versions are often hobbled by the artist's inability to step outside the original and find a fresh perspective, but some of these treatments verge on the visionary." Ken Micallef of Yahoo! Music
wrote "the band builds on the power of the previous Thirteenth Step, applying hypnotic arrangements, brooding melodies, and droning rhythms to a collection that sounds absurd on its surface, but is woven together by A Perfect Circle's heavy and dark-lidded instrumental approach."
On November 16, 2004, the CD-DVD set entitled Amotion
was released. The DVD contains music videos for six singles; previously unreleased videos for other songs, including three contest runner-up videos and the winning video for "Blue"; and three trailers
for Bikini Bandits. The CD is composed entirely of remixes of the singles from Mer de Noms and Thirteenth Step. The songs were retooled by Danny Lohner, Joshua Eustis
, Massive Attack
, and James Iha among others. The song "The Outsider" (Apocalypse Mix), which was first released on the Resident Evil: Apocalypse
soundtrack, was used in the trailer for Resident Evil: Afterlife
.
on June 13, 2004. Keenan left to work on Tool's then-upcoming album 10,000 Days while Howerdel began work on a side-project with Josh Freese that flourished into Ashes Divide
. In addition to Keenan's work with Tool, his side-project Puscifer
released its first album, V is for Vagina on October 30, 2007. The rest of the band also went their separate ways. Freese once again took up the reins as drummer for Nine Inch Nails. White moved on to rejoin Marilyn Manson at guitar under his pseudonym Twiggy Ramirez, and while there was talk of Iha joining Billy Corgan
for the Smashing Pumpkins reunion tour in 2007, this idea was rebuffed and he instead began work on a solo record.
Both Howerdel and Keenan discussed the future of the band in various mediums from 2006 through 2008. During a February 2006 interview with Rock Hard
, Keenan remarked, "I think [APC] is over. ... We pushed this project as far as it could go, and I see ourselves playing again together only in a few years to make one or two songs, nothing more." Howerdel's thoughts on the reunion of the band were similar to those of Keenan in a May 2006 interview with MTV. In a November 2007 issue of Spin
featuring Keenan, when asked "Will there ever be another APC album," he reiterated his comments from 2006 replying, "Um, no. Maybe, someday, a song on a soundtrack. But an album? No." Despite these comments, in an interview with Revolver
the following month, Keenan discussed the other members of A Perfect Circle's recent activities and also hinted at the possibility of a reunion. During the interview, Keenan stated:
Although the band's official website had offered no insight as to whether or not the group would reunite, news continued to arrive through Keenan about the existence of the band. In Puscifer's May 2008 newsletter, Keenan remarked on the status of A Perfect Circle: "As many of you may have heard, Billy and I are engaged in our own little projects for the moment. His is called ASHES DIVIDE and mine is called PUSCIFER...Please be advised that A PERFECT CIRCLE and TOOL are still alive and well. This is simply MORE."
reported that Keenan had announced on The Pulse of Radio that he and Howerdel have been writing new music for A Perfect Circle. However, Keenan also said that the band has no plans to resume full-scale touring, or even to write and record a new album. Instead, they will focus on "one or two songs at a time", which will most likely be released via the Internet, rather than on compact disc
. Keenan jokingly mentioned that CDs have become "plastic discs that no one cares about anymore."
On August 3, 2010, Howerdel stated at his Twitter account that "The APC dust is shaking off!". Later, Josh Freese posted via Facebook "I'm happy to report that A Perfect Circle is waking up from it's 6 year slumber...and we're going to be 'doing stuff' soon." The official A Perfect Circle Twitter then posted an update saying "Go tell Aunt Rosie... The old grey goose is dead not" with links to the Twitter accounts of Billy Howerdel, Josh Freese, Troy Van Leeuwen's band Sweethead
, Matt McJunkins, Danny Lohner, Paz Lenchantin and Maynard James Keenan. A later tweet was also directed towards James Iha. All of them were past members or contributors to A Perfect Circle with the exception of McJunkins, who was a touring member of Howerdel's other band, Ashes Divide, and Keenan's Puscifer project.
On September 13, 2010, the band announced tour dates in which they would be playing the entirety of each of their three albums at each concert, with one album being played per night. It was also announced that the line-up would consist of Maynard James Keenan, Billy Howerdel, Josh Freese, Matt McJunkins, and James Iha.
There have been conflicting reports as to what degree the band will be releasing new material. In June 2010, Keenan stated that he was working on a fourth LP for A Perfect Circle. However, when asked again in August, his answer was "Maybe. Personally I’m not really into albums anymore. Might be more going back to the singles. The days of the singles market makes a lot more sense at this point. We have no label, so neither Billy nor I are really into kicking down hundreds of thousands of dollars to record a record and put it out."
Howerdel, in a September 2010 interview, said that he had been working on demos for the last three to four years, and that it was up to Keenan as to which songs would be A Perfect Circle songs, and which ones may end up being Ashes Divide songs. Before playing the concerts, it was still undecided whether or not new songs would be played, but ultimately none were played, as none of the songs were finished yet, and the band was trying to "remind everybody" who they are at these concerts. There is also the possibility of a live concert DVD and more concerts in 2011, depending on how far along Tool and Keenan are with their next album.
On October 27, 2010, the band made their first appearance since their reunion on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, with a mini concert set. Their performances of "Weak and Powerless
" and "Imagine" aired on the show's broadcast. The band also performed on Last Call with Carson Daly
on November 12, with Keenan as one of the guests.
The band is scheduled to perform at Rock on the Range Festival in Columbus, Ohio on May 21 and 22, 2011, Boonstock Music Festival in Edmonton, Alberta on July 2, 2011, Edgefest in Toronto, Canada on July 9, 2011, and Bluesfest in Ottawa, Canada on July 10, 2011.
In late March 2011 on their website news page A Perfect Circle announced a North American Tour
stopping in 24 cities. On April 8, 2011 A Perfect Circle posted on their Twitter page, "Working on new music. Slow but steady." It was also announced in an interview with Billy Howerdel that the band will be road testing new songs on the North American Tour and ultimately these new songs could be placed on their next album.
On June 29, 2011 the band revealed a new song called "By and Down" live in Portland, Oregon. After this, Howerdel clarified the band's current stance on a future album, stating "Right now the intention is not to put out a (full album) but just to release some songs along the way, and then they might be re-imagined and put together in some collection...If you need to have an album then there will be something more like a photo album where you collect these things and you put them in."
Josh Freese was unavailable for the 2011 touring due to a scheduling conflict with Weezer. Jeff Friedl
, drummer for Ashes Divide, filled in for him.
The band performed at the Kanrocksas Music Festival in Kansas City, KS on August 6, 2011. and at the Lollapalooza Music Festival
in Chicago, IL, which ran from August 5-7, 2011.
Former
Touring
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
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"....
formed in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel
Billy Howerdel
Billy Howerdel is the founding member, guitarist, songwriter, and producer for the bands A Perfect Circle and Ashes Divide. He has recorded three acclaimed studio albums with the former, and in 2008, Ashes Divide released their debut album, Keep Telling Myself It's Alright.-Early life:Howerdel was...
and Tool
Tool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
vocalist Maynard James Keenan
Maynard James Keenan
Maynard James Keenan is an American rock singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, winemaker, and actor. Originally from Ohio, Keenan spent his high school and college years in Michigan. After serving in the Army in the early 1980s, he attended Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids...
. The original incarnation of the band also included Paz Lenchantin
Paz Lenchantin
Paz Lenchantin is an American musician of French ancestry. She came to Los Angeles, California with her family at the age of four....
on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen
Troy Van Leeuwen
Troy Dean Van Leeuwen is an American musician and producer. Van Leeuwen began playing music at young age and started playing guitar at age 13. Soon Van Leeuwen was playing in various local bands such as Jester, 60 Cycle and later Failure...
on guitar, and Tim Alexander
Tim Alexander
Tim "Herb" Alexander is an American musician, best known as the former drummer for the rock band Primus. Tim played on the Primus recordings Suck on This to Tales from the Punchbowl, before leaving the band in 1996, only to rejoin in 2003 for the EP Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People...
on drums. The latest line-up features Puscifer
Puscifer
Puscifer is a side project of Maynard James Keenan from the bands Tool and A Perfect Circle. As Keenan is the only permanent member and he considers the project to be his "creative subconscious", Puscifer could also be considered a pseudonym for his solo work....
and Ashes Divide
Ashes Divide
Ashes Divide is an American rock band formed by guitarist Billy Howerdel, who had also formed A Perfect Circle. Howerdel is the primary songwriter, musician, producer, and vocalist for the band....
live bassist Matt McJunkins, former guitarist for The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
, James Iha
James Iha
James Yoshinobu Iha b. March 26, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois) is a Japanese American rock musician. He is best known as having been a guitarist and co-founder of the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins and for his eclectic musical projects of recent years, most notably being a permanent...
; and session
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
drummer Josh Freese
Josh Freese
Josh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, having formerly played drums for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records....
, who is best known for his work with Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
, Devo
Devo
Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...
, and The Vandals
The Vandals
The Vandals are an American rock band established in 1980 in Huntington Beach, California. They have released ten full-length studio albums and two live albums and have toured the world extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour...
. Despite having a varied cast since inception, the stylistic content of the songs has remained consistent with Howerdel as composer, and Keenan penning the lyrics.
A Perfect Circle has released three albums: Mer de Noms
Mer de Noms
- Symbols :Inside the insert the track names appear to be randomly spelled out in symbols. One way to decipher the symbols is to match the song titles using the normal alphabet with the song titles inside the insert....
, Thirteenth Step
Thirteenth Step
Thirteenth Step is the second studio album by American rock band A Perfect Circle, released under Compact Disc format on September 16, 2003. It was a major success reaching the #2 position on the Billboard 200 in its premiere week, selling over 231,000 copies and staying on the charts for 78 weeks....
and eMOTIVe. A CD-DVD set, aMOTION
AMOTION
-Personnel:* Christopher Abbas – Director* Josh Abrahams – Remixing* Tim Alexander – Group member* Ken Andrews – Mixing* Wes Borland – Remixing* Brothers Strause – Director* Jerry Casale – Director...
, has also been released and contains thirteen music videos in addition to a number of song remixes created by Danny Lohner
Danny Lohner
Daniel Patrick "Danny" Lohner , frequently known as Renholdër, is an American rock musician who plays bass guitar, electric guitar, and keyboards. He worked with Trent Reznor on numerous occasions, both with Nine Inch Nails and on the now defunct Tapeworm project...
, Robert Del Naja
Robert Del Naja
Robert Del Naja , also known as 3D, is an English artist and musician. Initially gaining notoriety as a graffiti artist and member of the Bristol collective known as "The Wild Bunch", Del Naja went on to become a founding member of the band Massive Attack where he is active to this day.-Music:Del...
and other artists.
The band went into hiatus in 2004. Since then band members have worked on other projects; the most notable being Keenan's work on Tool's 2006 album 10,000 Days
10,000 Days
10,000 Days is the Grammy Award-winning fourth studio album by American rock band Tool. The album was released on April 28, 2006 in parts of Europe, April 29 in Australia, May 1 in the United Kingdom, and May 2 in North America...
, and Howerdel's founding of the band Ashes Divide
Ashes Divide
Ashes Divide is an American rock band formed by guitarist Billy Howerdel, who had also formed A Perfect Circle. Howerdel is the primary songwriter, musician, producer, and vocalist for the band....
. In a September 2008 interview, Keenan announced that he and Howerdel have been working on new material, officially ending the group's hiatus. However, the band did not start to really become active until almost two years later, in September 2010, when the band announced touring and the release of new music which may or may not be in the form of a new album."
Mer de Noms (1999–2001)
A Perfect Circle was conceived by Billy HowerdelBilly Howerdel
Billy Howerdel is the founding member, guitarist, songwriter, and producer for the bands A Perfect Circle and Ashes Divide. He has recorded three acclaimed studio albums with the former, and in 2008, Ashes Divide released their debut album, Keep Telling Myself It's Alright.-Early life:Howerdel was...
, a former guitar technician
Guitar technician
A guitar technician is a member of a music ensemble's road crew who maintains and sets up the musical equipment for one or more guitarists during a concert tour...
for Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
, The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
, Fishbone
Fishbone
Fishbone is a U.S. alternative rock band formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California, which plays a fusion of ska, punk rock, funk, hard rock and soul. Critics have noted of the band: "Fishbone was one of the most distinctive and eclectic alternative rock bands of the late '80s...
and Tool
Tool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
. Howerdel met singer Maynard James Keenan
Maynard James Keenan
Maynard James Keenan is an American rock singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, winemaker, and actor. Originally from Ohio, Keenan spent his high school and college years in Michigan. After serving in the Army in the early 1980s, he attended Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids...
in 1992 when Tool was opening for Fishbone, and the two became friends. Three years later, Keenan offered Howerdel, who was looking for lodging, a room in his North Hollywood
North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
North Hollywood is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California, along the Tujunga Wash. It is bounded on the south by Moorpark Street and the Ventura Freeway, on the southwest by Burbank Blvd...
home. This provided Howerdel the opportunity to play demos of his music for Keenan. Pleased with what he heard, Keenan remarked, "I can hear myself singing [those songs]." Although he originally desired a female vocalist, Howerdel agreed that Keenan would be a good fit, and A Perfect Circle was formed a short time later. They were then joined by bassist and violinist Paz Lenchantin
Paz Lenchantin
Paz Lenchantin is an American musician of French ancestry. She came to Los Angeles, California with her family at the age of four....
, former Failure
Failure (band)
Failure was an American rock band that was active from 1990 to 1997, during which they recorded and released three critically acclaimed albums...
guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen
Troy Van Leeuwen
Troy Dean Van Leeuwen is an American musician and producer. Van Leeuwen began playing music at young age and started playing guitar at age 13. Soon Van Leeuwen was playing in various local bands such as Jester, 60 Cycle and later Failure...
, and the previous drummer for Primus
Primus (band)
Primus is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, currently composed of bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde and drummer Jay Lane. Primus originally formed in 1984 with Claypool and guitarist Todd Huth, later joined by Lane, though the latter two departed...
, Tim Alexander
Tim Alexander
Tim "Herb" Alexander is an American musician, best known as the former drummer for the rock band Primus. Tim played on the Primus recordings Suck on This to Tales from the Punchbowl, before leaving the band in 1996, only to rejoin in 2003 for the EP Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People...
. The band played their first show at LA's Viper Club Reception on August 15, 1999. After playing shows in L.A., the band entered the studio to begin work on their first album. Alexander was soon replaced with session drummer and member of The Vandals
The Vandals
The Vandals are an American rock band established in 1980 in Huntington Beach, California. They have released ten full-length studio albums and two live albums and have toured the world extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour...
, Josh Freese, but Alexander's performance can still be heard on the album version of the song "The Hollow
The Hollow (song)
"The Hollow" is a single from A Perfect Circle's 2000 album Mer de Noms. It serves as the opening track of the album, utilizing layered guitars...
".
The band's debut album, Mer de Noms
Mer de Noms
- Symbols :Inside the insert the track names appear to be randomly spelled out in symbols. One way to decipher the symbols is to match the song titles using the normal alphabet with the song titles inside the insert....
(French for "Sea of Names"), was released on May 23, 2000. The album is distinctive in that it is the highest ever debut for a rock band, selling over 188,000 copies in its first week, and appearing at number four on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
.
Howerdel had been working on some of the music, including tracks "The Hollow" and "Breña", as far back as 1988. Soon after recording for the album was finished, the band began touring. Initially, they served as the opening act for Nine Inch Nails on the 2000 Fragility v2.0 tour, but they then embarked on a number of headlining tours all over the world, including the Canadian festival, Summersault
Summersault
Summersault was a Canadian music festival organized by the band Our Lady Peace in 1998 and again in 2000. Summersault 1998 was held in Barrie, Ontario, at Molson Park, St...
. As Keenan was well known through his other band, he would often wear long wigs on his otherwise bald head when performing, to distinguish himself from his Tool persona. Mer de Noms went certified platinum by the RIAA on October 31, 2000, while the band was on tour.
The album produced three singles: "Judith
Judith (song)
"Judith" is a song by American rock band A Perfect Circle. It was released as the first single from their debut album Mer de Noms. The single was released as a 1-track Compact Disc single in North America, and a 4-track single on both disc and vinyl format in Australia.-Structure:During an...
", "3 Libras
3 Libras (song)
"3 Libras" is a song by American rock band A Perfect Circle, included and released as a single from their debut album, Mer de Noms. It approaches with a different type of tempo and approach than the other tracks featured on Mer de Noms, an opening with an acoustic guitar and violin is present as...
", and "The Hollow". "Judith" is named after, and about, Keenans's mother who suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
and was left paralyzed
Paralysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
when he was 11. The song "Renholdër" is a reference to guitarist and sound engineer Danny Lohner and reads Re:D.Lohner backwards. Lohner did not know the song was about him despite his first name being sung—albeit in a distorted fashion—in the song.
In the album review by Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, Pat Blashill wrote that Keenan "added an almost operatic angst to Howerdel's songs" and concluded that "A Perfect Circle sound like a desperate dream of what rock used to be. Maybe that's the point." Allmusic's review expressed that "there's little question that the addicting combination of Keenan's aching voice and Howerdel's accomplished songs and production skills made for one of 2000's best splashes in whatever was left of 'modern rock'."
Thirteenth Step (2002–2003)
During the recording, release and tour for Tool's previous album LateralusLateralus
Lateralus is the third studio album by American rock band Tool. The album was released on May 15, 2001, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. On August 5, 2003, Lateralus was certified double platinum by the RIAA. On August 30, 2004 the album was certified Silver by the BPI for...
, from 2000 to 2002 the band experienced a considerable amount of downtime. This made the band extremely dynamic in terms of its members. During the recording of Thirteenth Step, A Perfect Circle lost two of its members, Paz Lenchantin & Troy Van Leeuwen. Lenchantin left to join Billy Corgan
Billy Corgan
William Patrick "Billy" Corgan, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional poet best known as the frontman and sole permanent member of The Smashing Pumpkins. Formed by Corgan and guitarist James Iha in Chicago, Illinois in 1987, the band quickly gained steam with the...
's new band Zwan
Zwan
Zwan was an American alternative rock band that was formed by members of The Smashing Pumpkins, Slint, Tortoise, Chavez, and A Perfect Circle. Zwan was started in late 2001 by Billy Corgan, lead singer and guitarist of The Smashing Pumpkins, after the Pumpkins disbanded in December 2000. The band...
in April 2002, while Van Leeuwen left to handle touring duties as the new guitarist for Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
. Ex-Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson (band)
Marilyn Manson is an American metal band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Formed in 1989 by Brian Warner and Scott Putesky, the group was originally named Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids with their uniquely theatrical performances gathering a local cult following in the early '90s. This attention...
bassist Jeordie White
Jeordie White
Jeordie Osbourne White , better known by his pseudonym Twiggy Ramirez , is an American musician, who is best known for being the bassist and guitarist for Marilyn Manson. He was also the bassist for A Perfect Circle, and Nine Inch Nails...
, formerly known as Twiggy Ramirez, replaced Lenchantin on bass in January 2003, with Danny Lohner taking the reins on guitar. However, Lohner did not quite fit as a second guitarist, and former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha
James Iha
James Yoshinobu Iha b. March 26, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois) is a Japanese American rock musician. He is best known as having been a guitarist and co-founder of the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins and for his eclectic musical projects of recent years, most notably being a permanent...
eventually replaced him.
The band released their second album, Thirteenth Step
Thirteenth Step
Thirteenth Step is the second studio album by American rock band A Perfect Circle, released under Compact Disc format on September 16, 2003. It was a major success reaching the #2 position on the Billboard 200 in its premiere week, selling over 231,000 copies and staying on the charts for 78 weeks....
, on September 16, 2003. With the new album came a new sound. While Mer de Noms had a heavier, deeper sound, Thirteenth Step was more melodic and straightforward. After the release of the album, John Lappen from The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
wrote, "They were never a band who beat the listener over the head with metal brutality, but now they're even more song-oriented than before—a move that illustrates that the band has a knack for writing instrumental hooks that show off a melodic talent that was not as apparent on the first album." This different sound can be heard in the three singles that came off the album: "Weak and Powerless
Weak and Powerless
"Weak and Powerless" is the first single by the alternative rock band A Perfect Circle, from their second album, Thirteenth Step, and is also their highest charting single to date, reaching #1 on both the Mainstream Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks....
", "The Outsider
The Outsider (A Perfect Circle song)
"The Outsider" is a song from A Perfect Circle's second album, Thirteenth Step. It uses a mix of 6/8 and 4/4 time signatures. Two remixes of "The Outsider" were made for aMOTION. James Iha made the "Frosted Yogurt mix", which uses a much more toned-down, quiet, synthesized sound than the original...
" and "Blue
Blue (A Perfect Circle song)
"Blue" is the last single released from the alternative rock band A Perfect Circle's 2003 album Thirteenth Step. The song was later remixed entitled "Blue " by James Iha and Geoff Sanoff for the 2004 aMOTION CD/DVD.-Music video:...
". Following the release of the album, the band toured throughout the U.S. until the year's end. Then, in January 2004, the group left the country to play shows in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. They headed home in mid-March and finished touring in mid-June.
The album received mostly positive reviews. Allmusic's review stated the album "is the sound of a musical and lyrical maturity that normally doesn't occur until a band's third or fourth albums". The review by Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
expressed that the album "has its share of anthemic moments, but the real passion spills over in the moody overtures where menacing danger feels seconds away". Rolling Stone wrote in an attempt to summarize the album that it "sounds more like the dusky thrum of Disintegration-era Cure than it does any of the members' previous bands", and continued "Thirteenth Step doesn't bludgeon listeners into submission—it lulls them with droning guitars, dub-deep bass and simmering vocals."
Emotive and Amotion (2004)
A third album, Emotive, was released on November 2, 2004 (election dayElection Day (United States)
Election Day in the United States is the day set by law for the general elections of public officials. It occurs on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The earliest possible date is November 2 and the latest possible date is November 8...
in the United States), and contains covers of anti-war songs by artists such as John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
("Imagine") and Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
("Fiddle and the Drum"). Emotive was recorded with current and former members of the band, but is mostly the work of Keenan and Howerdel. The single "Passive
Passive (song)
"Passive" is a song from the band A Perfect Circle's 2004 album eMOTIVe The song is a remake of the song "Vacant" by the now-defunct band Tapeworm."Vacant" was notably first performed by A Perfect Circle without Trent Reznor's agreement.-Track listing:...
" was adapted from the defunct band Tapeworm
Tapeworm (band)
Tapeworm is a defunct side project of Nine Inch Nails which existed in various forms from 1995 to roughly 2004. Tapeworm never released any recordings, but was frequently referenced in interviews. The band started as a side-project between Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor and live-band...
, a project composed mainly of Keenan, Trent Reznor
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and leader of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor is also a member of How to Destroy Angels alongside his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. He was previously associated with bands Option 30,...
of Nine Inch Nails, and Danny Lohner. "Passive" first appeared under the title "Vacant" at a show played by A Perfect Circle in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
on January 31, 2001, notably, without the blessing of Reznor to play the song. The song remained unreleased by any artist until it appeared on Emotive as the song "Passive". The single "Passive" can also be heard in the 2005 movie Constantine
Constantine (film)
Constantine is a 2005 American action horror film directed by Francis Lawrence as his directorial debut, starring Keanu Reeves as John Constantine, with Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Tilda Swinton, and Djimon Hounsou...
when John Constantine (Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix...
) enters Papa Midnite's office in his club in the second half of the movie. The song "Counting Bodies Like Sheep" is used in the teaser trailer for The Fantastic Four as well as the trailer for The Taking of Pelham 123.
The album received mixed reviews. An Allmusic review stated the album "falls flat and fails to raise the bar set so high by the quality of their previous two releases". Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
praised half the album while criticizing the other, as did The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
which stated "cover versions are often hobbled by the artist's inability to step outside the original and find a fresh perspective, but some of these treatments verge on the visionary." Ken Micallef of Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
wrote "the band builds on the power of the previous Thirteenth Step, applying hypnotic arrangements, brooding melodies, and droning rhythms to a collection that sounds absurd on its surface, but is woven together by A Perfect Circle's heavy and dark-lidded instrumental approach."
On November 16, 2004, the CD-DVD set entitled Amotion
AMOTION
-Personnel:* Christopher Abbas – Director* Josh Abrahams – Remixing* Tim Alexander – Group member* Ken Andrews – Mixing* Wes Borland – Remixing* Brothers Strause – Director* Jerry Casale – Director...
was released. The DVD contains music videos for six singles; previously unreleased videos for other songs, including three contest runner-up videos and the winning video for "Blue"; and three trailers
Trailer (film)
A trailer or preview is an advertisement or a commercial for a feature film that will be exhibited in the future at a cinema. The term "trailer" comes from their having originally been shown at the end of a feature film screening. That practice did not last long, because patrons tended to leave the...
for Bikini Bandits. The CD is composed entirely of remixes of the singles from Mer de Noms and Thirteenth Step. The songs were retooled by Danny Lohner, Joshua Eustis
Telefon Tel Aviv
Telefon Tel Aviv is a Chicago, Illinois-based American electronic music act. Formerly comprising Charles Cooper and Joshua Eustis, Telefon Tel Aviv continues with Eustis as the sole official member since Cooper's death in 2009.-History:...
, Massive Attack
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
, and James Iha among others. The song "The Outsider" (Apocalypse Mix), which was first released on the Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Resident Evil: Apocalypse is a Canadian-British 2004 science fiction action horror film directed by Alexander Witt, from a screenplay written by producer Paul W.S. Anderson...
soundtrack, was used in the trailer for Resident Evil: Afterlife
Resident Evil: Afterlife
Resident Evil: Afterlife is a 2010 Canadian-German 3D science-fiction horror action film written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. It stars Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Kim Coates, Shawn Roberts, Spencer Locke, Boris Kodjoe, and Wentworth Miller. The film marks Anderson's second time to direct in...
.
Hiatus (2005–2008)
The future of A Perfect Circle remained uncertain and wobbled between "done for now" and "alive and well." The band became inactive after they played their last show in Denver, ColoradoDenver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
on June 13, 2004. Keenan left to work on Tool's then-upcoming album 10,000 Days while Howerdel began work on a side-project with Josh Freese that flourished into Ashes Divide
Ashes Divide
Ashes Divide is an American rock band formed by guitarist Billy Howerdel, who had also formed A Perfect Circle. Howerdel is the primary songwriter, musician, producer, and vocalist for the band....
. In addition to Keenan's work with Tool, his side-project Puscifer
Puscifer
Puscifer is a side project of Maynard James Keenan from the bands Tool and A Perfect Circle. As Keenan is the only permanent member and he considers the project to be his "creative subconscious", Puscifer could also be considered a pseudonym for his solo work....
released its first album, V is for Vagina on October 30, 2007. The rest of the band also went their separate ways. Freese once again took up the reins as drummer for Nine Inch Nails. White moved on to rejoin Marilyn Manson at guitar under his pseudonym Twiggy Ramirez, and while there was talk of Iha joining Billy Corgan
Billy Corgan
William Patrick "Billy" Corgan, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional poet best known as the frontman and sole permanent member of The Smashing Pumpkins. Formed by Corgan and guitarist James Iha in Chicago, Illinois in 1987, the band quickly gained steam with the...
for the Smashing Pumpkins reunion tour in 2007, this idea was rebuffed and he instead began work on a solo record.
Both Howerdel and Keenan discussed the future of the band in various mediums from 2006 through 2008. During a February 2006 interview with Rock Hard
Rock Hard (magazine)
Rock Hard is a heavy metal magazine originally released in Germany. It was founded in 1983 by Holger Stratmann and is dedicated to all styles of rock and heavy metal. The magazine has independent offspring with the same name in France, Greece, Italy and Spain....
, Keenan remarked, "I think [APC] is over. ... We pushed this project as far as it could go, and I see ourselves playing again together only in a few years to make one or two songs, nothing more." Howerdel's thoughts on the reunion of the band were similar to those of Keenan in a May 2006 interview with MTV. In a November 2007 issue of Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
featuring Keenan, when asked "Will there ever be another APC album," he reiterated his comments from 2006 replying, "Um, no. Maybe, someday, a song on a soundtrack. But an album? No." Despite these comments, in an interview with Revolver
Revolver (magazine)
Revolver is a bi-monthly rock and heavy metal magazine published by Future US. Before covering heavy metal, rock & hard rock solely, it was a more mainstream oriented magazine. The magazine is structured in a manner similar to publications such as Spin while covering many avenues within the heavy...
the following month, Keenan discussed the other members of A Perfect Circle's recent activities and also hinted at the possibility of a reunion. During the interview, Keenan stated:
Although the band's official website had offered no insight as to whether or not the group would reunite, news continued to arrive through Keenan about the existence of the band. In Puscifer's May 2008 newsletter, Keenan remarked on the status of A Perfect Circle: "As many of you may have heard, Billy and I are engaged in our own little projects for the moment. His is called ASHES DIVIDE and mine is called PUSCIFER...Please be advised that A PERFECT CIRCLE and TOOL are still alive and well. This is simply MORE."
Return (2008-present)
On December 9, 2008, blabbermouth.netBlabbermouth.net
Blabbermouth.net is a website dedicated to heavy metal and hard rock news, as well as album and music DVD reviews. Blabbermouth.net was founded and is run by Borivoj Krgin. The first version of the website was officially launched in March 2001...
reported that Keenan had announced on The Pulse of Radio that he and Howerdel have been writing new music for A Perfect Circle. However, Keenan also said that the band has no plans to resume full-scale touring, or even to write and record a new album. Instead, they will focus on "one or two songs at a time", which will most likely be released via the Internet, rather than on compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
. Keenan jokingly mentioned that CDs have become "plastic discs that no one cares about anymore."
On August 3, 2010, Howerdel stated at his Twitter account that "The APC dust is shaking off!". Later, Josh Freese posted via Facebook "I'm happy to report that A Perfect Circle is waking up from it's 6 year slumber...and we're going to be 'doing stuff' soon." The official A Perfect Circle Twitter then posted an update saying "Go tell Aunt Rosie... The old grey goose is dead not" with links to the Twitter accounts of Billy Howerdel, Josh Freese, Troy Van Leeuwen's band Sweethead
Sweethead
Sweethead is an American alternative rock group formed in 2008. The group's lineup consists of singer Serrina Sims, guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen , bassist Eddie Nappi and drummer Norm Block .To date, Sweethead have...
, Matt McJunkins, Danny Lohner, Paz Lenchantin and Maynard James Keenan. A later tweet was also directed towards James Iha. All of them were past members or contributors to A Perfect Circle with the exception of McJunkins, who was a touring member of Howerdel's other band, Ashes Divide, and Keenan's Puscifer project.
On September 13, 2010, the band announced tour dates in which they would be playing the entirety of each of their three albums at each concert, with one album being played per night. It was also announced that the line-up would consist of Maynard James Keenan, Billy Howerdel, Josh Freese, Matt McJunkins, and James Iha.
There have been conflicting reports as to what degree the band will be releasing new material. In June 2010, Keenan stated that he was working on a fourth LP for A Perfect Circle. However, when asked again in August, his answer was "Maybe. Personally I’m not really into albums anymore. Might be more going back to the singles. The days of the singles market makes a lot more sense at this point. We have no label, so neither Billy nor I are really into kicking down hundreds of thousands of dollars to record a record and put it out."
Howerdel, in a September 2010 interview, said that he had been working on demos for the last three to four years, and that it was up to Keenan as to which songs would be A Perfect Circle songs, and which ones may end up being Ashes Divide songs. Before playing the concerts, it was still undecided whether or not new songs would be played, but ultimately none were played, as none of the songs were finished yet, and the band was trying to "remind everybody" who they are at these concerts. There is also the possibility of a live concert DVD and more concerts in 2011, depending on how far along Tool and Keenan are with their next album.
On October 27, 2010, the band made their first appearance since their reunion on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, with a mini concert set. Their performances of "Weak and Powerless
Weak and Powerless
"Weak and Powerless" is the first single by the alternative rock band A Perfect Circle, from their second album, Thirteenth Step, and is also their highest charting single to date, reaching #1 on both the Mainstream Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks....
" and "Imagine" aired on the show's broadcast. The band also performed on Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly is an American late night talk show that is broadcast on NBC. The show is hosted by Carson Daly, the half-hour show featuring celebrity interviews, documentary-style coverage of a topic, and musical performances. Last Call airs weeknights at 1:35 a.m. Eastern / 12:35 a.m....
on November 12, with Keenan as one of the guests.
The band is scheduled to perform at Rock on the Range Festival in Columbus, Ohio on May 21 and 22, 2011, Boonstock Music Festival in Edmonton, Alberta on July 2, 2011, Edgefest in Toronto, Canada on July 9, 2011, and Bluesfest in Ottawa, Canada on July 10, 2011.
In late March 2011 on their website news page A Perfect Circle announced a North American Tour
A Perfect Circle 2011 Tour
The 2011 Tour was a concert tour by American alternative metal band A Perfect Circle.In late March 2011 on their website news page, A Perfect Circle announced a North American Tour....
stopping in 24 cities. On April 8, 2011 A Perfect Circle posted on their Twitter page, "Working on new music. Slow but steady." It was also announced in an interview with Billy Howerdel that the band will be road testing new songs on the North American Tour and ultimately these new songs could be placed on their next album.
On June 29, 2011 the band revealed a new song called "By and Down" live in Portland, Oregon. After this, Howerdel clarified the band's current stance on a future album, stating "Right now the intention is not to put out a (full album) but just to release some songs along the way, and then they might be re-imagined and put together in some collection...If you need to have an album then there will be something more like a photo album where you collect these things and you put them in."
Josh Freese was unavailable for the 2011 touring due to a scheduling conflict with Weezer. Jeff Friedl
Jeff Friedl
Jeff Friedl is a studio and touring drummer currently based in Los Angeles, California. Jeff has recorded, performed, and/or toured with ASHES dIVIDE, A Perfect Circle, Puscifer, Devo, CSS, Danny Lohner, Carina Round, Ross Robinson, Shane Alexander, Mark Mothersbaugh, Jay Ruston, Linda Strawberry,...
, drummer for Ashes Divide, filled in for him.
The band performed at the Kanrocksas Music Festival in Kansas City, KS on August 6, 2011. and at the Lollapalooza Music Festival
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...
in Chicago, IL, which ran from August 5-7, 2011.
Band members
Current- Maynard James KeenanMaynard James KeenanMaynard James Keenan is an American rock singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, winemaker, and actor. Originally from Ohio, Keenan spent his high school and college years in Michigan. After serving in the Army in the early 1980s, he attended Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids...
– lead vocals (1999–present) - Billy HowerdelBilly HowerdelBilly Howerdel is the founding member, guitarist, songwriter, and producer for the bands A Perfect Circle and Ashes Divide. He has recorded three acclaimed studio albums with the former, and in 2008, Ashes Divide released their debut album, Keep Telling Myself It's Alright.-Early life:Howerdel was...
– lead & rhythm guitars, vocals (1999–present) - Josh FreeseJosh FreeseJosh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, having formerly played drums for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records....
– drums, percussion (1999–present) - James IhaJames IhaJames Yoshinobu Iha b. March 26, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois) is a Japanese American rock musician. He is best known as having been a guitarist and co-founder of the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins and for his eclectic musical projects of recent years, most notably being a permanent...
– rhythm guitars, keyboards, backing vocals (2003–2004, 2010–present) - Matt McJunkinsMatt McJunkinsMatt McJunkins is a studio and touring bass player who currently resides in Los Angeles, California. He plays bass in A Perfect Circle, Puscifer, Ashes Divide and recently 30 Seconds to Mars. He also sings backup vocals in all of these bands and plays some keyboard and guitar for Puscifer.- Early...
– bass, backing vocals (2010–present)
Former
- Tim AlexanderTim AlexanderTim "Herb" Alexander is an American musician, best known as the former drummer for the rock band Primus. Tim played on the Primus recordings Suck on This to Tales from the Punchbowl, before leaving the band in 1996, only to rejoin in 2003 for the EP Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People...
– drums, percussion (1999) - Troy Van LeeuwenTroy Van LeeuwenTroy Dean Van Leeuwen is an American musician and producer. Van Leeuwen began playing music at young age and started playing guitar at age 13. Soon Van Leeuwen was playing in various local bands such as Jester, 60 Cycle and later Failure...
– rhythm guitars (1999–2002) - Paz LenchantinPaz LenchantinPaz Lenchantin is an American musician of French ancestry. She came to Los Angeles, California with her family at the age of four....
– bass, strings, backing vocals (1999–2002, 2004) - Danny LohnerDanny LohnerDaniel Patrick "Danny" Lohner , frequently known as Renholdër, is an American rock musician who plays bass guitar, electric guitar, and keyboards. He worked with Trent Reznor on numerous occasions, both with Nine Inch Nails and on the now defunct Tapeworm project...
– rhythm guitars, bass, sound engineer (1999–2004) - Jeordie WhiteJeordie WhiteJeordie Osbourne White , better known by his pseudonym Twiggy Ramirez , is an American musician, who is best known for being the bassist and guitarist for Marilyn Manson. He was also the bassist for A Perfect Circle, and Nine Inch Nails...
– bass (2003–2004)
Touring
- Jeff FriedlJeff FriedlJeff Friedl is a studio and touring drummer currently based in Los Angeles, California. Jeff has recorded, performed, and/or toured with ASHES dIVIDE, A Perfect Circle, Puscifer, Devo, CSS, Danny Lohner, Carina Round, Ross Robinson, Shane Alexander, Mark Mothersbaugh, Jay Ruston, Linda Strawberry,...
– drums (2011)
Discography
Studio albums- Mer de NomsMer de Noms- Symbols :Inside the insert the track names appear to be randomly spelled out in symbols. One way to decipher the symbols is to match the song titles using the normal alphabet with the song titles inside the insert....
(2000) - Thirteenth StepThirteenth StepThirteenth Step is the second studio album by American rock band A Perfect Circle, released under Compact Disc format on September 16, 2003. It was a major success reaching the #2 position on the Billboard 200 in its premiere week, selling over 231,000 copies and staying on the charts for 78 weeks....
(2003) - Emotive (2004)