Soul SirkUS
Encyclopedia
Soul SirkUS is a band that initially featured singer Jeff Scott Soto
, guitarist Neal Schon
, bassist Marco Mendoza
, and drummer Deen Castronovo
.
project with Sammy Hagar
did not produce an album, Neal Schon was determined to see the material he had written come to life. According to Schon, "I was angry because we had plans and I had done a lot of pre-work. I wrote a lot of songs, about 30 or more, and I had just done a lot of work and put a lot of energy into it. ... A few days later I cooled off and I just re-grouped and got to my senses and I put the pieces of the puzzle back together again with some different guys." (See the Planet Us
article for further history leading to the formation of Soul SirkUS).
Schon had heard of the reputation of Soto, mainly due to coverage on the AOR
-focused website MelodicRock.com, which detailed his history with the band Talisman
. At the 2004 annual NAMM Show
in Los Angeles
, Schon met up with Soto and tested the waters with a jam session: "Jeff brought his drummer and his bass player down and we sort of sketched out a little set, even though we didn’t have time to rehearse. We did some Led Zeppelin
and Journey songs and we did some Stevie Wonder
and some blues. We played a little 45-minute set and the people pretty much went off; they loved it. Immediately, I knew we had some chemistry and that it would work."
While in Los Angeles, Schon also attended a showcase featuring Mendoza (known for his work with Whitesnake
) and was impressed with his ability. Inviting Soto, Mendoza and Journey's drummer Castronovo to join him, the new band began rehearsing and eventually recorded 11 songs for their debut album, World Play. Although all the foundation tracks on the album were originally written for Planet Us
, only one completed song from that band was used for Soul SirkUS' debut. That song was "Peephole", originally entitled "Peeping Through a Hole" on the Planet Us version. The rest of the album was developed by Soto who took Schon's lengthy instrumental tracks and "chopped them down" into songs which he added his vocals to.
In early 2005, with a completed album ready (albeit only available online through the Soul SirkUS website) the band was forced to postpone their first tour when Castronovo fell ill due to extreme exhaustion. Soon after, Castronovo bowed out of Soul Sirkus based on his doctor's recommendation and was replaced by Australian drummer Virgil Donati
. Schon decided to take advantage of Donati's unique style and remixed the World Play album with Donati's drum tracks while adding five new songs. The updated lineup then embarked on a short but well-received tour of the U.S. and Europe.
The remixed World Play album was re-released with new artwork on the European-based Frontiers Records
label. A live concert performed at the famed Fillmore
theatre in San Francisco was recorded for a potential DVD
that has yet to be released by the band and may not be. Since the end of the 2005 tour, the band has not reconvened due to the members' various other commitments.
In the summer of 2006, Soto was selected as the "temporary" lead vocalist for Journey
replacing Steve Augeri
.
Historically, Neal Schon and Deen Castronovo have also played together in Journey
, Bad English
, Hardline
, and Paul Rodgers
' backing band. Castronovo also played on Schon's song "Smoke of the Revolution" from the Late Nite album.
Jeff Scott Soto
Jeff Scott Soto is an American rock singer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for being the lead singer for the group Talisman from 1990 till the end of Talisman in 2007, the vocalist on Yngwie Malmsteen's first two albums, and for stepping up to the job of lead vocalist for Journey on...
, guitarist Neal Schon
Neal Schon
Neal George Joseph Schon is an American rock guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist best known for his work with the band Journey. He is the only member to have recorded on all of Journey's albums...
, bassist Marco Mendoza
Marco Mendoza
Marco Mendoza is an American musician. He spent his formative years living with his grandmother in Tijuana, Mexico. He started playing the guitar at an early age, adopting the bass when he was invited to join a band that needed a player....
, and drummer Deen Castronovo
Deen Castronovo
Deen Castronovo is an Italian American drummer who has played in various bands, including Kandles at Nine, Cacophony, Bad English, Journey, The Enemy, Wild Dogs, Dr. Mastermind, Hardline, Planet Us, Soul Sirkus, Social Distortion, and Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler's G/Z/R, as well as in...
.
History
After the failed Planet UsPlanet Us
Planet Us was a short-lived supergroup that formed in 2002 with Sammy Hagar on lead vocals, Neal Schon on guitar, Michael Anthony on bass, and Deen Castronovo on drums...
project with Sammy Hagar
Sammy Hagar
Sam Roy "Sammy" Hagar , also known as The Red Rocker, is an American rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Also sings Country Music....
did not produce an album, Neal Schon was determined to see the material he had written come to life. According to Schon, "I was angry because we had plans and I had done a lot of pre-work. I wrote a lot of songs, about 30 or more, and I had just done a lot of work and put a lot of energy into it. ... A few days later I cooled off and I just re-grouped and got to my senses and I put the pieces of the puzzle back together again with some different guys." (See the Planet Us
Planet Us
Planet Us was a short-lived supergroup that formed in 2002 with Sammy Hagar on lead vocals, Neal Schon on guitar, Michael Anthony on bass, and Deen Castronovo on drums...
article for further history leading to the formation of Soul SirkUS).
Schon had heard of the reputation of Soto, mainly due to coverage on the AOR
Album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...
-focused website MelodicRock.com, which detailed his history with the band Talisman
Talisman (band)
Talisman was a Swedish hard rock band characterized by an international melodic/powerful sound.-1980s - Getting together:Talisman was formed by bass player Marcel Jacob, who had previously played with Rising Force, John Norum Group and Power.While Jacob was playing with John Norum, he started...
. At the 2004 annual NAMM Show
NAMM Show
The NAMM Show is one of the largest music product trade shows in the world, founded in 1901. It is held every January in Anaheim, California, USA, at the Anaheim Convention Center...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Schon met up with Soto and tested the waters with a jam session: "Jeff brought his drummer and his bass player down and we sort of sketched out a little set, even though we didn’t have time to rehearse. We did some Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
and Journey songs and we did some Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
and some blues. We played a little 45-minute set and the people pretty much went off; they loved it. Immediately, I knew we had some chemistry and that it would work."
While in Los Angeles, Schon also attended a showcase featuring Mendoza (known for his work with Whitesnake
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...
) and was impressed with his ability. Inviting Soto, Mendoza and Journey's drummer Castronovo to join him, the new band began rehearsing and eventually recorded 11 songs for their debut album, World Play. Although all the foundation tracks on the album were originally written for Planet Us
Planet Us
Planet Us was a short-lived supergroup that formed in 2002 with Sammy Hagar on lead vocals, Neal Schon on guitar, Michael Anthony on bass, and Deen Castronovo on drums...
, only one completed song from that band was used for Soul SirkUS' debut. That song was "Peephole", originally entitled "Peeping Through a Hole" on the Planet Us version. The rest of the album was developed by Soto who took Schon's lengthy instrumental tracks and "chopped them down" into songs which he added his vocals to.
In early 2005, with a completed album ready (albeit only available online through the Soul SirkUS website) the band was forced to postpone their first tour when Castronovo fell ill due to extreme exhaustion. Soon after, Castronovo bowed out of Soul Sirkus based on his doctor's recommendation and was replaced by Australian drummer Virgil Donati
Virgil Donati
Virgil Donati is an Australian drummer, frequent drum clinician and a producer. He is currently playing with the band Planet X and Seven the Hardway among other projects. Virgil is perhaps most well known for his fast, highly technical drumming skills...
. Schon decided to take advantage of Donati's unique style and remixed the World Play album with Donati's drum tracks while adding five new songs. The updated lineup then embarked on a short but well-received tour of the U.S. and Europe.
The remixed World Play album was re-released with new artwork on the European-based Frontiers Records
Frontiers Records
Frontiers Records is an Italian record label, predominantly producing melodic rock. It was formed in 1996 by Serafino Perugino and is based in Naples, Italy.-History:...
label. A live concert performed at the famed Fillmore
The Fillmore
The Fillmore Auditorium is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California, made famous by Bill Graham. Named for its original location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it lies on the boundary of the Western Addition and the Pacific Heights neighborhoods.In 1968,...
theatre in San Francisco was recorded for a potential DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
that has yet to be released by the band and may not be. Since the end of the 2005 tour, the band has not reconvened due to the members' various other commitments.
In the summer of 2006, Soto was selected as the "temporary" lead vocalist for Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
replacing Steve Augeri
Steve Augeri
Steve Augeri is an American rock singer best known for his work with Tall Stories, Tyketto, and Journey.-Career:...
.
Historically, Neal Schon and Deen Castronovo have also played together in Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
, Bad English
Bad English
Bad English was an American/British hard rock supergroup formed in 1988, reuniting keyboardist Jonathan Cain with singer John Waite and bassist Ricky Phillips, his former bandmates in The Babys.- History :...
, Hardline
Hardline (band)
Hardline is an American hard rock band. Originally formed in 1991 by brothers Johnny Gioeli and Joey Gioeli, the band consisted of 5 members, Johnny Gioeli, Joey Gioeli, Neal Schon, Todd Jensen and Deen Castronovo. The bands' most recent album release is the 2009 Leaving the End Open which featured...
, and Paul Rodgers
Paul Rodgers
Paul Bernard Rodgers is an English rock singer-songwriter, best known for his success in the 1970s as a member of Free and Bad Company. After stints in two less successful bands in the 1980s and early 1990s, The Firm and The Law, he became a solo artist. He has recently toured and recorded with...
' backing band. Castronovo also played on Schon's song "Smoke of the Revolution" from the Late Nite album.
Discography
- World Play (3 editions: 1. black sleeve: original (with Deen), 2. green sleeve: American edition of remaster, 3. yellow sleeve: 3a. European edition of remaster [incl bonus DVD]/ 3b. Japanese edition of remaster [incl bonus track])
External links
- Soul Sirkus.com - Official website (no longer active)
- Neal Schon - Official website
- Jeff Scott Soto - Official website
- "Another World" - promo video from World Play
- "New Position" - promo video on YouTube
- Soul SirkUS' first jam - Photo of Soto's first appearance with Schon at NAMM 2004
- Soul SirkUS in New York 2005 - Photos of Soul Sirkus live
- Live review - Soul SirkUS April 2005 concert
- Soul Sirkus at the Fillmore - Live photos from April 2005
- Soul Sirkus in Santa Ana, CA - Large live photo gallery