A Perfect Circle

A Perfect Circle (often referred to as APC) was an alternative rock band, formed by guitarist Billy Howerdel. Howerdel had worked as a guitar tech for bands such as Nine Inch Nails, The Smashing Pumpkins, Fishbone, Guns N' Roses and Tool. He played demos of his music to Tool's singer, Maynard James Keenan. Maynard offered himself as vocalist should Howerdel form a band. Howerdel was initially hesitant about this as he originally wanted a female singer.

History

Mer De Noms-era (1999-2001)

Joined by The Vandals drummer Josh Freese, drummer Tim Alexander of Primus and Laundry, ex- Failure guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen, and bassist/violinist Paz Lenchantin (later of Zwan), the band rehearsed the music that Howerdel had begun and finished their debut album Mer de Noms (French "Sea of Names"). At this time Tool was tied up in negotiations with their record label, allowing Keenan much time to complete the work.

Thirteenth Step / eMOTIVe-era (2002-2005)

Between Lenchantin leaving the band for Billy Corgan's new band Zwan and Van Leeuwen's becoming the new guitarist of Queens of the Stone Age, the band was in need of a new bassist and guitarist for their live performances. These positions were taken over by ex-Marilyn Manson bassist Jeordie White (formerly known as Twiggy Ramirez) and ex-Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha.

The band released their second album, Thirteenth Step, in September 16 2003. A third album, eMOTIVe, was released on November 2, 2004, which contains anti-war cover songs of artists such as John Lennon and Joni Mitchell. eMOTIVe was recorded with various different past and present members of APC, but mostly by Keenan and Howerdel.

On November 16, 2004, the band released the DVD and CD set entitled aMOTION. The set contains the music videos to the singles, as well as some previously unreleased videos, along with b-sides and remixes.

Hiatus (2006-present)

A Perfect Circle is currently on hiatus, partly due to Keenan's commitments with Tool. A Perfect Circle experienced a considerable amount of downtime during recording, release and tour for Tool's previous album Lateralus. This makes the band extremely dynamic in terms of its members. During the downtime, other members of the band seek other projects which can mean they are unavailable when APC is reformed, which was the case with both Troy van Leeuwen and Paz Lenchantin.

As of May 2006, Keenan is touring with Tool, Howerdel is planning a solo album, and White is touring with Nine Inch Nails. Iha is currently touring with Vanessa and the O's in Europe. On December 6, Freese took over as drummer for Nine Inch Nails, replacing Alex Carapetis.

Freese continues to work with The Vandals. They are currently working on a new studio album, which is due out in summer/fall 2006. Josh Freese tracked drum performances for Black Light Burns, which features ex Limp Bizkit guitarist/From First to Last bassist Wes Borland on vocals and guitar, Danny Lohner on bass, and Josh Eustis of Telefon Tel Aviv on keyboards. Freese is unexpected to tour with that lineup. Freese also recently recorded drum tracks for the still unreleased solo debut of former Korn guitarist Brian Welch, also nicknamed "Head". He is also scheduled to participate in the reunion of DEVO.

Iha was asked to participate in the reunion of The Smashing Pumpkins, in order to have the line-up completed, but he has not confirmed that he will join.

Keenan recently said in an interview with French magazine Rock Hard that he thinks A Perfect Circle is over. Billy Howerdel confirmed this by saying there were no plans for a new album or tour. ^*

Band members

Staple members

Billy Howerdel - guitar, vocals
Maynard James Keenan - vocals
Josh Freese - drums since 1999, and on all tracks on Mer de Noms except "The Hollow"

Others

Danny Lohner - helps with engineering and fills in for different instruments as necessary. Has made some contribution to each album.
Paz Lenchantin - bass, vocals, strings, piano on Mer de Noms and eMOTIVe
Troy Van Leeuwen - guitar on Mer de Noms and Thirteenth Step
James Iha - guitar on eMOTIVe and touring musician
Jeordie White - bass on Thirteenth Step and eMOTIVe
Tim Alexander - drums for a short time in 1999, and on "The Hollow"

All members had some contribution or another to aMOTION, and all are listed in its liner notes in the above order.

Latest lineup

Owing to Iha and White's commitments elsewhere, the "Passive" video featured the lineup of Keenan, Howerdel, Freese, Lohner, and Lenchantin. An aborted performance of that single scheduled for The Tonight Show was cancelled at the last minute, and would have included the same members.

Howerdel had mentioned in November 2004 that the next incarnation of the band will definitely contain Keenan and himself, and most likely Josh Freese, though as of 2006 it is unclear if there will ever be another A Perfect Circle ensemble.

Discography

Studio albums

Image:A_Perfect_Circle_-_Mer_de_Noms.jpg|Mer de Noms
(2000) Image:Apc thirteenthstep.jpg|Thirteenth Step
(2003) Image:A_Perfect_Circle_-_eMOTIVe.jpg|eMOTIVe
(2004)

DVDs & Other

Image:APCaMOTIONcover.jpg|aMOTION
(2004)
(DVD and Remix CD)

Compilations

Underworld (Soundtrack, 2003) - "Judith (Renholder Mix)"
Apocalypse (Soundtrack, 2004) - "The Outsider (Renholder Apocalypse Mix)"

This track is by a second Maynard Keenan side project involving Danny Lohner called 'Puscifer'

Volume 2 (Compilation, 2004)
Constantine (Promotional song, 2005) - "Passive". Passive was never included on the film's soundtrack, but was used to promote the movie by placing scenes within the song's music video.

Music videos

"Judith" from Mer de Noms (directed by David Fincher)
"3 Libras" from Mer de Noms
"Thinking of You" from Mer de Noms
"Weak and Powerless" from Thirteenth Step (directed by Brothers Strause)
"The Outsider" from Thirteenth Step (directed by Steven Grasse of Bikini Bandits fame)
"Blue" from Thirteenth Step
"Counting Bodies Like Sheep To The Rhythm Of The War Drums" from eMOTIVe
"Imagine" from eMOTIVe
"Passive" from eMOTIVe (directed by Brothers Strause)

Trivia

The song Passive that appeared on the 2004 album eMOTIVe is actually adapted from the defunct band Tapeworm (also known as The Tapeworm Project). Tapeworm was essentially a project involving Maynard James Keenan and Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails) as well as Danny Lohner. The project never fully developed due to apparent contractual conflicts that could not be negotiated. During several shows on their tour in early 2001, A Perfect Circle played a cover of an unreleased Tapeworm song, then apparently titled Vacant (also referred to as Perfect Enemy). The song was never released by any artist until it appeared on eMOTIVe as the song Passive.
A Perfect Circle has also had songs appear in several films and television shows including Underworld (2003), Apocalypse (2004) and Constantine (2005) as well as NY (season one).
Maynard James Keenan has starred in two Bikini Bandits films.
To separate himself from Tool, Maynard James Keenan wears long wigs on his otherwise bald scalp in all of A Perfect Circle's music videos, photo shoots, and live performances.
Some believe that the A Perfect Circle's logo isn't in fact a perfect circle, however the two 'slivers' are created using four over-lapping perfect circles of varying sizes, as illustrated below. But others believe the slivers to be the edges of a ring turned on its side.

Image:Apc-logo-analysis.jpg|A Perfect Circle's logo construction

During Middle Ages, musical notation development was in the hands of the monks, who inevitably associated religious and musical phenomena. To them the three_part concept of the Holy Trinity represented religious perfection; therefore to them only triple meter was perfect meter. To express this meter they placed the geometrically perfect circle at the beginning of the plainchant. Many APC songs are in triple meter.
The music video for The Hollow, the first track off of Mer de Noms, was cancelled during production and only a CD single exists of this track.

External links

2000s music groups | Alternative musical groups | American musical groups | Rock music groups | Supergroups

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