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Punk legends
CIRCLE JERKS have announced their first and only North American tour in over 15 years, which is set to take place spring 2022. The dates span both coasts and (mostly) everywhere in between with support from
NEGATIVE APPROACH and
7SECONDS who will be reuniting for the first time in over five years. Tickets for the new shows go on sale this Friday, October 8 at 10 a.m. local time.
CIRCLE JERKS' landmark record
"Group Sex" turned 40 last fall. The band will be on tour this fall with
ADOLESCENTS,
NEGATIVE APPROACH and
MUNICIPAL WASTE in celebration of its anniversary and the commemorative reissue.
CIRCLE JERKS' current live lineup is vocalist
Keith Morris, guitarist
Greg Hetson (BAD RELIGION, REDD KROSS), bassist
Zander Schloss (THE WEIRDOS, JOE STRUMMER) and drummer
Joey Castillo (THE BRONX, QOTSA, DANZIG, BL'AST!, WASTED YOUTH).
CIRCLE JERKS emerged from the punk underbelly of Los Angeles's South Bay in 1979. After serving as a co-founder and lead vocalist of
BLACK FLAG during the recording of its essential
"Nervous Breakdown" EP,
Morris joined forces with
Greg Hetson to form what would become
CIRCLE JERKS, along with bassist
Roger Rogerson and jazz drummer
Lucky Lehrer. Unlike much of the unapologetic hardcore that seeped through the cracks of American suburbia, the music of the
CIRCLE JERKS was thoughtfully steadfast, yet relentless and ferocious in nature. Bringing together a potent, articulate rhythm section with earnest yet oftentimes derisive lyrics and themes, the band was thereafter heralded as a leader of the pack — and a force to be reckoned with.
Plowing forward with a relentless, tooth-cutting work ethic and a rousing stage presence, the band would soon find itself headlining shows at L.A.'s 5,000-capacity Olympic Auditorium and emblazoned in cult video classics like
"The Decline Of Western Civilization",
"Repo Man",
"New Wave Theatre" and
"The Slog Movie". Over the decades,
CIRCLE JERKS would release six studio albums, including the aforementioned
"Group Sex" (1980),
"Wild In The Streets" (1982),
"Golden Shower Of Hits" (1983),
"Wonderful" (1985) and
"IV" (1987), where they would become a major headliner during the alternative music explosion of the '80s and '90s.
The long list of those influenced by the legacy of the
CIRCLE JERKS ranges from
BUTTHOLE SURFERS to
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS — with notable fans being Dogtown skateboarders,
Chuck Berry,
Alice Cooper,
Elton John,
Johnny Depp,
GUNS N' ROSES and
Philip K. Dick. Decades later, their music continues to make an imprint on generations of diverse music fans and those who challenge the status quo.
The
"Group Sex" deluxe reissue features packaging by
Robert Fisher, designer of
NIRVANA's
"Nevermind", a bonus recording of a 1980 rehearsal, a 20-page booklet including unreleased photos and anecdotes from
Tony Hawk,
Mike Patton,
Shepard Fairey,
Ian MacKaye,
Lars Frederiksen and many others, in addition to a quality repackaging in a limited colored vinyl schema. The remastered audio is available across all digital retailers and has now sold out of its first two pressings on vinyl format.
CIRCLE JERKS tour dates:
Oct. 27 - Sunshine Theatre - Albuquerque, NM #
Oct. 29 - Rialto Theatre - Tucson, AZ #
Oct. 30 - Van Buren - Phoenix, AZ #
Dec. 10 - Soundstage - Baltimore, MD *
Dec. 11 - Norva - Norfolk, VA *
Dec. 12 - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC *
Dec. 14 - 40 Watt Club - Athens, GA *
Dec. 15 - Underbelly - Jacksonville, FL *
Dec. 17 - Jannus Live - St. Petersburg, FL *
Dec. 18 - The Plaza Live - Orlando, FL *
Dec. 19 - Culture Room - Fort Lauderdale, FL *
Feb. 18 - Observatory North Park - San Diego, CA #
Feb. 19 - House of Blues - Anaheim, CA #
Feb. 20 - Ventura Theatre - Ventura, CA #
Feb. 22 - Fremont Theatre - San Luis Obispo, CA #
Feb. 23 - Catalyst - Santa Cruz, CA #
Feb. 25 - Fillmore - San Francisco, CA #
Feb. 26 - Ace of Spades - Sacramento #
Feb. 27 - Clutch Cargo - Reno, NV #
Mar. 01 - Knitting Factory - Boise. ID #
Mar. 02 - Midtown - Bend, OR #
Mar. 04 - Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC #
Mar. 05 - Showbox SODO - Seattle, WA #
Mar. 06 - Roseland - Portland, OR #
Newly announced shows:
Mar. 17 - Grand Room Complex - Salt Lake CIty, UT !
Mar. 19 - Ogden Theatre - Denver, CO !
Mar. 21 - Granada - Lawrence, KS !
Mar. 22 - Red Flag - St. Louis, MO !
Mar. 24 - First Ave - Minneapolis, MN !
Mar. 25 - The Vic - Chicago, IL !
Mar. 26 - St. Andrews Hall - Detroit, MI !
Mar. 28 - Town Ballroom - Buffalo, NY !
Mar. 29 - Mr. Smalls - Pittsburgh, PA !
Mar. 30 - House of Blues - Cleveland, OG !
Apr. 01 - Phoenix - Toronto, ON !
Apr. 02 - Corona Theatre - Montreal, QC !
Apr. 03 - L'Imperial Bell - Quebec City, QC !
Apr. 05 - Higher Ground - Burlington, VT !
Apr. 07 - Paradise - Boston, MA !
Apr. 08 - Stone Pony - Asbury Park, NJ !
Apr. 09 - TLA - Philadelphia, PA !
Apr. 14 - Irving Plaza - NYC, NY !
Apr. 16 - Black Cat - Washington DC !
Apr. 19 - Ashville, NC !
Apr. 21 - Brooklyn Bowl - Nashville, TN !
Apr. 22 - Masquerade, Atlanta, GA !
Apr. 23 - New Orleans, LA !
Apr. 26 - Mohawk - Austin, TX !
Apr. 29 - Paper Tiger - San Antonio, TX !
Apr. 30 - White Oak - Houston, TX !
May 01 - Granada Theater - Dallas, TX !
May 13 - Hollywood Palladium - Los Angeles, CA !^
# with
ADOLESCENTS and
NEGATIVE APPROACH
* with
MUNICIPAL WASTE and
NEGATIVE APPROACH
! with
7SECONDS and
NEGATIVE APPROACH
^ with
THE BOUNCING SOULS
Photo by
Atiba Jefferson