Biography
Circus of Power embodied the raw underbelly of New York’s sleaze rock milieu throughout the closing years of the 1980s and the opening stretch of the 1990s. Their sound and visual style carried a distinctive bite that, though reminiscent of the post-Guns N’ Roses gutter rock outfits sweeping America, stayed rooted in the city’s singular grit. Modest commercial traction arrived in 1988 via their self-titled debut, after which two additional long-players appeared before the group formally dissolved in 1995. Frontman Alex Mitchell later reassembled Circus of Power during the 2010s with fresh personnel and delivered the appropriately titled Four in 2017, followed three years afterward by the Process of Illumination EP.
Having paid dues across New York’s club circuit through much of the 1980s, the band secured a contract with RCA Records, resulting in the shipment of their debut album in 1988. That initial lineup featured Alex Mitchell on vocals, Ryan Maher behind the kit, Ricky Beck Maler on guitar, and Gary Sunshine handling bass. The record’s “blues-based” sleaze rock approach—marked by midtempo swagger and tales of varied excess—established the template for everything that followed. Still Alive arrived in 1989; Vices surfaced the next year and introduced the first personnel shift, as Sunshine switched to second guitar while Zowie Ackerman joined on bass. Disappointed by sales, RCA cut ties, yet Columbia quickly stepped in with a new agreement. Mark Frappier eventually replaced Ackerman, and Victor Indrizzo took over drumming duties from Maher. Columbia issued the third album, Magic and Madness, in 1993, though by then even the strongest acts of this stripe were faltering amid grunge and alternative rock’s ascent.
The band ultimately split in the mid-1990s, resurfacing sporadically for isolated performances, including a pair of 20th-anniversary shows in 2006. More than ten years after that, Mitchell reconvened Circus of Power with an entirely new roster and returned to the studio. Powered by the singles “Hard Drivin’ Sister” and “Fast and Easy,” Four emerged in late 2017 as the group’s first studio album in twenty-four years, with the Process of Illumination EP following three years later.
Having paid dues across New York’s club circuit through much of the 1980s, the band secured a contract with RCA Records, resulting in the shipment of their debut album in 1988. That initial lineup featured Alex Mitchell on vocals, Ryan Maher behind the kit, Ricky Beck Maler on guitar, and Gary Sunshine handling bass. The record’s “blues-based” sleaze rock approach—marked by midtempo swagger and tales of varied excess—established the template for everything that followed. Still Alive arrived in 1989; Vices surfaced the next year and introduced the first personnel shift, as Sunshine switched to second guitar while Zowie Ackerman joined on bass. Disappointed by sales, RCA cut ties, yet Columbia quickly stepped in with a new agreement. Mark Frappier eventually replaced Ackerman, and Victor Indrizzo took over drumming duties from Maher. Columbia issued the third album, Magic and Madness, in 1993, though by then even the strongest acts of this stripe were faltering amid grunge and alternative rock’s ascent.
The band ultimately split in the mid-1990s, resurfacing sporadically for isolated performances, including a pair of 20th-anniversary shows in 2006. More than ten years after that, Mitchell reconvened Circus of Power with an entirely new roster and returned to the studio. Powered by the singles “Hard Drivin’ Sister” and “Fast and Easy,” Four emerged in late 2017 as the group’s first studio album in twenty-four years, with the Process of Illumination EP following three years later.
Albums
