Cire

Eric Johanson, a vocalist and guitarist born in New Orleans and steeped in blues traditions, originated the guitar-melodic rock style that defines Cire. He first picked up the instrument at age five, initially modeling his approach on Stevie Ray Vaughan before shifting toward the harder-edged textures of alternative and industrial acts such as Failure, Tool, and Nine Inch Nails, influences that later shaped his Cire recordings. His earliest outing under the Cire name arrived in 2001 with Pleasure Is Our Enemy, a set of songs he had composed, played, and captured largely on his own during his early development. In 2003 he enlisted drummer Doug Gay to produce the fuller debut Adrenological, an elaborate and expansive rock album whose conceptual layers drew from the writings of philosophers William James and Richard Porty; Genome Records released the album, which listeners could obtain directly through the band’s site.

Gay departed shortly after the sessions, freeing Johanson to pursue Emptyself, a separate endeavor leaning into relaxed, trip-hop textures. The 2005 arrival of drummer Chris O’Guinn, who committed to Cire, renewed momentum around the project. Throughout spring and summer that year Johanson and O’Guinn developed fresh material while searching for a bassist to enable live performances. Those plans were upended when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in August 2005, flooding Johanson’s apartment and studio along with countless other residences and placing all Cire activity on hold. Following a period of indecision, Johanson chose relocation to New Zealand as the next step. Before leaving, he and O’Guinn completed the bulk of the tracks that became Wholesale Buyout, issued by Genome in 2006. Johanson intends to continue both Cire and Emptyself from his new base in New Zealand.