Biography
Formed in Sacramento in 1993, the aggressive high-energy foursome initially went by the name Spirit Circle and underwent multiple lineup shifts before locking in their definitive roster in 1997. Flamp Sorari handled flute and alto sax, leader Brian Gould played guitars, Miles Gilster covered bass, and Jason Kenney sat behind the drums. Their sound fused rock, jazz, space rock, and psychedelia into an intricate, many-textured sonic landscape. The group launched live performances across California in 2000, appearing alongside Melting Euphoria, Deus Ex Machina, Mushroom, and Spock's Beard. In 1999 they entered the studio with producer Chris Dugan to cut their first album, Maelstrom, bringing in multi-instrumentalist Steve Roach for inventive contributions on several tracks. The record finally reached listeners in 2002 and earned strong praise among progressive music fans, its initial CD pressing selling out in short order. Yet the financial pressures facing a prog fusion group from Sacramento ultimately proved insurmountable, prompting the band to dissolve quietly before the year ended.
Albums