Rise of the Supergroup: A Perfect Circle

Most everyone is familiar with the phrase, "Those who can't do, teach" but in the world of Rock n' Roll, that antique adage could be adapted a bit, more along the lines of "Those who can't rock out, serve as roadies." Such is the case with Billy Howerdel, the founder of the group A Perfect Circle. Before starting the band, the New Jersey native spent time as a guitar tech for several prominent groups, including Faith No More, Fishbone, David Bowie, Guns N' Roses, Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails and Tool.

It was during his time working with Fishbone that Howerdel first met and befriended singer Maynard James Keenan. Later, while working with Keenan's band Tool, he invited the dynamic singer to provide vocals for some of his original musical compositions. An impressed Keenan reportedly remarked, "I can hear myself singing [those songs]," and the collaboration was born. A Perfect Circle came into being soon afterward.

Rounding out the initial lineup was ex-Failure guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen, bassist Paz Lenchantin and Primus drummer Tim Alexander. The group performed their first live gig on August 15th, 1999 at the Viper Room in Los Angeles, while their debut album, Mer de Noms, was released on May 23rd the following year. While the band's material was virtually unheard of, Keenan and the other high profile names in the group helped the album debut at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart, the highest debut for a rock band at the time. Selling nearly 200,000 copies in its first week, the effort would go on to achieve platinum status.

The group underwent a number of lineup changes, though Howerdel and Keenan remained at the forefront as the primary songwriter and lyricist, respectively. After opening for Nine Inch Nails and hitting the road for their own headlining tour, Lenchantin and Van Leeuwen left the group, and were replaced by ex-Marilyn Manson bassist Jeordie White and one-time Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha. Eventually, Alexander was replaced by drummer Josh Freese.

Because this particular supergroup is composed primarily of musicians who are still in functioning bands, A Perfect Circle was forced to go on hiatus over the last few years. However, as of late last year Keenan has stated that he and Howerdel were at work on new material. Just last week, the band's website revealed vague statements alluding to a new chapter in the A Perfect Circle story. Fortunately, since Tool has averaged about one new album about every five years, there is ample time for Keenan to dedicate to both bands. If the reports on the APC website are true, A Perfect Circle will get rolling again in the very near future.