On the bus with Circus Diablo
By Dave Schwartz

Circus Diablo is the newest of the super groups that have captivated America’s attention. Their self-titled release dropped July 3rd and has raced into the charts on the strength of the single, "Loaded." So naturally there’s only one place for band with a new record and hot single-- Ozzfest.

I know this will seem a bit like vegetable soup when I try to name the entire band and their associations, but I’ll throw caution to the wind and see what happens. Circus Diablo was founded by The Cult guitarist Billy Duffy and ex-Cult touring bassist/current Camp Freddy guitarist Billy Morrison (vocals). Within a year The Almighty frontman Ricky Warwick (guitar) was added leaving only former Fuel/current Riders on the Storm frontman Brett Scallions (bass) left to round out the line up. Onetime Cult drummer Matt Sorum (now in Velvet Revolver) played drums on the record courtesy of RCA but Charles Ruggiero of Slunt, will be taking up the drum stool for the tour. And since I mentioned the touring lineup, Cult guitarist Billy Duffy won’t be joining fellow Circus Diablo members on stage either. Touring duties are being ably handled by former OTEP guitarist and KORN touring guitarist, Rob Patterson.

I caught up with the entire band at the Phoenix, Arizona installment of Ozzfest where, just an hour before, Circus Diablo blistered through their set in front of several thousand fans. As I climbed onto the tour bus, Billy Morrison was finishing a sandwich and Ricky Warwick was sitting quietly in the corner, consumed by e-mail. Brett Scallions introduced himself and took position on the couch across from me. Morrison, Scallions and I made small talk as I fumbled for my recorder. Morrison apologized for his lunch as I reassured him that I didn’t mind the delay for a moment, for this bus was an oasis of pleasure. Why, you ask?

Outdoors = a sunny yet relatively cool 98 degrees and 70 percent humidity.

Indoors = Air Conditioning.

I would’ve been happy to wait all day!

With the last couple bites of a sandwich gone, we settled into the business of doing an interview. Motioning to my recorder Morrison asked, "Is this interview going to be read or heard?"

Read, I replied. We here at DaBelly still have our feet firmly planted in the last millennium. Someday we will take that leap of faith and begin offering audio and video snippets online, but until then-- Happy Reading!

I opened the interview by pointing out the obvious success of the new single, "Loaded," and asked if the response to this record was something that was anticipated.

"First of all, just starting this band was a success for us. Everything after the release date of the record is just icing on the cake!" Morrison exclaimed. "I’m not fucking around when I say we didn’t really think we were even doing a band. Me and Billy Duffy started by writing one song. Ricky joined us a year later. During that year we thought about maybe just releasing three songs on the Internet. Then Brett became a partner with us and we thought, let’s just do a Web-based EP. So the fact that were sitting on our tour bus in the middle of a national tour with a Top 40 Active Rock single is all bonus."

And the bonus that Morrison speaks of has come in the form of Ozzfest. As most everyone knows, this year’s perennial mega-tour is being presented as a free show. The result is opportunity for both the fan and the young band to see and be seen. Most of the bands in this year’s lineup have accepted little or no touring revenue for the opportunity to play in front of sold-out amphitheaters. That financial reality has effectively shaken up the typical Ozzfest lineup, offering many new bands the much-coveted stage.

I asked if Circus Diablo had yet felt the reward of the Ozzfest experience.

"With a show like this, since it is free, a lot of people are here that couldn’t normally experience this concert," Scallions explained. "People are coming out of the woodwork! I mean I’ve seen people show up here and they’re already dirty! Maybe they’re that poor but they love music and they just want to be here. So now that it’s free they’re here and it’s just over the top!"

Morrison smiled, "Imagine living somewhere for like five years. You’re about 15 and you’ve just become aware of loud guitars and what they’ll do to you below the waist. And for five years you’ve watched these concerts come through your town and you haven’t got the money to go. And that’s when Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne step up and say, ‘Know what motherfuckers, this one is free!’ That’s what we’re playing to out there and it’s so great."

I wanted to ask Morrison and Scallions about the evolution of Circus Diablo, but not in the sense of how the band was formed. Most fans know that story, as it is fairly well documented. I found it interesting that the touring lineup was different than the recording lineup and I wondered if, with that change, the songs had begun evolving in performance.

Morrison was quick to acknowledge, "Well first of all, I’m sure you know that Matt Sorum was never a member of Diablo. But there are a number of reasons Matt Sorum played on the album. First of all, he is one of the best fucking drummers in the world. Secondly, he’s my mate and Billy Duffy’s mate. Third, I was in the Cult with him, I’m in Camp Freddy with him and he’s got a great studio in his home. You don’t really have to think too hard about this. We started doing some demos and we decided to put some live drums on them to see how they sounded, so we called Matt up."

"Billy Duffy is chief songwriter with us," Morrison continued. "He’s a partner in this band and probably one of the luckiest men this year because he has two albums on the shelves, or will when the Cult record comes out. He’s part of a band with a 25-year legacy. You don’t not tour with the Cult if you’re in the Cult. What you do, or what he said to us was, let’s move on; let’s create a new model. He asked us to find someone we wanted to bring into the family and that was Rob Patterson, he used to play with KORN and now we have this new model. The other night we played at The Roxy, we had Rob Patterson and Billy Duffy on the same stage. We’ve done this a few times and if you really want to promote an album you have to be on the road and you have to have your fingers in about 10 different pies. I mean Brett here is in Riders on the Storm. He’s the lead singer of Riders on the Storm! We all have similar stories and I’m sure now you’ll go yes, well tell us about your other stuff."

As it turned out that’s not the direction I was going to take the interview. While the musical legacy of each member of Circus Diablo is significant, I find it refreshing, even remarkable that the band is touring solely on the strength this record. Perhaps I’m jaded, but all too often when a super group is formed a couple of legacy singles manage to find their way into the set list. It’s tempting for the artists because it can move a few more bodies to the show and the fans usually love it. But to me it’s more significant when a band like this says, ‘This is who we are today, accept us.’

"I don’t think it would’ve worked," Morrison declared.

"This band isn’t about what we’ve done in the past. This band is about who we are today and about letting Circus Diablo move forward into the future." Scallions explained, "We like playing our music and maybe paying homage to the Sex Pistols or maybe Adam and the Ants. I meant we play Ziggy Stardust in the clubs! I think pulling a Cult song out, a Fuel song out or an Almighty song out really isn’t the right thing for us to do."

"And along with what Brett is saying, I think that’s why the album… Let’s face it, the album has been critically acclaimed. That was my main goal," Morrison admitted. "Christ, if you’re in this business to sell units… I mean we all would like to make some money, but if you’re in this business to sell units, you’re in the wrong fucking business. When we finally decided that we were going to release this as a record, we wanted to release something that we could stand behind. We wanted something fresh. The point is we only managed to do that because we did say, ‘Let’s not play a Cult song'; 'let’s not play a Fuel song.’ You know, what you see here is a brand new band and we’re working fucking hard!"

"If you’re playing for units, then you’re starving the art out of it," I commented.

Scallions returned, "And I think if you’re working hard to only make money then it’s going to show in the music. And when it shows in the music, it’s obvious to the fans. Nobody ever wants to hear a song that was written for absolutely one reason-- radio. It’s stale and boring. We’re about making great songs and doing records for ourselves."

If it’s any kind of measurement at all, the Circus Diablo CD has made it into heavy rotation in my car. Given the number of CDs we’re sent that go on to become drink coasters, I have to believe this record has legs. The first video was shot in L.A. only days ago and I’m certain there will be others. And, perhaps most importantly, the band is having fun. I can’t count the number of times that we’ve interviewed bands that have only been on the road a couple of weeks and they’re already crispy! To that point, Morrison admitted to me that he was crispy long before they ever started!

I want to thank and wish continued success to Circus Diablo. Don’t forget to check out their Web site at www.circusdiablo.com and www.myspace.com/circusdiablo