The Circle Jerks are an American punk rock band which consists of vocalist Keith Morris and guitarist Greg Hetson (both since 1979) alongside bassist Zander Schloss (since 1983), and drummer Joey Castillo (since 2019). The band was formed in Southern California in 1979, and originally comprised Morris, Hetson, Roger Rogerson on bass and Lucky Lehrer on drums.
The first Circle Jerks lineup released three albums (including their 1980 debut Group Sex ), before Rogerson and Lehrer were kicked out of the band in 1983 and replaced by Earl Liberty and Chuck Biscuits respectively. This lineup lasted only a year, and the Circle Jerks hired Zander Schloss and Keith Clark as Liberty and Biscuits' replacements. The new lineup, consisting of Morris, Hetson, Schloss and Clark, recorded two more albums before the Circle Jerks split up for the first time in 1990, when Hetson left to concentrate on Bad Religion, which he had joined a few years before.
A long period of inactivity ended in 1994, when the Circle Jerks, with the 1984-1990 lineup, reunited and signed a major label deal with Mercury Records, a move that had a few business complications: Hetson was still with Bad Religion, who had signed a long-term contract with Atlantic Records, while Schloss had been part of a band contracted to Interscope. After ironing out these difficulties, the band recorded Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities and released it in the summer of 1995, but broke up once again. Reasons for this breakup were essentially the same as they were in 1990.
A second Circle Jerks reunion occurred in 2001. Participating this time were Morris, Hetson, Schloss and Kevin Fitzgerald, who filled in on drums for Clark, who at that time had retired from the music business. Tensions among its members and failed attempts to record the follow-up to Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities resulted in the Circle Jerks breaking up yet again in 2011. The band announced in November 2019 that they would reunite in 2020 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Group Sex with live shows. [1]
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keith Morris |
| lead vocals | all Circle Jerks releases | |
| Greg Hetson |
| |||
| Zander Schloss |
|
|
| |
| Joey Castillo | 2019–present |
| none to date |
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roger Rogerson | 1979–1983 (died 1996) |
|
| |
| Lucky Lehrer | 1979–1983 |
|
| |
| Chuck Biscuits | 1983–1984 | Repo Man soundtrack (1984) | ||
| Earl Liberty |
| |||
| Keith Clark |
|
|
| |
| Kevin Fitzgerald | 2001–2010 |
| I'm Gonna Live - single (2007) |
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Quintana | 1981 (East Coast tour) (died 2018) | drums | none | |
| John Ingram | 1983 | Golden Shower of Hits (1983) | ||
| Flea | 1984 | bass | none | |
| Chris Poland | 1988 | |||
| Ted Pittman | 1988–1989 | |||
| Doug Carrion | 1989 |
Keith Morris is an American singer and songwriter known for his role as frontman of the hardcore punk bands Black Flag, Circle Jerks, and Off!. Born and raised in Hermosa Beach, California, he formed Black Flag at the age of 21 with guitarist Greg Ginn and performed on the band's 1979 debut EP Nervous Breakdown. Shortly after leaving Black Flag in 1979, he formed the Circle Jerks with guitarist Greg Hetson; the band released seven albums between 1980 and 1995 and have broken up and reformed on numerous occasions. In 2009 Morris formed the supergroup Off! with guitarist Dimitri Coats, bassist Steven Shane McDonald, and drummer Mario Rubalcaba. Morris has also appeared as a guest vocalist on several albums by other artists.
Chuck Biscuits is a Canadian drummer best known for his work in several punk rock bands.
The Decline of Western Civilization is a 1981 American documentary filmed through 1979 and 1980. The movie is about the Los Angeles punk rock scene and was directed by Penelope Spheeris. In 1981, the LAPD Chief of Police Daryl Gates wrote a letter demanding the film not be shown again in the city.
The Weirdos are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles. They formed in 1975, split-up in 1981, re-grouped in 1986 and have remained semi-active ever since. Critic Mark Deming calls them "quite simply, one of the best and brightest American bands of punk's first wave."
Greg Hetson is an American musician. He is best known as the guitarist for the influential punk rock bands Circle Jerks and Bad Religion. He is known for his high energy stage antics which people have coined the term "The Hetson Leap". Hetson was a founding member of and also plays guitar in another supergroup, Punk Rock Karaoke, and the hardcore punk band G.F.P.
Punk's Not Dead is a 2007 documentary film directed by Susan Dynner, an American hardcore punk fan. The filmmakers claims to infiltrate American clubs, malls, recording studios, etc. where they set out to claim hardcore punk and pop punk music is "thriving" from an American perspective. Its content features performances largely from 1980s hardcore bands and MTV skate punk and pop punk/rock acts. It also includes various interviews and behind-the-scenes footage with the bands, labels and fans.
Zander Schloss is an American musician, actor and composer. He is known as bass player for the Circle Jerks, the Weirdos, his many collaborations with Joe Strummer musically and in film and for his contributions to independent feature films.
Group Sex is the debut studio album by American hardcore punk band Circle Jerks. It was released on October 1, 1980, by Frontier Records. The album consists of 14 songs in 15 minutes and is considered to be a landmark album in hardcore punk. It was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities is the sixth studio album by American hardcore punk band Circle Jerks, released June 20, 1995 by Mercury Records. It is the band's last studio album to date.
Wild in the Streets is the second studio album by American hardcore punk band Circle Jerks. It was released on March 4, 1982, by Faulty Products, a sub-label of I.R.S. Records.
Wonderful is the fourth studio album by the American hardcore punk band Circle Jerks, released in 1985.
Golden Shower of Hits is the third studio album by American hardcore punk band Circle Jerks, released July 21, 1983, by the labels Allegiance and LAX Records. It was the band's last album to feature the band's original bassist Roger Rogerson and their only release to feature drummer John Ingram, who briefly replaced Lucky Lehrer. After the album, the band's music took a different direction on their next studio album, Wonderful (1985).
VI is the fifth studio album by American hardcore punk band Circle Jerks, released in 1987 by Relativity Records. Taking into account the Circle Jerks' contribution to the documentary and soundtrack The Decline of Western Civilization, VI is the band's sixth major body of work. It was the band's last album before its five-year hiatus from 1989 to 1994. This album's lineup later reunited in 1995 to record its final studio album to date, Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities.
Gig is a live album by American hardcore punk band Circle Jerks, recorded in the late 1980s and released by Relativity Records in 1992.
This is a comprehensive discography of the Circle Jerks, a California-based punk rock band. They have released six studio albums, one live album, one compilation album, and one video album.
Off! was an American hardcore punk supergroup, formed in Los Angeles, California in late 2009 by Circle Jerks/Black Flag singer Keith Morris, Burning Brides frontman Dimitri Coats, Redd Kross bassist Steven Shane McDonald, and Rocket From The Crypt/Hot Snakes drummer Mario Rubalcaba. In 2021, it was announced that the line-up had changed, with McDonald and Rubalcaba replaced by Autry Fulbright II and Justin Brown, respectively. The band were known for playing short, intense punk songs, with Pitchfork describing the band as "a vital blast of classic hardcore."
Earl Liberty is an American punk rock bass guitarist, known for playing bass for Saccharine Trust from 1980 to 1982, playing on the South Bay/San Pedro-based band's 1981 debut album, Paganicons, and participating in touring with SST labelmates Black Flag. His stage name was coined when Minutemen's D. Boon declared "Jesus Christ, you're fucking huge! You're as big as the Statue of Liberty!" which was then wedded to his earlier nickname of "Earl."
Circle Jerks are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetson. To date, Circle Jerks have released six studio albums, one compilation, a live album and a live DVD. Their debut album, Group Sex (1980), is considered a landmark of the hardcore genre.
Chris Morris is a music writer based in Los Angeles, California. He is known for his coverage of L.A.'s independent scene in the 1970s and 1980s, which made him "a central voice in Left Coast music journalism." He has also written well-received books on Los Lobos and Bob Dylan.
