Album Notes

"Why this brand of solid, progressive rock has not been the replacement for the hoard of trashy hard rock bands on the airwaves nationwide is a mystery to me." - Impact Press

"Guitarist, singer, and composer, Eric Johanson, has traveled far from his tenure as a hot-handed young Stevie Ray Vaughan wannabe on Memphis' Beale St. Based now for several years in New Orleans... Johanson conceived Cire, a project that references the likes of A Perfect Circle with its ambitious arrangements, shards of driving, metallic guitar, industrial breaks, and lyrics culled from the psyche's shadowy corners." - Times Picayune

Cire is guitar-driven, intelligent rock that has been described as combining the odd rhythms of Tool, the soulful improvisation of Gov't Mule, and the hi-fi production of Nine Inch Nails. Listeners, however, will soon find all of these desciptions inadequate to express the depth of vision in Cire's music.

Started in New Orleans by artist/producer Eric Johanson, Cire's musical influences range from industrial to blues, but the sound would generally be classified an original species of rock. Though Cire's music features intense melodic compositions and musicianship, the lyrical content is, to many, just as important. The ideas present in Cire's music have been influenced by many different works of philosophy and science. The first album, Pleasure Is Our Enemy was highly inspired by the dystopian literature of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley, as well as the social philosophy of Bertrand Russell. Cire's new CD, Adrenological, has been inspired by the evolutionary psychology of Matt Ridley, Steven Pinker, E.O. Wilson and others, as well as the pragmatic philosophers William James and Richard Rorty.

Adrenological is a brain-tingling experience that far surpasses Cire's first release in both beauty and intensity. The jazz/hard rock drumming of former Cire drummer Doug Gay compliments the polyrhythmic grooves found throughout. Intricate rhythms, contemplative melodies, and psychological explorations form the basis of Adrenological.

Visit Cire.tv for more info, as well as the 2006 download-only album, Wholesale Buyout.

See also: Emptyself - Eric's acoustic/trip-hop/rock entity.
www.cdbaby.com/emptyself
www.emptyself.com