Circus Devils

Circus Devils
Circus Devils
	left to right: Tim Tobias, Robert Pollard, Todd Tobias
Background information
Origin	Ohio, U.S.
Genres	Alternative rock, experimental rock, psychedelic rock, indie rock, art rock
Years active	2001–2017, 2023-present
Labels	Happy Jack Rock Records; Ipecac; Rockathon Records; Guided by Voices, Inc.;
Members	Robert Pollard; Todd Tobias; Tim Tobias;
Website	www.circusdevils.net

Circus Devils is an American psychedelic rock band founded in 2001 by Robert Pollard, best known as the lead singer and songwriter of the Dayton, Ohio, band Guided by Voices. The band consists of Pollard (vocals and lyrics), Todd Tobias (music and production), and Tim Tobias (music).

Circus Devils employs a wide spectrum of musical styles, ranging from acid rock to ambient soundscapes. On the band's web site, the music is described as "garage-prog, or art rock made by cave men."^[1]

History

Circus Devils was originally conceived in 2001 as a side project to Robert Pollard's main work with Guided by Voices. Between 2001 and 2023, the band released 15 full-length albums. Beginning with the release of their first album, Ringworm Interiors, Circus Devils dismissed the styles of Pollard's other musical endeavors for a more experimental approach, taking an ominous and nightmarish tone, exploring the themes of good and evil.^[2] According to the group's whimsical website bio, Circus Devils formed because a dog-faced man approached each member on separate occasions to deliver the message, "Circus Devils is Real."^[1] Like this story, the song lyrics are often unsettling fictional tales of horror delivered within deconstructed rock operas.^[3] Each Circus Devils album is distinguished by a theme, concept, or production style which sets it apart from the band's other albums.

In 2007, the band's 5th album Sgt. Disco was released on Mike Patton's Ipecac Recordings record label.^[4]

Band member and producer Todd Tobias authored a book in 2019 titled Circus Devils: See You Inside, published by Tiny Room in The Netherlands.^[5]

Discography

Studio albums

Ringworm Interiors (2001)
The Harold Pig Memorial (2002)
Pinball Mars (2003)
Five (2005)
Sgt. Disco (2007)
Ataxia (2008)
Gringo (2009)
Mother Skinny (2010)
Capsized! (2011)
When Machines Attack (2013)
My Mind Has Seen the White Trick (2013)
Escape (2014)
Stomping Grounds (2015)
Laughs Last (2017)^[6]
Squeeze the Needle (2023)

Compilations

Laughs Best (The Kids Eat It Up) (2017)

Reviews

References

^ ^a ^b "Circus Devils band INFO". Circusdevils.net. Archived from the original on 2015-09-20. Retrieved 2015-10-31.
^ Lymangrover, Jason (2007). "Circus Devils – Biography". AllMusic.
^ AllMusic.com
^ "Ipecac Recordings - Circus Devils". Ipecac.com.
^ tinyroom.nl
^ "Circus Devils albums". Discogs.com.

External links

[auto-1] "Circus Devils band INFO". Circusdevils.net. Archived from the original on 2015-09-20. Retrieved 2015-10-31.

[Allmusic-2] Lymangrover, Jason (2007). "Circus Devils – Biography". AllMusic.

[3] AllMusic.com

[4] "Ipecac Recordings - Circus Devils". Ipecac.com.

[5] tinyroom.nl

[6] "Circus Devils albums". Discogs.com.

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v t e Guided by Voices
Robert Pollard Doug Gillard Mark Shue Bobby Bare Jr. Kevin March Tobin Sprout Mitch Mitchell Greg Demos Kevin Fennell Jim Macpherson James Greer Discography
Studio albums	Devil Between My Toes (1987) Sandbox (1987) Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia (1989) Same Place the Fly Got Smashed (1990) Propeller (1992) Vampire on Titus (1993) Bee Thousand (1994) Alien Lanes (1995) Under the Bushes Under the Stars (1996) Tonics & Twisted Chasers (1996) Mag Earwhig! (1997) Do the Collapse (1999) Isolation Drills (2001) Universal Truths and Cycles (2002) Earthquake Glue (2003) Half Smiles of the Decomposed (2004) Let's Go Eat the Factory (2012) Class Clown Spots a UFO (2012) The Bears for Lunch (2012) English Little League (2013) Motivational Jumpsuit (2014) Cool Planet (2014) Please Be Honest (2016) August by Cake (2017) How Do You Spell Heaven (2017) Space Gun (2018) Zeppelin Over China (2019) Warp and Woof (2019) Sweating the Plague (2019) Surrender Your Poppy Field (2020) Mirrored Aztec (2020) Styles We Paid For (2020) Earth Man Blues (2021) It's Not Them. It Couldn't Be Them. It Is Them! (2021) Crystal Nuns Cathedral (2022) Tremblers and Goggles by Rank (2022) La La Land (2023) Welshpool Frillies (2023) Nowhere to Go but Up (2023) Strut of Kings (2024)
EPs	Forever Since Breakfast (1986) The Grand Hour (1993) Static Airplane Jive (1993) Get Out of My Stations (1994) Fast Japanese Spin Cycle (1994) Clown Prince of the Menthol Trailer (1994) I Am a Scientist (1994) Tigerbomb (1995) Sunfish Holy Breakfast (1996) Plantations of Pale Pink (1996) Wish in One Hand… (1997) Plugs for the Program (1999) Hold on Hope (2000) Dayton, Ohio–19 Something and 5 (2000) Daredevil Stamp Collector (2001) The Pipe Dreams of Instant Prince Whippet (2002) Down by the Racetrack (2013) Wine Cork Stonehenge (2018) 100 Dougs (2018) 1901 Acid Rock (2019) Umlaut Over the Ozone (2019)
Live albums	Live from Austin, TX (2007)
Compilation albums	The Best of Guided by Voices: Human Amusements at Hourly Rates (2003) Crickets: Best of the Fading Captain Series 1999–2007 (2007) Scalping the Guru (2022)
Box sets	Box (1995) Suitcase: Failed Experiments and Trashed Aircraft (2000) Hardcore UFOs: Revelations, Epiphanies and Fast Food in the Western Hemisphere (2003) Suitcase 2: American Superdream Wow (2005) Suitcase 3: Up We Go Now (2009) Suitcase 4: Captain Kangaroo Won the War (2015)
Robert Pollard solo albums	Not in My Airforce (1996) Waved Out (1998) Kid Marine (1999) Motel of Fools (2003) Fiction Man (2004) Relaxation of the Asshole (2005) From a Compound Eye (2006) Normal Happiness (2006) Silverfish Trivia (2007) Standard Gargoyle Decisions (2007) Coast to Coast Carpet of Love (2007) Superman Was a Rocker (2008) Weatherman and Skin Goddess (2008) Robert Pollard Is Off to Business (2008) The Crawling Distance (2009) Elephant Jokes (2009) We All Got Out of the Army (2010) Moses on a Snail (2010) Space City Kicks (2011) Lord of the Birdcage (2011) Mouseman Cloud (2012) Jack Sells the Cow (2012) Honey Locust Honky Tonk (2013) Blazing Gentlemen (2013) Faulty Superheroes (2015) Of Course You Are (2016)
Tobin Sprout albums	Carnival Boy (1996) Moonflower Plastic (1997) Let's Welcome the Circus People (1999) Lost Planets & Phantom Voices (2003) The Bluebirds of Happiness Tried to Land on My Shoulder (2010) The Universe & Me (2017)
Airport 5 albums	Tower in the Fountain of Sparks (2001) Life Starts Here (2002)
Boston Spaceships albums	Brown Submarine (2008) The Planets are Blasted (2009) Zero to 99 (2009) Our Cubehouse Still Rocks (2010) Let It Beard (2011)
Lifeguards and Doug Gillard albums	Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department (1999) Mist King Urth (2003) Waving at the Astronauts (2011)
Robert Pollard side projects	In Shop We Build Electric Chairs: Professional Music by Nightwalker 1984–1993 (1999) Big Trouble (2000) Choreographed Man of War (2001) Calling Zero (2002) Blues and Boogie Shoes (2006)
Circus Devils albums	Ringworm Interiors (2001) The Harold Pig Memorial (2002) Pinball Mars (2004) Five (2005) Sgt. Disco (2007) Ataxia (2008) Gringo (2009) Mother Skinny (2010) Capsized! (2011) When Machines Attack (2013) My Mind Has Seen the White Trick (2013) Escape (2014) Stomping Grounds (2015) Laughs Last (2017)

Authority control databases
International	ISNI
Artists	MusicBrainz