It was 1980 and punk was a still not accepted by society or the mainstream media, four friends from Pico Rivera California started a band after being inspired by bands like,Fear,Black Flag and the Germs,this was a new style of punk rock known as Hardcore Punk.High bpm(beats per minute)fast rythem and anti establishment lyrics,the horrors of war,and rich oil barons protecting their interests.But mostly it was about society's boundaries and social commentary.The Origional line-up was Mike Vallejo on guitar,John Macies on Vocals,Mike Ituarte on Bass, and Bill Ituarte on Drums.They were gaining lots of popularity for only being around a short period of time (9 months). Opening for bands like Black Flag,Wasted Youth,Circle Jerks and Bad Brains..
In October of 1981 Jody Hill Joined the band on Drums,and soon after that Mike Ituarte left."O" played Bass for a few gigs but they were still looking for a Bass player. Then in May of 1982 Danny Dorman was asked to join the band.Circle One toured the west coast of the United States, mostly playing San Francisco Phoenix & Tuscan.
In early 1983 they went in the studio to record "Patterns of Force" on Upstart records and we had the honer of working with Philo Cramer, the guitarist from FEAR. He came in to record us. That was just after Fear the record came out and we thought it was one of the best sounding Punk records ever recorded. So it was a privilege and honor to have him in to produce us..
During this time we were still playing gigs and Our singer John Macias formed P.U.N.X., an organization for promoting shows and never charging more then $5 admission.We had a base of operations in Hollywood at a place called the Wig factory on La Brea.We rehersed there, and runaway punx stayed there.
P.U.N.X started booking shows at the Cathey De Grande which was cool because the scene was kinda dead. John was really busy with promoting shows, plus battling his mental illness so the band slowed down a great deal.
So with all the goings on with the gig promoting s, the band kinda slowed down. In 1984.the bass player Danny, was asked to join Wasted Youth with Scranny(Danny), Chet, and Allen. They replaced Danny with Ried Gillcrest on bass who had been in bands with Jody since 1980.Circle One went on to tour and play some cool shows but never recorded a follow up album to Patterns Of Force. The band finally broke up in 1985.
In 1988 Circle One reformed to play Fenders Ballroom. It was a Patterns Of Force reunion. The show sold out, the crowd loved it, it was a great show and the band wouldn't play for another two years.
In 1991 Circle One reformed with John, Mike, and Jody. Our friends Tony and John Blackley played rythem guitar and bass. We played at Spankeys in Rverside and it was a good show But it wasn't the same as the Patterns Of Force line up. It wasn't the same without Danny and John was having a real hard time with mental problems and Depression. Three days after the Spankys show John was shot and murderd by the Santa Monica Police Department. He was gone......
We miss him terribly and I will always have fond memories of John and Circle One.
In 2003 Danny and Mike Vallejo formed a band for the hell of it called the Wasted Ones that played mostly Wasted Youth songs and Circle One Songs. We had a Blast and so did this new generation of Punkers that were not around to see those songs played in the 80's. With our new singer Billy Brown on vocals,who was a family member from the old days We soon got in touch with Jody Hill he joined in on drums and decided to do a show as Circle One at the Elks Lodge in El Monte for a Red Cross benefit. The response was amazing and the band decided to continue.We know its not 1982 and we are glad its not. We are doing this for the kids who are into the music and we are doing it for John. Circle One's reputation, good or bad, has made an impact on So. Cal. punk rock. From 1981-1985, 1989, and 1991 Circle One played less than 40 Shows.They are on 5 compilations, One studio album, and one import album. Since 1996 and the release of Are You Afraid, which includes the Patterns Of Force recordings, the Survive album and early demos, live recordings from 1982 and 1983, the interest in the band, the history, and the music has grown greatly. We are releasing a new 20 song CD in March of 2006, we released a live CD with John Macias and Billy Brown on vocals from 1989 and 2005, and we will be releasing a DVD on the history and music of Circle One in late 2006. Most people have miss conceptions about the band.You may like us, You may hate us. But you will always remember us. the current line up now is the same one you here on the PATTERNS OF FORCE LP,THE SURVIVE LP AND ALMOST ALL THE COMP LP'S, THAT IS:Mike Valleyjo Guitar,Danny Dorman Bass guitar,D.J.Hill Drums;Billy Brown from Blind 5.has joined us on vocals!
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