In an age where the word supergroup is bandied about almost every other week, Soul SirkUS can possibly claim to have the right to call themselves that more than anybody. Neal Schon's work with Journey, Bad English and Hardline is unparalleled anywhere else. Jeff Scott Soto has carved out a hugely successful career in his own right having been involved with Yngwie, Eyes, Talisman and Takara to name a few, and more recently his solo output has ranked as some of the best melodic hard rock albums to emerge from the genre in years. Deen Castronovo, Schon's long time side kick from Bad English days, and currently occupying the drum stool with Journey, is the man in the engine room alongside Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy bassist, Marco Mendoza. If any band truly deserved the supergroup tag, then this is it. However, it's not a term that sits well with the band. Jeff and Neal only too happy to give us the nitty gritty on Soul SirkUS...

The Soul SirkUS album is out. It's one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of the genre in years. How would you describe Soul SirkUS to those no familiar with the band?

JSS: I think it's a combination of Journey and Talisman, as would be very natural, but Neal is grabbing a lot of old seventies vibes from Hendrix and Cream in some of the stuff he's bringing to the table. I bring my love of R&B and pretty much it's a melting pot of everything that we have been involved with, but with a more contemporary feel, though not as in down tuned guitars.

NS: I've never been a big fan of a million guitar overdubs. I like a lot of stuff from the late sixties and early seventies where things were under produced if anything. Back then there were barely two guitars. It leaves more space for everything else to be heard. The problem with a lot of what they call modern stuff today is there is too much stuff on there.

Having heard the album you are not exactly retreading old ground. There is a freshness to it?

NS: Good, I'm glad. What's the purpose of doing something you have already done? This is a side of me that I never have an opportunity to do when I work with Journey. Hardline gave me that opportunity to an extent, but it was still a pop rock feel to it. I was saying to Jeff the other day that what I like about the record is not everybody gets it, but those that do, really get it.

JSS: People will make their own comments on it anyway. Sure there will be something there that fans recognise because we are involved with it, but we're trying to do things a little differently.

NS: It's always harder to work out what the band is about just by listening to the record, but we're sure that when people get the opportunity to see us live, then they will get it.

I'm sure you have heard fans say over the years that Neal builds up a lot of angry riffs when he's working with Journey and then looks for an outlet for them. 'Arrival' was a well written album, but for most it was too ballad heavy. Is it fair to say that this is a big loud rock record?

NS: I wasn't happy with 'Arrival'. I didn't have control over the songs. The A&R guys get involved. John Kalodner, and I love him dearly but I didn't agree with the choices he and Kevin Shirley made as far as the songs go. I can barely make it through the album without falling asleep [laughs]. It's a decent record but with Soul SirkUS I wasn't interested in doing that at all. We have a couple of great ballads this time, and that's all we need.

You seem to be doing things the hard way this time around - you know, a back to basics. album, and tour the hell out of it?

NS: It's a good place to start for us. We're building a fire and it's getting bigger and bigger. We have a lot of interest from major labels but right now we're waiting to see what comes from that.

JSS: Yeah, we don't have any Kalodners involved. Sometimes those things are good, but this way we did it our way and if it works great, we're responsible. If not we take the blame.

So the album sounds exactly as you want it to with no compromise?

NS: Absolutely!

JSS: Totally the way we wanted to do it. We went in and knocked these things out in a week, and it sounded so good we decided there was no need to go in and redo anything. It's exactly as we wanted it to sound.

The songs on the album are all co-writes between you with the exception of one. How did your writing styles compliment each other, and why did it take 20 odd years for both of you to finally get together?

NS: I was reading Andrew's MelodicRock.com site and I was constantly hearing Jeff's name being referred to in glowing terms. I did meet Jeff once before when he was with Yngwie, but had forgotten. The thing was I read about Jeff, that he was a motherfucker when he did live shows and that was something I was looking for. Anybody can make a record these days and sound great and I have been in that situation that the singer can't do it live and no, I won't mention the band. I got in touch with Jeff and we hung out at the NAAM show and played a party down there, threw together a twenty minute set and it was the real deal. I had a lot of stuff written for the Plant US project and I sent the ideas to Jeff and he sent me back a song a day...haha!

JSS: It's a very complimentary writing process. The good thing is either of us can say it's good or bad and nobody is offended. Some stuff I had didn't work, and the same with Neal. It's no secret that Neal has a bag of melodies ready all the time, so he just digs them out and we fool around with them until we find something that works.

NS: I went down to LA and Jeff and I met for lunch. He had a little tape recorder with him and I started humming melodies into it and he did likewise. Imagine going la,la,la into a tape recorder! [laughs]

Is this a songwriting partnership made in heaven?

NS: I really think it is. Marco Mendoza brings a lot to the table too. I think we won't be stuck for ideas for another record.

JSS: Not in the next ten years anyway.

You haven't been handed a blank cheque book, or silly money for promotional videos and you're not touring arenas with some huge headline act. Is it in any way daunting doing it from scratch, given you both have experienced the financial muscle of major labels in the past?

JSS: I think it's cool. In a sense we're earning our stripes instead of being handed them based on our past endeavours. I think the fans appreciate that fact too that we're willing to work hard to get out there and play and promote the album. Of course Neal will bring the legion of Journey fans and in Europe I'm hoping my fans will catch on, but as we said, it's a start from scratch situation for us and we like it that way.

Given Neal and Deen's involvement in Journey and their busy touring schedule, obviously Soul SirkUS cannot tour all year round. Do you foresee any problems with that?

NS: I'm going to have a busy year, sure. We're starting the new Journey record in February and playing in the summer. We'd be playing full time if Marco didn't need to tour with Lizzy. We have a full month of shows scheduled before Journey hits the road, and after Journey is done touring I'm willing to tour the whole year with Soul SirkUS. I believe in it so much I'm willing to kill myself to prove it.

JSS: It's really about creating the vibe. It's about convincing management and booking agencies we are viable and we are the real deal.

NS: I'm really hoping to get to Europe. I'm willing to headline clubs if necessary. I'd love to have the DVD done before we get to Europe so we can show people in advance what we are about, but either way I'm willing and I'm there.

Some people will take convincing that Neal will agree to cross the Atlantic for the first time in fourteen years?

NS: You know what? I have to say, the last time I was in Europe I went with Paul Rodgers and that was short lived due to the automobile accident in Germany and everybody was injured with broken bones and broken ribs and whatever else. The Hardline tour was okay for me. After I was on stage with them I wasn't convinced, but with Soul SirkUS I know what I have here. The problem is really that Journey just don't get any offers to play Europe. You have to be asked before you come. Soul SirkUS had an offer to open for Lizzy and that would have been cool, but after we worked it out we would have been earning $100 per show.

JSS: In Germany they offered us a deli tray [laughs].

NS: As long as we can make ends meet I'd love to do it. But we can't lose money.

So we'll see you in May then?

NS: I'd love to have the opportunity to play the same venue as Hardline [laughs].

Warners are handling the album for you, are they pleased?

NS: With internet purchasing, what usually happens is sales taper off. What's happening with us is we're selling more and more, day by day. Friends and fans are spreading the word for us and it's great. We've a good deal with them that we're making some good money without selling millions of records.

Are you happy to stay with them or are you looking for the 'real' major label deal?

JSS: Well, hopefully we can get the big release with all the promotion and big push, and if that happens, great. If not we still have the option to take it elsewhere.

NS: We have such a great internet deal I would like to keep it along with maybe getting it out to all the stores. But either way I think we'll have a deal in place shortly that will see it available everywhere early in 2005.

The first shows are up this weekend in the USA. Any nerves in the camp?

NS: A little bit. It feels good to be nervous. I haven't experienced that type of nervousness in a long time. I can play the Journey stuff in my sleep. It feels good to have a challenge, plus when we recorded the album I had to sit down and work it all out again, because I did a lot of it off the cuff on the album. So I'm going, 'Man, what the hell did I do there?'

You two haven't shut up laughing since we started this interview?

NS: We're having a blast. We have a great bunch of guys working for us. I've never done a tour like this before - one bus, crew on board carrying a trailer behind with the gear in there. Like a little Patsy Cline tour from the fifties.

What would you say to anybody who may not yet have made their mind up to purchase the album?

JSS: Buy it because it's good, not that you would expect it to be good.

NS: I think it's the freshest stuff out there. It's innovative, and it reminds me a lot of the bands I was into that came out of England in the sixties and seventies. That's the era I came out of and I think we have that vibe. That's what I love doing best.

JSS: We're like kids again. We feel like we're eighteen years old again and doing it for the love of it, and more importantly, doing it for the first time.

NS: I'm really dying to get over to the UK. I think this record is more of a European record than an American record. I feel Europe will enjoy it when we get over there and the fans can hear it live.