Courtesy Junior Scott (bass), Adam Peterson (guitar/keyboard), CJ Gore (drums), Andrew Howard (vocals/guitar) of Rockus Circus released their first CD, ‘Welcome to the Circus,' in April.

THEY ARE: Rockus Circus

MEMBERS: Andrew Howard, lead vocals and guitar; Adam Peterson, lead guitar and keyboards; Junior Scott, backing vocals and bass; CJ Gore, drums

THE SOUND: Pop-rock with Southern roots, almost as if Wilco, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Beatles all formed up for an evening.

THE WEB: rockuscircus.com; myspace.com/rockuscircus

ALBUMS: Welcome to the Circus (2007)

THE BACKGROUND: Howard met Gore when Gore's father caught one of Howard's solo shows and recommended the two meet. They did, decided to form a band and eventually settled on Peterson and Scott as the remaining pieces of the quartet. They've opened for Blue Oyster Cult, the band immortalized in the “more cowbell” skit on “Saturday Night Live.”

PAYING THE BILLS: Howard has made the band his sole priority at the moment; Scott is a “house husband;” Gore is a supervisor at a metal shop; and Peterson — who recently received a master's degree — is a biochemist.

THEIR WORDS: “I think we all hope to be able to do this full time,” Howard said. “We really love playing together, and at the end of every practice or gig, we can't wait for the next time to all get together and work on stuff.”

WHERE TO SEE THEM: The band will play at Ruta Maya Riverwalk Coffee House (107 E. Martin St.) on Friday, Dec. 7, followed by a show the next night at Hooligan's Bar & Grill (13920 IH-35 North, Live Oak).

THE 210 TAKE: Not only has Rockus Circus won a handful of local awards and received plenty of college radio play, but Howard bears a striking resemblance to Jesus Christ. Perhaps it's a sign of the band's imminent success.

CLINT HALE | 210SA