Soul SirkUS was a band that initially featured singer Jeff Scott Soto, guitarist Neal Schon, bassist Marco Mendoza, and drummer Deen Castronovo, later replaced by Virgil Donati.
At the 2004 annual NAMM Show in Los Angeles, Schon met up with Soto and tested the waters with a jam session: "Jeff brought his drummer and his bass player down and we sort of sketched out a little set, even though we didn’t have time to rehearse.
Inviting Soto, Mendoza and Journey's drummer Castronovo to join him, the new band began rehearsing and eventually recorded 11 songs for their debut album, World Play.
[3] In early 2005, with a completed album ready (albeit only available online through the Soul SirkUS website) the band was forced to postpone their first tour when Castronovo fell ill due to extreme exhaustion.
Historically, Neal Schon and Deen Castronovo have also played together in Journey, Bad English, Hardline, and Paul Rodgers' backing band.