After several lineup changes, local quintet Clever Vicious Circle (CVC) finally has things right.

“This is the best lineup so far,” said pianist/ vocalist Fran “Lady F.” Nickerson about the arrival of bassist Josh “Oz” Stockam, who joined only one year ago, and Daniel “Kong” Kidwell, CVC’s third drummer since April.

“Daniel’s going to be the last one,” said guitarist/ vocalist Shane “Grimm” Nickerson.

Kidwell agreed with a smirk and a nod.

The band’s musical interests vary from classical to industrial. The group list Beethoven, Marilyn Manson, Glenn Danzig, and Led Zeppelin as major influences.

“We’ve got slower songs,” said guitarist/ vocalist Darin “King D.” Johnson. “We’ve got faster songs. We’ve got mosh songs. We’ve got violent songs. We can pretty well play anywhere and fit in.”

Johnson has also been in two previous bands with Shane Nickerson. “A lot of our sound comes from when Darin and I started In Vein,” Shane Nickerson said.

The CVC sound further accents the band’s diverse musical interest. “Behind the Veil” is a base driven ballad with emotional guitar solos, while “Loveless” relies heavily on the keyboard, creating a sad, atmospheric presence, reminiscent of Tool. The band shares vocal duties between the three artists, adding a level of unpredictability to every song.

For members of the band, their music is a labor of love, and the Nickerson’s privately owned music venue is just as much so. When Shane Nickerson began his musical career, he noticed that the majority of the venues were bars. He quickly realized that people in bars were there to get drunk, not listen to bands play. With this knowledge, he and his wife created the Surge, an all ages nightclub. “We wanted to create a place with a positive atmosphere-a place where young people could listen to music,” Shane Nickerson said.

“Most of the people who dig what we play can’t get into bars,” Stockam said.

CVC plans to run a Route 66 tour later this year in order to promote their yet-to-be-titled album. They plan to record 13 tracks. The only act CVC has secured is SeVeRhEdD, a regular at the Surge.

CVC’s next show is Jan. 26 at the Surge. The Nickerson’s run the venue through MySpace, and you can check out the venue and the band at myspace.com/thesurgenightclub.