The melodic guitar-driven rock of Cire is the brainchild of Eric Johanson, a New Orleans-born singer and guitarist with a background in the blues. Johanson started playing guitar when he was five. His original role model was Stevie Ray Vaughan, but eventually he developed an interest in more hard-edged alternative and industrial rock sounds by the likes of Failure, Tool, and Nine Inch Nails, and that greatly influenced his work in Cire.