| May 13, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
'FEEL EUPHORIA' ON INSIDEOUT MUSIC AMERICA ON JULY 8, 2003
FIRST ALBUM WITH DRUMMER NICK D'VIRGILIO AS LEAD VOCALIST Change can be a good thing, and it is for the highly regarded rock band Spock's Beard. The new studio album 'Feel Euphoria,' scheduled for release on InsideOut Music America on July 8, 2003, is the first to feature drummer Nick D'Virgilio as lead vocalist.
D'Virgilio, guitarist/cellist Alan Morse, keyboardist Ryo Okumoto and bass guitarist Dave Meros decided to soldier on after the departure of vocalist/keyboardist/guitarist Neal Morse in 2002.
"I think people will be pleasantly surprised by this album," says D'Virgilio.
Pressure combined with the excitement of the unknown weighed on Spock's Beard, but once work began on 'Feel Euphoria' the band members felt more and more at ease and their confidence swelled when they realized they had written and recorded a strong album.
"After the initial shock of Neal leaving, I got over being mad rather quickly and we looked at it as an opportunity. We're used to making records, but this one definitely had a different vibe. We all brought in demos and then worked on this music together," D'Virgilio says. "I wanted to make sure we sounded cohesive because Neal had a certain style to his songwriting."
The diversity of 'Feel Euphoria' is demonstrated with heavy rock, shimmering melodic pop and experimental, progressive-oriented elements. The songs include: "Onomatopoeia," "The Bottom Line," "Feel Euphoria," "Shining Star," "East of Eden, West of Memphis," "Ghosts of Autumn," "A Guy Named Sid: Part 1 - Intro, Part II - Same Old Story, Part III - You Don't Know, Part IV - Judge, Part V - Sid's Boys Choir, Part VI - Change" and "Carry On."
"My demos were pretty elaborate. I wanted to make sure the guys could see I could do this and step us a songwriter and lead singer. The first demo I did was 'A Guy Named Sid,' just to see if I could do something that challenging. Neal was really good at that kind of songwriting," says D'Virgilio. "Everybody did great songwriting and playing on this album. Alan's stuff is amazing, Ryo brought in the fantastic title tune and Dave's work is excellent."
Spock's Beard collectively produced 'Feel Euphoria,' whereas Neal Morse produced previous albums. This was just another obstacle the band conquered. D'Virgilio praised engineer/mixer Richard Mouser, who essentially functioned as a co-producer as well.
As Spock's Beard's new frontman, D'Virgilio realized the importance of his lead vocals.
"As far as singing, I knew I wanted to be a real rock singer with a strong, commanding voice. I didn't want to sing lead with a high-sounding voice, which is what you often do for harmony vocals," he explains.
When Spock's Beard tours to promote 'Feel Euphoria' D'Virgilio will literally be out front as a lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and acoustic guitarist, but he will also play drums live on many songs, especially instrumentals. A touring drummer will be utilized as well.
|
