Spock's Beard

Spock's Beard

Spock's Beard in 2007
Nick D'Virgilio, Ryo Okumoto, Dave Meros, Jimmy Keegan and Alan Morse
Background information
Origin Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres Progressive rock, progressive metal
Years active 1992–present
Labels Mascot, InsideOut Music
Associated acts Enchant, Thought Chamber
Website www.spocksbeard.com
Members Alan Morse
Dave Meros
Ryo Okumoto
Jimmy Keegan
Ted Leonard
Past members Nick D'Virgilio
Neal Morse
John Ballard

Spock's Beard are an American progressive rock band formed in Los Angeles.

The band was formed in 1992 by brothers Neal (lead vocals, keyboards) and Alan Morse (vocals, guitars), John Ballard (bass) and Nick D'Virgilio (drums). Ballard was replaced by Dave Meros before the release of their debut album, The Light (1995), and Ryo Okumoto (keyboards) joined soon after.[1] Neal Morse left the band following the release of their sixth album, Snow (2002), and D'Virgilio took over as the band's frontman.[2] In 2011, D'Virgilio also left and was replaced by Jimmy Keegan (drums) and Ted Leonard (lead vocals) from Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep (2013) onwards.[3][4] To date, the band have released twelve studio albums, and numerous live releases.

The band, particularly the Neal Morse line-up, are considered to be at the forefront of modern progressive rock music. Four of their first six albums featured in the Prog Report's "Top 50 Prog Albums 1990-2015", with the The Light and Snow featuring in the top ten.[5]

History

Neal Morse era (1992-2002)

Spock's Beard was formed in Los Angeles in 1992 by brothers Neal and Alan Morse. Both had played together in bands in the 1980s and initially intended that their new project would be just the two of them, with Neal Morse performing lead vocals and keyboards and Alan Morse on guitar. The brothers soon decided to form a full band and recruited Nick D'Virgilio on drums after meeting him at a blues jam in Los Angeles. John Ballard, a friend of Neal Morse's, was brought in to play bass, but was replaced by Dave Meros before the band began recording demos for their first album.[1][6] The band's name is a reference to the "Mirror, Mirror" episode of Star Trek.[7] According to Alan Morse:

Spock's Beard was sort of a phrase that we'd say to each other - my brother and I - when something weird would happen. We'd say, "Wow, that's like Spock's Beard," meaning, "that only happens in a parallel universe, right?" Anyway, Spock only has that beard in the one episode, and it's when he's in the parallel universe in "Mirror, Mirror". So, that was just something we'd say to each other as an inside joke. I put Spock's Beard on the list sort of as a joke. Everybody seemed to like it the best, and so we picked that one.

The band's debut album, The Light was recorded independently throughout 1994 and released later that year. While Neal Morse had performed the keyboard parts on the album, Ryo Okumoto was hired to fill in for live performances.[1] One of their first major first major live appearances was at the San Francisco Progfest in 1995, where they were introduced to Thomas Waber. Waber, a founding member of Giant Electric Pea and InsideOut Records, signed the band to Giant Electric Pea and licensed The Light for release in Europe.[1][8]

Nick D'Virgilio era (2002-2011)

Immediately following the release of Snow, Neal Morse announced that he was leaving Spock's Beard. Having recently converted to Christianity, Morse wanted to explore that aspect of his life more through his music, but did not want to impose his beliefs upon the band.[9][10] He urged them to continue on without him and Nick D'Virgilio took over as the band's lead singer. D'Virgilio would continue to play drums on studio albums, while Jimmy Keegan was hired to fill in for him as drummer during live performances.[11]

On 8 July 2003 the band released its first album without Neal Morse, Feel Euphoria.[12] Without their principle songwriter, the band adopted a more collaborative approach, as well as enlisting the help of John Boegehold and Stan Ausmus with songwriting, both of whom would go on to contribute to all of the band's subsequent albums.[13][14] The result was a musical departure from the band's previous albums, with a conscious shift towards a more modern sound, and was met with a mixed response from fans.[15][16] On 1 February 2005 the band released their eighth album, Octane which received a generally more positive reception from fans.[17][18] Several concerts from the Octane tour were recorded and the highlights released as Gluttons for Punishment, the band's first live album since the departure of Neal Morse.[19]

On 21 May 2006, Dave Meros confirmed that the band had begun working on their ninth studio album.[20] The album, titled Spock's Beard, was released on 21 November 2006 to a mixed reaction from fans.[15][16][21] The band continued to tour sporadically over the next few years, with a 2007 show in the Netherlands released as a live album.[22] On 23 July 2009, the band announced that had begun work on their tenth album, to be released independently rather than through a record label. The production costs were covered by pre-orders through the band's website.[23] The album, X, was released as a limited edition for those who had pre-ordered in May 2010. A standard edition was released at the end of August 2010 through Mascot Records, four years after the release of Spock's Beard, the longest gap the band has had between albums.[24] Mascot Records also released a live album, The X Tour Live, recorded at the only US show in support of the X album.[25]

Ted Leonard era (2011-present)

Spock's Beard played the Sweden Rock Festival in June and the High Voltage Festival in July 2011.[26][27] On both occasions Enchant singer Ted Leonard filled in for Nick D'Virgilio, who was unavailable to perform. The High Voltage performance featured an appearance by Neal Morse, who reunited with the band for the end of "The Light" and "June",<ref name=""high voltage festival 2011"_setlist>"Spock's Beard Concert Setlist at High Voltage 2011 on July 24, 2011". setlist.fm. Retrieved 12 October 2011. </ref> and was later released as a live album. On 18 November 2011, D'Virgilio announced his departure from the band, citing personal reasons and other commitments.[3] Two days later it was announced on the band's official website that Leonard and touring drummer Jimmy Keegan would be the new singer and drummer of the band, respectively.[4]

On 2 April 2013 the band released Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep, their first studio album with Leonard and Keegan as official members . The recording and mastering of the album was funded using the crowdsourcing site Indiegogo and featured song-writing contributions from Neal Morse.[28][29] On 22 April 2015 the band announced that their twelfth album would be the The Oblivion Particle, and would be released later that year.[30] The album was released on 21 August 2015.[31] Later that year the band released The First Twenty Years, a compilation album spanning the band's entire career. The compilation also included a new song written by Neal Morse, "Falling For Forever", which featured every member of the band to have appeared on previous recordings.[32]

In July 2016 the current line-up of the band will unite with D'Virgilio and Neal Morse for shows in Cross Plains, Tennessee and Lorelei, Germany to perform Snow in its entirety.[33][34]

Musical style

Spock's Beard plays a brand of progressive rock with pop music leanings, drawing much influence from Yes, Genesis and Gentle Giant.[35][36] The band is known for their intricate, multi-part vocal harmonies and use of counterpoint vocals.[25][36]

Members

Current members
Former members
Collaborators

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Whitman, Howard (1 October 2010). "Spock’s Beard part 1: As the Beard grows". Goldmine. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  2. ↑ "Announcement from Spock's Beard and Neal Morse". Spock's Beard. 10 October 2002. Archived from the original on 7 December 2002. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Singer Quits Spock's Beard". Classic Rock. 19 November 2011. Archived from the original on 22 November 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Announcing: SPOCK'S BEARD has a NEW Recording & Touring Lineup!". Facebook. 21 November 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  5. ↑ "Top 50 Prog Albums 1990-2015". The Prog Report. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  6. ↑ "Neal Morse (Spock's Beard) Interview". Wondrous Stories (80). August 1998.
  7. ↑ "Exclusive Interview: Prog Rock Band Spock's Beard". StarTrek.com. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  8. ↑ "Giant Electric Pea Ltd - Thomas Waber - Business Manager". Giant Electric Pea. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  9. ↑ Sparks, Ryan. "An Interview with Neal Morse". Classic Rock Revisited. Archived from the original on 14 September 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  10. ↑ Koolen, Martien. "Neal Morse Interview". Rock United. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  11. ↑ "Jimmy Keegan Interview May 2005". spocksbeard.org. Archived from the original on 19 November 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  12. ↑ "Spock's Beard To Release 'Feel Euphoria' In July". Blabbermouth. 19 May 2003. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  13. ↑ "John Boegehold – Spock’s Beard Secret Weapon". The Prog Report. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  14. ↑ Karadimitris, Chris (12 August 2015). "Spock's Beard (Dave Meros)". Noisefull. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  15. 1 2 Cooper, Dave (31 July 2015). "Interview: Dave Meros from Spock's Beard". Echoes and Dust. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  16. 1 2 Whitman, Howard (22 October 2010). "Spock’s Beard part 2: Spock 2.0". Goldmine. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  17. ↑ "Spock's Beard To Release 'Octane' Next Month". Blabbermouth. 12 January 2005. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  18. ↑ Kay, Lorraine (18 October 2010). "Spock's Beard Rocks HOB Hollywood 2006". Alien Ear Music. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  19. ↑ "SPOCK'S BEARD Frontman Looks Back On A Busy 2005". BraveWords. 29 December 2005. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  20. ↑ "SPOCK'S BEARD - Recording Sessions For New Album Underway, Early Fall Release Planned". BraveWords. 21 May 2006. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  21. ↑ "SPOCK'S BEARD - Release Date For New Album Confirmed, Now Available For Pre-Order". BraveWords. 23 October 2006. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  22. ↑ "Spock's Beard". Aural Moon. 26 May 2008. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  23. ↑ "Spock's Beard". Spock's Beard. Archived from the original on 25 December 2010. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  24. ↑ "Spock's Beard". Spock's Beard. Archived from the original on 3 November 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  25. 1 2 "SPOCK'S BEARD Brings Fans 'The X Tour Live' On New Multi-Disc Set". Blabbermouth. 13 February 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  26. ↑ "Sweden Rock Festival - History". Sweden Rock Festival. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  27. ↑ "High Voltage Adds BCC, Jethro Tull". Planet Rock. 25 January 2011. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  28. ↑ "Spocks Beard - 11th studio CD". Indiegogo. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  29. ↑ Hash, Tommy (22 September 2013). "Interview with vocalist Ted Leonard". YtseJam. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  30. ↑ "Spock's Beard: announce new album 'The Oblivion Particle'; European tour scheduled". InsideOut Music. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  31. ↑ "INSIDE OUT MUSIC - Spock's Beard: : Spock's Beard reveal release date and album art for 'The Oblivion Particle'". InsideOut Music. 17 June 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  32. ↑ "Spock's Beard: Spock's Beard "The First 20 Years" collection announced!". InsideOut Music. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  33. ↑ Avin, Roie (22 February 2016). "Spock's Beard To Reunite For MorseFest". TeamRock. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  34. ↑ "BREAKING NEWS!!! Spock's Beard with Neal Morse and...". Facebook. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  35. ↑ Martin, Bill (12 February 2002). Avant Rock: Experimental Music from the Beatles to Bjork. Open Court Publishing Company. pp. 80,162. ISBN 0812695003.
  36. 1 2 Mulchin, Chad Zachary (16 August 2013). "Music Preview: Q-and-A With Dave Meros of Spock’s Beard". WEHOville. Retrieved 1 March 2016.

External links

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