Spock's Beard

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

This article is about a rock band. For the Star Trek episode where Spock has a beard, see Mirror, Mirror (Star Trek: The Original Series).

Spock's Beard
Spock's Beard in 2007
Nick D'Virgilio, Ryo Okumoto, Dave Meros, Jimmy Keegan and Alan Morse
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresProgressive rock
Years active1992–present
LabelsMetal Blade/Radiant, Mascot, Inside Out
Associated actsEnchant, Thought Chamber
Websitespocksbeard.com
MembersAlan Morse
Dave Meros
Ryo Okumoto
Ted Leonard
Past membersJohn Ballard
Nick D'Virgilio
Neal Morse
Jimmy Keegan

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 thirteen 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 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 live appearances was at the Los Angeles 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 July 8, 2003 the band released its first album without Neal Morse, Feel Euphoria.[12] Without their principal 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 February 1, 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 May 21, 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 November 21, 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 July 23, 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",[28] and was later released as a live album. On November 18, 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 April 2, 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.[29][30] On April 22, 2015 the band announced that their twelfth album would be The Oblivion Particle, and would be released later that year.[31] The album was released on August 21, 2015.[32] 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.[33]

In July 2016 the current line-up of the band reunited with D'Virgilio and Neal Morse for shows at Morsefest in Cross Plains, Tennessee and at the Night of the Prog festival in Lorelei, Germany to perform Snow in its entirety.[34][35] On October 12, 2016 Keegan announced that he was leaving the band for personal reasons.[36] D'Virgilio filled in on drums and backing vocals for their performance on Cruise to the Edge 2017.[37] On March 25, 2017 it was confirmed that D'Virgilio had agreed to play on their upcoming thirteenth album, with recording expected to begin in May of that year[38] On February 28, 2018 Dave Meros announced that the new album would be titled Noise Floor, and would be released May 25, 2018. The announcement also included the album's track listing and the confirmation of D'Virgilio's involvement in the recording of the album.[39] On June 13, the band announced a tour in support of the album, with former Saga drummer Mike Thorne as a touring drummer.[40]

Musical style

Spock's Beard plays a brand of progressive rock with pop music leanings, drawing much influence from Yes, Genesis and Gentle Giant.[41][42] The band is known for their intricate, multi-part vocal harmonies and use of counterpoint vocals.[25][42]

Members

Current members

  • Alan Morse – guitars, backing vocals (1992–present)
  • Dave Meros – bass, backing vocals (1993–present), keyboards (2011–present)
  • Ryo Okumoto – keyboards, backing vocals (1995–present)
  • Ted Leonard – lead vocals, guitar (2011–present)

Collaborators

  • John Boegehold – song co-writer (2003–present)
  • Stan Ausmus – song co-writer (2003–present)
  • Nick D'Virgilio – drums (1992–2011, live member: 2017–2018, studio member: 2017–present), backing vocals (1992–2002, 2017–present), lead vocals, guitar, keyboards (2002–2011)
  • Mike Thorne – drums (live member: 2018–present)

Former members

  • John Ballard – bass (1992–93)
  • Neal Morse – lead vocals, keyboards, guitar, synths (1992–2002; guest: 2008, 2011, 2014)
  • Jimmy Keegan – drums, backing vocals (2011–2016; live member: 2002–2011)

Timeline

Discography
Main article: Spock's Beard discography

References
  1. Whitman, Howard (October 1, 2010). "Spock's Beard part 1: As the Beard grows". Goldmine. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  2. "Announcement from Spock's Beard and Neal Morse". Spock's Beard. October 10, 2002. Archived from the original on December 7, 2002. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  3. "Singer Quits Spock's Beard". Classic Rock. November 19, 2011. Archived from the original on November 22, 2011. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  4. "Announcing: Spock's Beard has a New Recording & Touring Lineup!". Facebook. November 21, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  5. "Top 50 Prog Albums 1990-2015". The Prog Report. July 13, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  6. "Neal Morse (Spock's Beard) Interview". Wondrous Stories (80). August 1998.
  7. "Exclusive Interview: Prog Rock Band Spock's Beard". StarTrek.com. October 27, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  8. "Giant Electric Pea Ltd - Thomas Waber - Business Manager". Giant Electric Pea. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  9. Sparks, Ryan. "An Interview with Neal Morse". Classic Rock Revisited. Archived from the original on September 14, 2011. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  10. Koolen, Martien. "Neal Morse Interview". Rock United. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  11. "Jimmy Keegan Interview May 2005". spocksbeard.org. Archived from the original on November 19, 2008. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  12. "Spock's Beard To Release 'Feel Euphoria' In July". Blabbermouth. May 19, 2003. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  13. "John Boegehold – Spock's Beard Secret Weapon". The Prog Report. August 14, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  14. Karadimitris, Chris (August 12, 2015). "Spock's Beard (Dave Meros)". Noisefull. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  15. Cooper, Dave (July 31, 2015). "Interview: Dave Meros from Spock's Beard". Echoes and Dust. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  16. Whitman, Howard (October 22, 2010). "Spock's Beard part 2: Spock 2.0". Goldmine. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  17. "Spock's Beard To Release 'Octane' Next Month". Blabbermouth. January 12, 2005. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  18. Kay, Lorraine (October 18, 2010). "Spock's Beard Rocks HOB Hollywood 2006". Alien Ear Music. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  19. "Spock's Beard Frontman Looks Back on a Busy 2005". BraveWords. December 29, 2005. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  20. "Spock's Beard - Recording Sessions For New Album Underway, Early Fall Release Planned". BraveWords. May 21, 2006. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  21. "Spock's Beard - Release Date For New Album Confirmed, Now Available For Pre-Order". BraveWords. October 23, 2006. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  22. "Spock's Beard". Aural Moon. May 26, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  23. "Spock's Beard". Spock's Beard. Archived from the original on December 25, 2010. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  24. "Spock's Beard". Spock's Beard. Archived from the original on November 3, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  25. "Spock's Beard Brings Fans 'The X Tour Live' On New Multi-Disc Set". Blabbermouth. February 13, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  26. "Sweden Rock Festival - History". Sweden Rock Festival. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  27. "High Voltage Adds BCC, Jethro Tull". Planet Rock. January 25, 2011. Archived from the original on April 16, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  28. "Spock's Beard Concert Setlist at High Voltage 2011 on July 24, 2011". setlist.fm. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
  29. "Spocks Beard - 11th studio CD". Indiegogo. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  30. Hash, Tommy (September 22, 2013). "Interview with vocalist Ted Leonard". YtseJam. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  31. "Spock's Beard: announce new album 'The Oblivion Particle'; European tour scheduled". InsideOut Music. April 22, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  32. "Inside Out Music - Spock's Beard: : Spock's Beard reveal release date and album art for 'The Oblivion Particle'". InsideOut Music. June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  33. "Spock's Beard: Spock's Beard "The First 20 Years" collection announced!". InsideOut Music. September 14, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  34. Avin, Roie (February 22, 2016). "Spock's Beard To Reunite For MorseFest". TeamRock. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  35. "Breaking News!!! Spock's Beard with Neal Morse and..." Facebook. March 12, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  36. Lach, Stef (October 12, 2016). "Spock's Beard drummer Jimmy Keegan quits". TeamRock. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  37. "Cruise to the Edge 2017". Facebook. January 5, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  38. "Spock's Beard is super excited to announce that the amazing Nick D'Virgilio has agreed to play on our next album!". Facebook. March 25, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  39. "Dave Meros". www.facebook.com. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  40. Barrios, Joel (June 13, 2018). "SPOCK'S BEARD And Roine Stolt's THE FLOWER KINGS REVISITED To Embark In European Tour, SPOCK'S Confirms New Drummer". Sonic Perspectives. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  41. Martin, Bill (February 12, 2002). Avant Rock: Experimental Music from the Beatles to Bjork. Open Court Publishing Company. pp. 80, 162. ISBN 0812695003.
  42. Mulchin, Chad Zachary (August 16, 2013). "Music Preview: Q-and-A With Dave Meros of Spock's Beard". WEHOville. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
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