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Spock's Beard
Spock's Beard is an American progressive rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1992 by brothers Neal (lead vocals, keyboards, guitar) and Alan Morse (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. Neal Morse left the band following the release of their sixth album, Snow (2002), and D'Virgilio took over as the band's frontman. 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. Keegan departed the band in 2016, and drummer Nick Potters joined ahead of their fourteenth studio album, The Archaeoptimist.
Four of their first six albums have featured in the Prog Report's "Top 50 Prog Albums 1990–2015", with The Light and Snow featuring in the top ten.
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 for their new project to be just the two of them, with Neal on vocals and keyboards and Alan on guitar. They soon decided to form a full band and recruited drummer Nick D'Virgilio after meeting him at a blues jam in Los Angeles. John Ballard, a friend of Neal's, was brought in to play bass but was replaced by Dave Meros before the band began recording demos for their first album. The group's name is a reference to the 1967 "Mirror, Mirror" episode of Star Trek. 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. One of their first major live shows 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.
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. 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.
On July 8, 2003, Spock's Beard released their first album without Neal Morse, Feel Euphoria. 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 group's subsequent albums. The result was a musical departure from previous albums, with a conscious shift towards a more modern sound, which was met with a mixed response from fans. On February 1, 2005, Spock's Beard released their eighth album, Octane, which received a generally more positive reception from listeners. 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.
On May 21, 2006, Dave Meros confirmed that the group had begun working on their ninth studio album. Titled Spock's Beard, it was released on November 21, 2006, to mixed reactions. The band continued to tour sporadically over the next few years, with a 2007 show in the Netherlands released as a live album. On July 23, 2009, Spock's Beard announced they had begun work on their tenth album, to be released independently rather than through a record label. Production costs were covered by pre-orders through the band's website. X was issued 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. Mascot Records also released a live album, The X Tour Live, recorded at the only US show in support of the X album.
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Spock's Beard
Spock's Beard is an American progressive rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1992 by brothers Neal (lead vocals, keyboards, guitar) and Alan Morse (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. Neal Morse left the band following the release of their sixth album, Snow (2002), and D'Virgilio took over as the band's frontman. 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. Keegan departed the band in 2016, and drummer Nick Potters joined ahead of their fourteenth studio album, The Archaeoptimist.
Four of their first six albums have featured in the Prog Report's "Top 50 Prog Albums 1990–2015", with The Light and Snow featuring in the top ten.
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 for their new project to be just the two of them, with Neal on vocals and keyboards and Alan on guitar. They soon decided to form a full band and recruited drummer Nick D'Virgilio after meeting him at a blues jam in Los Angeles. John Ballard, a friend of Neal's, was brought in to play bass but was replaced by Dave Meros before the band began recording demos for their first album. The group's name is a reference to the 1967 "Mirror, Mirror" episode of Star Trek. 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. One of their first major live shows 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.
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. 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.
On July 8, 2003, Spock's Beard released their first album without Neal Morse, Feel Euphoria. 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 group's subsequent albums. The result was a musical departure from previous albums, with a conscious shift towards a more modern sound, which was met with a mixed response from fans. On February 1, 2005, Spock's Beard released their eighth album, Octane, which received a generally more positive reception from listeners. 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.
On May 21, 2006, Dave Meros confirmed that the group had begun working on their ninth studio album. Titled Spock's Beard, it was released on November 21, 2006, to mixed reactions. The band continued to tour sporadically over the next few years, with a 2007 show in the Netherlands released as a live album. On July 23, 2009, Spock's Beard announced they had begun work on their tenth album, to be released independently rather than through a record label. Production costs were covered by pre-orders through the band's website. X was issued 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. Mascot Records also released a live album, The X Tour Live, recorded at the only US show in support of the X album.