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Spock’s Beard is a progressive rock band that formed in 1992 in Los Angeles by brothers Neal (keyboards) and Alan Morse (electric guitar). The pair teamed with fellow musicians Nick D’Virgilio (drums) and Dave Meros (bass) and released their debut album ‘The Light’ in 1995. Veteran keyboardist Ryo Okumoto later joined the quartet. Spock’s Beard’s sound is a combination of progressive rock and pop music, drawing much of their influence from Genesis. They are also very well known for their intricate multi-part vocal harmonies.

In 2002, the band released the highly acclaimed double CD concept album titled ‘Snow’, which tells the story of an albino psychic who acquires a messianic following then spiritually falls and loses the direction of his calling, but is rescued and given a new chance to live in harmony. Many listeners and critics alike have noted the parallels between the storyline of ‘Snow’ and Neal Morse’s own highly publicized conversion to Christianity.

Following the release of ‘Snow’, Neal Morse left the band in order to pursue a solo career. Drummer Nick D’Virgilio took over the lead singing and song-writing role. Their first album after Morse’s departure ‘Feel Euphoria’ has a harder rocking and more experimental sound than the Neal Morse led band, relying on Alan Morse’s guitar to a greater extent.

In early 2005, after a long writing and recording process, Spock’s Beard released ‘Octane’, their second album after the departure of Neal Morse. Many fans saw this as a return to a more bright and epic sound after the previous song writing differences in ‘Feel Euphoria’. The band’s ninth studio album was released on November 21st 2006, simply titled ‘Spock’s Beard’.

Alan Morse came up with the band’s name after a particularly wild party. The name refers to a slang expression used mostly by Star Trek fans to indicate a concept that is so outlandish as to belong to another warped universe. The term originated with the episode ‘Mirror, Mirror’ of the Star Trek original series, where four Enterprise officers are exchanged with their counterparts in an alternate universe; the alternate version of Spock has a goatee.

2010 saw the release of Spock’s Beard’s tenth album, X. The album is truly a triumph and further validates the strength of their post-Morse configuration. The musicianship is incredible and this could quite easily be one of the best releases in their rich career. Come and hear it for yourselves…

Spock’s Beard will be performing live at Manchester Academy 3 on Tuesday 26th July.