SPOCK'S BEARD Frontman's REWIRING GENESIS - Audio Samples Online, European Mini-Tour In Planning
February 12, 2009, 15 years ago
ProgRock Records president Shawn Gordon has checked in with the following update:
"In case you weren't already aware of REWIRING GENESIS, it is an amazing reworking of the classic GENESIS album The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway done by drummer/vocalist Nick D'Virgilio and producer Mark Hornsby. You can check out tracks and videos at Nick's MySpace page . Anyway, that's all a lead up to some killer news we got the other day. Long time Genesis engineer Nick Davis got a copy and he really enjoyed it and passed on word that Tony Banks (as you all know, my all time hero) heard it and was impressed by it. That really made all of our days.Nick was able to do a live performance of the album in early January in Nashville and the reception was so strong that we're trying to put together a European mini-tour of the show, we'll keep you posted."
Following is the original Rewiring Genesis press release:
Nashville-based recording engineer/producer and a Los Angeles-based performer have teamed up to create a unique twist on a classic Genesis album. This fall, Nick D'Virgilio of SPOCK'S BEARD fame and engineer/producer Mark Hornsby are re-recording the GENESIS classic: The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, in it's entirety. Produced at Java Jive Studio in Nashville, the album features some of Music City’s best musicians, taking the songs in a whole new direction.
"We wanted to see what would happen if we exposed the songs to a different climate of musicians," says D'Virgilio, "The early Genesis recordings are so musical and very bluesy when you get right down to it. They really lend themselves to some different interpretations. When it came time to figure out what label to work with, I remembered working with Shawn on the Amaran’s Plight release and had been really pleased with how that all worked out and I knew what a big Genesis fan he is, so I’m glad it worked out.".Although all of the original elements of the songs are still included such as drums, bass, guitar and piano, the recordings now take on a more "theatrical" vibe. This, coupled with orchestra, rock guitars, and some fantastic horn arrangements, the songs now enter an entirely different place.
"We had talked about doing something like this for awhile," says Hornsby, "With the recent attention our version of The Colony of Slippermen received, and the re-release of the original album in 5.1, the time seemed right to see what we could come up with. After the first conference call with Shawn, I felt really comfortable about working with him, and we all managed to make it work and realize the fruition of our vision."
"Genesis is one of my all time favorite bands and I spent many hours reading the lyrics and liner notes for The Lamb. Nick is one of my favorite drummers, and to combine these two elements in what is an amazing re-imaging of The Lamb is a fantastic thing to be part of.", said Shawn Gordon, President of ProgRock Records.
A Tribute To The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway is the ProgRock Records debut release from REWIRING GENESIS and can be found at this location.