Nick D’Virgilio announces new single “I Know the Way”, live Q&A and free live performance stream

Nick D’Virgilio pic
Vocalist, drummer and multi-instrumentalist Nick D’Virgilio has announced the release of a new single entitled “I Know the Way”, the fourth to be lifted from his recently released solo album, “Invisible”. Lyrically, the record charts the quest of a central protagonist to find a true meaning to his life, with “I Know the Way” concluding proceedings on a spiritually charged, upbeat note that radiates positivity.

“I Know the Way” has an impact date of 11th September, with a live Q&A hosted by D’Virgilio via his Facebook page, here, taking place on the same day at 2.30pm UK time.

In addition, a free live performance will be streamed at 2.30pm UK time on 24th September (here) with D’Virgilio and his band performing the first half of “Invisible” from a new facility at the studios of Indiana based Sweetwater Sound that boasts a 30 metre wide 4K video wall. The musicians will include guitarist Don Carr and pianist/ keyboard player Jacob Dupree, both of whom played on the album.

“Invisible” is the second solo album by California born but Indiana based drummer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Nick D’Virgilio (NDV) and comes almost two decades after his debut solo offering. NDV describes his new record as “a collection of songs that make up the story of a man who is unhappy with where his life has ended up. He finally decides to take the scary step of leaving everything behind so he can go and find the meaning of his life”.

He continues: “Throughout my career I have been in many different places. Over time the word ‘invisible’ kept coming to mind and it got me thinking of people that truly have the hardest jobs in the world, or no job at all. The outliers. The ones we all take for granted. The ones we will never know but if they were not there then our lives would not be the nearly the same. Over time I amassed lyric and song ideas with the idea of writing a concept record on the subject”.

Keen to establish that “this is not your typical drummer record”, NDV states that “"Invisible" is a rock album with various musical flavours thrown in because the songs were formed with the story in mind. A classical prelude that uses various themes from the whole piece sets the stage. From there comes a mellow ballad outlining the story and then it is on to the adventures of the central character. The main thing making this record did for me was to reaffirm my strong belief that we are all here for something. We all have a purpose”.

With the recording process split between the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London (including full string and brass sections) and the world class Sweetwater Studios in Fort Wayne, Indiana, “Invisible” boasts star turns from luminaries such as guitarists Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big, Racer X), Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) and Carl Verheyen (Supertramp), bassists Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel) and Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings, Steve Hackett), plus keyboard players Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) and Jem Godfrey (Frost*).

NDV’s debut solo album, “Karma” (2001), had appeared midway through his tenure with US progressive rock titans Spock’s Beard, with whom he started out as drummer upon their inception in the early 1990’s before taking on additional lead singer and live frontman duties in 2002 for four studio albums prior to his departure in 2011. At the time, this was partly in order to continue touring as drummer, singer and assistant bandleader with Cirque du Soleil, with whom he played over 1400 shows over a five year period until 2014. He has also been the drummer with the award winning UK band Big Big Train since 2007 and performed with world renowned acts such as Genesis (appearing on the “Calling All Stations” album) and Tears For Fears (with whom he toured for over a decade). He has also spent the last few years as the face of the drum division of world leading music technology and instrument retailer Sweetwater Sound.

Line-up:
Nick D’Virgilio - Drums, Loops, Vocals
Jonas Reingold - Bass
Randy McStine - Guitars
Jordan Rudess - Piano & Synths
Nick D’Virgilio, Kat Bower, Beth Cohen, Nathan Heironimus, Sophia D’ Virgilio - Background Vocals
Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios - Brass / Strings

Weblinks:
www.nickdvirgilio.com
www.facebook.com/ndvofficial