The genesis of The Verve Pipe can be traced back to
1990, when lead singer Brian Vander Ark and his band, Johnny With An Eye,
joined forces with rival Michigan band WaterFrom A Pool, led
by drummer Donny Brown. After the additions of lead guitarist AJ Dunning and
keyboard/percussionist Doug Corella, TheVerve Pipe released their
first independent album, Ive Suffered A Head Injury in 1992, followed
in 1993 by Pop Smear. The success of both albums quickly attracted the
attention of major labels, resulting in the band being signed to RCA Records.
In 1996, they released Villains, their platinum debut album on RCA, which
included the single The Freshmen, one of the most successful multi-format
tracks of 1997 and winner of an ASCAP Pop Award.
In 1999, the band released their musically adventurous, self-titled
follow-up album to critical acclaim, including this from Entertainment Weekly:
. . . the band agilely whip up grandiose mood pieces, frothy pop anthems, and
sturdy rockers. (The Verve Pipe) leap beyond commonplace commerciality.
The bands third album for RCA, Underneath, was released
in September 2001. In the words of Hits magazine, the first single, 'Never Let
You Down,' "is a one-listen, hook-laden, uptempo nugget that nails you in the
first 10 seconds and keeps getting better. It went on to become one of the
Top 50 Most Played songs for both Adult Top 40 and Modern A/C radio in 2001.
In addition to their success on radio, sold-out concert dates throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia, features in Spin and Rolling Stone and videos on MTV and VH1, the band have made numerous television appearances, including "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," "Late Night With David Letterman," MTV's "Jenny McCarthy Show" and "120 Minutes," and VH1's "Hard Rock Live."
The Verve Pipe have also contributed songs to the
films/soundtracks Great Expectations, Clay Pigeons, The Avengers,
Rock Star and Joe Somebody. In addition, lead vocalist Brian Vander
Ark recently wrote and performed the song When Im Gone for the film Life
Or Something Like It. The bands music has also appeared in numerous TV
shows, including, among others, Roswell and Dawsons Creek.
When not performing and recording as The Verve Pipe,
the band members pursue a variety of individual interests. Brian Vander Ark
has acted in several films, including the Warner Bros. release Rock Star
starring Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston. In addition to his co-starring
role, Brian also wrote and performed the song Colorful for the film and soundtrack.
He has also appeared in several independent films, including Road Kill and
Dead and Breakfast as well as appearing on stage, to critical acclaim,
as Charlie Bowdry in The Collected Works Of Billy The Kid at the prestigious
La Jolla Playhouse. Recently, Brian completed principal filming as the lead
character in the upcoming Kevin Carrico directed independent film, Dominick
Blue, for which he will also contribute the score and two new songs. In
2004, Brian released his debut solo album, Resurrection, featuring the
singles 'Written and Erased' and 'And Then You Went Away' and continues to perform
shows as a solo acoustic artist. Donny Brown is in demand as a session artist
as well as producing and writing for many new artists including 19 Wheels,whose album Jawbreaker, which he produced, was nominated for a Detroit
Music Award. Doug Corella pursues his interest in photography and has had multiple
gallery exhibitions of his work as well as teaching music full-time. He also
tours and performs with The Karlz. Both Brad Vander Ark and AJ Dunning are enjoying
life in Grand Rapids, MI.
In March 2004, Sony/BMG released The Verve Pipe Greatest Hits featuring songs from their three RCA releases. The bandcontinues to play selected dates and is working on material for a new album.
Hey guys, long time fan. I saw you guys live in GR once, you played a song referring to US 31 or US 131, I only heard you guys play it once, it was never on the radio or in any of your CD's. Any chance of putting it on the page, or in a new album? Can be a great hit, and I know all the Michiganders will love it!
Hey thanks you the add, you guys are great. Ever since i was a little kid my dad would play me The Freshman every day until he died. That song has brought back so many memories and it is burned into my heart forever. And for that i thank you.
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