Spock's Beard is a progressive rock band formed in 1992 in Los Angeles by brothers Neal and Alan Morse. Neal played keyboards and was the lead vocalist, as well as being the primary songwriter before leaving the band in 2002 to pursue a solo career. Alan plays 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. The quartet were later joined by veteran keyboardist Ryo Okumoto. Neal Morse departed in 2002, with D'Virgilio taking over lead vocals until his departure in 2011.
The band currently consists of Alan Morse, Meros, Okumoto, Jimmy Keegan (who has toured with the band since 2002) and Ted Leonard.
The band plays a brand of progressive rock with pop music leanings (drawing much influence from Genesis). The band is also well known for their intricate multi-part vocal harmonies (such as those found on certain Gentle Giant songs) and use of counterpoint on cuts such as "Gibberish", "Thoughts (Parts I and II)", "June", "A Guy Named Sid Pt.5: Sid's Boy Choir", and "Devil's Got My Throat."
In an interview with Anil Prasad in Guitar Player, SB drummer and lead vocalist and songwriter Nick D'Virgilio says that “From the very beginning, Spock's Beard has been a songwriting-based progressive rock band. [...] In between all the crazy stuff we do, there are always some very memorable melodies that stick in people's heads, and that has helped us cross over into the mainstream a little bit. It's funny—guys sometimes bring their prog-rock-hating girlfriends to our gigs, and our songs will convert them.”
The band played the Sweden Rocks festival in June and the UK High Voltage Festival on Sunday 24 July 2011, with Ted Leonard (Of Enchant) filling in for Nick on vocals on both occasions. They were joined at High Voltage by Neal Morse, who reunited with the band for the end of The Light and June. Concert Live recorded the performance. Nick D'Virgilio announced his departure from the band on November 18, 2011 for personal reasons and other commitments.
On November 21, 2011, it was announced on the bands official website that former touring musicians Ted Leonard and Jimmy Keegan will be the new singer and drummer of the band, respectively. The band also stated they will be releasing their 11th studio album sometime in summer 2012.
