The band started in the late 90's in St Albans - a commuter town north of London known more for its eponymous martyr and Roman ruins than its export of three-piece rock gurus.
Singer/guitarist/lap-steel player Marc James first met drummer Jimmy Cooke while Marc was working as a sound engineer at their local live music pub The Horn Of Plenty. They shared a mutual love for big-riffing Seattle bands and were drawn to the spirituality of artists like Bob Marley, Bob Dylan and Ben Harper. From the beginning Verra Cruz was always intended to be a rock trio and when they met bass player Nick Bright in September 2000 the live show quickly fell into place.
After three years of touring all over Europe in their trusty Transit van, they played a series of shows in LA and New York in 2003. This led to sessions with Amercian rock producer Jason Corsaro (Soundgarden/Soulfly) recorded on location in a disused factory in nearby Harpenden. The result was the five-track Soul Collides EP. Picked up by radio stations across America - from KUPD in Phoenix to WBCN in Boston - the EP reached #7 in the FMQB US radio specialty chart. The buzz grew and the band returned to LA in June 2004 to play a showcase at The Viper Room in Hollywood.
Back home things also began to pick up. Kerrang!, described Marc as a 'gravel-throated bluesman' and the single Soul Collides as 'centred around a riff so sturdy you could build a hotel on it.' Radio 1, XFM and the infamous KROQ all played the song and it eventually wound up on the 2006 debut album Emancipation Day. Critics praised the band for intelligent lyrics welded to purebred, authentic rock, while new fans lapped up the record and the live shows across the UK and Europe.
Classic Rock hailed it as 'modern, meaningful rock music, with stadium-sized riffs and serious messages' while Metal Hammer said, 'Emancipation Day is a fully formed rock opus: 44 minutes of great hard rock songs fired into consciousness.'
Having opened up for US platinum-selling surf-rockers Switchfoot on their European tour in 2007, VC went back to recording - although this time with a new bassist. Old mate Henry Cross stepped in to the size tens and together they crafted Innocence - an album worthy of all the band's potential.
Musically the album reflects a deeper focus. Strings, a touch of Rhodes and a sneak taste of flute all make an appearance, adding tones and colour where they work best. Skillfully mixed by new producer Sam Gibson (Pearl Jam/Delirious?), Verra Cruz are still turned up to 11 and Innocence sounds bigger than anything they've ever commited to tape.
In June of this year the band were voted winners of the Gibson/Olympus unsigned competition to play at Download, the biggest rock festival in the UK. The panel of judges included Radio 1 Rock Show presenter Dan P Carter and Kerrang!/XFM's Katie Parsons. After rocking the guitar maker’s stage to a surprisingly full tent, Kerrang! picked up the story and ran a full-page feature in July. The band then released a double A-side single on August 11th (Not In The Fire/She Don't Want Him), which received spins on regional rock shows all over the UK as well as being played by Bruce Dickinson on 6 Music's Friday Night Rock Show.
Innocence finally hit UK high-street stores on 25th August and Classic Rock said, 'with Innocence their second album, they once again prove themselves to be honest men with important things to say and big powerchords to say them with'. Rocksound offered, 'Verra Cruz offer bleeding, grown up rock. Innocence is a bluesy cauldron of classic style numbers, laced with sexy lap steel riffs and ripe guitars.' See 'Tour Dates' for forthcoming shows.
Singer/guitarist/lap-steel player Marc James first met drummer Jimmy Cooke while Marc was working as a sound engineer at their local live music pub The Horn Of Plenty. They shared a mutual love for big-riffing Seattle bands and were drawn to the spirituality of artists like Bob Marley, Bob Dylan and Ben Harper. From the beginning Verra Cruz was always intended to be a rock trio and when they met bass player Nick Bright in September 2000 the live show quickly fell into place.
After three years of touring all over Europe in their trusty Transit van, they played a series of shows in LA and New York in 2003. This led to sessions with Amercian rock producer Jason Corsaro (Soundgarden/Soulfly) recorded on location in a disused factory in nearby Harpenden. The result was the five-track Soul Collides EP. Picked up by radio stations across America - from KUPD in Phoenix to WBCN in Boston - the EP reached #7 in the FMQB US radio specialty chart. The buzz grew and the band returned to LA in June 2004 to play a showcase at The Viper Room in Hollywood.
Back home things also began to pick up. Kerrang!, described Marc as a 'gravel-throated bluesman' and the single Soul Collides as 'centred around a riff so sturdy you could build a hotel on it.' Radio 1, XFM and the infamous KROQ all played the song and it eventually wound up on the 2006 debut album Emancipation Day. Critics praised the band for intelligent lyrics welded to purebred, authentic rock, while new fans lapped up the record and the live shows across the UK and Europe.
Classic Rock hailed it as 'modern, meaningful rock music, with stadium-sized riffs and serious messages' while Metal Hammer said, 'Emancipation Day is a fully formed rock opus: 44 minutes of great hard rock songs fired into consciousness.'
Having opened up for US platinum-selling surf-rockers Switchfoot on their European tour in 2007, VC went back to recording - although this time with a new bassist. Old mate Henry Cross stepped in to the size tens and together they crafted Innocence - an album worthy of all the band's potential.
Musically the album reflects a deeper focus. Strings, a touch of Rhodes and a sneak taste of flute all make an appearance, adding tones and colour where they work best. Skillfully mixed by new producer Sam Gibson (Pearl Jam/Delirious?), Verra Cruz are still turned up to 11 and Innocence sounds bigger than anything they've ever commited to tape.
In June of this year the band were voted winners of the Gibson/Olympus unsigned competition to play at Download, the biggest rock festival in the UK. The panel of judges included Radio 1 Rock Show presenter Dan P Carter and Kerrang!/XFM's Katie Parsons. After rocking the guitar maker’s stage to a surprisingly full tent, Kerrang! picked up the story and ran a full-page feature in July. The band then released a double A-side single on August 11th (Not In The Fire/She Don't Want Him), which received spins on regional rock shows all over the UK as well as being played by Bruce Dickinson on 6 Music's Friday Night Rock Show.
Innocence finally hit UK high-street stores on 25th August and Classic Rock said, 'with Innocence their second album, they once again prove themselves to be honest men with important things to say and big powerchords to say them with'. Rocksound offered, 'Verra Cruz offer bleeding, grown up rock. Innocence is a bluesy cauldron of classic style numbers, laced with sexy lap steel riffs and ripe guitars.' See 'Tour Dates' for forthcoming shows.
