Vesica Pisces
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Vesica Pisces

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Music

The best kept secret in music

Press


"Hawkeye News"

[...]
The real news was not Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen's aging body, aged five–neck checkerboard guitar, or ageless — and unoriginal — metal guitar bashings, even though they once inspired multitudes of Iowan juniors — the real news for this year's opening act was Trick's opening act Vesica Pisces.
Lead vocalist Kelly Fitzgerald's gritty, soulful vocals caught the downriver audience by surprise. Looking like Dyan Cannon on a trip down memory lane, Fitzgerald and her band made music that made it clear to BSD fans that they won't be opening for faded dudes much longer than this summer.
"We love getting our music out to the small towns," Fitzgerald said. "We're here and we love it."
Drummer Adam Roach echoed Fitzgerald's enthusiasm for local crowds. "We really appreciate Cheap Trick," he said. "We love getting our music here."
Vesica Pisces poured out refreshing originals that value–added the price of a Cheap ticket.
[...]
Let's have more Vesica Pisces next year.
- BOB SAAR


"allmusic.com"

This title is the major-label debut and second overall release from Salem, MA-based Vesica Pisces. The band's unusual name is derived from the sacred geometry pattern of two intersecting circles that also share the same radius — such as the golden rings that grace the Halfway to Naked (2003) cover art. The quartet features the respective talents of Kelly Fitzgerald (vocals/guitar/percussion), Brian Pothier (guitar/vocals/mandolin/alto sax), Adam Nicol Roach (drums/percussion/vocals), and Bill Bleschke (bass/vocals). The combo first came to fame after winning the Los Angeles Music Award for Best Adult Contemporary Artist in 2000. They were also making a name for themselves via incessant touring in support of their 1999 self-titled debut effort. Their time in the trenches — doing upwards of 200 live dates a year around the globe — has paid off with this collection of a baker's dozen of originals and one well-chosen cover of Wayne Kramer's "No Easy Way Out." Undoubtedly, the influence of veteran producer Jack Douglas has much to do with the album's decidedly clean and radio-friendly tone. Rather than simply temper Vesica Pisces' raw and more aggressive side, he allows the band to unleash its own highly stylized brand of contemporary pop/rock. The band's sound centers on Fitzgerald's uniformly riveting lead vocals, which lie somewhere between the unrefined and earthy passion of Melissa Etheridge and the throaty power pop of Sheryl Crow. Likewise, Fitzgerald asserts her command of both the languid and pastoral "Peace Is Not the Absence" as well as the upbeat "Groovy Town." Potheir's fretwork provides a series of interesting textures, ranging from the unplugged bite of the mandolin that highlights "Something to Hold Onto" to the funky wah-wah intro of "Single" or the Mellotron-esque sound incorporated into "Settlesville," reminiscent of George Harrison's contributions to "Badge." Overall, Vesica Pisces' solid yet airy and overall radio-friendly sound should score with both pop and rock enthusiasts in equal measure. — Lindsay Planer - Lindsay Planer


"Wausau Daily Herald"

Vesica Pisces eschews the expected
When Vesica Pisces set out to record its new album, the band's members chose an unconventional venue.
The quartet set down some of the tracks for "Halfway to Naked," out now on Big3 Records, at an abandoned seafood restaurant in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The high ceilings of the empty eatery enhanced the group's folk-inflected, rock-rooted pop, said guitarist Brian Pothier.
"It's got a big sound; the drum sounds are huge," he said.
The Los Angeles-based band - Pothier, bassist Brian Bieschke, vocalist Kelly Fitzgerald and drummer Adam Nichol Roach - also takes an unorthodox approach to the subject of going solo on their new single, appropriately titled "Single." "What's so funny about being single?" Fitzgerald asks in the song. Like many of the band's tunes, it's based on personal experience. "People would come to me and say, 'Don't worry, one day you'll meet that perfect man.' I just found it hilarious," she said. "So we ended up being slightly sarcastic about it. It was a really easy song to write, and it was a lot of fun."
- C.E. Hanifin


Discography

Vesica Pisces '98
Halfway To Naked '03

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Bio

Big 3 Records struck gold when their already seasoned pop-rock band, Vesica Pisces, combined talents with legendary Grammy Award winning producer Jack Douglas (John Lennon, Aerosmith, Cheap Trick) to create their highly anticipated sophomore album, "Halfway To Naked." After four months of recording at an abandoned restaurant with a remote truck – what Douglas calls guerilla recording – and at Big3's St. Petersburg, FL studios, the result has stirred up an industry buzz and yielded one of the most promising albums of 2003.

Vesica Pisces (winners of the 2000 Los Angeles Music Award for Best Adult Contemporary Artist) has come a long way from their start as club band. "We were making a living as musicians," explains Kelly Fitzgerald, the foursomes' leading lady, who's soulful, sultry voice could be heard over 200 nights a year in clubs around the world. "We did whatever it took." And they're still doing whatever it takes with a feel good sound as creative as their name – vesica pisces is the almond shape middle of two overlapping circles – band mates Brian Pother (guitar), Adam Nicol Roach (drums), Brian Nussle (bass) and Kelly Fitzgerald (vocals) are making their musical dreams come true.

Vesica Pisces is currently touring as the opening act for veteran rockers (and label mates) Cheap Trick in support of their Big3 Records release “Halfway To Naked” in conjunction with a Borders Books acoustic tour, both slated to take them through the rest of 2003.

“Halfway To Naked” consists of fourteen classic American rock tunes, produced by Douglas and written by Kelly and Brian with additional creative input from core member
Adam and former bass player Bill Bieschke (with the exception of the Wayne Kramer song "No Easy Way Out" and co-writing credits going to Mark Radice for "Single" and Doug Lunn for "Something To Hold Onto"). "The best songs really come from life experiences," says Adam, explaining their writing process. "Most of the songs start with an acoustic sound and grow from there." Packed with soulful melodies and a strong guitar presence, the album host an array of possible chart topping singles including the bluesy title track "Halfway To Naked," and the upbeat anthem, "Single," that positively questions, "What's so bad about being single?"

The presence of veteran producer Jack Douglas can definitely be heard on Halfway To Naked. The group was meeting with various producers to work on the album when a friend gave Douglas Vesica Pisces' demo. He flew to Florida to meet with the band and the connection was magic. "He is someone that you want to perform for," says Adam about working with Douglas. "He wanted our personalities to come out on tape, and they did." "Jack made everybody feel really comfortable and brought out the best in all of us," adds Kelly.

Vesica Pisces was born when Salem, MA natives Kelly and Brian met in high school. Both had an intense passion for music. Brian started playing the saxophone at age eight and switched to guitar by age twelve. He played with local bands while studying electronic and classical composition in school. Kelly, who comes from a musical family, says she's "never, ever wanted to do anything else." Exposed to music at an early age, Kelly sang in local clubs while still attending high school. After graduation the duo hit the road and started touring, spending two years in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., then back to New England. They continued touring dividing their time between the Caribbean and several east coast venues.

The pair later moved to Los Angeles, CA where they met Adam, a local Californian, who started playing the trumpet in grade school because his teacher told him there were too many drummers. That didn't stop him or his fascination with the drums. Adam quickly picked up his drumsticks and hasn't stopped playing since. "My friend called me up and said you've got to go see this band, they're really cool and they're really talented, and they need a drummer," recalls Adam. "I went down that night and met them. The next day I was in the band."

After playing with several bass players, the trio hooked up in early 2003 with Brian Nussle (Nuss). Originally from Woodbridge, Virginia he moved to Southern California and made the east coast to west coast music switch. “In my Virginian basement, I’d ride my skateboard in circles for hours and hours listening to my dad’s record collection. I never got dizzy… just more infatuated with music.”

Influenced by rock legends Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and Aerosmith, along with traditional and non-traditional rock, rhythm & blues, and folk music, Vesica Pisces discovered their own voice and recorded it on their self-produced, self-titled debut album. The band sold the album as they continued touring and creating a huge grass roots following. That album earned them the Los Angeles Music Award for Best A/C artist in 2000. The same year they traveled to Bosnia and throughout the Balkan Islan