Take a look at anything written online about Papa Vegas, and you'll see that the most popular reference point is one hit wonders The Verve Pipe - but don't expect "The Freshman" from Papa Vegas. And though the band was discovered and signed by The Verve Pipe's Brian Vander Ark, Papa Vegas' lone album, "Hello Vertigo", is more of a reflection of influences like Failure and Depeche Mode. Vander Ark first heard the band while judging a battle of the bands in their home state of Michigan, and was impressed enough to sign the band to his label, Sid Flips, in 1997. Sid Flips was soon absorbed into the RCA label, giving Papa Vegas a major label deal for their Don Gilmore-produced 1999 debut, "Hello Vertigo".
The band fared decently at radio, where the single "Bombshell" broke the Top 20 Modern Rock Chart. This, combined with opening spots on tours with The Verve Pipe and the Swedish band Kent (who were then supporting their 1998 masterpiece, Isola, which comes highly recommended) should have been enough to spell success for Papa Vegas. Unfortunately, album sales were low and the band split up in 2000, with frontman Joel Ferguson joining The Verve Pipe as replacement bassist the following year. More recently, members of Papa Vegas have reunited for a new group, Miles to Mars, which picks up right where their former project left off.Buy @ Amazon
2 comments:
A very good album. One that should be highly acclaimed as a classic of the period.
An excellent album by a band that should be considered a classic assembly of the age. Great stuff.
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