Rewiring Genesis - A Tribute to The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (Genesis)

Nashville-based recording engineer/producer and a Los Angeles-based performer have teamed up to create a unique twist on a classic Genesis album. This fall, Nick D'Virgilio of Spock's Beard fame and engineer/producer Mark Hornsby are re-recording the Genesis classic: The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, in it's entirety. Produced at Java Jive Studio in Nashville, the album features some of Music City’s best musicians, taking the songs in a whole new direction.

"We wanted to see what would happen if we exposed the songs to a different climate of musicians," says D'Virgilio, "The early Genesis recordings are so musical and very bluesy when you get right down to it. They really lend themselves to some different interpretations. When it came time to figure out what label to work with, I remembered working with Shawn on the Amaran’s Plight release and had been really pleased with how that all worked out and I knew what a big Genesis fan he is, so I’m glad it worked out.".

Although all of the original elements of the songs are still included such as drums, bass, guitar and piano, the recordings now take on a more "theatrical" vibe. This, coupled with orchestra, rock guitars, and some fantastic horn arrangements, the songs now enter an entirely different place.

"We had talked about doing something like this for awhile," says Hornsby, "With the recent attention our version of The Colony of Slippermen received, and the re-release of the original album in 5.1, the time seemed right to see what we could come up with. After the first conference call with Shawn, I felt really comfortable about working with him, and we all managed to make it work and realize the fruition of our vision."

"Genesis is one of my all time favorite bands and I spent many hours reading the lyrics and liner notes for The Lamb. Nick is one of my favorite drummers, and to combine these two elements in what is an amazing re-imaging of The Lamb is a fantastic thing to be part of.", said Shawn Gordon, President of ProgRock
Records.

Rewiring Genesis

Mark Hornsby is a engineer/producer who has a truly diverse background in the music business. As a studio owner, Mark co-owned Ridenour Studios, one of the largest recording and rehearsal studios in South Florida, who's clients included New Found Glory, Foreigner, Ricky Martin, Joey Kramer, Steve Winwood, and Johnny Depp, just to name a few. As a sound designer, he has developed and consulted on plug-in development for a variety of high-profile audio technology companies including IK Multimedia and Sonic Reality and writes a regular column for Recording Magazine on music production. He is a certified Pro Tools Expert by Digidesign and as an engineer, he has won two awards for engineering in the a cappella field. Mark is currently based out of Java Jive Studio in Nashville, where he continues to work with a number of highly-successful artists in the rock and contemporary christian genres.

Nick D'Virgilio is an American drummer and singer, also known as "NDV". Perhaps best known as a member of the progressive rock band Spock's Beard, D'Virgilio took over lead vocals in 2002 and has since recorded three studio CDs: "Feel Euphoria", "Octane", and the self titled "Spock's Beard". In addition, they have released the live CD "Gluttons For Punishment" and the newly released live DVD "Spock’s Beard Live". He was also one of two drummers chosen to replace Phil Collins in Genesis on the "Calling All Stations" album. While living outside of LA, he continues to do sessions and tours with many artists including Tears for Fears, Kevin Gilbert, Jonatha Brooke, Eric Burdon, Mike Keneally, and Fates Warning.