DWF 2008 - Nick D’Virgilio
Nick played and sang one song after another. Exceptionally musical, he showed exactly what makes him so special. The balance between his cymbals and his Mapex kit especially stood out. A well-organized clinic that never bored for a second... chapeau!
You don't have to listen to Spock’s Beard for long to realize this is no ordinary progressive rock band. So it's no surprise that drummer Nick D'Virgilio is no ordinary drummer either. The man has an enormous amount of talent. He must—after all, people like Peter Gabriel, Sheryl Crow, and Kevin Gilbert don't hire you just because you're a nice guy.
Nick, often referred to as NDV, started drumming at around the age of three. “I really didn’t do much else during my childhood,” he said in a recent interview, “aside from playing a bit of basketball or golf. When I was about seven, my brother taught me to play guitar. I never took lessons, but I improved by playing along with records, both on drums and guitar. That’s how I learned to listen well. There was even a time I wanted to be Donny Osmond. I was four then… Two years later, I bought my first Kiss record. Around that time, my brother introduced me to Led Zeppelin and Genesis, and I was hooked—that’s what I wanted to play.” Funny enough, NDV would eventually go on to play with Genesis: sometimes dreams really do come true.
During a blues session in 1991, Nick met the LA-based brothers Neal and Alan Morse. The three became friends—and the foundation for Spock’s Beard was laid.
Photography: Arjan Aelmans & Arthur van Uden
