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Verve pipes its way into national scene

If the Verve Pipe's old material was a huge, purple sofa, their major label debut "Villains" (RCA) would certainly be the black, leather couch of releases. The former is a bit wider, woven from a different hue, but the latter is sleek and understated in the smartest way. Yesterday's release date for "Villains" marked the official seat change for the East Lansing based band -- the official transition from local to national musicians. According to Doug Corella (percussion, keyboard), however, it doesn't much matter where you're sitting as long as the audience can hear what you're saying.

"I'm excited about (the release). Once that album hits nationally, people will have a better understanding of who we are," Corella stressed. "I'm really proud of it, and I think it rocks really hard."

"Villains" is actually much more rock oriented than the band's first two albums "Pop Smear" and "I've Suffered a Head Injury." Where previous material was full of glossy harmonies and sweeping vocal arrangements, the Verve Pipe -- which consists of Brain Vander Ark (lead vocals, guitar), Brad Vander Ark (bass, background vocals), Donny Brown (drums, background vocals), A.J. Dunning (guitar, background vocals) and Corella -- has streamlined its sound to bring the focus back to the music on "Villains." This new musical intensity manifests itself in guitar-driven jams like "Reverend Girl," twisty keyboard solos in songs like "Penny is Poison" and even the cerebral, story-like "Veneer."

"We just went through the approach of trying to strip down the harmonies to make the musical portion of the song more interesting. Now that we're adding keyboards and things, I don't think there's as much focus on the harmonies," Corella said. Although the resulting album wraps itself much more comfortably around a common theme, Corella admitted that they haven't completely severed ties to the harmonies that have become a Verve Pipe tradition.

"I really miss (the harmonies). That's one of the strong things about the band, in my opinion, and when we do it live, I still feel we pull the harmonies out. But (producer) Jerry Harrison (Live, Crash Test Dummies) was just into the idea of stripping it down. And when I listen to the whole album, I really like it.

"I do think there are moments when I would like those colors and those harmonies in there," Corella continued. "But I think we've found the common thread. Like if you look at 'Pop Smear,' it's pretty diverse. I think with this album we have that common thread, and that's the direction we were trying to head in."

Verve Pipe junkies will be happy to know that the band has chosen to include a new version of the much-requested, much-loved ballad "The Freshmen" on their latest release.

"The original version was a little too straight for me," Corella said. "Our predicament was also this -- we wanted to put 'Freshmen' on (the album), but if we did it like the original with just bass and guitar, it wouldn't be conducive to anything else on the album. That's why we came up with these subtle parts with everyone in the band playing."

While it's still a little early to gauge the success of "Villains," the band did manage to sell 500 tickets to their April 13 Michigan Theater show in the first day of ticket sales alone. This may have something to do with the fact that "the boys from East Lansing" have their largest fan base in their home state, but according to Corella, the Verve Pipe has already begun attracting national attention.

"Matt Pinfield from '120 Minutes' is really into the band. We just saw him at a couple shows, and he's so crazy about the band that he practically salivates," Corella laughed. The band is hoping this connection will draw their new video for "Photograph" into the welcoming arms of the MTV buzz bin. But if the video does get picked up, the band has no plans to suddenly strike the jaded rock star pose and forget about their small town roots.

"I don't think my ego's being inflated -- oh, sure, it feels good playing to people that really dig you, and I'm sure inside of me there's a part that feels really lucky to be doing that. But at the same time, I'm just the kind of guy that has always worked hard to move up, and I don't let that get to my head," Corella said.

Corella also said that band members often take time out to communicate with the fans that helped boost them to the level of success they have already achieved. "I'm just constantly on e-mail talking to people," he said. "I do love getting letters from people, too, but e-mail is just quicker for traveling purposes. We also answer every single letter we get."

"I think it's great that Michigan is getting back on the map," Corella continued, in reference to the increasing number of local bands that have been signing to major labels recently. "There's a lot of great stuff going on right now in East Lansing, Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor, all these college towns. It's not solely just a Detroit thing -- I think that's one thing this band is really cautious about. A lot of people have labeled us as 'from Detroit,' but we're from East Lansing. You kind of have to give credit where credit is due."

With their small-town sensibility, it's no wonder that the Verve Pipe's musical "Villains" have stolen the corner on the local pop/rock market. And with a new, stripped-down sound, the band may soon be stealing hearts on a national level.