The Verra Cruz biography:

Verra Cruz are:

Marc James - Vocal, Guitar, Lap Steel
Jimmy Cooke - Drums
Nick Bright - Bass Guitar

Verra Cruz are a three-piece band from St Albans, a small town just north of London, UK.

Singer / songwriter / guitarist / lap steel player Marc James formed the band in the late 90's with drummer Jimmy Cooke as an outlet for his growing collection of brilliantly crafted songs. Nick Bright (bass) joined the band in September 2000.

Together they are a powerful, tight and passionate live band and have a large and loyal fan base. The Verra Cruz have toured hard and appeared at festivals as far away as South Africa - which they toured in September 2001. Since summer 2000 Verra Cruz have also played in France, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania and Estonia, as well as playing all over the UK.

Growing interest in the band in the US lead to a series of shows in LA and New York in April 2003. They then returned to play festivals in Sweden and Germany, as well as a sucessful showcase at In The City in Manchester.

In June of 2003, Verra Cruz recorded sessions with US rock producer Jason Corsaro (Soundgarden/Soulfly). The sessions were engineered by Matthew Ollivier (Doves) and mastered by Howie Weinberg as a favour to Jason. They became the 'Soul Collides EP' which DiS claimed 'will have the listener reaching for the air guitar, turning up the (air?) volume, and imaging oneself to be stood outside a desert chapel just like Slash in ‘November Rain’!

In January 2004 - the 'Soul Collides' EP was picked up by radio stations across America, from KUPD in Phoenix to WBCN in Boston. The ep reached # 7 in the FMQB US radio specialty chart. Jed the Fish at KROQ, Los Angeles' premier rock station received a copy of the ep and instantly made it his 'Catch of the Day' - twice! The band returned to LA in June 04 to play a showcase at The Viper Room in Hollywood.

'Soul Collides' was released as a single in the UK through Universal Distribution in July 04. 'Built on a riff so sturdy you could build a hotel on it...' - Kerrang!. It gained strong support at Radio 1 from Zane Lowe and Mary-Anne Hobbs and from Ian Camfield at XFM who had the band in to record a session. Other radio support included Kerrang! Radio and XFM's Music Response. The video was A-listed at Scuzz TV.

The second single, 'Corner of My Mind, was released in the UK in November '04. The band were on the road throughout November supporting X Is Loaded on a club tour of the UK. The single release marked the band's first airing on MTV2, when the 'Corner...' video was played on Headbanger's Ball in December. Support for Verra Cruz continues at US radio, most notably with Indie 103.1 FM in LA.

The band finished 2004 laying tracks for their debut album at Rockfield Studios in Wales with producers Jason Corsaro and Matthew Ollivier.

Verra Cruz have developed a unique sound rooted in strong songwriting, with the distinctive nature of Marc James' voice and powerful rhythm section merging to create an inspired and dynamic live show.