Pierre Vervloesem

Guitarist Pierre Vervloesem has been described as "Belgium's Frank Zappa," although it might be more appropriate for Vervloesem to share that title with his frequent musical partner Peter Vermeersch; together, the two musicians cover Zappa's stylistic breadth more fully than Vervloesem alone. During the 1990s, the guitarist was a manic presence in an already manic band, Vermeersch's X-Legged Sally, which blasted through a high-energy blend of influences, combining elements of Zappa, the New York downtown scene, and Belgian avant-prog music as practiced by groups like Univers Zero and Present (although largely minus the dark and ominous moods). Vervloesem appeared on all of X-Legged Sally's recordings, including Slow-Up (1991), Killed by Charity (1994), Eggs and Ashes (1995), and The Land of the Giant Dwarfs and the live swan song Fired (both 1996). After X-Legged Sally broke up, Vervloesem continued to perform -- this time on bass -- in Vermeersch's next ensemble, the more pop-oriented A Group, which released two CDs, the oddly sequenced Volume 1 (recorded in 1997) and Volume 3 (2000), the latter of which included the first recorded appearance of Vermeersch's experimental big band, the Flat Earth Society. While partnering with Vermeersch, Vervloesem also began stepping out with his own projects, revealing himself to be a technically proficient and sometimes zany musician with feet in both the avant-prog and heavy metal-influenced guitar shredder camps. His solo outings include Home Made (1994), Fi as co (1996), Chef-d'Oeuvre (1999), Plays John Barry (2002), Grosso Modo (2002), and Rude (2005). Fi as co, Grosso Modo, and Rude (2005) can be purchased through the Belgium-based Carbon 7 label's website at www.carbon-7.com, and are worth the effort to locate for fans of...