After devoting the better part of his early years to the piano, namesake frontman Doug Rausch earned his Ithaca College music degree & plunged straight into self-imposed exile. Disillusioned by how mainstream music had all but completely plateaued by the early 2000’s – culminating in an eye-opening stint at Sony Music Studios – he found himself in a decade-long campaign chasing a long-held musical vision of his own. Aside from select live engagements – including an invitation from Dream Theater’s Jordan Rudess to perform at the first KEYFEST – all else was sacrificed.

Early on, the first member to join was Philadelphia bassist Joe Fine. Meeting at his family’s sandwich shop, a particularly generous offering of hot peppers made quite the impression on Rausch; he’s been on board ever since. Then came a fortuitous encounter in NYC with virtuoso guitarist Gary Wehrkamp (Shadow Gallery, Outside the Wall). Even more unifying than the bond created over their mutual love for all things augmented-major-7, however, was a lifeblood running equally through the veins of all three: the musical influence of Queen. Rounding out the lineup is powerhouse drummer Chris Ruffini.

In late 2009, the adventurous-yet-song-driven debut album (RAUSCH) – mixed by engineer-extraordinaire Rich Mouser (Chris Cornell, Neal Morse/Spock’s Beard) – was finally released. Leadoff single “No Fair” hit the top 10 on New Music Weekly’s small-market radio charts, & the haunting “Ode to Pain” earned an honorable-mention nod from the 2010 International Songwriting Competition (ISC).

On February 2nd, RAUSCH will release its second full-length album BOOK II. Heavy-hitting contributions come from the likes of Mark Zonder (Fates Warning), Ryo Okumoto (Spock’s Beard), and second Shadow Gallery mainstay, guitarist Brendt Allman. Picking up where the debut left off, it remains painfully vulnerable & autobiographical of the band’s trials & tribulations along the way. Things are “even more deep and dark” this time, observes the returning Rich Mouser who (along with Bumblefoot) applauds the “Queen-on-steroids” diversity running throughout. Lead-off single “Greener Grass” is adventurous and catchy; “Irked” at times flirts with jazz; “The End” is a nearly 10-minute atmospheric musical tapestry picking right up where Pink Floyd left off; the head-splitting “Speechless” shows the band clashing with Metallica-sized demons; and joining “Good Day” is 2nd Ivory-produced track “Swansong” which, by notable contrast, offers a glimpse of something completely unexplored up until now: optimism.

RAUSCH are:

Doug Rausch – vocals, piano
Joe Fine – bass
Gary Wehrkamp – guitars
Chris Ruffini – drums

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http://www.rauschmusic.com
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