VersaEmerge life and biography

VersaEmerge is a three-piece rock band originating from Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA, currently signed to the label Fueled By Ramen. They have Three EP's, Cities Built On Sand, Perceptions and VersaEmerge, and their debut album, Fixed at Zero was released June 22nd, 2010. VersaEmerge came together after the two founding members' previous band, My Fair Verona, broke up.

Beginnings and Cities Built on Sand (2005–2007)

Florida band VersaEmerge formed while (Guitarist & backing vocalist) Blake Harnage and former drummer Anthony Martone were in high school. They were originally in a band named "My Fair Verona". After MFV broke up, Harnage and Martone went on to forming their own band. They chose the name "VersaEmerge" from the terms (vice-versa) meaning opposite, and "emerge" meaning to rise up. The band recorded their first EP, "Cities Built On Sand", in 2005, featuring former members Spencer Pearson on vocals; Anthony James on vocals, programming and synth; Josh Center on Guitar (also writer of the music); and Nick Osborne on bass. With the departure of the four members, the band recruited bassist Devin "Dirty D" Ingelido from Bury the Ashes. The following year, current vocalist Sierra Kusterbeck auditioned for the vocal position by sending a tape online. While members Anthony Martone, Devin Ingelido and James Lano were not too sure about Kusterbeck, Harnage convinced them she was right for the job and she soon joined the band in 2007. Little did they know that Kusterbeck lied about her age saying she was 18 years old, when she was really 16, so she could get an audition.

Perceptions (2007–2008)

They played local home shows and went on tour with bands such as Kiros, Our Last Night, There for Tomorrow, and Craig Owens. The band worked hard and released their EP, "Perceptions", in May 2008. They then parted with guitarist James Lano, who was then replaced by Jerry Pierce. VersaEmerge later signed to Fueled By Ramen. They began to write their self-titled EP, recording with producer James Paul Wisner. The EP was released February 3, 2009, available at the Fueled By Ramen webstore, iTunes and their concerts.

Self-titled EP (2008–2009)

They later went on "The Secret Valentine Tour" with headline band We The Kings, The Maine, The Cab, and There For Tomorrow. After the Secret Valentine Tour, VersaEmerge grew a larger fan base and got picked to play 2 of 4 dates of the Give It A Name 2009 festival in the United Kingdom with bands such as Taking Back Sunday, Underoath, Thursday, Escape the Fate, and Innerpartysystem. They returned to the United States and almost immediately left for Bamboozle in New Jersey. When they returned to their homes in Florida afterward, they started writing for their LP for a few months and then left for Warped Tour '09. After Warped Tour was over they headed to Malibu to record and write for their LP, then packed up for the "OP" tour featuring headliner Boys Like Girls, Co-headliner Cobra Starship, The Maine, and A Rocket To The Moon.

On September 19th, 2009, drummer and co-founding member, Anthony Martone announced through his Twitter saying "I'm No Longer in VersaEmerge. Thanks for all your support. I am currently a drummer for hire Thanks everyone..." After about a week of much inquiry due to Martone's sudden departure, Devin Ingelido and the band posted blogs about their parting with Martone, stating the leave was due to personal reasons that will not be elaborated on. The band hired musician and friend Spencer Peterson (not to be confused with the band's former vocalist) to fill in as a temporary replacement on drums for the OP tour. Spencer Peterson is best known for his time drumming in Hidden in Plain View and Charlotte Sometimes.

On November 22nd 2009, guitarist Jerry Pierce announced on Twitter that he will be leaving the band due to personal reasons concerning his family. He cleared up that he remains friends with the other members, however he "just can't keep touring as much as [VersaEmerge] does." Jerry played his last show with the band on November 28, 2009. They will release their next album right before 2010's Warped Tour. Pierce will not be a part of the recording process.

Bassist Devin Ingelido is also currently involved in a side project with drummer Richard Ducat and guitarist Cj Loy. The band is called Tonight We Dream. They have posted one song on their Myspace as well as an update video in October of 2009. He has stated that VersaEmerge is indeed his top priority, and due to the amount of touring that they do, Tonight We Dream will try to record an EP when he has some time off.

Fixed at Zero (2010–present)

In March 2010, VersaEmerge was named one of American music website Shred News "10 Artists to Watch in 2010".

At the SXSW Purevolume house, VersaEmerge played new songs from their upcoming album due this summer. "Fixed At Zero," "Mind Reader," "Figure it Out", and "You'll Never Know", all from the upcoming album Fixed at Zero. Sierra Kusterbeck was also featured in the "Front and Center: The New Class of 2010" article of the May issue of Alternative Press.

According to a couple of tweets, Chris Pollock, formerly of Maryland-based band Oh, the Story! is currently filling in as the drummer for the band. It has not been announced whether this is permanent or temporary.

On April 26, 2010, the band and a reliable fan blog, posted that the name of VersaEmerge's debut album will be called Fixed at Zero. A clip of "Fixed At Zero" was also posted on the website www.fixedatzero.com.

On April 28, 2010, fixedatzero.com posted the album cover, and pre-order information, with a release date of June 22, 2010, for the album.

They went out to support the release of the album by playing at the 2010 edition of The Bamboozle on May 1, 2010, playing alongside such bands as Paramore and Weezer. They also co-headlined a tour with I See Stars in the mid spring.

VersaEmerge completed their second full run on the Vans Warped Tour that began June 25, 2010 in California. They played the Glamour Kills Stage the entire tour. Kusterbeck also played a game called Where the F**k is Sierra? with fans on every date of the tour. The game was similar to hide and seek and the first ten fans to find her received a winning card which was also a cut the line pass for their signing.

On July 27, 2010, the band released the music video for the title track and first single off Fixed at Zero on their Myspace page. The video was set in the forest and also included Kusterbeck in a nest.

On September 13th, 2010, VersaEmerge announced that they would be headlining a tour this fall called the Vultures Unite Tour. They will be joined by Anarbor, The Dangerous Summer and Conditions. The tour is hitting small venues across the US and also had two Canadian dates. It is supposed to be a "Cinematic Experience".

The band appeared on the new MTV show World of Jenks on October 18, 2010.

Current members:

* Sierra Kusterbeck - lead vocals (2007 - present)
* Blake Harnage - lead guitar, backing vocals, programming (2005 - present)
* Devin Ingelido - bass guitar, backing vocals (2006 - present)

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