Half Greek, half Latin, the words pulled together loosely mean “the beginning of something new.”  At least that’s how Texas-born musician Casey McPherson describes the name of the group he fronts.  He goes on to say, “It’s that feeling when the light bulb goes off, that instant of inspiration and redemption, those moments that keep us going forward.”  

It’s also an apt description of the music on the band’s major label debut for Hollywood Records.  Produced by David Kahne, the record overflows with intense soul-searching, memorable lyrics and instantly accessible melodies.  And it’s the melodies that provide the backbone of Alpha Rev’s music.  “Melody is what connects the music — it takes you somewhere, gives you a memory, gives you hope, changes your mind, lets you chill out, drive a little bit farther or stay up a little bit later,” McPherson notes.

The album tells the story of a day in the life of any one of us, hitting the ground running with high hopes when we open our eyes in the morning, then going through a number of trials that tests our resolve before we emerge, hopefully, whole on the other side.

“Music is my way of communicating,” says McPherson. “It’s a gift I’ve been given and trained to do. If I knew how to do it in a less personal way, it would be a lot easier.”   It’s that raw emotion that fuels many of the tracks on the record including the lead track “Phoenix Burn,” a song about rising up from the ashes of disappointment. The fire-and-brimstone quality to his lyrics is no fluke, but points straight at his upbringing in the church where he honed his musical talents. “Colder Months,” a song inspired by an online session with Bob Schneider and Jason Mraz, recalls his time in New York, pawning his guitar pedals and eating crackers to survive.

Home-schooled, McPherson immersed himself in music at an early age turning around the Hondo acoustic guitar his father bought at Sears, so he could use it left-handed, learning to play the chords upside-down and teaching himself how to write “1-4-5 chords on one hand and melody on the other” on a toy electric keyboard.  

Exposed to a wide berth of music, McPherson’s influences run the gamut from Bach, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky to Glen Miller, Pink Floyd, Steve Miller and Johnny Cash.  As an artist, McPherson’s inspirations come from experience and tragedy, giving his songs a poetic sense marked with a subtle urgency and abandon.

Already piquing interest, the band’s songs have been featured on Bravo’s NYC Prep, the ABC Family hit Greek and the CW’s Melrose Place.  Frontman Casey McPherson’s gripping, emotional songwriting dares others to search out hope in the bleakest of circumstances and the unique instrumentation pays homage to the classical music that gave him his love for the art. While McPherson’s songwriting and rock-inspired vocals form the core of Alpha Rev’s music, he is supported by a unique cast of musicians that fill Alpha Rev’s songs with as much classical beauty as American rock. In addition to the typical guitar, keyboard, bass, and drums, Alpha Rev boasts a violin and cello that add brilliantly to the band’s sound. Together, Alpha Rev offers up layered, orchestral, melody-driven masterpieces able to turn strangers to super fans in a single listen.

Home schooled in small town Texas, frontman Casey McPherson studied classical piano for 12 years and learned to play guitar left handed after figuring out it only worked when he played it upside down. The first band he started, Endochine, performed with Staind, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pete Yorn and many others. During this time, McPherson lost his father and only brother to suicide. Although Endochine was succeeding on many levels, touring took its toll, eventually leading to the band’s demise. Faced with unimaginable tragedy and the dissolution of his band of five years, Casey began to realize that his music, and his life, needed to take a turn in a more positive direction.

The result was Alpha Rev and its distinctive brand of soulful American rock, full of achingly beautiful melodies, haunting lyrics, and classical beauty. Welling up through all the rich, sonic splendor is a message of hope spun by McPherson and his penchant for perseverance. As Austin’s famous landmark club Antone’s raved on their website “witness [McPherson] in action and you know God made this man to play music.”