Backstory: Joe Adams

Early in 2014, keyboardist Joe Adams joined The Kiera Plan, bringing a wealth of experience on the keys as well as an incredible vocal range.  His commitment to both getting that perfect synth sound and to bringing all of the studio vocals to life in the live show have already made a huge impact.
Here's Joe with the band performing "Time Flies" and Weezer's "El Scorcho" live on Philadelphia's Radio 104.5:



We can't wait to get Joe into the studio to hear him work his synthesizer magic!  Stay tuned for more on that in 2015!

Backstory: Kevin Brown

Drummer Kevin Brown had been performing with several Philadelphia area bands for a number of years, drumming for Tormented Genius (who had opened for Rage Against the Machine), and playing guitar with The Hydrogen Hell Horses, so he brought a lot of rock and roll to the table when he first joined The Kiera Plan in the summer of 2011.



While Kevin has been bringing the thunder behind the drum kit on stage, he showed his versatility in the studio for The Kiera Plan's sophomore LP Right Now, shredding through guitar work on "Starting Over Today," "You Are Not Alone," and "We're Gone."



You can hear Kev rocking the soaring lead guitar riffs during the two verses on "Starting Over Today."

Backstory: Tim Zaprala

Bassist Tim Zaprala officially joined The Kiera Plan in 2011, bringing not only his ferocious bass work but great vocals as well.  A long-time friend of TKP frontman Shawn O'Brien, TIm actually made his first appearance several years earlier on the outro of 2009's "Cross My Heart" (from The Kiera Plan's debut LP Dedication) - you'll hear Tim along with Ann O'Brien and Dana Heinz Zaprala at the end of the track:



Tim was a huge contributor to The Kiera Plan's sophomore album Right Now, delivering bass on "Right Now," "You Are Not Alone," and "Starting Over Today" as well as background vocals on "Starting Over Today" and "Whenever I Close My Eyes."






An accomplished songwriter and frontman in his own right, Tim released a wealth of material with his former group Seducing Eve, and has performed with a number of other musical projects.

As an author, Tim contributed to the New York Times best-selling graphic novel anothology FUBAR: Empire of the Rising Dead, and has a number of other projects in the works. For more on all things Tim, check out his blog.

And, of course, look to see Tim in the mix the next time The Kiera Plan hits the stage or the studio.

Backstory: "We're Gone"

Knowing how much I normally rely on power chords to make it happen, I was excited to try something different with "We're Gone."  I was hoping for a sparser arrangement that had each new instrument packing a punch when it made it's entrance. 

The Pixies "Dig for Fire" has one of these really cool sparse arrangements, and if we're lucky, you'll here their influence on this.

When we get to the breakdown on "We're Gone," I hope that's where you'd get a little early-Weezer coming through.  Vince Ratti, our producer, knew exactly what we were going for there, and worked his feedback magic to get the tone and the pitch of that just right.

Vocals make or break a song for me, and I always heard a group of vocals closing out "We're Gone."  Choruses never quite pack the same punch for me though when all I hear are 7 versions of the same dude, so I was excited to have old friends Shawn Gamble and Alison Cloud, from the band Kick Back Tomorrow, in the studio to help really give "We're Gone" a strong, diverse vocal finale.


I'd met these two with our bands playing a number of shows in and around Philly together over the past few years, and I really admire their passion.  Whether they're in the crowd, on stage, or in the studio, you can tell how much Shawn and Alison love music, and it made them really fun people to collaborate with.

Both are tremendous vocalists, and it was so great to see them doing their thing.   They first make an appearance during the breakdown, and I'm psyched to hear their voices every time I listen to "We're Gone."

I hope you guys all enjoy the track!  We'll be excited to hear what you think.

Shawn (O'Brien)