Virgos Merlot

The Birmingham, Alabama ensemble Virgos Merlot, whose moniker evokes notions of innocence and harmonious mixtures, had not always presented themselves as the elegantly dressed ensemble sporting reptilian contact lenses when they embarked on their initial tour in 1998 alongside prominent alternative rock acts such as Fuel and Eve 6. Brett Hestla, serving as vocalist and wordsmith, along with guitarist Jason Marchant—acquaintances since their high school days—and percussionist JD Charlton, had previously collaborated in a group called Wanton Rut. Following the evolution of that ensemble into The Devine, guitarist Ted "Deacon" Ledbetter became a member. At that juncture, Hestla and Marchant were employed at a cabinet workshop, though Marchant subsequently obtained his paramedic license. The Devine issued a solitary album titled Victim prior to their dissolution. In an effort to escape conventional employment, Hestla, Marchant, Charlton, Ledbetter, and Ledbetter's longtime companion—bassist and nursing student Chris Dickerson—established Virgos Merlot. Demo tracks captured in the subterranean studio belonging to their associate and producer Jason Elgin, combined with an appearance at the House of Blues in Orlando, Florida during March 1998, led A&R executive Steve Robertson to secure them a contract with Atlantic Records just 18 months after the band's inception. March 1999 marked the official launch of their Atlantic debut album, Signs of a Vacant Soul, coinciding with the group's arrangements to move to Orlando, Florida.