Biography

The ’90s band Morphine pioneered a new type of music - “Low Rock” - seductive, sultry and intoxicating sounds flowed from an innovative lineup: baritone sax, 2-string slide bass and drums. It was their own fusion of blues and jazz elements in an alt-rock setting that gained them critical acclaim and five studio albums in under a decade’s time. Morphine's flame burned bright and fast but was snuffed out before its time when frontman Mark Sandman died suddenly on stage in 1999. From the ashes have risen Vapors of Morphine. A mutual passion for experimental & exotic music pervades Vapors of Morphine's 2016 debut album, “A New Low”, while their love for live performances fueled tours across Europe & Russia and South America. Original Morphine members Dana Colley (baritone sax) & Jerome Deupree (drums) were joined by transplanted New Orleans’ blues guitarist Jeremy Lyons. Deupree left in 2018, replaced by Tom Arey (Peter Wolf, Ghosts of Jupiter). They continue to seduce audiences with dreamy soundscapes, applying inventive arrangements to the unique instrumentation of electric baritone saxophone (evocative of Jimi Hendrix’ guitar), the Sandman-style 2string slide bass or electric guitar and mad jazz-rock drums. A typical Vapors of Morphine show encompasses the noire-tinged Beat generation influences of the Morphine era sound; in one evening, you’d likely hear Morphine originals, Delta blues, heady African beats and the psychedelic jams that keep their audiences entranced.