Alias (band)

Lore & Background

Curci and DeMarchi were members of Sheriff from 1979 to 1985. Sheriff's single "When I'm with You" reached No. 1 in Canada and No. 61 on the Billboard charts, but promotion problems and touring tensions led to the band's breakup in 1985. With financial backing from friends and family, and help from DeMarchi's brother Denny, Curci and DeMarchi built a recording studio in the DeMarchi family home basement, working as couriers by day and writing at night. In 1988, "When I'm With You" re-entered the US Billboard chart, and in February 1989 it hit No. 1. Curci and DeMarchi attempted to reunite Sheriff, but other members were not interested, so they joined forces with ex-Heart members Fisher, Fossen, and Derosier to form Alias.

The band released their debut album, Alias, in 1990. It produced hits including "More Than Words Can Say" (No. 1 Canada, No. 2 U.S.), "Waiting for Love" (No. 13), and "Haunted Heart" (No. 18 on Mainstream Rock Charts). A North American tour followed, including a stint opening for REO Speedwagon, but before the tour began the three former Heart musicians left due to musical differences. Alias never formally disbanded; Curci stated in an interview that "Alias never split. Music changed. We couldn't get our music out there. No one wanted to hear it anymore. Grunge was in." The band performed twice on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1991 and recorded the song "Perfect World" for the soundtrack of the 1991 film 'The Perfect Weapon'.

Reader's Guide

Alias represents a notable intersection of two successful 1970s and 1980s rock acts—Sheriff and Heart—into a supergroup that achieved significant commercial success in the early 1990s. Their debut album's gold and platinum certifications, along with the enduring radio play of "More Than Words Can Say," demonstrate the lasting appeal of the power ballad genre. The band's history also illustrates the shift in rock music tastes in the early 1990s, as the rise of grunge led to the decline of the melodic rock sound that Alias embodied. Despite the departure of the Heart members and the changing musical landscape, Curci and DeMarchi kept the band alive, eventually releasing a second album, Never Say Never, in 2009. The band's legacy includes a BMI Million-Air Award for "More Than Words Can Say," recognizing over one million airplays. Alias continues to perform occasionally, with a lineup that includes original members and newer musicians.

Did You Know?

• Alias formed after Curci and DeMarchi's earlier band Sheriff had a No. 1 hit with 'When I'm With You' in 1989, years after Sheriff had disbanded.
• The band's debut album went platinum in Canada.
• Alias performed twice on The Tonight Show in 1991, both times with Johnny Carson.
• BMI presented Curci and DeMarchi with the 'Million-Air Award' for 'More Than Words Can Say' for over one million airplays.

From Sheriff's Ashes to a Basement Studio

Alias emerged from the wreckage of Sheriff, a Canadian arena rock band that had enjoyed a No. 1 Canadian hit with "When I'm with You" before internal tensions and distribution frustrations led to their 1985 breakup. With Sheriff's remaining members uninterested in reuniting, songwriters Freddy Curci and Steve DeMarchi decided to forge ahead on their own. They pooled financial support from friends and family, and with help from DeMarchi's brother Denny, they constructed a recording studio in the DeMarchi family home basement in Toronto. The duo worked as couriers by day and wrote and recorded by night, building a catalog of songs that would eventually populate their debut album. In 1988, "When I'm with You" unexpectedly re-entered the US Billboard chart, and Capitol Records re-released the Sheriff album in January 1989, pushing the song to No. 1. Riding that momentum, Curci and DeMarchi recruited three founding members of Heart—Roger Fisher, Steve Fossen, and Mike Derosier—to complete the Alias lineup in 1988.

The Debut Era and Chart Dominance

Alias' self-titled debut album, released in 1990, became a commercial triumph, earning gold certification in the United States and platinum status in Canada. The power ballad "More Than Words Can Say" became the band's signature track, reaching No. 1 in Canada and No. 2 on both the Billboard Hot AC and Hot 100 charts. Additional singles "Waiting for Love" and "Haunted Heart" also charted, the latter cracking the Top 20 on the Mainstream Rock Charts. The band supported the record with a North American tour that included an opening slot for REO Speedwagon. Their visibility expanded further with two appearances on The Tonight Show—first with Jay Leno in January 1991, then with Johnny Carson in March of that year—and a recording of "Perfect World" for the Christina Applegate film Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead. BMI honored Curci and DeMarchi with a Million-Air Award for "More Than Words Can Say," a distinction shared by only about 1,500 songs among 4.5 million BMI-represented tracks.

The Grunge Shift and Years Apart

The band's momentum fractured during the 1990 tour when Fisher, Fossen, and Derosier departed over musical differences. By 1992, Alias had recorded their second album, but the musical landscape had shifted dramatically with the rise of grunge and the decline of arena rock. EMI Canada shelved the record and instead encouraged Curci to pursue a solo project, resulting in his 1994 album Dreamer's Road, which incorporated several songs originally intended for the Alias record. DeMarchi, meanwhile, found work as a support and touring guitarist for The Cranberries, later recording and touring behind Dolores O'Riordan's 2007 solo album Are You Listening?. It was during that tour that fans began asking him to sign copies of the unreleased Alias album, some of whose tracks had leaked through bootleg copies of Dreamer's Road. In a Strutter magazine interview, Curci reflected that Alias never formally disbanded, attributing the long hiatus to the industry's refusal to promote their music as grunge took over.

Reunion, Legacy, and the Road Ahead

The long-dormant Alias finally saw their second album, Never Say Never, released in January 2009 by EMI, a move prompted by fan demand during DeMarchi's touring years. The band's cultural footprint continued to grow in the interim: an acoustic rendition of "More Than Words Can Say" appeared on VH1's Classic Metal Mania: Stripped compilation in 2005, and the song was featured in a Subway commercial broadcast during the Super Bowl that same year. Alias also performed at New York's CMJ Music Marathon in 2005, Belgium's Dour Festival in 2006, and headlined the opening party of Chicago's Melodic Rock Fest 2 in 2010. In August 2014, the group delivered their first full live show in years at the Sturgis Canada Motorcycle Rally in Merritt, British Columbia, with a lineup featuring Curci, both DeMarchi brothers, Roscoe Stewart, Wolf Hassel, and Chris Sutherland. The three former Heart members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013, and Denny DeMarchi passed away in May 2020 at age 57.

Gallery