Rogue Wave Frontman Overcomes Partial Paralysis for 'Permalight'

Bay Area indie rockers Rogue Wave have dealt with their share of hardships since day one. For starters, the band formed in 2002 when frontman Zach Rogue lost his day job. In 2007, tragedy struck when former member Evan Farrell -- who left the band on good terms to pursue another project -- died from smoke inhalation in a fire. Drummer/keyboardist Pat Spurgeon suffered kidney failure and is currently on the waiting list for a kidney transplant. Yes, it's been a rocky road, so Rogue Wave have had to learn to adapt to and overcome adversity.

The band's new album, 'Permalight,' is sadly no exception. In 2008, Rogue was stricken with an illness that left him temporarily paralyzed and in horrible pain. "The doctors said I had to stop playing music forever," Rogue tells Spinner. But he couldn't accept that diagnosis. "After a few months of moping around I started feeling better, I didn't want to listen to doctors and I felt if you take music away from me it's a different form of paralysis."

With the damage in his hand, where he still can't move some of his fingers, he had to adapt a new style. "Once I decided to start playing music again I decided to try and play a little different and develop an adjusted guitar style, one that wasn't based on fingering so much," he says.

The result is that while his movement is limited, Rogue Wave have made their most upbeat album to date. "It made me move in the direction of music that was more rhythmic, more dance-oriented and the irony was I couldn't move my body as much," Rogue explains of how the album came to be. "So I think the music went in that direction because I had that yearning to move."

Rogue takes a remarkably upbeat attitude in general, an inspiring antithesis to spoiled rock stars. "I just feel like it's not that big a deal," he says of his attitude. "I'm playing music and I'm able to play with my daughter. If I'm up and on my feet and moving, I'm happy."

And that same positive outlook extends to overcoming their long-running tribulations as a band. "We've had a lot of dramatic things happen to us, but it just reaffirms how much I love the people I play music with," he says. "Given all the crap, I'm really happy we made an upbeat, not morose record."