On March 14th of 2002, Blue Meridian parted ways with Phurst Degree Records. Two days later Donovan flew to Los Angeles to take a break, do some solo performances, meet with some key industry people and assemble a plan for the next formidible phase of Blue Meridian. Here's what the local press had to report.

Orlando Weekly Article by Mark Padgett, April 2002

Phurst Degree burns

Blue Meridian frontman Donovan Lyman reports that the group
has "gotten out" of its deal with local upstart imprint Phurst
Degree Records. Apparently, the label didn't live up to its
commitments and the band asked to be released. That's OK, Lyman
says. Blue Meridian gets to keep the equipment that the label
bought them. Plus, it owns the incomplete major-label quality
recordings for "Minerva" made at TransCon late last year. With
tracks in the can, the band should be more attractive to
potential major-label suitors.

"Our short term plan is to finish this record," says Lyman,
calling from L.A. "I'm completely excited about the
opportunity." Lyman is on the West Coast to meet with
management, studios and labels, in addition to playing a few
solo gigs. He's also auditioning for a few game shows,
including "Rock -&- Roll Jeopardy" and "Beat the Geeks." "I'll
take ÔIndie label deals that fell apart' for $100 please, Alex."



Orlando Sentinel Article by Jim Abbott, April 12, 2002

For Blue Meridian, it's the last of Phurst

Donovan Lyman, intrepid front man of Orlando's Blue Meridian,
was in Los Angeles this week auditioning for game shows,
but that doesn't mean he's finished with the music business.

However, the singer-songwriter is done with fledgling Orlando
indie label Phurst Degree Records. Lyman and his bandmates --
guitarist Mike Grier, bassist Adam Sentz and drummer Kevin Kirkwood --
spent last fall in Orlando's Trans Continental Studios recording tracks
for Minerva, an album expected to be BM's national debut.

By all accounts, the parting was amicable. Lyman gets to keep
the Minerva master tapes and concert sound equipment the company
bought for the band before the split.

Lyman, nothing if not ambitious, was frustrated with delays that had
stopped work on Minerva, which was originally slated for a Christmas release.

"The months wore on, and when we reached a point where we should
have been done we were only a third of the way done. I felt like we
were wasting time, so I asked to be released."

Phurst Degree, meanwhile, will focus on two other Central Florida acts:
boy-band Triple Deep and teen country singer Kaley Hester.

"We feel that Donovan Lyman is an extremely talented songwriter and
musician and we wish him the best," says John Piccione, the label's
president. "But for what it's going to take for him to break out nationally,
I don't think it's a project that we wanted to continue with."

Piccione added that it won't take much additional work to complete the
Minerva master tapes, an opinion that Lyman doesn't share.

"We laid down all the drums, all the bass and the rhythm guitars," Lyman
says. "But we still need to add the lead guitars and vocals and overdubs
of some horns and strings. I'd say that we're close to about a third done."

In between auditions for Beat the Geeks and Rock and Roll Jeopardy,
Lyman has been pitching the band to record companies in L.A. He is
optimistic that another deal is around the corner.

"What's exciting is I don't have any of the new material completed, but
people seem to be taking a renewed interest in the older stuff. For Minerva,
I've written the band's best material since we've been together. We have our
strongest material and lineup ever."

Look for the band to possibly preview some of the new songs at an 18-and-up
show April 20 at the Social in Orlando. Unless Lyman gets the call to Beat the Geeks.