Spinto Band @ Bowery Ballroom, April 3, 2008
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I got a last minute invite to see Spinto Band last Thursday, which I jumped at, because these guys are superfun live. The last time I saw them, they went on at 2 a.m. and they were the seventh band I had seen that evening. But they still rocked it.
A quick nod to the Epochs, who opened; you were serviceable and minor key-ish.
Spinto Band took the stage and my friend CD marveled that there were "so many dudes" on the stage. They're a six-piece with the energy and stage presence of a twelve-piece and a median age, evidently, of 14. Seriously, these kids are young.
From the get go, hand claps and all, these kids are jazzed to be performing. They're playful and vibrant onstage, and everyone is moving just about all of the time. The lead guitarist in particular has a funny technique wherein he does the Pete Townsend windmill, but moves his arm only below the elbow. "Demented Buddy Holly," is how my friend describes him. The bassist (who is also one of the main vocalists!) also makes the craziest faces.
A few songs in, they break into "Brown Boxes," a kazoo classic and one of my favorites. The herky jerky robot movements of the band perfectly fit their quirky, off-kilter sound. They play a lot of their newer songs (there's a new album coming out soon-like), which are just as frantic and peppy as their old stuff. The mood coming from the stage is so joyous all night, even when the subjects they're happily chirping about veer into the dark.
Early on in the night, there isn't a whole lot of banter, but the band gets chattier as the night goes on. At one point, we take a moment of silence for Brooklyn Lager. Apparently, while Bowery Ballroom had the local beer on tap the night before, they had run out Thursday night, and replaced it with Blue Point Toasted Ale. Which I must say is as tasty.
Wait a minute. Are these kids old enough to drink?
Back to the show. The extended beer talk was to fill up time while guitarist Nick Krill (the very same "demented Buddy Holly" referenced above) tuned up his mandolin for "Oh Mandy." My buddy CD raised the possibility that Oh Mandy = mandolin, which I had never thought of before, but I like it, so I'm going to accept it as truth.
What I love about the Spinto Band is their really interesting, tight harmonies, which give off a gleeful feeling of psychosis. And they toss it all off effortlessly in their live show, belying the fact that they must practice, like, ten hours a day to be able to play that tightly and make it look effortless.
They end their set with, and I'm quoting directly from my notes here, "that one song that I can never remember the name of with the fast part but I love it." In other words, "Direct to Helmet," which is quite clearly the first line of the song.
eh.www.amNY.com
