Are New York's The Spring Standards the new standard in DIY business practices? To all outward appearances. Without the aid of a publisher or label, the harmony-heavy indie/folk-rockers have achieved more than many of their well-financed counterparts—opening for The Old 97s and appearing on Late Night With Conan O'Brien in recent weeks.
They even seem to have taken a page from some of my former employers when it comes to human resources—opting to dissect the duties from one job description and dole them out to existing employees in lieu of seeking a full-time new hire.
"[Our] instrumentation was a natural evolution of our songwriting," explains James Smith, who plays bass guitar and kick drum in the trio while guitarist James Cleare simultaneously mans the hi-hat and Heather Robb alternates between her keyboards and those important "twos and fours" on the snare drum and tom toms. "It seemed simpler than finding a fourth member at first, and what started out as pure necessity has become a major part of our musical compositions."
As for such big breaks for such a small-budget outfit, Robb, for one, says she'll certainly never rule out intangibles like luck and timing. Still, she adds, bands such as Radiohead are showing the world that "major labels are becoming less of a necessity" as artists are increasingly "able to reach fans directly through the help of the Internet." To directly experience the unique Spring Standards sound the old-fashioned way—i.e., live and in person—mosey on over to the Iron Horse Oct. 22. They'll be opening for Johnson City, Tennessee's The Everybodyfields.
In other news, congrats to all the '08 Grand Band Slam winners. It's always great to see Valley music scene veterans like The Equalites, Tony Vacca and Mark Schwaber together under one roof (and spilling out into the parking lot). And first-time, firsthand brushes with the likes of hip-hop heroes The Problemaddicts and melodic rockers Talos are equal parts inspiring and entertaining.
Not even the highest caliber MP3s can accurately capture the raw energy, wordsmanship or rapid-fire delivery of the former; and with recent addition Erik Tisinger on lead guitar weaving tasty sonic tapestries over the power trio's collection of riffs and harmonies, the latter have leapt from capable rockers reminiscent of Alter Bridge and Nickelback to purveyors of innovative, textured tunes that members of Alter Bridge or Nickelback may actually want to check out.
It should also be noted that the Valley's top-voted popsters Space Captain effectively utilized their GBS spot as the launching pad for a fall tour that will propel them into New York, out to Ohio and down to Florida by month's end. Space Cap's trek is fueled by the recent release of its latest studio effort, Opposite Day, an amazing audio accomplishment which had not been noted in this column, as the Advocate focused on its anniversary and Grand Band Slam results during the same time frame.
Last up… drummer Robert Solomon reports that his Tool tribute act, Intolerant, will no longer tolerate the growing period of inactivity it has experienced since its singer left town earlier this year. The Springfield-based sound-alikes are looking to retool their project with a new frontman who is "very familiar with Tool" and "clicks well with the existing members," Solomon says.
The personable percussionist is also quick to note that, despite its serious nature, Intolerance is actually a labor of love with goals no loftier than "having fun" and "performing a couple of times a month." Those seeking to release their inner Maynard can contact him at (413) 262-1292 or email the band via myspace.com/intoleranceband.
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 698-9373 or email Garycarra@aol.com.
