What is the name of your band?
The Spiral Electric
What is the genre of music that you play?
Heavy Psychedelic / Acid Rock
Can you give a brief history of the band of how it came together and where it is today?
We started as a duo-- the songwriting core of Clay Andrews & Nicolas Percey met at a Primal Scream / Brian Jonestown Massacre concert in 2009, and bonded over a mutual love of loud, druggy music and weed. We began releasing home-recorded demos in 2011, and full-band live performances followed in 2012.
Touring up and down the US west coast prepared the full band for recording, and both our 2015 debut "Upon Your Shore", and 2016's "Ask the Sky" were recorded with producer Tommy Dietrick (Ringo Deathstarr, LSD & the Search for God, David J). Our 2019 double-LP was recorded with Steve Kille (Dead Meadow bassist/producer) and mastered by Howie Weinberg (Metallica, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins), and it's been the one that has truly defined our audience.
We've played concerts and tours with bands like The Kills, Black Mountain, Dead Meadow, Yawning Man, Swervedriver, King Buffalo, Here Lies Man, The Dandy Warhols, Spindrift, The Warlocks, Lumerians, Turn Me On Dead Man, and New Candys, and notable festivals like Starry Nites (Santa Barbara), SubZero (San Jose), Desert Stars (Joshua Tree), Portland Psych Fest, and the Haight-Ashbury Street Fair (San Francisco).
The current lineup consists of founders Clay Andrews (vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards) and Nicolas Percey (lead guitar), with longtime member Matias Drago (drums) and newcomer Ryan McKnight (bass).
What can people expect from your music?
We're sitting on the fence between psychedelic rock and stoner rock and leaning against the garage to keep it loose-- fairly melodic, with clean vocals, but heavy and noisy, with crunch and bite. Lots of influences in the musical stew but solidly anchored in loud, weird rock. To wax poetic, our music is personal and inspired by catharsis, expressed in moments of fury, abandon and transcendence, punctuated by brooding meditation.
What is the best release that folks should check out from your band?
Our 2019 self-titled double-album, "The Spiral Electric", recorded with Steve Kille (Dead Meadow's bassist/producer) closely captured our sound and best indicates our future direction. It's the one that got the most attention, with continuing worldwide airplay. Start there, and continue sideways.
We're heading back down to LA to record our next album, again with Steve Kille at the helm, in early 2022, and returning to live shows and tours as soon as the album's done. It'll be released on vinyl, and hopefully we'll manage to get some of the back catalogue, certainly the 2019 self-titled, pressed to vinyl as well.
Where can people find you on Social Media?
Instagram: https://www.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
Bandcamp: https://thespiralelectric.