The Spring Standards
Encyclopedia
The Spring Standards is an independent three-piece folk-rock band based in New York City
.
Cleare, Robb, and Smith are all songwriters and multi-instrumentalists. They use their strengths as a trio to create a sound that listeners might expect from a band twice their size. With an emphasis on 3-part harmony and a variety of instrumental switching, their range and energy onstage make each live show a unique event.
Before they were The Spring Standards, all three members were in Old Springs Pike along with John Gallagher Jr.. The three current members also played together in an earlier band called The Urban Wombats.
of Old 97s and engineered by Kieran Kelly of The Buddy Project. The self-released EP found mild success in the North East leading to an appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
.
On April 13, 2010, they self-released their first full-length album, "Would Things Be Different" produced by Bryce Goggin
(Pavement
, Phish
, The Apples in Stereo
).
The Spring Standards returned to the studio in early 2011 to record a new EP, which was introduced as one of two EPs that will be released in the near future
Discography
----
No One Will Know (EP, Released July 29, 2009)
* 1. Goodbye Midnight
* 2. In The Underground
* 3. Little Bug
* 4. Reply
* 5. Breath And
* 6. Your Lie
* 7. Sad Song
* 8. Pin Cushion (Bonus Track)
Would Things be Different (Released April 13, 2010)
* 1. Skyline
* 2. Here I Am
* 3. Queen Of The Lot
* 4. Halcyon Days
* 5. Bells And Whistles
* 6. Not Again
* 7. Frozen
* 8. Trouble
* 9. Sharks
* 10. The Hush
* 11. Unravel Unwind
* 12. Drowning In Sobriety (Bonus Track)
Yellow (To be Released Summer 2011)
* 1. Only Skin
* 2. Heavy Home
* 3. Chicago
* 4. Crushing Pennies
* 5. Enemies
* 6. Wildfire Forest
(August 2008), Pepsi
's Poptub, USA's "Royal Pains" and MTV
's Exiled. The band performed on The Rock Boat IX in 2009, "the floating music festival at sea".
The Spring Standards have become somewhat of a staple on New York's Rock Station 101.9 WRXP, having been invited to play "The Rock Show with Matt Pinfield
and Leslie Fram
" on numerous occasions, including an annual appearance to sing The Pogues
' holiday classic Fairytale of New York
with Pinfield on air.
The band has toured nationwide at major venues. They have performed as an opening act for musicians including Old 97s, The Clarks
, Works Progress Administration (musical group)
, Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers
, Caravan of Thieves (band), Rustic Overtones
, Rigby Fawkes
, Squeeze (band), The Everybodyfields
, and Glenn Tilbrook
and the Fluffers.
In 2010, The Spring Standards were selected to perform at the famed Austin
music festival South by Southwest
.
They are currently on tour with Meg & Dia
. and Joey Ryan. Its "The Gang Goes On Tour 2010" With Meg & Dia headlining.
The band will be out on tour with Ha Ha Tonka throughout Spring 2011.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Biography
James Cleare, Heather Robb and James Smith first sang together in the last summer of the 20th century. Having just turned 16, the three teens with a common affinity for "oldies" music and harmony spent the better part of the next 2 years playing shows around the Delaware/Pennsylvania area. Influenced as much by their parent's record collections as they were by what they heard on the radio, their style began to take shape into something a little bit both and a little bit neither. When high school graduation came along, their paths divided; years passed and things changed, but before they knew it they were all living within a few blocks of each other in New York City. The transition back into making music together was as natural as it was surprising - they happily picked up where they had left off years before, with a unique style that refuses to sit comfortably in any genre.Cleare, Robb, and Smith are all songwriters and multi-instrumentalists. They use their strengths as a trio to create a sound that listeners might expect from a band twice their size. With an emphasis on 3-part harmony and a variety of instrumental switching, their range and energy onstage make each live show a unique event.
Before they were The Spring Standards, all three members were in Old Springs Pike along with John Gallagher Jr.. The three current members also played together in an earlier band called The Urban Wombats.
Members
The band members are:- James Cleare - vocals, acoustic and bass guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, and drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Heather Robb - vocals, melodicaMelodicaThe melodica, also known as the "blow-organ" or "key-flute", is a free-reed instrument similar to the melodeon and harmonica. It has a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key opens a hole,...
, keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, glockenspielGlockenspielA glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
and drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - James Smith - vocals, acoustic and bass guitars, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, trumpet and drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Recording
The Spring Standards released their first EP ‘No One Will Know’ in July 2008 which was co-produced by Rhett MillerRhett Miller
Stewart Ransom Miller II , better-known as Rhett Miller is the lead singer of the alternative country band Old 97's and a successful solo musician. He graduated from St. Mark's School of Texas, a private boys' school in Dallas in 1989 and briefly attended Sarah Lawrence College on a creative...
of Old 97s and engineered by Kieran Kelly of The Buddy Project. The self-released EP found mild success in the North East leading to an appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
.
On April 13, 2010, they self-released their first full-length album, "Would Things Be Different" produced by Bryce Goggin
Bryce Goggin
Bryce Goggin is a record producer and sound engineer. He began his career in the early 1990s working at Baby Monster Studios. He first received acclaim for mixing the album Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain by Pavement...
(Pavement
Pavement (band)
Pavement is an American alternative rock band that formed in Stockton, California in 1989. In their career, they achieved a significant cult following, and they were called the best band of the 1990s by prominent music critics Robert Christgau and Stephen Thomas Erlewine...
, Phish
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
, The Apples in Stereo
The Apples in Stereo
The Apples in Stereo, styled The Apples in stereo, is an American indie rock band associated with The Elephant Six Collective, a group of bands also including Neutral Milk Hotel and The Olivia Tremor Control. The band is largely a product of lead vocalist/guitarist Robert Schneider, who writes the...
).
The Spring Standards returned to the studio in early 2011 to record a new EP, which was introduced as one of two EPs that will be released in the near future
Discography
----
No One Will Know (EP, Released July 29, 2009)
* 1. Goodbye Midnight
* 2. In The Underground
* 3. Little Bug
* 4. Reply
* 5. Breath And
* 6. Your Lie
* 7. Sad Song
* 8. Pin Cushion (Bonus Track)
Would Things be Different (Released April 13, 2010)
* 1. Skyline
* 2. Here I Am
* 3. Queen Of The Lot
* 4. Halcyon Days
* 5. Bells And Whistles
* 6. Not Again
* 7. Frozen
* 8. Trouble
* 9. Sharks
* 10. The Hush
* 11. Unravel Unwind
* 12. Drowning In Sobriety (Bonus Track)
Yellow (To be Released Summer 2011)
* 1. Only Skin
* 2. Heavy Home
* 3. Chicago
* 4. Crushing Pennies
* 5. Enemies
* 6. Wildfire Forest
Touring
The Spring Standards have toured nationwide at major venues and have been featured on Conan O'BrienConan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer and performer. Since November 2010 he has hosted Conan, a late-night talk show that airs on the American cable television station TBS....
(August 2008), Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
's Poptub, USA's "Royal Pains" and MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Exiled. The band performed on The Rock Boat IX in 2009, "the floating music festival at sea".
The Spring Standards have become somewhat of a staple on New York's Rock Station 101.9 WRXP, having been invited to play "The Rock Show with Matt Pinfield
Matt Pinfield
Matt Pinfield is a music personality and TV host, best known for being a video deejay on MTV and VH1. He currently lives in Harrison, New Jersey having previously resided in East Brunswick Township...
and Leslie Fram
Leslie Fram
Leslie Fram is an American radio personality on commercial radio.Her first professional job was at WABF in Fairhope, Alabama. One of the weekend shows she hosted was called "Platter Ladder"...
" on numerous occasions, including an annual appearance to sing The Pogues
The Pogues
The Pogues are a Celtic punk band, formed in 1982 and fronted by Shane MacGowan. The band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. MacGowan left the band in 1991 due to drinking problems but the band continued first with Joe Strummer and then with Spider Stacy on vocals before...
' holiday classic Fairytale of New York
Fairytale of New York
"Fairytale of New York" is a song by the Irish rock group The Pogues, released in 1987 and featuring the British singer Kirsty MacColl. The song is an Irish folk style ballad, written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan, and featured on The Pogues' album If I Should Fall from Grace with God...
with Pinfield on air.
The band has toured nationwide at major venues. They have performed as an opening act for musicians including Old 97s, The Clarks
The Clarks
The Clarks are an American rock band from the Pittsburgh region, originating at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Over the course of twenty years, they have produced a total of 12 studio, live and solo releases, selling near a quarter of a million copies....
, Works Progress Administration (musical group)
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
, Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers
Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers
Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers is an American rock band formed in Western Massachusetts in 2003. The band features lead singer Stephen Kellogg , bassist and keyboard player Kit 'The Goose' Karlson, drummer Boots Factor, and electric guitar/pedal steel player Sam 'Steamer' Getz...
, Caravan of Thieves (band), Rustic Overtones
Rustic Overtones
Rustic Overtones is a rock/jazz/funk band from Maine active from 1993–2002 and 2007–present. They were the first group to perform live on XM Satellite Radio, and their 2007 album Light At The End was the fastest-selling local disc ever in the state of Maine....
, Rigby Fawkes
Rigby Fawkes
Rigby Fawkes is an alternative rock band from Little Rock, Arkansas. The band is composed of Ed Cheek , Kyle Heflin , Daniel Moody , and Jordan Ryan . The band is best known for their multifarious sound and mature song writing style.Rigby Fawkes was born on March 2, 2005...
, Squeeze (band), The Everybodyfields
The Everybodyfields
the everybodyfields were an independent folk/country band from Johnson City, Tennessee. The band was fronted by Sam Quinn and Jill Andrews who met when they were nineteen while both working at a summer camp. Most recently, they were joined by guitarist and keyboardist Josh Oliver, pedal steel...
, and Glenn Tilbrook
Glenn Tilbrook
Glenn Martin Tilbrook is the lead singer and guitarist of the English band Squeeze, a band formed in the mid 1970s who broke through in the new wave era at the decade's end. He generally wrote the melody for Squeeze, while his writing partner, Chris Difford, wrote the lyrics...
and the Fluffers.
In 2010, The Spring Standards were selected to perform at the famed Austin
Austin
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
music festival South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
.
They are currently on tour with Meg & Dia
Meg & Dia
Meg & Dia is an American rock band formed in 2004. It was founded by sisters Meg and Dia Frampton, and is now a five-piece act with additional members Nicholas Price, Jonathan Snyder and Carlo Gimenez....
. and Joey Ryan. Its "The Gang Goes On Tour 2010" With Meg & Dia headlining.
The band will be out on tour with Ha Ha Tonka throughout Spring 2011.