Spiral Beach

Spiral Beach was a Canadian indie rock band, formed in Toronto, active from 2003 to 2009. The group consisted of vocalist and guitarist Airick Woodhead, vocalist and keyboardist Maddy Wilde, bassist Dorian Wolf, and drummer Daniel Woodhead.^[1]

In 2005, the quartet released their self-titled EP and performed locally all over Toronto, including a weekly residency at Toronto's Drake Hotel.^[2] By June 2006, the band had gained a devoted following and their shows began selling out, with their NXNE showcase ranked as one of the best of the festival.^[3] While their self-titled EP began receiving airplay on Canadian campus radio stations and CBC Radio 3, the band embarked on an international concert tour opening for The Hidden Cameras.^[4] This was followed by dates opening for Tokyo Police Club^[5] and Sloan.^[6]

Spiral Beach released their debut album, Ball,^[7][8] on Sparks Music on October 16, 2007. It was produced by Mike Olsen of The Hidden Cameras, and recorded in a converted barn near Hamilton, Ontario.^[9] To celebrate the album's release, the band organized several concerts in Toronto including an all-ages show on Ward's Island which drew hundreds of people to what the band describes as a "rave"-style event,^[10] as well as filming a music video for the song "Made of Stone" in a circus tent set up in Trinity Bellwoods Park.^[11] They toured around Canada to support the album and performed at SXSW in Austin, Texas the following year.

In April 2008, Spiral Beach played overseas in London, England, to coincide with the release of the Voodoo UK 7". The shows were well received and included a show at Club Fandango. The band was also featuring on the home page of MySpaceUK.^[12]

En junio de 2008, la banda fue multada con 1470 dólares por EcoMedia por colocar carteles en sus grandes contenedores de reciclaje de metal en Toronto, lo que motivó un concierto benéfico en la Whippersnapper Gallery , uno de los locales independientes para todas las edades más populares de Toronto. ^{[ 13 ] [ 14 ]}

En diciembre de 2008, la banda comenzó a trabajar en su segundo álbum con el productor Mike Olsen. Una vez finalizado el proceso de grabación inicial, se embarcaron en una gira por Norteamérica. ^{[ 15 ]}

En junio de 2009, Spiral Beach ofreció cuatro conciertos en el Festival NXNE de Toronto, incluyendo presentaciones junto a Matt & Kim , Japanther , DD/MM/YYYY y The Black Lips . Los conciertos fueron grabados para un videoclip de la canción "Domino" de su próximo álbum. Chartattack calificó la presentación de la banda en Yonge & Dundas Square como una de las mejores del festival. ^{[ 16 ]}

El álbum The Only Really Thing se lanzó el 22 de septiembre de 2009, y la banda se embarcó en otra gira norteamericana, incluyendo varios conciertos en el CMJ Music Marathon en la ciudad de Nueva York, donde fueron destacados como una de las "Diez Mejores Bandas en CMJ" por la revista Paste . ^{[ 17 ]} Además de los formatos tradicionales de vinilo, CD y mp3, el álbum también se lanzó como un libro de fotos de 95 páginas, una copia del libro de letras original de Daniel Woodhead y un cómic de Maddy Wilde. ^{[ 18 ]} Después de varios conciertos acústicos en Toronto ese otoño, partieron para una gira europea en noviembre de 2009, que incluyó un concierto como cabeza de cartel con sus compatriotas canadienses Hey Rosetta en el Queen of Hoxton en Londres, en una noche presentada por Muso's Guide , ^{[ 19 ]} así como una actuación en el Festival On3Radio en Múnich, Alemania, transmitida en vivo por radio a miles de espectadores. ^{[ 20 ]}

A su regreso, la banda se presentó en MTV Live por segunda vez. ^{[ 21 ]} La banda ofreció su último concierto en Toronto el día del cumpleaños de Daniel, el 19 de diciembre de 2009.

Airick y Daniel Woodhead son hijos del músico folk canadiense David Woodhead , ^{[ 22 ]} y Wilde es hija de la satírica musical canadiense Nancy White . ^{[ 23 ]}

The members of Spiral Beach appear as themselves in the film Charlie Bartlett, with four of their songs featured in the movie.^[24] They have also had their video "Made of Stone" used as part of an episode of the television series Life's a Zoo.^[25][26]

Airick Woodhead is currently performing under the alias Doldrums, while Dorian Wolf is a core member of the group Austra. In 2011, Daniel Woodhead announced a new project under the name Moon King, a duo with Maddy Wilde. All the members continue to collaborate and make music together.

The band is known for their energetic and visually entertaining performances, which often feature pylons, video projections, and wild stage antics.^[27] They have expressed their preference for performing at all ages shows in unusual venues and situations, including galleries, theaters, loft spaces and downtown parks.^[28] They also tend to perform barefoot or shoeless.

A press release for the band's 2007 show at the Centre of Gravity Theatre in Toronto read:

"A massive all night party at the Centre of Gravity Theatre featuring the finest musical acts from Toronto and abroad, as well as a full-on extravaganza of video projections, gravity-defying circus acts and glow-in-the-dark visuals. This event will not officially end, and guests are encouraged to bring tents, sleeping bags and pillows and camp out on the floor with the bands. A pancake breakfast will be served in the morning."^[29]

Spiral Beach has performed at a number of music festivals including

• Blue Skies Festival (2005)
• Hillside Music Festival (2006 and 2008, including a guest appearance by Cadence Weapon)^[30] in Guelph
• Ottawa Bluesfest (2007)
• Wolfe Island Music Festival (2007)
• The Big Time Out in Cumberland, British Columbia (2007)
• Ottawa Folk Festival (2008)
• SCENE Fest (2008 and 2009) in St. Catharines
• Suncrash Festival (2008 and 2009) in Orillia
• V Fest (2008) in Toronto^[31]
• On3Radio Festival in Munich, Germany (2009)

• Spiral Beach (independent, 2005) (out of print)
• Ball (Sparks Music, 2007)
• Voodoo UK 7" ( Relentless / Stimulus , 2008)
• EP extra (Sparks Music, 2008)
• Lo único realmente importante (Sparks Music, 2009)

Citas

• Sitio web oficial de Spiral Beach