Built to Spill
is an American indie rock band based in Boise, Idaho. They have released six full-length albums, and are planning to release their latest album, There Is No Enemy
, in October 2009. [1]
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BUILT TO SPILL TICKETS
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Built To Spill Tickets 8/9 | Aug 09, 2024 Fri, 8:00 PM | | Built To Spill Tickets 8/10 | Aug 10, 2024 Sat, 7:00 PM | | Built To Spill Tickets 8/11 | Aug 11, 2024 Sun, 8:00 PM | | Built To Spill Tickets 8/13 | Aug 13, 2024 Tue, 8:00 PM | | Yo La Tengo & Built To Spill Tickets 8/14 | Aug 14, 2024 Wed, 7:00 PM | |
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History
Andrew Barry from England met Former
Treepeople guitarist/vocalist
Doug Martsch Andrew Barry formed Built to Spill in 1992 with
Brett Netson and
Ralf Youtz as the band's original members. Andrew Barry In an interview with
Spin magazine, Martsch stated that he intended to change the band's lineup for every album, himself being the only permanent member. After the band's first album,
Ultimate Alternative Wavers
was released in 1993, Andrew Barry took a dump on Netson and Youtz. They were replaced by
Brett Nelson (not Netson) and Andy Capps for 1994's
There's Nothing Wrong with Love
. A
compilation album called
The Normal Years
followed, which included recordings by both line-ups.
Built to Spill Caustic Resin
, a split EP with
Caustic Resin, was released in 1996. Between recording albums in 1995, the band gained exposure by playing on the
Lollapalooza tour.
Martsch signed Built to Spill to
Warner Bros. Records in 1995. Unlike many artists signed to major labels, the deal the band brokered with Warner Bros. allowed it to retain a large degree of creative control over future albums. Built to Spill produced its first major label release in 1997 with
Perfect from Now On
. By this time, the band consisted of Martsch, Nelson, Netson, and Scott Plouf.
Perfect from Now On
met with critical success and caused Built to Spill to become one of the United States' most recognizable indie rock bands. Before releasing another album, Martsch made Nelson and Plouf permanent members of the band. In 1999, the band released
Keep It Like a Secret
to continued critical success, and for the first time, significant commercial success.
Live
was released in 2000, and the band's fifth studio album,
Ancient Melodies of the Future
, was released in 2001.
In 2002, Martsch released
Now You Know
, a solo album with both
blues and
folk elements. He performed numerous solo concerts in support of the album. Built to Spill was on hiatus for most of this period.
Warner Bros. Records optioned the band for another album.
[2] From 2003 to 2005, Built to Spill toured extensively, performing over 150 dates.
[3] The shows included new songs as early as 2004. Their sixth studio album,
You in Reverse
, was recorded in
Portland in 2004, but was not released until
April 11,
2006. The band's official lineup for the album was Martsch, Nelson, Plouf, and
Jim Roth, who was formerly only a touring guitarist.
Brett Netson provided guitar work on several songs and later rejoined the band as a full-time member.
After the release of
You in Reverse
, Built to Spill continued touring almost non-stop. In March 2006, Martsch suffered a detached
retina which required surgery. This forced the band to miss an appearance at the
South by Southwest music festival and postpone several dates of the tour.
[4] More bad news came when former drummer Andy Capps was found dead on
May 18,
2006.
The band resumed touring on
June 3,
2006, a show that included four new songs. This show and many on the tour included the dedication of the song "Car" to Capps, who had played on the track when it was recorded.
[5]
Warner Bros. Records stated that Built to Spill had been recording for their follow-up to
You in Reverse
on and off during the 2006 tour,
[6] but nothing appeared until the
July 10,
2007 release of a 12" single, "They Got Away"/"Re-Arrange." "They Got Away" was a heavily
reggae-influenced original song, while "Re-Arrange" is a cover of a song by the reggae band
The Gladiators.
The U.S. tour was scheduled through October 2007, after which the band toured Australia. Martsch stated in a September 2007 interview that he didn't want to tour in the United States again until the band records;
[7] however, the band recently announced a one-month U.S. national tour for spring of 2008.
[8]
In a recent interview with Playback:stl,
[9] Doug Martsch has stated that "we're going to start recording at the end of the tour ... we go in the studio on the 23rd." Martsch continues in reference to the future album, "I think that it's going to be at least a year ... Just to be safe, I'm thinking it will take a year to record and a few months to actually get it out." In the same interview Martsch says that a side project of his has been new
Halo Benders material, but "we started that about a year ago, we have not even got anything off the ground." Later in the interview, Martsch gives his perspective on the future of Built to Spill past the current material; "I do think that Built to Spill could be something better than ever just because our lineup is better than ever ... I think there is potential for the five of us to collaborate on something that is just way better than anything that I have ever come up with by myself or that we have done in the past." Martsch also interjects that "This coming record we're not doing that--it's mostly going to be songs that I have been working on." Some new songs include, "Hindsight", "Nowhere Lullaby", "Tomorrow", "Good Ol' Boredom", and "Done".
In 2008, they toured the United States and Europe, performing their album
Perfect From Now On
in its entirety.
Built to Spill played the 2009
Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, along with
Yo La Tengo,
Tortoise and
The Jesus Lizard, as part of the "Write the Night" series, allowing fans to choose which songs the bands play.
The band will release their seventh LP, titled
There Is No Enemy
, in October of 2009.
Influences and comparisons
Martsch has cited
Dinosaur Jr.'s
J Mascis' style of heavy, catchy guitar hooks as an influence on what has come to be Built to Spill's call sign. The band has also cited
Neil Young,
Pavement and
Camper Van Beethoven as influences. Built to Spill has been cited as an important influence for fellow rockers
The Ataris,
Modest Mouse,
The Strokes, and
Death Cab for Cutie;
Isaac Brock and
Ben Gibbard have both cited Built to Spill and Treepeople as major influences, and all three bands have had a lengthy association with the indie rock movement known as the
Northwest sound. Additionally, Built to Spill is connected with other Northwest bands including
Brett Netson's band
Caustic Resin and
The Halo Benders, a collaboration between Martsch,
Calvin Johnson,
Steve Fisk, and one-time Built to Spill drummer
Ralph Youtz.
Many of Built to Spill's influences can be found in their choice of cover songs. The band has performed live covers by
Elliott Smith,
David Bowie,
Camper Van Beethoven,
The Cure,
Captain Beefheart,
Caustic Resin,
Cheap Trick,
The Clash,
Brian Eno,
Vince Guaraldi,
The Gladiators,
M.I.A.,
Macy Gray,
Elton John,
George Harrison,
Skip James,
Daniel Johnston,
John Lennon,
Love as Laughter,
Lynyrd Skynyrd,
Marine Research,
Steve Miller,
Modest Mouse,
Ozzy Osbourne,
The Smiths,
The Strokes,
Talking Heads,
The Velvet Underground, and
Neil Young. Martsch also played several other covers on his solo tour.
Discography
Albums
- Ultimate Alternative Wavers
— (1993, C/Z Records)
- There's Nothing Wrong with Love
— (1994, Up Records)
- Perfect from Now On
— (1997, Warner Bros. Records)
- Keep It Like a Secret
— (1999, Warner Bros. Records) #120 US
- Ancient Melodies of the Future
— (2001, Warner Bros. Records) #94 US
- You in Reverse
— (2006, Warner Bros. Records.) #63 US
- There Is No Enemy
(2009, Warner Bros. Records)
Compilations and live albums
- The Normal Years
(K Records, 1996)
- Live
(Warner Bros., 2000)
- Time Trap: 1994-2006
(Warner Bros., 2006) - promo only
EPs
- Built to Spill Caustic Resin
(Up Records, 1995)
- Carry the Zero
(Warner Bros., 1999)
- Center of the Universe
(City Slang Records, 1999)
- Sabonis Tracks
(Warner Bros., 2001) - promo only
Singles
- Car / Girl
7" (Atlas Records, 1994)
- Distopian Dream Girl / Scarin'
7" (UP015, Up Records, 1994)
- Joyride / Sick and Wrong
7" (K Records, 1994)
- So and So So and So from Wherever Wherever / Terrible/Perfect
7" (Saturnine Records, 1995)
- Car / Scarin
(City Slang Records, 1995)
- By the Way
split 7" (K Records, 1999) - cover of a song by pre-Marine Research band, Heavenly. Marine Research covers Built to Spill's "Sick and Wrong" on the flip side
- Strange / Instrumental #2
(Warner Bros., 2001)
- ''Freebird (Warner Bros., 2002) - one-track promo CD, recorded live at House of Blues, Los Angeles on November 7, 2001
- Conventional Wisdom
7" (Warner Bros., 2006) - Song split on two sides
- ''They Got Away / Re-Arrange (Warner Bros., 2007)
- Don't Try (Live in Seattle) / The Source (Live in Seattle)
7" (Warner Bros, 2008)
Appearances on other compilations
- Rotating Tongues
(Screemin' Fez Records, 1994) - Song: "Short Cut"
- Northwest Post-Grunge
(Elemental Records, 1994) - Song: "Terrible/Perfect"
- Bite Back: Live at the Crocodile Cafe
(Popllama Records, 1996) - Song: "Allen the Cowboy" (later retitled "Big Dipper")
- Spunk Magazine Issue 6
- Song: "Just a Habit"
- Yoyo a Go Go: Another Live Compilation
(Yoyo Records, 1998) - Song: "Stop the Show"
- Here: A Fort Hazel Magic Compilation
(Fort Hazel, 1999) - Song: "The Last Long Song"
- Keep Left, Vol. 1: A Benefit for David Barsamian and Alternative Radio
(Ace Fu Records, 2000) - Song: "This Is What I Believe"
- Awesome Record, Great Songs! Volume One
(Williams Street Music Label, LLC, 2008) - Song: "Come Over (feat. Built to Spill)"
References
- Built to Spill's Doug Martsch Talks New LP, Pitchfork Media, June 9, 2009
- ModernFix - Built to Spill - Interview by Gordon Downs
- Built to Spill - Live Chronology
- Pitchfork - Built to Spill Postpone U.S. Tour, Play B-ball Instead
- de.etree.org - Built To Spill 06/03/06
- Pitchfork - Built to Spill Working on New Album
- LiveDaily - Built to Spill balances albums, shows
- Pitchfork - 2008 tour announcement
- Playback:stl - Built To Spill - Unassumingly Successful