Search - Spanish for 100 :: METRIC

"One of the best up-and-coming bands in Seattle. When I put Spanish for 100 on the air, people stop what they're doing and contact me immediately asking `who is this band?'" - John Richards, KEXP "Spanish for 100 draw from obvious nineties indie touchstones like Pavement and Built to Spill, but with a key distinction: these dudes aren't afraid to play the hero. Where Doug Martsch would record rip-roaring solos with shitty amps to recast his ace axemanship in a self-deprecating light, Spanish for 100 slice through Phil Ek's studio sheen with gleaming sabers." - SPLENDID "Spanish for 100 could easily be the next best light indie pop-rock gem to emerge from the Seattle underground." - SMOTHER "Chock-full of gorgeous moments of dusty rock with a country feedback all kept hip and indie and melodic...there is true radiance in the harmonized vocals...like a Centro-Matic song covered by The Shins...a great find, a sensational band, and you're going to want in on this before they blow up leaving you with nothing but back row seats at The Wiltern." - CultureBunker.com With Metric, produced and engineered by Phil Ek (Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, The Shins), Spanish for 100 has produced a follow-up that digs even deeper into the sonic guitar revelry and truthful songwriting territory first explored in their debut album. Based in Seattle, Spanish for 100 is currently comprised of Aaron Starkey, Chris Crumpler, Ross McGilvray and Corey Passons, working in the two-guitar/bass/drum format. The heart of the group is collaboration based off the whispers of heart-born acoustic songs. BIOGRAPHY: After weathering the underground Chicago indie circuit for a number of years, Illinois native, Aaron Starkey, packed up his guitars and moved west to the temperate environ of Seattle. Meanwhile, Washington State natives Corey Passons and Ross McGilvary, both former founding members of the gritty regional rock act, Preston Mill, wanted to stretch their creative legs beyond the tried and true form that Mill established during its long, successful tenure in the Northwest music scene. A serendipitous meeting revealed a mutual affinity for English amps, thinline telecasters, heartfelt melodies, chips, and salsa. Their desire for honest, straightforward songcraft, deeply rooted in the tradition of Neil Young, Built to Spill, and The Jayhawks, further fueled the three musicians, and Spanish for 100 was born in the spring of 2002. In the months that followed, Spanish for 100 performed countless shows and regional tours, culminating in their first full-length effort, Newborn Driving (released December 2003), produced by the notorious Phil Ek (Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, The Shins). It was the summer of 2004, and after a relentless performance schedule in support of Newborn, the band swept back into the studio, again with Phil Ek at the helm, recording the follow-up EP, Metric (released March 2005). However, the drum chair had been a revolving door. Though the band itself yielded a healthy cache of talented drummer friends volunteering their services toward the cause, schedules and prior commitment conflicts prevented the band from securing a permanent replacement for the job. Enter Andrew Squire, the New Mexico-born drummer whose previous work included the NYC band Pela who shared the stage with Rainer Maria, The Decemberists, Earlimart, and Sleater Kinney. Squire's experience with dark, ambient pop, combined with his jazz background supporting the likes of Wynton Marsalis and Randy Brecker (John Scofield, Frank Zappa, Charles Mingus), as well as his involvement with traditional folk music of Mexico and the American Southwest, enabled him to survive Spanish for 100's 342nd drummer audition. Armed with a new drummer and a successful national radio campaign, Spanish for 100 immediately hit the road for their first self-promoted and self-booked national tour in October 2004, performing blistering sets to eager audiences from such notable clubs as Schubas in Chicago and Pianos in Manhattan's Lower East Side.