While Capitol Hill Block Party had dozens of bands performing on an array of different stages, psych-pop band Spirit Award without a doubt made themselves known. The Seattle based trio kicked off the second day of Capitol Hill Block Party with an explosive performance on the main stage, and we were lucky enough to sit down with them afterwards. Read our interview below, and make sure to check out their new single “Supreme Truth” from their upcoming album! Spotify link is beneath interview.
MWN: For those who haven’t heard of you, how would you describe your sound and your music?
Spirit Award: “Linear and Motoric.”
MWN: What was it like playing on the main stage?
Spirit Award: It was great! I mean, it was a really good vibe. We got a really good energy from people. It was fun.
MWN: You were the first group that played today, correct?
Spirit Award: Yeah, it’s cool to see that many people just stoked that early.
MWN: Was there a decent turnout?
Spirit Award: Yeah, definitely. I mean, it makes me realize that we mostly play in twenty one and up places, and when you play somewhere all ages, kids just get down to most, so there was like a bunch of kids which was cool.
MWN: You guys are from Seattle, do you think Seattle has impacted your sound?
Spirit Award: Yeah, I think so. Definitely the weather and the climate. We write a lot during the winter, we wrote a lot of both of the records, the last one and the one that is coming out in October in the winter.
MWN: What inspired your upcoming album, that is coming out in October?
Spirit Award: I mean, I think there’s a lot of stuff. I’ve seen a lot of the change in Seattle that happened in the past five-ten years, and trying to adjust to that especially as an artist. You know, trying to find ways to make your income to live and support your art and passion and figure that out. And then, I think a lot of the stuff that inspired it was, just kind of a lot of like, looking into organizations, like cults and religions, and tying together what the correlation between when stuff like that’s really big and how detrimental it can kinda be, and how twisted it can get. So it was kinda like a study bit, that was going on throughout the writing process.
MWN: Do you think that is reflected in the sound, as well as the lyrics?
Spirit Award: Yeah, somewhat. I think that the new record has a lot of positive sounding songs, but lyrically it has some dark stuff, but I think ultimately it is mostly hopeful kinda themes.
MWN: What was the recording process like, and how was it different from recording your first album?
Spirit Award: They’re like completely different. The first one took like three years, recorded it in a million different places with a million different people. This one was to like rebel against that. We set deadlines and did it all with one person; it was really the opposite experience. We did it with our friend Trevor Spencer, he has a bar and he converted into a studio.
MWN: : Do you think its different because you knew what the process was like after the first album, so the second time you feel like you can go through a little faster? Did you have a vision faster this time?
Spirit Award: A little bit of that, but also it was like we could have done that the first time if we would have gotten our shit together, but I feel like it was to prove to ourselves that we could do another one quickly.
MWN: How did you become a band, how did you meet each other, and how did the band formation happen?
Spirit Award: Me (Chris) and Dan worked at the same restaurant together. So he actually wanted me to record like an EP for him, with a bunch of his own original material, so we got together and were going through the logistics of it, and I suggested, ‘Hey, I know this guy named Terrence who’s an amazing drummer, we should have him on the EP’. Then we all rehearsed together, realized we all vibed well, and everything was onward from there. That’s how we formed.
MWN: And the last question is just sort of a fun question: What is your dream venue, and your dream potential collaborator or touring mate?
Spirit Award: We’ve already met our dream touring mates. It would be great to play at the Hollywood Bowl.
MWN: Who are the dream touring mates you mentioned?
Spirit Award: We have some really good friends that we met through touring called “Floral” from Denver. Our dreams came true! *the band erupts into laughter* But Brian Eno would be very cool.
MWN: And you guys all like the Hollywood Bowl?
Spirit Award: Yeah, I mean honestly just being from Seattle, my dream would be to play the Paramount. It’s like the biggest, nicest theater.
MWN: That’s awesome. Well thank you so much for taking the time to sit and talk about your music with me.
Interview by: Blake Charles | Exclusively for @Music, Why Not!
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