New Spell

Artist Information

Biography

Keyboard-driven. Synergetic rhythm section. Passionate vocals. Thoughtful lyrics. The unifying force behind New Spell’s sound is Leanne Kelly’s melancholy lilt and dynamic songwriting style, while drummer Jacob Frautschi and bassist Chris Michaelides add their unique voices and creativity to the rhythm section. By infusing the unique brand of indie rock with classical, jazz, and electronic influences, they conjure a style that is all their own.

Leanne plays the keys and sings. She's from Los Angeles and has been playing music since age five and writing music since grade five. Jake plays the drums. He met Leanne in Los Angeles through friends ten years ago, and they've been collaborating musically ever since. Jake is originally from Wisconsin, and is good with computers and on snowy mountains. Chris met Leanne and Jake through the interwebs. He plays the bass, and majored in jazz studies in college. Chris is from Ohio, is also good with computers, and makes robots.

March 2011 saw the band’s release of their self-produced, four song One More Day EP. In April 2012, with an arsenal of original music and an ever-growing number of supporters, the band successfully crowdfunded their debut studio album. While working on the album, they kept busy playing shows at notable venues all over the Bay Area, honing their live performance skills. New Spell's debut album provides a glimpse of what's to come as the band continues to mature in their music-making, creating an evolving sound that eludes categorization.

Instrumentation

Leanne Kelly - Keyboards & Vocals
Chris Michaelides - Bass
Jacob Frautschi - Drums

Discography

One More Day EP (2011)
One More Day (single - 2011)
New Spell LP (2012)
Become the Road (single - 2012)

Official Website

http://newspellmusic.com

Links

• Facebook
• You Tube
• Last.fm
• Soundcloud
• Soundcloud

Audio

• Become the Road
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• One More Day
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• Stop & Go
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• If You Change
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• Strangers
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• Rear View
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• Bad Robot
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• Circle
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• Unstable Ground
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• Become The Road (Clean)
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Lyrics

• Become the Road
• One More Day
• Stop & Go
• If You Change
• Strangers
• Rear View
• Bad Robot
• Circle
• Unstable Ground

Video

Love Song.mov

Photo Gallery

Press

• New Spell [+ Show ]
  

  "The first track on New Spell’s new self-titled LP sounds like if T-pain did an incredible job produ..."The first track on New Spell’s new self-titled LP sounds like if T-pain did an incredible job producing a record that a young yoga-mom might listen to on a roadtrip through the desert in 1997 . . .
  
  Other than the gritty jazz-influenced trippy, keyboardey goodness, my favorite element of the band is that Leanne has a beautiful voice that she does not utilize to objectify herself. It is feminine and breathy, but is first and foremost, as a wonderful melodic tool. Also, Leanne is super pretty, a fact upon which her band’s promotional material tastefully does not capitalize. It’s almost like the band knows that their strange, linear songs are good enough that they don’t need to lean on silliness like that . . .
  
  Leanne . . . writes beautiful, strange melodies with lyrics that are almost uncharacteristically accessible for music this dark and moody. The meat and potatoes of the operation, however, is the effectiveness and creativity of the other two musicians (Chris on Bass and Jake on Drums) and how they interact with Leanne’s haphazard songwriting"

• New Spell: Show Preview [+ Show ]
  

  There's a reason you haven't heard of New Spell — the local trio didn't even have a name until a few...There's a reason you haven't heard of New Spell — the local trio didn't even have a name until a few months ago — but no reason you shouldn't get in on the ground floor now that you have. March saw the release of its debut One More Day EP, which is just a shade too refined to do justice to the rollicking frenzy the group conjures (get it?) in person, as vocalist, pianist, and ringleader Leanne Kelly simpers and soars over the jazzy ministrations of an impeccably fidgety rhythm section. There's some Bat for Lashes, some Rilo Kiley, some Billy Joel reincarnated as a sultry dame, and maybe some Julianna Barwick voice-delay action if you're lucky. Catch them now, before they settle on a single avenue.

• New Spell with the Stages of Sleep + Light and the Black [+ Show ]
  

  New Spell is a refreshing approach to the steadfast beat of darkwave pop. They will sweep away your...New Spell is a refreshing approach to the steadfast beat of darkwave pop. They will sweep away your thoughts and whisk you into a world of dreamy soundscapes. Smooth female vocals over crisp drums and cleanly mixed electro-indie backbone riffs. Yes sir, may I please have another.

• New Spell - Featured on Mercedes Benz Mixed Tape 'Fine Frequencies' Compilation [+ Show ]
  

  Ready for some spellbindingly melodic indie electro rock? Fronted by haunting vocalist Leanne, this ...Ready for some spellbindingly melodic indie electro rock? Fronted by haunting vocalist Leanne, this dynamic San Francisco trio loves nothing better than to seduce us with enticing New Spell sounds. Joined by drummer Jake and bassist Chris, Leanne conjures up a melancholy and moving, yet upbeat and catchy mood infused with plenty of pop, classical, jazz and electronic influences for a style that is all their own.

• New Spell - Just keeps getting better and better [+ Show ]
  

  I wrote an article about New Spell last August and it’s truly inspiring to see how far they’ve come...I wrote an article about New Spell last August and it’s truly inspiring to see how far they’ve come in a year. They were able to raise $5,000 on Kickstarter.com to fund their first album. They have playing all over the bay area. Leanne went on Berkeley Liberation Radio 104.1FM last Sunday to promote New Spell and to perform a few of their tunes- you can check those performances out here. And the pinnacle of all their hard work- their first full length album is going to be released next week. They are having their album release show Tuesday, October 30th at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco. Go and get bewitched on the Eve of All Hallows’ Eve.
  
  New Spell is pure magic. Each musician is individually amazing, but sparks soar when their talents merge. If you’ve ever been to one of their shows you’d see me somewhere near the front, mouth wide open, totally mystified with tears in my eyes. The front-woman and song-writer Leanne Kelly has a hauntingly beautiful voice, and the ability to write lyrics that beautifully and poetically capture how it feels to be in the bittersweet phase known as your late twenties.Finding yourself is for your early twenties, learning to love what you find is for the second half…
  
  Check out their tour flyer, with show dates in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Berkeley. It would behoove you to check out this amazing trio on their upward journey.

• Local Licks - New Spell [+ Show ]
  

  "Charming . . . Leanne Kelly's feminine, melancholy lilt could be turned into an excellent vehicle f..."Charming . . . Leanne Kelly's feminine, melancholy lilt could be turned into an excellent vehicle for Cocteau Twins-like dream pop."

Setlist

ORIGINALS:
Bad Robot
Become the Road
Circle
Happy
If You Change
Inertia
Love Song
Moon Song
One More Day
Pipeline
Prove It!
Rear View
Smoke
Sometimes
Stop & Go
Strangers
Unstable Ground
Watching/Waiting
Wolf & Dove

COVERS:
Climbing up the Walls, Radiohead
Criminal, Fiona Apple
Dreams, Fleetwood Mac
Heart Shaped Box, Nirvana
I Shall Believe, Sheryl Crow
Karma Police, Radiohead
Mad World, Gary Jules
Oh Darling, Beatles
Someone Like You, Adele
Vision One, Royksopp

LEANNE SOLO ORIGINALS:
Busy Busy
Cause & Effect
Go On
Paper & Ink
Pearls
Quarter Life
TWIKB

Basic Requirements

Calendar