Spooky Qs

In 2007, after splintering off from the 9 piece band Mom Said Go, Jack Cofer, Ondine Quinn, and Sieth Miller came together and formed the Spooky Qs. Both Miller and Cofer had been playing their solo work around town for quite some time, while Quinn had only recently begun playing locally. "I think we were all really interested in collaborating with other artists, but realized pretty quickly that being in a nine piece band can be really tough," Quinn said of Mom Said Go. "It was never very clear who was in charge and what direction the band was going in." The original line up of the Spooky Qs consisted of five people, but after about six months and a couple of house shows, dropped back down to the original three.

After watching a drum machine-assisted version of the Qs at a bowling alley, Chris Oaks expressed interest in joining the band and it was a perfect fit. "Each one of us brings different musical tastes and experiences to the table and I think it definitely shows," Oaks said about the sound of the band.

The Spooky Qs indeed play quite a unique set that has a knack for taking the audience through a range of emotions. The Qs debuted in their present incarnation by opening up for the Brooklyn based band The Shondes in September of 2008. Afterwards they spent the next several months writing music and playing shows in and around Lexington KY.

The Qs also have an incredible work ethic. In less than a year they released their first EP, entitled Winterband, which was received very well by fans and critics alike. Spooky Qs did all of the work themselves to record, produce and distribute the album. “We used money that we’d made from playing local shows and then raised the rest to produce Winterband. I remember writing a funding letter to send to friends and family asking them to invest in our project! It felt very grown up!” said Quinn. That do-it-yourself sensibility has remained a big part of how the Spooky Qs operate. Band members have taken primary responsibility for things like booking and promoting, to building and maintaining their website, to shooting video. “When we can’t figure out a way to do it ourselves we’ve enlisted friends and colleagues to help out.” Says Sieth Miller. “We get to work with our friends artistically, and they have the opportunity to gain more exposure. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship.”

Finally, the Spooky Qs are also a band with something to say. Half of the band openly identifies as transgendered and/or queer, and this is definitely reflected though the type’s of shows they’ve played (Queer control records showcase, Lexington KY pride festival, and Mondo Homo in Atlanta GA), some of the bands they’ve built relationships with (8” Betsy, Pariah Piranha, Bitch) and the LGBTIQ resources listed on their website. “We don’t want to become ghettoized as “queer music,” and we hope that our sound is accessible and interesting enough to prevent that from happening, but we also refuse to water down who we are and what we believe in order to be palatable.” Commented Jack Cofer.

The Spooky Qs successfully weave together various genres and song styles. Linking classic pop melodies, punk aggressiveness, electronic flourishes, classical and gypsy strings, the four members have created a patchwork style that is strikingly unique yet accessible. Key influences of the band include: Jeff Buckely, Sonic Youth, Talking Heads, Frank Zappa, Jane's Addiction, Joy Division, The Cure, Sleater-Kinney, Depeche Mode, Rasputina, PJ Harvey, The Beatles, Bikini Kill and other Riot Grrrl music, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.