Animal Spirit

An inventive band, where you will find many aspects of rock n’ roll incorporated in to their indie utopian conglomeration of distorted guitars, psychedelic melodies, post-punk drums, and jazzy bass. If this band was more into glitching and thrash I’d say they remind me of Kill Me Tomorrow. The song “House on a Hill” is great progressive alternative punk-rock song that takes the listener on a musical adventure. It has quick acid-beach guitar riffs, a prominent bass, and experimental trans-genre drumming but it doesn’t stop there; the mood changes and later finds itself dwelling in the realm of the softer female lead contemporary indie music. Great experimental breakdowns and interesting guitar leads all layered on emotive, notable bass. You can tell this band is open to many genres, and if you're a Modest Mouse fan that also likes stylized psychedelic rock then you will enjoy Animal Spirit’s album, which is “name your price.” So no excuses download this dynamic album and enjoy it yourself.

http://www.ru1ns.com/2013/08/animal-spirit-fort-worth-quirky-rock-n.html - Ru1ns Magazine NYC

Animal Spirit, forged in Fort Worth coffee shops and during open-mike nights, has made remarkable progress for a four-piece, multigenre rock band/wall-of-sound that’s only a year old.

In addition to a quickly recorded debut disc and nearly 60 shows, these three men and one woman managed to grab enough votes to earn a best new band nomination in Fort Worth Weekly’s annual music awards competition.

Last summer, guitarist and co-lead singer Andrew Stroheker developed a handful of acoustic songs, which he was reluctant to sing in front of live audiences.

He met Sam Wuehrmann, who was concluding her dance studies degree at Texas Christian University.

She encouraged him to give the singer-songwriter thing a go by offering to accompany him on the microphone.

A few sessions later, drummer Parker Anderson and bassist Joe Cannariato joined the fold.

Initially, Stroheker was playing drums, Anderson was on bass, and Cannariato played guitar in a more psychedelic jam band, but what Wuehrmann calls “the switcheroo” sounded better, so the group stuck with the new arrangement, which will be on display Saturday as they perform at the Clearfork Music Festival in Fort Worth.

The chaotic genesis is a good representation of Animal Spirit’s music, a mishmash of haunting melody and driving, rhythmic chaos.

All members agree on the influence of vintage indie bands such as Modest Mouse and Blonde Redhead, but individually, they draw inspiration from everywhere — from Frank Sinatra to hard-core heavy metal.

Remarkably, especially in a live setting, the music comes together into a trance-inducing whole.

Stroheker and Wuehrmann trade off singing lead, and the other members contribute supporting vocals to thick harmonies. The rhythm section manages the difficult task of playing complex parts in a nondistracting manner. As the members jump around theatrically onstage, the result becomes hypnotic.

Working together rather than focusing on individual parts is a big part of the reason Animal Spirit has traveled so far so quickly, according to band members.

“We’re actually vibing off the energy rather than just going through the motions of hitting the right notes or making it look like we’re rocking out,” said Cannariato. “It’s easy for us to be real and to try new and crazy things.”

The band knew it had stumbled onto something in the early jam sessions, so it rushed into the studio to record the nine songs found on its self-titled debut, released this summer.

The album showcases a young band, which has grown by leaps and bounds since then.

“Next time, we’ll use a better studio, find a producer that actually gets our sound,” Anderson said.

In the meantime, Animal Spirit plans to keep writing and gigging, expanding a network that already includes new clubs and friends from San Antonio to Hot Springs, Ark.

“Animal Spirit is not just [the band],” Anderson said. “It’s a huge community of a lot of awesome people who help us, and we give back to them.”

http://www.dfw.com/2013/09/19/828229/animal-spirit-heads-to-the-front.html - DFW.com

Animal Spirit is not only one of the most talented new rock bands around but also a kind of testament to the power of the Fort Worth scene. In other words, if not for the F-Dub, there probably wouldn’t be an Animal Spirit.

The quartet’s origins trace back to California –– lead vocalist/ guitarist Andrew Stroheker, lead vocalist/keyboardist Sam Wuehermann, and bassist/backing vocalist Joe Cannariato are all native Californians who ended up in the Fort at around the same time, the mid-2000s. Through Stay Wired, a short-lived but beloved coffee shop on West Berry Street in TCU-land, Stroheker and Wuehermann met and realized their shared musical tastes –– at the time, Wuehermann was finishing her degree in dance at the school. The two started an acoustic project, informally known as Sam-Drew, that last August became Animal Spirit with the addition of Cannariato and drummer Parker Anderson. Wuehermann had every intention of packing her bags and following her dancing dreams after graduation. “I met some really awesome artists and musicians here and thought, ‘Hey, this will be a great place to stay,’ and I’m here,” Wuehermann said. “It’s great. I’m very comfortable here.” (What about mom back home? “She would miss me if I lived five minutes from her house,” Wuehermann said with a laugh.)

While gigging all over town, the band wrote a ton of songs, Stroheker said. Recording them was the next step. “We just wanted to get a full-length out there,” he said. Recorded partially at Unity Church of Fort Worth (Anderson is a member) and Euphio Productions in Arlington, Animal Spirit’s self-titled debut is pretty amazing. Though rough around the edges, it’s dynamic, with lots of ebb and flow: moments of furious guitar-driven bombast juxtaposed with slow, quiet passages. The vibe is decidedly earthy and spacey (think: KatsüK meets Skeleton Coast), and the lyrics are positive, expressing a longing for spiritual harmony and connectivity. “Whether we believe in certain things, we’re all here for a reason,” Stroheker said.

Now part of the Euphio family, Animal Spirit is about to embark on a short regional tour with one of the biggest new acts in town, We’reWolves. The route will wind through San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Arkansas, and maybe Oklahoma. “We just want to share our music with whoever wants to listen,” Stroheker said. “We want to make sure everybody hears it.”

http://www.fwweekly.com/2013/07/17/animal-spirit-rises/ - Fwweekly.com

If you are looking for something new or different, Sunday is the night many venues are willing to take a risk. And Lola’s Saloon seems to have a handle on it better than most.

But it’s not just that, it’s the atmosphere of the place. The joint is populated by friends of the band, members of other bands, and friends of all of the above – true believers in local music and as such, it’s more organic.

When I got there Austin's Meridian State Park was just finishing up their set. They did Third Eye Blind's Semi-Charmed Life, and an original tune. They seemed interesting, but I didn’t get enough of their set to really get a feel for them.

Next up we had The Fibs, a new band, consisting of Preston Newberry (vocals/guitar) Dylan Parks (drums), and Westley Harwart (bass).

Back in the 1960’s, Dan Electro made a guitar for Sears Roebuck that came in a hardshell case with a built-in amp and speaker. Newberry set one of these up on stage for part of his sound (as well as a more traditional amp). Newberry’s guitar sound was effects heavy, with lots of reverb and at times had a kind of Ennio Morricone feel to the thing. Much of the music was slower, more trance-like stuff, but they occasionally found some energy and intensity and it got a bit more rock infused. I can’t wait to see where they go with this.

Closing us out we had the not-as-new Animal Spirit, consisting of Andrew Stroheker (guitar/vocals), Sam Wuehrmann (vocals/keys), Parker Anderson (drums/percussion/vocals), and Joe Prankster (bass/vocals).

Wuehrmann fronts the band, and even though she is not always lead vocalist, she owns the stage. Small in stature, she has a large presence. The guitar work was tasteful, and Prankster’s bass work was spot on (as usual).

Joe Easton, local videographer and Lola’s sound man for the night, said he has run sound for these guys multiple times and they just keep getting better. I have to agree. The band is trippy, harmonious, thoughtful and energetic.

Both of these bands (The Fibs and Animal Spirit) are worth keeping an eye on, both have that touch of psychedelia that seems to be running through the DNA of the Funkytown music scene. - DFW.com