Low Spin

Low Spin with Red Vienna
July 22nd, 2010
Venue Nightclub
Vancouver, BC

Let's get right to it. Once upon a time, musicianship was the skill of Shamans and Spirit Speakers. Low Spin are evidence this still may be the case.

When the band took to the stage on an average day during an average summer evening, in an average night club, it was without pomp or sirens. With the exception of a bulb-lit spelling of the band's name, there was no masquarade or attempts to hide behind razzle and dazzle. As soon as all members of Low Spin struck their first chord, it was all business...and business was amazing.

Immediately, the first thing to take note is this: This is not a band where you watch the lead singer and forget the 3 remaining faceless band members lost in the background darkness. This is a band with 4 entities, each one exuding their own unique characteristics, and each one commanding their piece of the stage like they owned it since birth.


When was the last time this ever happened: The drummer, Jen, almost stole the entire show. The drumming was anger set to perfect metronome timing. This wasn't masturbatory jazz drumming, kids. This also wasn't drumming done by someone who appears to play for their own arrogant sense of self-indulgence. It was a hard thumping, perpetual motion, steam train beat-down on a drum kit . She pounded her kit with such mean intentions, one was left wondering if it was an instrument she dearly loved, or if she hated the thieving bastard.

Bass player/backing vocalist Jessie was a coiled rattlesnake swaying side to side, fingers feverishly pulling on bass strings while she hypnotized the audience with her sinister sex appeal. Her bass lines and grooves played integral roles in the song pieces, and did more than just hold the low-end of the onstage frequency assualt. She was a vessel of contradiction: you couldn't take your eyes off of her, yet you had to avert your eyes whenever her deep stare found you in the audience. Some people can humble others with a look. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Jessie.

Guitar Virtuoso Ricky played with such abandonment of self concsiousness, his guitar gave layers and breath to songs that made them feel like his hands were conduits emitting direct transmissions from his inner dreamscapes. As a guitar player, it was an absolute pleasure and almost erotic bliss to watch a guitar be used in such artistic fashion. He shook every last drop of tone from that fender jaguar, you almost wondered if there would be anything left in it for their next performance. Lasting image: An exhausted smile on Ricky's face as he held his guitar by its whammy bar after their last song, dangling it for the last echoes of delay to rattle out of its solid body.

And then there's Rene. There's something awe-inspiring about an artist who has found the secret behind mesmerizing an audience without needing to leap around like a fucking idiot. Eyes squeezed shut at times, the emotions of the lyrics contorting her face as she cried them through the microphone, i couldn't figure her out and she leaves you hoping that she is as mysterious in person as she appeared to be onstage. Without any tall-tale signs of pretentiousness or uncomfortable effort, she became the lightening rod to all the sonic waves occurring around her...and with her guitar and voice, she gave it a gravitational center and made the hooks mean something. It was clear and evident. Rene is more than a singer. She casts spells through speakers, and I dare you to try and look away.

Musically, they couldn't have been tighter. The shock of the night came when Rene informed the audience that this was their first live performance. If she hadn't said that, you would have believed they came out of New York; Seasoned indie vets with storied scars and tales of debauchery. All four were dressed effortlessly cool, and made you wish you were in a band again. I challenge you, when was the last time since you were a kid, that a band made you feel that way?

The aesthetics, the cacophony of guitar delay and bass grooves being pounded by a deadly drummer and a vocalist who made you care about songs you had only heard for the first time...I am a newly converted Low Spin fan...

And I intend on letting them cast their spell on me any chance I get from here on in.

Donald Lee
Freelance Journalist - Donald Lee

Combining strengths from a few now retired projects, three ladies and one gent assembled. Forming their creative craft as Low Spin, they’ve aimed to produce a unique take on synthesizer-friendly, experimental power-pop. Recording noteworthy demos (available at their MySpace) and working towards a full-length release has been for months, their highest priority. Tonight, though, they came prepared to cure the curiousness of some and to enlighten the rest.
The four appeared on stage at The Venue, each one dressed in black. Jesse’s bass and Rene’s guitar, too, matched the band’s crimson colour scheme. The lead guitarist (a fellow who I understand was a recent addition to team) started off the program off with suspenseful squeals over likable ambient background noise. Moments passed, finding the whole band turning up a heavier than expected output. Based on a couple online selections, it seemed a fair bit more guitar infused than I would have imagined. Perhaps this was thanks to his addition. Either way, the delivery between each of them seemed confident immediately and sounded nearly spot-on. The level of Jesse’s microphone unfortunately rendered her voice almost inaudible. Though it was heard at a quiet point or two later on—the engineer must not have caught on.
She was, however, able to shine minutes later during “Blind Eye” with a bass line that begins by peeking its head in/out anxiously, then soon driving the tune, clearly displaying a little of her punk and rock influence. René’s voice here is soft, yet poignant during her verses, reminiscent of Garbage’s Shirley Manson (think “I Would Die For You”) while exerting a little riot girl snarl during the chorus.
Having a lead guitarist who plays subtle melodies throughout the songs constantly, rather than masking the rhythm until a de facto solo is heard was a big part of their appeal. While I appreciate his switch to synthesizer, for variety within the set—not to mention a very chilly segue between songs at one point—at times, his leads were missed.
He wasn’t the only one who changed his instrumental course. A stand-up bass also appeared, to add some punch to the mix. Or, rather, a little mix to the punch? “Lay Your Weapons Down” heard René sing “I’ll take my chance with you / You rest beside me” in my favorite song of the evening. The leads were again a fit, along side the switch on bass, while Jen bounced her soft batons during a tom-heavy track. Jen is the only member I’d seen perform multiple times in the past (The Flairs and Love For Money). While I enjoyed those acts, it was great to see her in a more focused, mature sounding group, displaying a different side of her playing.
“Adjust The Levels,” followed and was a song I’d loved the moment I heard it, months ago. René’s alluring whispers and cries, alike, allow the catchy, simple tune to shine. The demo heard very impressive production value and tonight’s live liberation followed suit. This gem has non-contrived commercial value. I’m a tad surprised it didn’t close the set, as the finale didn’t grab me nearly as much as the two aforementioned cuts, which preceded it. But, then again, closing with the big guns may be contrived in itself.
You’ll see and hear what I mean when they join The Joy Formidable at our beloved Media Club on August 15th.
… Weasel Was Here
Visit them online: myspace.com/lowspin - West Coast Weasel