Spinnerette

 Written, edited and translated by: Angélica Albuquerque

“What SPINNERETTE sounds like ? I'll tell you ...........it sounds like a kitten drinking milk , it sounds like dew on the grass in the morning , it sounds like the wind in the trees at night , it sounds like robert johnson selling his soul to the devil at the crossroads ............that's what it sounds like” – Brody Dalle

     After running out of recording something new for almost 5 years (her last release of unpublished work was  the album Coral Fang, released in 2003 with The Distillers) and considered a retirement because of the formation of her family, Brody Dalle, in March 2007, announced her new project (wich have influences of Pailhead, Gunclub, Roky Erickson, My Bloody Valentine and Black Flag): Spinnerette, which was created in 2006 after the birth of her daughter, Camille.

     Brody explained the reason for such delay: “I still record on tapes, and I've got, like, 50 hours of stuff. It's a lot of music to go through, and that's why it's taken me so long. Plus, having a baby takes awhile too.”

     The american band from Los Angeles / California – of “roving gypsies on the run”, as Dalle describes them - has no “fixed” members. Brody made it clear during an interview, that there will be different line-ups while she’s on tour: “Spinnerette isn't a band, it's me and whichever musicians I want to work with at the time.”

     On the official myspace you can find 2 line-ups announced: One for the studio and another one for the tour. The studio line-up consists in – besides Brody Dalle, of course - Tony Bevilacqua (Distillers), Alain Johannes (ex-What Is This?, ex-Walk The Moon, ex-Eleven, producer, touring member of Them Crooked Vultures and sound engineer of Queens of the Stone Age) and Jack Irons (ex-What Is This?, ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers, ex-Walk The Moon, ex-Pearl Jam, ex-Eleven). By the way, Jack wasn’t the first choice of Brody to play drums: “Well, Jon Theodore was originally going to play drums, but he tore his rotator cuff a couple of days before, so Al said let's get Jack to play! And that was that. Everything happens for a reason, this was that Jack was meant to play drums for Spinnerette.”

However, as already mentioned, there is no quote that Alain, Jack and Tony supposedly are “truly” members of the band.

     Since forming in 2007, Spinnerette have been searching for a label. First they signed with the Sire Records (label that had released the Distillers’ last album) and also had a business contract with Alan McGee (of Creation Records). But the group has broken both agreements in early 2008: “The state of the industry has pushed us into wanting to put the album out ourselves. I'm not interested in getting entangled into the system. I just got out of a deal and I walked out with my record, thank God, and I'm really grateful for that”, said Brody, about the subject.

    

     Case closed, the band signed with independent Canadian label Anthem Records (wich owners are Ray Danniels and Vic Wilson, plus the associate directors, Neil Peart, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, from Rush). “It’s the most perfect thing” Brody told to CHARTattack during a visit to Toronto to promote Spinnerette’s Ghetto Love EP. “I had no idea that they had their own label because I never really listened to Rush.” “But I love that this will come out on an indie label that was started because they couldn’t get signed. I can relate to that.”

     The band also signed with SRO Management Inc (which also forms part of the Anthem Records).

    “It’s been a fucking nightmare”, said Dalle. “Trying to get management, trying to get a deal, trying to figure out how we’re going to put the music out in this climate, finding the money to support it, finding someone who will believe in what you do”. “We couldn’t get any interest in the U.S.A., so I’m kind of glad that we’re working now with Canada. You need to be worldly.”

     In the same year that was announced the band's debut, Spinnerette released an instrumental track, “Case of the Swirls” (written on a wurlitzer and transcribed to guitar by Johannes) and in early January 2008 a mash up (with a little less than a minute in length and with all the material so far that would be included on EP and CD) appeared on the band’s website and official myspace.

But it was not enough for the fans and the desire to hear something more was just growing...

     So, on August 8 2008 (“because eight is the number of renovation”, as Brody once explained), they wrote on myspace’s blog that the fans could now hear an entire song in the band's website. This song, which would be part of the EP, was "Valium Knights".

Also in August Dalle attended the concert tribute to Natasha Shneider (The Natasha Shneider Benefit Concert), which was first presented “Driving Song”, along with Queens of the Stone Age.

     Ok. Spinnerette had already released 2 songs. But as it was basically nothing, the fans wanted to check how the band was playing live and the own band felt the need to make a few presentations, even to see if the songs were sanctioned.

     First through the band’s official newsletter and then through the official website, they announced that in October 2008, would do some shows with the following line-up: Brody Dalle - vocals and guitar, Tony Bevilacqua – guitar, Bryan Tulao – “one more guitar”, Nicole Fiorentino – badass bass and Dave Hidalgo Jr. – drums (the current line-up is basically the same. However, Alain rarely participates in some concerts and who played bass during the Australian tour wasn’t Nicole and Dave’s brother, Vincent Hidalgo. Was Zach Dawes, from Mini Mansions).

     From there, the need for a material (CD or EP) physical or virtual, were taking more and more strength.

     On December 12, 2008, through the official website, Spinnerette released a virtual EP entitled Ghetto Love, with the songs, “Ghetto Love”, “Distorting a Code”, “Valium Knights”, “Bury My Heart” and they even added to “the package” a video of “Ghetto Love” directed by [the incredible] Liam Lynch.
Two of these tracks, “Valium Knights” and “Ghetto Love”, have been featured at Marc Jacobs’ 2009/2010 Fall ready-to-wear fashion show.

     And then, after months and months of waiting, the whole album, Spinnerette was released on June 16, 2009.

     Dalle also revealed that the Spinnerette album was inspired by the birth of her daughter and death of her father and explores the “redemption, salvation, and religious themes.” “The profound joys and deep sadness in that period couldn’t help but come out in my art, as with all experiences worth exploring further. Having such extremes occur in a compacted period ensured that they all appear in this collection of Spinnerette songs.”

     Recording process started with idealism and an urgent desire to finally lay down 2 years’ worth of ideas.

     “We were like children, we had so much fun making this record”, gushes Brody. But she also admits: “This has been the longest, most painful but rewarding process of making a record I’ve ever been through”. Dalle calls the album “a different kind of aggressive from The Distillers.”

     About the songs, she said: “The songs seemed out of context and inappropriate for The Distillers. I felt ambivalent about sharing them with anyone.”

     By the way, she told about this musical difference between a band and other: “In the Distillers, I didn't want to do anything too drastic or anything too tasteful. I could've put more into Coral Fang, but I held back deliberately. And [producer] Gil Norton would be like, 'Why don't we put some tambourines here,' and I was like, 'No fucking way. Tambourines? Fuck you!' I didn't want to mess with the sound. I wanted it to be as raw as possible.” “We want to make really original music; I think that’s what it comes down to. Spinnerette in some ways really is gnarlier than The Distillers, you know?” “[Spinnerette] It's definitely what I want to be doing and is a bit more intricate than the Distillers were. I love the Distillers, but this is really just straight-ahead, easy, not much to think about - except my lyrics, I thought about my lyrics a lot. But the music was simple. And Spinnerette is definitely shooting in a different direction.”

    Returning to talk about the Spinnerette’s debut: “The lyrics are ‘I’ll take your head off tonight, Vlad The Impaler style’,” Dalle explains. “It’s about killing predators.”

     Brody also explained how the process of creation songs works: “I write the songs, I bring them in. Then Al gives them implants and a face lift, in the most positive way. And maybe some butt implants too. And Tony does some jangles and some sprinkles, and writes some great leading things, and rad stuff, and wollah.”

     When asked about the comparisons of songs, artworks and production with other bands like the Queens of the Stone Age, Brody replies: “I don’t care if there was a half-naked black lady on the cover of the first Queens record. So fucking what? These people are ludicrous. The hourglass is quintessentially female, and that’s why there’s a fucking torso on my cover with a corset. My production has nothing to do with me. That has to do with Alain (Johannes, multi-instrumentalist member of Queens Of The Stone Age, Spinnerette and Eleven). Alain and Josh have spent a lot of time in the studio together for years, and I’m sure they have a lot of the same techniques. My husband didn’t write my songs. He’s never going to write my songs. He asked me for a riff, and a song, recently, but I would never do that because I would get so much shit for it. But hopefully all that’ll go away one day.”

     Brody doesn’t like either when people say that your work has matured: “I hate that word. I hate when a press release says, ‘Oh, this band has matured and refined themselves.’ If I had to describe it, I'd say it's 're-smarted.' Instead of retarded, call it re-smarted. I like that word.”

    

     Also containing 2 tracks from Ghetto Love EP, the band's first CD (where Brody Dalle plays - besides some guitars - bass, keyboards and wurlitzer) has over eleven unreleased tracks. Some with the unlikeliest sources: The melody of “Geeking” came from a lullaby that Dalle had been humming to her daughter, Camille. “Impaler” was inspired by the brutal Romanian prince, Vlad Tepes and the melody was enhanced by a wine bottle with just the right amount remaining to be blown in key. Explains Dalle, “That moment was such a testament to what a musical genius Al is. It's not all about notes or arrangements, it's about creating a mood. Watching him work is a sight to see; there is so much going through his head musically that he almost couldn't move fast enough to get it out.”

     Regarding the band, Brody told a little about your vision of what the project is: “Spinnerette get a clean slate. She gets to start over and be the new kid in town, only she ain’t no kid. She’s quirky and sexy and she fucks around”. She also described the band as well as: “Spinnerette is what happens when I let the tap flow.”

  

     With many tracks left off the record and others still percolating, Spinnerette has all the hallmarks of a continued blossoming. “We plan to keep writing, tour and make videos and do as much as we can.”

“I want to do more. I want the kind of longevity Dolly Parton has had. I want to be a prodigious writer and artist. I can’t stop it coming out of me; it’s the only consistent thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

FAQ | Discography & Singles  | Chords & Lyrics | Tour

Publications

[2010-03-05] Music is Mother's Nature

[2010-03-03] Interview For FasterLouder website
[2010-03-02] Rave Magazine
[2010-02-23] Spinnerette on Triple J Blogs
[2010-01-13] The Reluctant Sex Symbol 
[2009-xx-xx] Sex Bomb #1 NME
[2009-10-08] Spinnerette: Web Sight
[2009-08-xx] Crazy, Sexy, Cool (in German)
[2009-07-28] Difficult Transformation 
[2009-07-25] Rock 'n' roll Mama Brody Dalle Spins Some Searing Tunes
[2009-07-07] Rock & Roll Takeover At The Troubadour With Spinnerette
[2009-07-03] 24 Minutes With Brody Dalle Of Spinnerette
[2009-06-26] The debut of Spinnerette 
[2009-06-25] West Hollywood's Show Review
[2009-06-23] Spinnerette Celebrate Album Release in NYC
[2009-06-22] Spinnerette in New York
[2009-06-17] An Interview with Spinnerette @ Call The Office
[2009-05-xx] Punk Not Dead
[2009-05-20] Howlin Wolf', Vegan Cupcakes and Vodka
[2009-05-04] Brody Discusses Her New Band and the Joys of Being a Mum
[2009-04-xx] Questionnaire
[2009-04-09] Suicide Girls interview
[2009-03-20] Brody on Spinnerette, the Breakup of the Distillers and the Joys of Being a Mum
[2009-03-10] Brody Dalle and Spinnerette
[2009-02-18] Why Rock needs Brody
[2009-01-21] Q&A In The Ghetto With Brody Dalle
[2008-12-xx] Brody Dalle in a Spinnerette
[2008-12-xx] Brody Dalle's New Band Spinnerette
[2008-12-17] A conversation with Spinnerette's Brody Dalle
[2008-12-02] Consequence of Sound Article 
[2008-11-14] Brody Dalle Says Daughter Camille is Composing Music
[2008-11-14] Brody Dalle Speaks on Spinnerette, Distillers
[2008-11-13] Brody Dalle Discusses Spinnerette's Debut Album
[2008-11-06] Brody Talks Music, Motherhood and What Happens When A&R Guys Cross the Line 
[2007-05-05] Brody Dalle Spins Past the Distillers
[2007-04-11] Brody Dalle Gets "Outside The Punk-Rock Box"