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Break It Down: The Spinto Band

While most bands are born from a meeting of musical minds, The Spinto Band sprung from a chance encounter with a Cracker Jack box. Inspired by the ruminations his grandfather, guitar player Roy Spinto, had scrawled inside a package of the caramel-covered treats, Nick Krill gathered a band and got to work penning songs.

Over a decade after the snack-box provenance, the six-piece sharpened their skills on countless self-releases before carving the endearingly catchy indie gems on their latest record, Moonwink. On the eve of its release, the band got together and let ARTISTdirect in our their inspirations, committed relationships with keyboards and living on three square-meals of stale bagels.

What have you been listening to lately?

Thomas: The Music Tapes and Dear Nora.

Sam: Wale and Vast Aire.

Nick: Link Wray and the radio show "American Routes."

Where's your favorite place to chill?

Sam: On the couch with my Basset Hound.

Nick: I usually chill at park '97.

What's the most dramatic thing you ever did to save money as a starving musician?

Sam: We grabbed a trash bag full of bagels from a recently closed Dunkin' Donuts on our first US tour. Bagels became breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next couple of days before they went stale.

Nick: I ate the bagels AFTER they went stale.

Tell us one of your favorite song lyric.

Thomas: "Dreams are Stillborn in Hollywood" - Van Dyke Parks.

Nick: "I'm tired of living, but scared of dying" - Oscar Hammerstein.

What is your most cherished musical instrument or accessory?

Thomas: I'm in a serious relationship with my Casio SK-10, but I would be more devastated if anything happened to my Banjolele.

Sam: Definitely the Casiotone 401 we use for touring. They break a lot, and it's hard to find replacements.

Nick: The Casio SK-1 is an amazing machine. I also have a strange earmuff microphone contraption that I think is intended for hunters, but I love the sound it spits out.

If you could change one thing about the music industry today what would it be?

Thomas: The fact that unethical practices are synonymous with "standard" practices.

Nick: Some kind of "Percentage Reform." Sometimes percentages are used as a way to motivate people, but still, some people distort them and use them to deceive the naive.

What never goes out of style?

Sam: Black coffee.

Nick: Blue or black ink.

What's the theme song to your life?

Everyone: "That's Life" - Frank Sinatra

What movies, artists, authors or athletes inspire you the most?

Thomas: Michael Larson

Sam: Stanley Kubrick

Nick: Alexander Calder, Santiago Calatrava

What's your favorite way to stay in shape?

Sam: The treadmill. I was out of shape for a while, but I put about 500 miles of running on the treadmill this summer along with some exercise bike, and I'm feeling pretty good.

What non-musician would you most like to meet?

Thomas: David Lynch

Sam: Iron Chef Morimoto and Iron Chef French Hiroyuki Sakai

Nick: Santiago Calatrava or Wes Anderson

What's your biggest guilty pleasure?

Nick: The Cuíca

MySpace or Facebook?

Thomas: Facebook is nicer to look at. I also feel like less of a sleaze when browsing through profiles.

Sam: Facebook for personal use, but Myspace for band use.

—The ARTISTdirect Staff
10.01.08