Spain are an American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band formed in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in 1993, and led by singer/bassist

Josh Haden Josh Haden (born 1968 in New York City) is an American musician and singer. He is the founder, bassist and singer of the group Spain. Haden is the son of the late Charlie Haden. Career Haden is the founder, bassist and singer of the group Spai ...

. Their syncretic music contains elements of country, blues, folk,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, and

slowcore Slowcore is a subgenre of alternative rock and indie rock. The music of slowcore artists is generally characterized by bleak lyrics, downbeat melodies, slower tempos and minimalist arrangements. Slowcore is often used interchangeably with the t ...

. In a career spanning more than two decades, Spain has released five studio albums, a live album, and a best-of collection.

History

Spain's debut album ''

The Blue Moods of Spain ''The Blue Moods of Spain'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Spain, released on September 8, 1995, on Restless Records. "Spiritual" was later recorded by Johnny Cash for his album '' American II: Unchained''. Release The tracks ...

'', released in September 1995, featured the song "Spiritual", which has since become a standard, having been

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

numerous times by artists including

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

Soulsavers Soulsavers (also known as The Soulsavers Soundsystem) is an English-American production and remix team composed of Rich Machin and Ian Glover. The Soulsavers' downtempo electronica sound incorporates influences of rock, gospel, soul, and country. ...

, Sean Wheeler and

Zander Schloss Zander Schloss (born August 7, 1961) is an American musician, actor and composer. He is known as bass player for the Circle Jerks, the Weirdos, his many collaborations with Joe Strummer musically and in film and for his contributions to indepe ...

, and by Haden's own father, jazz great

Charlie Haden Charles Edward Haden (August 6, 1937 – July 11, 2014) was an American jazz double bass player, bandleader, composer and educator whose career spanned more than 50 years. In the late 1950s, he was an original member of the ground-breaking ...

, who performed an instrumental version with jazz guitarist

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works, and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progre ...

on their acclaimed 1997 album '' Beyond The Missouri Sky (Short Stories).'' Spain's second album ''

She Haunts My Dreams ''She Haunts My Dreams'' is the second album by the American band Spain, released in 1999. The band was signed to DreamWorks Records shortly before the album's release, although Restless Records held Spain to its contract. Production The album's s ...

'' was recorded in 1999 on the Swedish island of Vaxholm, and contained performances by Swedish jazz pianist

Esbjörn Svensson Bror Fredrik "Esbjörn" Svensson (16 April 1964 – 14 June 2008) was a Swedish jazz pianist and founder of the jazz group Esbjörn Svensson Trio, commonly known as e.s.t. Svensson became one of Europe's most successful jazz musicians at the tur ...

, guitarist

Björn Olsson Union Carbide Productions was a Swedish rock band formed by Ebbot Lundberg (vocals), Patrik Caganis, Björn Olsson, Per Helm and Henrik Rylander in 1986. Their music can be described as a fusion of psychedelic rock and raw Stooges-esque rock 'n' ...

, and sometime

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternative ...

and

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...

drummer

Joey Waronker Jon Joseph Waronker (born May 20, 1969) is an American drummer and music producer. He is best known as a regular drummer of both Beck and R.E.M., and as member of the experimental rock bands Atoms for Peace and Ultraísta. Background Waronker w ...

. This album contained the song "Every Time I Try" which director

Wim Wenders Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker, playwright, author, and photographer. He is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among many honors, he has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Docum ...

included in the soundtrack to ''

The End of Violence ''The End of Violence'' is a 1997 drama film by the German director Wim Wenders. The film's cast includes Bill Pullman, Andie MacDowell, Gabriel Byrne, Traci Lind, Rosalind Chao, and Loren Dean, among others. It also features a soundtrack marked wi ...

.'' Spain's third album '' I Believe'' was released in 2001, and a compilation, ''Spirituals: The Best Of Spain'', was released in 2003. After a period of inactivity, Haden reformed the band with new members in 2007. This longest-running formation of the band crystallized with the lineup of Randy Kirk on keys and guitar, Matt Mayhall (of

The Both The Both was an American indie rock musical duo consisting of Aimee Mann and Ted Leo. They began collaborating in 2013 and released a self-titled album in April 2014. Origins The songwriting collaboration between Aimee Mann and Ted Leo origin ...

) on drums, and

Daniel Brummel Daniel Brummel (born September 15, 1981 in Pasadena, California) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who has performed and recorded with various musical groups including Sanglorians, Ozma, Weezer, Nada ...

on lead guitar and backing vocals. In 2012, this lineup released ''

The Soul of Spain ''The Soul of Spain'' is an album by 101 Strings. It was released in 1958 on the Stereo Fidelity and Somerset Records David Leonard Miller (July 4, 1925May 24, 1985) was an American record producer and the founder of many budget album record co ...

'', the band's first new studio recording in 13 years, which "bears an undeniably brighter sound", and also features performances by Josh's sisters

Petra Haden Petra Haden (born October 11, 1971) is an American musician and singer. She is the daughter of the jazz bassist Charlie Haden, and is the triplet sister of bassist Rachel Haden (her bandmate in That Dog) and cellist Tanya Haden (married to sing ...

Rachel Haden Rachel Haden (born October 11, 1971 in New York City) is an American musician and one of the triplet daughters of jazz bassist Charlie Haden. In the early 1990s, Haden played bass guitar for That Dog, a band that also included her sister Petra. H ...

, and

Tanya Haden Tanya Haden Black (born October 11, 1971) is an American artist, musician, and singer. She is one of the triplet daughters of jazz bassist Charlie Haden. She is married to actor, comedian and musician Jack Black. Career Born in New York City, s ...

, now known professionally as

The Haden Triplets The Haden Triplets, Petra Haden, Petra, Tanya Haden, Tanya, and Rachel Haden, Rachel (born October 11, 1971 in New York City), are musicians who have performed individually in bands and together. They are the daughters of jazz double-bassist Char ...

. ''The Soul of Spain'' received critical praise in the European press, and the group completed several European tours including performances in Belgium, Denmark, Norway, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. During this period, Dylan McKenzie was added to the group as a touring member on acoustic guitar, and in 2013, the touring lineup recorded '' The Morning Becomes Eclectic Session'', a live album recorded at

KCRW KCRW (89.9 MHz FM) is a National Public Radio member station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, where the station is licensed. KCRW airs original news and music programming in addition to programm ...

which also features

. In 2013, the lineup of Haden, Mayhall, Brummel and Kirk reconvened to record another studio full-length, '' Sargent Place'', which was produced by Gus Seyffert, mixed by

Darrell Thorp Darrell is a given name derived from an English surname, which was derived from Norman-French , originally denoting one who came from Airelle in France. There are no longer any towns in France called Airelle, but is the French word for huckleber ...

and released on

Dine Alone Records Dine Alone Records is a Canadian and American independent record label, founded in St. Catharines and Toronto by Joel Carriere. The label is now based in Toronto, Nashville and Los Angeles. History Dine Alone was born out of founder Joel Ca ...

on November 4, 2014. The album contains

's last recorded performance, the song "You and I", and was given a four-star rating by

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Personnel

Current members

*Josh Haden (vocals, bass)

Former members

*Matt Mayhall (drums) *Daniel Brummel (guitar) *Randy Kirk (keys, guitar) *Dylan McKenzie (acoustic guitar) *Evan Hartzell (drums) *Ken Boudakian (guitar) *Merlo Podlewski (guitar)

Discography

Albums

*''

'' (

Restless Records Restless Records is a record label that was started in El Segundo, California in 1986 by Enigma Records and primarily released alternative, metal, and punk records. Restless also licensed and released records from Bar/None Records, Metal Blade R ...

, 1995) *''

'' (Restless Records, 1999) *''I Believe'' (Restless Records, 2001) *''Spirituals: The Best of Spain'' (Restless Records, 2003) *''Blue Moods of Spain: A History, Pt. 1'' (Diamond Soul Recordings, 2010) *''Blue Moods of Spain: A History, Pt. 2'' (Diamond Soul Recordings, 2011) *''The Soul of Spain'' (

Glitterhouse Records Glitterhouse Records is a German independent record label and mail order company based in Beverungen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It was founded in the mid-1980s. From the late 1980s until the mid-1990s it was the European branch of the American la ...

, 2012) *''The Morning Becomes Eclectic Session'' (Glitterhouse Records, 2013) *''Sargent Place'' (

Dine Alone Dine Alone Records is a Canadian and American independent record label, founded in St. Catharines and Toronto by Joel Carriere. The label is now based in Toronto, Nashville and Los Angeles. History Dine Alone was born out of founder Joel Ca ...

/Glitterhouse Records, 2014) *''Carolina'' (Glitterhouse Records, 2016) *''Live at the Love Song'' (Live) (Glitterhouse Records, 2017) *''Mandala Brush'' (Glitterhouse Records, 2018)

Charted singles

References

External links

*
Fan site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spain Rock music groups from California Musical groups established in 1993 Musical groups from Los Angeles Restless Records artists Dine Alone Records artists Glitterhouse Records artists