The Spring Standards is an independent three-piece folk-rock band based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Biography

James Cleare, Heather Robb, and James Smith first sang together in the last summer of the 20th century. Having just turned 16, the three teens with a common affinity for "oldies" music and harmony spent the better part of the next two years playing shows around the Delaware/Pennsylvania area. Influenced as much by their parent's record collections as they were by what they heard on the radio, their style began to take shape into something a little bit both and a little bit neither. When high school graduation came along, their paths divided; years passed and things changed, but before they knew it they were all living within a few blocks of each other in New York City. The transition back into making music together was as natural as it was surprising - they happily picked up where they had left off years before, with a unique style that refuses to sit comfortably in any genre. Cleare, Robb, and, Smith are all songwriters and multi-instrumentalists. They use their strengths as a trio to create a sound that listeners might expect from a band twice their size. With an emphasis on 3-part harmony and a variety of instrumental switching, their range, and energy onstage make each live show a unique event. Before they were The Spring Standards, all three members were in Old Springs Pike along with John Gallagher Jr. The three current members also played together in an earlier band called The Urban Wombats.

Members

The band members are: * James Cleare - vocals, acoustic, bass, and electric

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, and

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

* Heather Robb - vocals,

melodica The melodica is a handheld free-reed instrument similar to a pump organ or harmonica. It features a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. The keyboard usual ...

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( or , : bells and : set) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the vibraphone. The glo ...

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...

, and

* James Smith - vocals, acoustic, bass and electric guitars, trumpet,

, and

Recording

The Spring Standards released their first EP ''No One Will Know'' in July 2008 which was co-produced by Rhett Miller of Old 97s and engineered by Kieran Kelly of

The Buddy Project ''The Buddy Project'' is an Indian teen comedy drama series which aired on Channel V India from 23 July 2012 to 24 April 2014. Plot The tale of eight mischievous students KD, Kiya, Ranveer, Panchi, Piddi, Samar, Juhi and Bobby. Their mischi ...

. The self-released EP found mild success in the North East leading to an appearance on

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and music ...

. On April 13, 2010, they self-released their first full-length album ''Would Things Be Different'' produced by

Bryce Goggin Bryce Goggin is an American record producer and sound engineer. His career began in the early 1990s, working at Baby Monster Studios. He first received note for mixing the album ''Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain'' by Pavement. He has since worked with ...

( Pavement,

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...

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). The Spring Standards returned to the studio in early 2011 to record a double EP entitled ''yellow//gold'', released on May 1st, 2012. The record was produced by Dan Molad. On December 26th, 2012, The Spring Standards recorded audio and video at their fifth annual Boxing Day concert at the

Arden Club Arden may refer to: Places ;Australia *Arden, an area in North Melbourne, Victoria near the Arden Street Oval ;Canada * Arden, Ontario ;Denmark * Arden, Denmark, a town **Arden Municipality, a former municipality, including the town of Arden ; ...

Gild Hall,

Arden, Delaware Arden, officially the Village of Arden, is a village and art colony in New Castle County, Delaware, United States, founded in 1900 as a radical Georgist single-tax community by sculptor Frank Stephens and architect Will Price. The village occu ...

. The project was funded by a Kickstarter campaign. The album ''Live from Delaware'' was released on May 21, 2013.

Discography

No One Will Know EP (Released July 29, 2008) * 1. Goodbye Midnight * 2. In The Underground * 3. Little Bug * 4. Reply * 5. Breath And Sound * 6. Your Lie * 7. Sad Song * 8. Pin Cushion (Bonus Track) Would Things be Different (Released April 13, 2010) * 1. Skyline * 2. Here I Am * 3. Queen Of The Lot * 4. Halcyon Days * 5. Bells And Whistles * 6. Not Again * 7. Frozen * 8. Trouble * 9. Sharks * 10. The Hush * 11. Unravel Unwind * 12. Drowning In Sobriety (Bonus Track) yellow/gold Double EP (Released May 1, 2012) * 1. Only Skin * 2. Heavy Home * 3. Chicago * 4. Crushing Pennies * 5. Enemies * 6. Wildfire Forest * 7. So Simple So True * 8. Nightmare * 9. Watch The Moon Disappear * 10. Rusty Wheels * 11. Here We Go * 12. Unmarked Pill Live from Delaware (Released May 21, 2013) * 1. Wildfire Forest * 2. Queen of the Lot * 3. Nightmare * 4. Rusty Wheels * 5. The Hush * 6. Only Skin * 7. Bells and Whistles * 8. Chicago * 9. Sharks * 10. Premonition * 11. Here We Go * 12. Unravel Unwind * 13. Watch the Moon Disappear * 14. Reply (Offstage) * 15. Frozen (Offstage) * 16. Crushing Pennies (Offstage)

Touring

The Spring Standards have toured nationwide at major venues and have been featured on

Conan O'Brien Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for having hosted late-night talk shows for almost 28 years, beginning with ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' (19 ...

(August 2008),

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi was ...

's Poptub, USA's "Royal Pains" and

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

's ''Exiled''. The band performed on The

Rock Boat The Rock Boat is an annual rock music-themed "floating music festival at sea" aboard a cruise ship. It takes place in different locations each cruise, with several dozen bands performing in each cruise.WRXP, having been invited to play "The Rock Show with

Matt Pinfield Matthew Pinfield (born May 28, 1961) is an American television host, disc jockey, and music executive. He first reached national prominence as VJ on MTV. He served two stints as the host of the alternative music program '' 120 Minutes'', from 19 ...

and

Leslie Fram Leslie Fram is an American media executive. A former radio programmer and dj, she is the senior vice president of music strategy for Country Music Television. Fram oversees CMT's "Next Women of Country" campaign, which has promoted artists such ...

" on numerous occasions, including an annual appearance to sing

The Pogues The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my arse". T ...

' holiday classic

Fairytale of New York "Fairytale of New York" is a song written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan and recorded by their London-based band the Pogues, featuring singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl on vocals. The song is an Irish folk-style ballad and was written as a du ...

with Pinfield on air. The band has toured nationwide at major venues. They have performed as an opening act for musicians including Old 97s,

The Clarks The Clarks are an American rock band from the Pittsburgh region, originating at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Over the course of thirty-plus years, they have produced eleven studio albums, two live albums, 2 compilation albums, an EP, and f ...

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, Caravan of Thieves (band),

Rustic Overtones Rustic Overtones is an American rock band from Maine, United States, active between 1993–2002 and from 2007–present. They were the first group to perform live on XM Satellite Radio, and their 2007 album ''Light at the End'' was the fastest-s ...

, Rigby Fawkes,

Squeeze (band) Squeeze are an English rock band that came to prominence in the United Kingdom during the new wave period of the late 1970s, and continued recording in the 1980s, 1990s and 2010s. In the UK, their singles " Cool for Cats", "Up the Junction", ...

, The Everybodyfields, and

Glenn Tilbrook Glenn Martin Tilbrook (born 31 August 1957) is the lead singer and guitarist of the English band Squeeze, a band formed in the mid-1970s who broke through in the new wave era at the decade's end. He generally wrote the music for Squeeze's son ...

and the Fluffers. In 2010, The Spring Standards were selected to perform at the famed

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

music festival

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. They also embarked with Joey Ryan on "The Gang Goes On Tour 2010", headlined by

Meg & Dia Meg & Dia is an American rock band formed in 2004. It was founded by sisters Meg and Dia Frampton before becoming a five-piece act (renamed Cowards Courage and released the CD ''Straight Out of a Story Book in Las Vegas'') where they started, ...

. The band was on tour with Ha Ha Tonka throughout the Spring of 2011. In 2012, The Spring Standards returned to

for several showings. In preparation for their new album, they went on the road for a CD release tour in May to promote their new music. Joined by Rhett Miller & The Serial Lady Killers, The Spring Standards kicked off a US tour shortly after in June. On June 18, they appeared on Conan O'Brien's talk show, Conan, and performed "Here We Go". In February 2013, the band embarked on a six-week tour of the northeast U.S., playing in cities such as Boston, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC. May 21 saw the release of their first live album, ''Live from Delaware'' (with a DVD release in 2014). That same week, they made an appearance at the Watkins Family Hour, along with singer/songwriter Dan Wilson. In 2014 they returned to

. The band has also worked with New York composers Kerrigan-Lowdermilk, appearing in concerts and on recordings.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Spring Standards American folk rock groups Rock music groups from New York (state)