The Spill Canvas Fan Site
Biography - This amazing band, The Spill Canvas, is the brainchild
of 19 year old Nick Thomas, a native
of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. His songs stem from emotion
and transform late youth angst into brutally honest anthems...with
acoustic guitar in hand, he is speaking for a new generation
through his art.
Musical influences ranged from Saves the Day, Further Seems Forever, Copeland, and Maroon 5 to John Mayer, Ben Lee, Billymusic, and Mogwai. A skilled guitar player, Nick also plays piano and bass. In addition, he wrote and produced his debut album, Sunsets and Car Crashes , out now on 111 Records.
In 2004, Nick added a full band to the Spill Canvas live show. Members include Joe Beck, Scott McGuire, and Dan Ludeman. With newer musical influences from Atmosphere to Killswitch Engage, the new line-up is ripping apart the stereotype. Watch out world, The Spill Canvas is taking over.
Thanks to The Spill Canvas
ONE FELL SWOOP
The
Spill Canvas are the best pop-punk band in
South Dakota, hands down -- although they may also be
the state's only pop-punk band. Nick Thomas, the band's
primary singer and songwriter (and pretty much its only
constant member), has been writing and recording since
he was 15, which gives him a hint of maturity in both
vocal technique and lyrical expression. At the same time,
his material sounds like the stuff Conor Oberst would
write if they suddenly acquired a half-stack and a distortion
pedal.
For One Fell Swoop, which was produced by Ed Rose (Motion
City Soundtrack, Get Up Kids), Thomas is joined by guitarist
Dan Ludeman, bassist Scott McGuire and drummer Joe Beck.
The result, shockingly, is strongly melodic punk, with
a handful of subtle orchestral arrangements -- a cello
flutter here, a violin glissando there -- working beneath
the guitar and vocals. Thomas sings like his life depends
on it, whether he's posing "Staplegunned"'s
bluntly Chris Carrabba-esque question, "Do I have
to spell it out for you / or scream it in your face?"
or subjecting us to "Break a Leg"'s disaffected,
Oberstacular whine, "I'm sick of you leading me on
/ I'm sick of you stringing me along." Musically,
it's all radio-friendly stuff, there are plenty of sugared
harmonies on the choruses, sharp guitars on the verses,
and more than a handful of whalomping drums.
One Fell Swoop is nothing new, but it breathes a bit of life into a deathless genre. For an album so firmly tied to formula, it's cathartic, catchy, and sometimes even sincere.
Thanks to Splendid Ezine