After weathering the underground Chicago indie circuit for a number of years, Illinois native, Aaron Starkey, packed up his guitars and moved west to the temperate environ of Seattle. Meanwhile, Washington State natives Corey Passons and Ross McGilvray, both former founding members of the gritty regional rock act, Preston Mill, wanted to stretch their creative legs beyond the tried and true form that Mill established during its long, successful tenure in the Northwest music scene.
A serendipitous meeting revealed a mutual affinity for English amps, thinline telecasters, heartfelt melodies, chips, and salsa. Their desire for honest, straightforward songcraft, deeply rooted in the tradition of Neil Young, Built to Spill, and The Jayhawks, further fueled the three musicians, and Spanish for 100 was born in the spring of 2002. In the months that followed, Spanish for 100 performed countless shows and regional tours, culminating in their first full-length effort, Newborn Driving (released December 2003), produced by the notorious Phil Ek (Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, The Shins, Band of Horses).
It was the summer of 2004, and after a relentless performance schedule in support of Newborn, the band swept back into the studio, again with Phil Ek at the helm, recording the follow-up EP, Metric (released March 2005).
Enter Chris Crumpler. With SPF100's drum chair having been a bit of a revolving door, Chris came on board in early 2006, bringing with him a bevy of beats and skills that had been finely honed during Crumpler's long tenure in veteran Seattle act M-Set. Mini-hawk haircut aside, Chris powered through Spanish for 100’s 512th drummer audition.
Spanish for 100 has hit the road for multiple self-promoted and self-booked national tours, performing blistering sets at numerous sold out venues with national acts Trashcan Sinatras, The Capitol Years, and Elf Power to eager audiences at such notable clubs as The Crocodile (Seattle), Schuba's (Chicago), Great Scott (Boston), Pianos (NYC), and Kirby's Beer Store (Wichita). Keep an eye peeled for SPF100 in a town near you...
We are currently putting the finishing touches on our fourth record, "Jezebel" tracked with the illustrious Martin Feveyear. Check out "Spider" below for a sneak preview.
Spanish for 100 was recently designated “Your New Favorite Band” by John Richards, DJ and Host of the Morning Show on KEXP http://kexp.org.
Check out photos from our Summer Tour 2008, Taken once again by Photographer Ryan Scheirling, who is apparently a glutton for punishment.
Hope you have a great cd release party!! Just putting the word out that we will be playing the Mars Bar in Seattle this
Sat. Oct. 24th w/ Sister Wife and High Divide! Doors @ 8 music @ 9
Thanks for the add!!!..........I hope you enjoy our sound!!!............New track in the works!!!..............Thanks again for your time and support!!!..........Your friends in.................Ride For Ruin
Hey! Just wanted to drop by and say thanks for the support. We've been kicking ass and taking names and it's all because of our friends and fans who have been with us through the years! We can't wait for the new live album to be released at the end of this month and we hope you're just as psyched. See you around!
