Spool (4)

Early 1990's indie rock band from London, Ontario, Canada. Members: Ian Newton (Guitar); Greg Newton (Guitar); [s]Greggor Gilbert (Guitar)[/s]; Clay Corneil (Bass); Joel Pylyshyn (Drums); [s]Steve McMinn (Drums)[/s] More interested in creative expression than prescriptive musical aesthetics, Spool formed in mid-1992 in the wide open space of the emerging post-punk, DIY, independent music scene. Intuitive arrangements, unusual tunings and poetic word play laid the foundation from which to push into a cultural restlessness. Spool was formed by Ian Newton shortly after he picked up a guitar and found himself in the mid-sized Southern Ontario city of London. Bassist Clayton Cornel and guitarist Greggor Gilbert soon joined the band and they made a four-track cassette demo which lead them to drummer Joel Pylyshyn. They played a few bombastic shows under the name Crayon, before changing the name to the minimalist Spool. Joel suggested the name after reading a short story where a character experiences semantic satiation (temporary loss of meaning) while repeating the word spool over and over. The band immediately created a local buzz for their colourful , noisy sound, that would push and pull tempo and melodies, feeling like it might implode, then regaining cohesion in a whirlwind of sound and playful hooks grounded in their rhythm section. Spools lyrics, touched on themes of social outcasts, class struggle, climate change and a desire for an alternate cultural vision. They also incorporated humour at times, as in this social commentary song that almost collapses as it crescendos into its two word lyric “Kettle’s Boiling”. In January 1993 they rented an empty school house in the small hamlet of Newbury Ontario for a week to record on 1/4″ 8 track tape. Truly DIY, as none of them knew anything about recording, the session produced the sprawling small-run cassette release “Pasting, the Post Dry” which made it’s way to the infamous late-night alternative radio show “Brave New Waves” on CBC, Canada’s national radio, where they were invited on for an interview. Half of “Pasting the post Dry” was released on Montreal’s Derivative Records as “Pieces of Post”. In late 1993 Joel left for NYC to attend film school and was replaced by powerhouse drummer Steve McMinn. In 1994 they were invited to Montreal to record a single “Callous Makers” which received good reviews in underground US music press. At the end of the year however, guitarist Greggor Gilbert left the band as he shifted his life, and moved to Montreal. Greg Newton, brother to Ian, who had just returned from time in West Africa was asked to join on guitar. By this point Joel had also returned from New York, and he rejoined the band, completing the final line up of Ian Newton, Greg Newton, Joel Pylyshyn and Clayton Corneil. This line up never re-visited any of the original pre-1995 songs and they spent the next year writing new material in a rehearsal hall they built above above a used bookstore. This culminated in a 1996 recording an unreleased album titled “All That is in the Middle”, an unadorned document of late night sessions recorded in their band hall. Late 1996 saw the band move to separate cities for work and school where it became difficult to continue.