Back in the good old 90s when I still had stupid looking long hair San Francisco’s slowcore scene appeared. Like all sad, long-haired, teenagers bands like Spain were heaven sent. To be honest Red House Painters were my favourite back then but Spain weren’t that bad at all.
Mainman Josh Haden specialised in writing honeyed tunes and was never afraid to give them the space to breathe and live, thus many people would be forgiven for considering his songs too long and self-indulgent…if they weren’t so bloody good that is. It also helped Spain that they were never really accepted by the indie cognoscenti, or smart-arses if you prefer that term, and they’ve continued to the beat of their own drum to this day which just goes to show where that gets you: nice big shows at nice places like Heimathafen.
Spain are a Los Angeles-based alternative rock band founded in 1993 by Josh Haden (son of jazz bass legend Charlie Haden). A founding band of the 1990s “slowcore” movement, the original line-up included Haden on bass and vocals, Ken Boudakian on lead guitar, Merlo Podlewski on rhythm guitar, and Evan Hartzell on drums.
After recording a well-received demo and 7” single, and playing frequently at legendary Silver Lake venue Spaceland (ne Pan, currently called The Satellite), Spain signed with Restless Records in 1994. The band travelled to San Francisco in early 1995 and spent a month recording their debut album at the now extant Brilliant Studios, with Norm Kerner (American Music Club) at the producing helm. The debut 1995 album, The Blue Moods Of Spain, garnered the band a devoted cult following and enabled them to tour the U.S., Europe, and Australia. The album was included on many music magazine “best of” lists for the year. In 1996, Spain performed on the landmark French television talk show Nulle Part Ailleurs. During this time they also toured as the opening band for Cocteau Twins during the legendary UK band’s final U.S. tour.
In the mid-late 1990s, several songs from Blue Moods were featured in different films and TV shows (Phoenix, In God’s Hands, Winterschlfer, Garage Days, Popular). A huge Blue Moods poster appeared in an episode of
Beverly Hills, 90210. The Red Hot Chili Peppers covered their song “Spiritual” in concert. In addition, “Spiritual” was recorded by Johnny Cash on his Grammy-winning, Rick Rubin-produced Unchained, and by Charlie Haden and Pat Metheny on their Grammy-winning Beyond The Missouri Sky. In 1997, film director Wim Wenders commissioned Spain to write and perform a song for his film End Of Violence. The result, “Every Time I Try”, is an audience favorite.
Here’s a couple of them:
