Biography
Though the Spinanes put out just three albums, their work shaped and later moved beyond the Pacific Northwestern indie rock style of the 1990s. Guitarist Rebecca Gates supplied rich songwriting and sensual vocals that paired with Scott Plouf’s inventive drumming, yielding music at once direct and complex. Even their earliest singles carried brash riffs and drums that pointed toward greater intricacy, while the 1993 debut album Manos drew equally from folk, jazz, math rock, and singer/songwriter traditions as from indie rock itself. That sophistication deepened on the atmospheric Strand in 1996—the band’s last release with Plouf—and on 1998’s Arches and Aisles, which incorporated touches of soul and post-rock into an already distinctive sound. The group’s blend of inventiveness and restraint kept their catalog sounding fresh decades afterward.
Gates and Plouf, both from Portland, Oregon, first performed together as the Spinanes in May 1991. Their initial concert took place that August at the International Pop Underground in Olympia, Washington, and the track “Jad Fair Drives Women Wild” was included on K Records’ compilation of performances from the six-day festival. After issuing the singles “Rummy” and “Suffice” on Imp Records in 1992, the duo joined Sub Pop and made their label debut with the 1993 single “Spitfire.” Manos appeared that October, an airy and reflective collection that showcased Gates’ intimate vocals, yielded the further singles “Noel, Jonah and Me” and “Sunday,” and became the first album from an indie label to reach the top of the CMJ charts. While touring extensively behind Manos, the Spinanes contributed “Stupid Crazy” to the 1994 Kill Rock Stars compilation Rock Stars Kill. Gates and Plouf also worked with other artists during this period, with Plouf performing alongside Team Dresch and Beck, and Gates providing backing vocals for Elliott Smith and Ben Lee.
Strand, the Spinanes’ second album, arrived in 1996 and brought greater polish and expansion, enlisting friends including Elliott Smith and the Decemberists’ John Moen for backing vocals. Plouf departed in 1997 after Built to Spill, his other band, signed with Warner Bros. Records. Gates then relocated to Chicago and assembled drummer Jerry Busher and bassist Joanna Bolme to record the third album, Arches and Aisles, released in 1998. The sessions took place at Easley McCain Recording in Memphis, Tennessee, and at Tortoise’s John McEntire’s Soma Electronic Music Studios in Chicago, reflecting the band’s growing sophistication through nods to R&B and post-rock.
Gates discontinued the Spinanes name in 1999. The Imp Years appeared the next year, gathering the group’s earliest recordings together with previously unreleased material. Gates rejoined McEntire for her solo debut, the 2001 Ruby Series EP. Throughout the rest of the decade she concentrated on curating, lecturing, and audio editing, yet still contributed vocals to projects by the Decemberists, Laetitia Sadier, and Willie Nelson. She released The Float in 2012, featuring contributions from members of Califone, Wild Flag, Los Lobos, and Tortoise. Merge Records issued a deluxe edition of Manos in 2018 to mark the album’s 25th anniversary.
Gates and Plouf, both from Portland, Oregon, first performed together as the Spinanes in May 1991. Their initial concert took place that August at the International Pop Underground in Olympia, Washington, and the track “Jad Fair Drives Women Wild” was included on K Records’ compilation of performances from the six-day festival. After issuing the singles “Rummy” and “Suffice” on Imp Records in 1992, the duo joined Sub Pop and made their label debut with the 1993 single “Spitfire.” Manos appeared that October, an airy and reflective collection that showcased Gates’ intimate vocals, yielded the further singles “Noel, Jonah and Me” and “Sunday,” and became the first album from an indie label to reach the top of the CMJ charts. While touring extensively behind Manos, the Spinanes contributed “Stupid Crazy” to the 1994 Kill Rock Stars compilation Rock Stars Kill. Gates and Plouf also worked with other artists during this period, with Plouf performing alongside Team Dresch and Beck, and Gates providing backing vocals for Elliott Smith and Ben Lee.
Strand, the Spinanes’ second album, arrived in 1996 and brought greater polish and expansion, enlisting friends including Elliott Smith and the Decemberists’ John Moen for backing vocals. Plouf departed in 1997 after Built to Spill, his other band, signed with Warner Bros. Records. Gates then relocated to Chicago and assembled drummer Jerry Busher and bassist Joanna Bolme to record the third album, Arches and Aisles, released in 1998. The sessions took place at Easley McCain Recording in Memphis, Tennessee, and at Tortoise’s John McEntire’s Soma Electronic Music Studios in Chicago, reflecting the band’s growing sophistication through nods to R&B and post-rock.
Gates discontinued the Spinanes name in 1999. The Imp Years appeared the next year, gathering the group’s earliest recordings together with previously unreleased material. Gates rejoined McEntire for her solo debut, the 2001 Ruby Series EP. Throughout the rest of the decade she concentrated on curating, lecturing, and audio editing, yet still contributed vocals to projects by the Decemberists, Laetitia Sadier, and Willie Nelson. She released The Float in 2012, featuring contributions from members of Califone, Wild Flag, Los Lobos, and Tortoise. Merge Records issued a deluxe edition of Manos in 2018 to mark the album’s 25th anniversary.
Albums
