Anji and Ryan of Lovespirals chat about their upcoming Cinco de Mayo show with Mr. Meeble in Pheonix, last weekend’s show in Long Beach, an eBay auction of their posters, fan email, Second Life, and more.
The Jason Knows Podcast captured us performing at our recent show in Long Beach and was kind enough to share it with us.
Ryan and Anji reflect upon their recent live performance and other experiences in Mexico City, announce a benefit show Lovespirals will l play in their hometown, Long Beach, and talk about preparing for a Cinco de Mayo show in Pheonix, Arizona in this 14 and a half minute podcast. Includes a clip of “Abide” live.
March 13, 2006: Music Tap by Matt Rowe
“Honey and Cool Jazz ‘n’ Rock: An interview with Ryan Lum and Anji Bee of Lovespirals”
Matt: Ryan – Anji’s voice is hauntingly memorable; her voice sticks in my mind long after I heard the songs. Are you as hypnotized by her ability to mesh with your vision of how Lovespirals songs should be communicated as we are hearing it?
Ryan: Yeah, it’s surprising how her voice just fits perfectly. I’m very lucky. Her voice has been as important as anything in the evolution of our music together.
Matt: Anji, obviously you are an excellent fit with Lovespirals. The forward progression of the band incorporates you better than many bands undergoing a shift in style. How do you feel your involvement with Lovespirals changes the band? Have you brought your own influences into the structure of the band’s musical vision?
Anji: It would be impossible for me not to bring my own influences into the band, since we are a collaborative team. I think I bring an earthier element to the music. My vocals are very lyrically based, as opposed to Suzanne’s more non-verbal stylings, and my sound is more soulful compared to her purely ethereal sound.
Continue reading Music Tap interview with Ryan & Anji of LovespiralsDaily Source Code followers will likely be familiar with the infamous Comic Strip Blogger, who comments religiously on Adam Curry’s blog. I recently mentioned him in some audio feedback to Adam, and now CSB (as Adam calls him) has mentioned me in his comic strip! Now, that is usually NOT a good thing, but I was somehow spared his wrath and appear in a fairly positive light. Of course, I should remind him that Ryan was the one to the sell the 50,000 CDs, not me…
Matt Rowe reviews “Free & Easy”
In a time where there are many flavours and derivations of music, giving listeners a multitude of choices, and allowing for precision of preference, Lovespirals, originally birthed as Love Spirals Downward[s] some years back, has become a provider of experiences.
Lovespirals’ evolutionary path has brought it down the road from gothic shoegazer pop to hypnotically provocative jazz that is, at once, sexy, sultry, and dreamy. Their last album, the transitional Windblown Kiss, provided hints and sneak peeks into the heart of this duo and where they were headed while their latest, Free & Easy, wades deeply into the stream of where they are.
On Free and Easy, the band’s second release with Anji Bee, who possesses a voice of honey, and a natural element that adds colour and flame to songs, exploring realms of intensities in varying degrees, there are 9 songs of jazz-fusion. With original member, Ryan Lum adding stylish guitar and keyboards to permeate the silky fabric of the new album, the lover of jazz in all of its incarnations will be quite entranced.
The album’s opener, “Free & Easy”, begins by exuding an exhilarating blend of heady and dizzying sensuality. Ryan Lum’s instrumental approach is simple and effective, wisely allowing the mood of the song to carry the listener to the album’s first deliberate destination. It’s followed by the sexually tense, “Hand in Hand”, a musically soft ‘in the moment’ tune of the perfection of love. Things pick up with the dance flavoured “Deep In My Soul” carried by a funky rhythm and delivered by Anji’s ‘by now heart pulsing’ voice. The tune is reminiscent of the ’80s brand of music.
“Walk Away” resembles the past of Lovespirals more readily than the other tunes but still underlines a mournful jazz that also resembles Sade. “Habitual” is one of the stronger songs on the album and reveals a melancholy brought on by the rut of sameness. The album’s strongest track, the ‘saved the best for last’ “Sandcastles” is clearly the band’s single. It has all of the elements going for it – lyrics, atmosphere, a brilliant soundtrack, that voice – that should alert a sleepy public to the dream-dripping gorgeousness of Lovespirals.
Lovespirals already showcases all of the reasons that they should be this period’s hip duo. What remains is for you to discover why I said it.
Ryan and Anji discuss the creation of Lovespirals’ new CD, Free & Easy, detailing specific tracks, and comparing this 2005 release to their 2002 release, Windblown Kiss. Audio clips from every track on the album accompany this 15 minute interview feature.
Rodney Rodriguez (of The Von Trapps and Elysium fame) who performed with Love Spirals Downwards for their final live shows in 1998 — as well as with Suzanne Perry’s new band, Melodyguild — will be joining Ryan and Anji at their show this Thursday on second guitar. This is the first time Lovespirals have worked with another guitarist, so it should be pretty exciting. Doron will not be joining the band on sax this time, so all the way around it will be a very different show than past events. If you live in the area, you should drop by 14 Below, in Santa Monica, to check it out. Full details on the previous news posting.
Lovespirals will be playing a show next month with The Flir. This is their first performance since the 2002 Windblown Kiss Tour. Ryan and Anji will be doing an all-new set composed mainly of tracks from their upcoming album, Free & Easy. It’s a very moody set with lots of soulful, bluesy numbers and plenty of guitar work. Copies of Windblown Kiss will be on hand for sale, which the band will gladly autograph. Come on out to get a sneak peek at what Lovespirals have been up to the past few years!
April 14, 2005 at 14 Below
1348 14th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401
14below.com
Cost: $7 ($6 w/ flyer) | 21+ with ID
Doors open 8 pm
The Flir go on at 9:30 and Lovespirals follow them at 10:30.
Don’t forget to download and print the official flyer for your discount.
VayderX’s daily electronica music blog, In-Tune, profiled Lovespirals for today’s daily entry:
“Familiar, yet exotic, the sound of this creative duo guides modern electronic composition in a more organic direction, forsaking simplistic sample loop-based production in favor of traditional song writing and performance. If you are seeking music for the soul as well as the body, something sweet to kick back and unwind with, then Lovespirals are for you.”
This music has a great vibe to it. Go on, have a listen!
Highlights:
Walk Away (Bitstream Dream Rmx)
Love Survives
Former Mp3.com CEO, Michael Robertson, just launched a new site called Mp3Tunes.com, which offers 192kbps mp3s for just 88 cents, and full albums for $8.88. Check out the site’s entries for Lovespirals and Love Spirals Downwards.
Interview by Jen Stratosphere
JEN: Do you consider Lovespirals to be a continuation of Love Spirals Downwards or is it a totally separate creation?
RYAN: It’s a new band for sure. But on the other hand, I’m just doing my thing: making music. I never sat down and decided to make music in a way that wasn’t natural for me. I’m just doing what I’ve always done; making music that moves me, something that challenges me to grow musically, and something I’d want to listen to when it’s all done. With each album, I think I’ve been sucessful in being genre-less. That’s something I’ve pretty much always wanted to do; not be confined by the restrictions of making music that a certain kind of genre or following expects. I’m a free musical soul and I’ve always aimed at following my musical bliss. So older fans that got that from my music should still be just as pleased, if not more so, with Lovespirals. But if you liked my older music because you were a fan of the record label and their narrow genre and style, then you probably never really got what my music was about and won’t necessarily be into Lovespirals.
ANJI: This is a complicated question. You can look at it in different ways. Sam Rosenthal said that Lovespirals are to Love Spirals Downwards what Jefferson Starship are to Jefferson Airplane, or Pink Floyd are to The Pink Floyd Sound. In each case, a band member left and the name was shortened. Is it still the same band? Then again, Love Spirals Downwards were never really a band, per se, but a recording project headed up by Ryan. Of course, we don’t perform his old songs live, which fans would probably expect if they thought of us as being the “continuation of Love Spirals Downwards.”
Continue reading Stratosphere Fanzine Interview Lovespirals
