SPIV: By Definition

SPIV

By Definition

© 1999 Cinnamon Road Publishing, BMI (660355507526)

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Power Pop to rock the house: from Nirvana-esque grunge "All the Same" to Billy Childish style blues "Hornet's Nest" to Primus ode "Make the Best of It"

tracks

1 Nibley View
2 Dizzy Tizzy
3 With the Stones
4 Lonely Supermodel
5 Yeah
6 All the Same
7 Hornet's Nest
8 Make the Best of It
9 Bass Gets You Laid
10 Churn
11 Right in Front
12 Have
13 Booty Pirate

notes

Since 1997, the rock songwriter and performer Chris Barber has used the combination pseudonym and band name SPIV. He claims he came upon the word on a random trip through the dictionary, a time-honored way of naming a combo. One motivation to establish another name might have been to avoid confusion with the older British trombonist, bandleader, and all around man about jazz of the same name. While a jam session between the two of them might have its moments, the younger Barber is no swinger and rock music in general has come a long way from the rudimentary skiffle sound that is an important part of the background of the older man. "Brit-pop voodoo" is Barber's own choice of label for his projects. This sounds logical for someone who was raised in Salt Lake City, with a mother who actually took banjo lessons from Jerry Garcia.

Barber began playing professionally in punk rock bands when the scene for that style in Utah began, later becoming the material for the film S.L.C. Punk. After high school, Barber sought the more sympathetic environment of Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. Here, too, there was a thriving local rock scene and from 1990 through 1993 groups with Barber opened shows for bands such as Nirvana. Riddlehouse was his group prior to establishing SPIV. Rhubarb Dreams, the second release by the former band, actually featured quite a name guest star in drummer Ginger Baker, whose son Kofi Baker was also a Riddlehouse member. The Olympia-based Pop Sweatshop label signed SPIV in 1999, no doubt aware that the band's name is an obscure word meaning a method of getting by without working; a popular concept, especially in college towns. Brother Jeremy Barber plays bass as well as electric violin in the group. With several lineup changes, SPIV had released four discs by 2003. Barber side projects during the period include the Church of Rock 'n' Roll, again with Kofi Baker.

reviews

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  • Look for the Barber Brothers to enjoy a long career...
    author: A.J. Hidell, Jr.

    Jeremy Barber's violin draws comparison to Camper Van Beethoven, but it's Chris Barber's guitar work that defines the band. The Barber Brother's resume reads like a Who's Who of West Coast music with names like Leftover Salmon, Ginger Baker of Cream, and The Goo Goo Dolls as acts they've shared the stage with. The music is happy and catchy, notably "Dizzy Tizzy" which has been receiving national airplay among the West Coast. Chris Barber's humor is present throughout, especially in the two songs that clock in under one minute. The Spiv touring unit is different from the rhythm section that recorded the album, but plans have been made to record a second album. Look for the Barber Brothers to enjoy a long career.

  • ...indie, punk, rawk...Spiv embodies it all.
    author: Jeff Inman

    Like the scene that spawned it, Olympia, Wash's Spiv is kinda hard to pin down. While Seattle will always have grunge, Olympia has always been a mixed bag of music, spitting out indie, punk, rawk, and whatever else loggers will listen to. Spiv embodies it all. The group morphs from track to track. Opener "Nibley View" and the muddy "All the Same" are Nirvana descendents. "Dizzy Tizzy" sounds more like a muscular Beatles track. "Have" is a sensitive and ironic take on the power ballad. And the brief "Bass Gets You Laid" is a straight-up novelty number. It all makes By Definition sound like more of a compilation album than a cohesive disc. But when the band pumps out the killer slow funk jams like "With the Stones", the dirty blues of "Hornet's Nest" or the Primus-inspired quirk of "Make the Best of It", the lack of continuity doesn't really matter. Just like the Beastie Boys' "Check Your Head", the variety is what pulls you along. You're always wondering what's coming next. Sometimes it's worth it. Others: Well, not everyone is perfect. But with By Definition, Spiv at least makes the journey an interesting one. (from Las Vegas Weekly)

  • A cool debut that bodes well for future releases.
    author: Rob Ferraz

    Emerging from the hipster hotbed of Olympia, WA, Spiv have graced us with an interesting musical pastiche that jumps from Nirvana-esque grunge ("All the Same") to Billy Childish blues ("Hornet's Nest") in the blink of an eye. They throw a twist on things by blantantly sounding like Primus and Firehose on two songs, but admit to it in the lyrics. The somewhat schizo nature of this puts them in the hard-to-define category, but in a good way. A cool debut that bodes well for future releases.

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