The Spring Standards started their journey as mere teenagers only 14-years-old when they began to play as a group in high school. College led them to drift away but years later, after much needed time apart, the band reconnected and named themselves The Spring Standards.
The time apart not only allowed them to go their separate ways and explore what life had to offer, but it made their reconnection as a group so much more meaningful.
“We each needed to have our separate experiences away from each other and grow, and when we reconnected in New York it was a shock,” said lead vocalist Heather Robb. “If you had asked me at 17, ‘Will you be playing music with them later on in life?’, I wouldn’t have believed you. It was too much of a dream. The most important thing was that our core was still enacted and that’s what keeps us together to this day.”
The group’s members all reside in New York, although the last few years home has been on the road, and last May they released their Yellow/Gold double-EP. Being a band constantly touring, they’ve all had the chance to experience America from coast to coast.
“We fall in love with almost every city we visit and entertain the idea of leaving New York and moving,” Heather said. “We’re all from smaller towns outside Philly, very different than New York, so we feel at home in the smaller cities we visit.”
When I asked Heather about her thoughts on specific parts of the country, her replies were not the typical. Rather than preferring to play the larger venues in the bigger cities, Heather commented, “Cities have unique relationship to arts in general. New Yorkers are so saturated with art that going somewhere to see a performance isn’t anything new. But for example, in Thomas, West Virginia, they only have one venue and it’s one of our favorite places to play because they become so excited when there is live music.”
It’s no surprise, then, to see The Spring Standards playing in venues varying in size and location all over the country on their current tour this fall.
The band has been praised by music critics not just for their diverse use of instruments and harmonic sounds, but also for their impressive live performance. When I asked what was one thing she wished all her listeners knew, Heather said, “The visual aspect of how we execute our songs is something we’re really proud of and it’s not something you see everyday. I do kind of wish that was something that was planted into everyone’s mind, that they could have that dual experience.”
Such a performance paired with their track “Only Skin” is exactly the kind of raw talent that makes The Spring Standards such a progressive band. “Only Skin” shows off the multi-instrumental trio and Heather’s mourning voice but the harmony of the three members collectively is really what sets this song apart from other bands’, completely enticing you to continue listening. It’s a cross between weeping and wailing with beautiful piano accompanied by percussion and guitar with lyrics reflecting on unfulfilled dreams. “Only Skin” not only tells a story but also is relatable for their audience.
Great music, great performance, great time. Don’t miss The Spring Standards at The Frequency tomorrow.