music Still Stirring It Up

Fresh on the heels of its first Grammy nomination, Spoon is playing Whitewater Amphitheater

BY DANNY CERVANTES

Time finally may have gone “Inside Out” for Spoon.

Thirty years after the Austin-based indie-rock mainstay’s founding by lead vocalist Bri Daniel and drummer Jim Eno, it earned its first Grammy nomination — a Best Rock Album nod for the 2022 release Lucifer on the Sofa

Ahead of Spoon’s Saturday, May 27, performance at New Braunfels’ Whitewater Amphitheater, the Current talked to keyboardist-guitarist Alex Fischel via Zoom from his home in Los Angeles about that pivotal recognition, his time in the band and the state of the music business.

Fischel joined Spoon in 2014, having previously played with frontman Daniel in the Divine Fits. He jumped at the opportunity to join up, even learning guitar so he could pull double duty.

The following interview is edited for length and clarity.

You’re kind of the man of mystery in Spoon. Can you tell us more about how you joined the band?

I met Bri when I was 21. About 11 or 12 years ago. He was in Los Angeles starting Divine Fits with Dan Boeckner. Dan asked me to come to this rehearsal, I showed up, and Bri was there, and I thought, “What the fuck?” I figured that would be the end of it, but they kept calling me back. Fast forward and Divine Fits was winding down. Bri asked if I would want to come make the next Spoon record, and I said, “Definitely.”

Britt and Jim formed Spoon 20 years before you joined. What was it like joining such an established band and finding your role within it?

At first, I didn’t want to overstep, but I also wanted to contribute. I had spoken to Bri a li le beforehand to make sure he wanted me to contribute and not be a computer. (Laughs.) He was like, “Totally.” At that time, there was another keyboard-guitar guy, Eric [Harvey], and I had to navigate that as well. I wanted to be respectful of his relationship with Bri and Jim. But it kind of naturally figured itself out. I remember the spring before we were going to start touring They Want My Soul, I got this massive list of songs. I asked Bri what do you want me to do with these? I told him I don’t know what you want me to play. Bri responded that he wanted me to play a lot of guitar. I didn’t have a guitar.

Wow, so you didn’t have a guitar, and were being asked to play it for Spoon?

I always wanted to play guitar, but growing up, I always knew people who were actually good at guitar. Bri let me do that. So, I sold a keyboard, I got a guitar and learned Spoon songs. And now I play an equal amount of guitar to keyboard.

That’s an amazing initiation into the band. Learning to play guitar for Spoon?

At the time I was thinking, “The Beast and Dragon, Adored,” for example — you’ll do the guitar solos. (Laughs.) It was like trial by fire a li le bit, but I’ve got to do this.

There’s always been this debate whether Spoon’s an indie band or alternative band. So, does your nomination for Best Rock Album settle it by establishing that Spoon is a rock band?

Those definitions are confusing. What’s an indie band anymore? It’s so arbitrary. It was very satisfying to be put in the rock category as opposed to the alternative category. It’s really confusing for me turning on the radio to these alternative stations and I can’t tell the difference between the alternative station, the pop station and the rock station. It’s pre y much the same. So, it was nice to be in the rock category and “officially” a rock band.

Spoon was nominated with Ozzy Osborne and Elvis Costello. Seems like that would be an incredible honor. When the nomination came through, we thought, “Whatever happens after this, the feeling of this recognition is so great, that’s enough.” The idea of losing to a legend like Elvis

Costello or Ozzy is totally fine. They’re legends for a reason.

Lucifer on the Sofa feels timeless. In the streaming age, do you feel we’re seeing fewer bands thinking of an album as a whole?

I think you’re seeing less of it for sure. It’s bizarre, but it’s the nature of streaming. The CEO of Spotify said artists need to be releasing music in insanely small intervals to be relevant. I thought, “You motherfucker, you make it. You go do something.” It was so patronizing. Being who we are, we listen to albums and were excited when they came out. I think the door hasn’t closed yet.

Your synthesizer flute solo on “Do You” is the cherry on top of the song. Can you tell us where it came from?

I remember very vividly recording that part. I had just go en into town, and they had been working most of the day. Bri tells me, “I want a ’70s New York

-style solo over the end. A li le Lou Reed saxophone vibe or something? That came out in the first or second take. I really like that moment. It sets you down nicely.

The upcoming show at Whitewater Amphitheater is Memorial Day weekend. It’s tucked into the Guadalupe River. People will be tubing during the day, and sunburnt and well-lubricated for the show. Does the audience or venue change the setlist at all?

That sounds like it will be a good vibe. It’s hard to know without being there. You pick up on something while you’re there. I think [Whitewater] will be conducive to a good show. I like the idea of having people tube while we’re playing.

$35-$69, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 27, Whitewater Amphitheater, 11860 FM 306, New Braunfels, (830) 964-3800, whitewaterrocks.com.