Nick Krill’s Delaware-based indie rock group The Spinto Band is riding a wave of praise for their latest album. It’s called “Cool Cocoon,” which is also an apt description of their sound. Here’s Nick to suggest some tunes from other musicians.
Hi everybody. This is Nick Krill from The Spinto Band. I have a few songs that I’d like to share with you as part of my dinner party soundtrack.
Buena Vista Social Club, “Pueblo Nuevo”
My first track is “Pueblo Nuevo” by The Buena Vista Social Club. The Buena Vista Social Club is this amazing collective of aging Cuban musicians, recorded back in the late 90’s. They kind of have this beautiful mix of jazz and Americana-country thing.
The arc of the song sort of matches a weird dinner party in a way. It starts off a little suspicious, you see someone cross the room, they have a suspicious drink, they’re eyeing an interesting book on the bookshelf… and as the piano riffs tumble around the conversation begins to tumble around. Before you know it, you’re seated next to this person at the dinner table having a great time, just in time for this trumpet fanfare at the end of the song to kind of herald in a successful dinner party.
Les Paul, “Brazil”
Okay, my second song is “Brazil” performed by Les Paul. I imagine this song being around a salad course at a dinner party. What makes me think of a salad course is there’s these crazy little really high-pitched kind of guitar stabs in this song. It reminds me of when you’re eating a salad, you’ve got a fork and you’re stabbing at a little renegade cherry tomato all over the plate and can’t get it. But then, you know, you have “Brazil” in the background and these little weird guitar stabs start coming in, and before you know it you realize you’re stabbing with your fork right along to the beat.
Now, Les Paul is a really special guy. Not only is he a really cool sort of jazz and early rock and roll guitarist, but he’s a crazy innovator. He pioneered the solid body electric guitar, he was a pioneer in multi-track recording. He’s the king tinkerer as far as I’m concerned.
Michael Jackson, “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)”
So my third song for the dinner party soundtrack is “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” by Michael Jackson from the “Thriller” album. Probably the best-selling album with a dude and a tiger photographed on it.
The reason I chose “P.Y.T.” is mainly because it was co-written by Quincy Jones, and I would want nothing more than to have a dinner party with Quincy Jones. I’m not so sure if that will ever happen, so the next best thing would be to play a song that he produced at my dinner party and have an imaginary conversation with him.
I think people need to pay their respects to the original Michael Jackson “huh” sound effect in there, not this Johnny-come-lately Bruno Mars character.
The Spinto Band, “Shake it Off”
So you know, traveling back up North to the wilds of Delaware, leaving Brazil behind, I would love to share with you our new song, “Shake it Off.” I wanna dedicate the weird noise in the beginning to Les Paul for his crazy noise innovations. I’ll dedicate the chromatic weird little solo lines to the Buena Vista Social Club. I just hope that the beat on this number can make you bob your head or dance as much as a Michael Jackson song could. And above all ladies and gentlemen, huh.
