Spirit Animal (band)

Spirit Animal is an American band from Brooklyn, New York City. The band consists of Steve Cooper (vocals), Cal Stamp (lead guitar), and Paul Michel (bass). In August 2020 the band officially changed their name to Record Heat.

Spirit Animal
Spirit Animal at the Metro Chicago on 5/9/18
Background information
OriginNew York City
GenresRock, pop, funk
LabelsSwagger State University, RED Music
Websitespiritanimal.us
Members
  • Steve Cooper
  • Cal Stamp
  • Paul Michel

History

Steve Cooper originally performed as a solo artist under the stage name The Gray Kid.[1] When forming Spirit Animal, the band consisted of Steve Cooper and Computer Jay, plus other musicians including Jesse Ingalls and Jordan Richardson (both from Ben Harper's Relentless7).[2] The band would release their first studio album The Cost of Living in 2010, and used a Kickstarter campaign to fund the following tour, where Steve Cooper offered to cook dinner for fans in exchange for tour support.[3] However, Cooper does not consider the band to be have truly started until 2012, when the current lineup was solidified. Lead singer Steve Cooper and bassist Paul Michel originally met in 2002 in Washington, D.C.[4] Guitarist Cal Stamp was introduced to the band by a mutual friend, but initially turned down the guitarist role. However, after seeing a Spirit Animal set in Manhattan, he changed his mind and joined the band.[5]

Spirit Animal released its first EP This Is A Test in 2012.[6][7] In 2013, Sean Parker added Spirit Animal's song, "The Black Jack White" to a Spotify playlist, which led to over 450,000 plays of the song.[8] The song was later featured in an episode of CSI:NY.[9] In 2014, Cooper wrote an article for Business Insider about Taylor Swift's removal of her music from Spotify.[10] In 2016, Spirit Animal partnered with the website Bloody Disgusting for the music video for the song, "Big Bad Road Dog" from their EP, World War IV.[11]

The band signed a record deal with Atlantic Records in May 2018, and released a new single titled, "YEAH!".[12] They were formerly signed to Wind-up Records.[13] In the first part of 2018, the band opened for The Struts, Incubus, and Fitz and the Tantrums. Spirit Animal released their major label debut album, Born Yesterday, on August 3, 2018.[14] The second single from the album, "Karma," was written in the rehearsal space of Tenacious D. In 2019, the band left Atlantic Records, and created their own label, Swagger State University, an imprint of RED Music.[15] The band released REBORN YESTERDAY, which includes all tracks from Born Yesterday, plus two new tracks "HYDR8", "Arm Candy," and an acoustic version of "YEAH!".[15]

The band toured with Theory of a Deadman in summer 2018,[16] and toured with The Struts and White Reaper in the fall.[17] After touring with the Struts, Spirit Animal toured with Red Sun Rising and dubé.[18] In early 2019, Spirit Animal opened for Dorothy.[19] In spring 2019, they performed at WIXO's Spring Fling festival in Peoria, and opened for Stone Temple Pilots at the Detroit Grand Prix.[20][21] Spirit Animal began opening for Theory of a Deadman in fall 2019,[22] and will tour with The Cult in December 2019. The tour is celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Cult's album Sonic Temple; Spirit Animal will be opening for the United States leg of the tour.[23] Ricky Reed helped produce REBORN YESTERDAY.[24]

Spirit Animal has been compared to Talking Heads, The Black Keys, Faith No More, and Red Hot Chili Peppers.[25] Fans of Spirit Animal refer to themselves as "Spanimals".[26]

Discography

Studio albums
  • The Cost of Living (2010)[6]
  • Born Yesterday (2018)[27]
  • REBORN YESTERDAY (2019)[15]

EPs
  • This Is a Test (2012)[7]
  • Kingdom Phylum (2013)[28]
  • World War IV (2016)[29]

References
  1. "Gray Kid Music Archive". www.graykid.com. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  2. Bronson, Kevin. "The Gray Kid gets in the spirit with upcoming free EP". buzzbands.la.
  3. "Cost of Living Kickstarter". Kickstarter.
  4. Owen, Brent (June 12, 2015). "Zanzabar has a Spirit Animal". Louisville Magazine. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  5. "Spirit Animal". In de Goot Entertainment. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  6. Henry, Dustin. "Spirit Animal shares new song "Regular World" – Listen". consequenceofsound.net. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  7. May, Amanda Roscoe. "Spirit Animal: 'This is a Test" of the Emergency Rock 'n' Roll System". KQED.com. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  8. Blau, Max. "How Spotify Engineered the New Music Economy". Mashable. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  9. Windsor, Pam (January 24, 2003). "Louis music fans will get a treat when the New York City based Spirit Animal performs at ZaZoo's Friday night". Louisville Magazine. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  10. Cooper, Steve (November 5, 2014). "A Musician Explains Why Spotify Is Not The Enemy". Business Insider. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  11. "Paul Michel and Spirit Animal Release Epic Video for Single "Big Bad Road Dog"". bassplayer.com. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  12. Kress, Bryan. "Spirit Animal Announces Atlantic Signing, Debuts First Video: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  13. "Spirit Animal". Lyka. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  14. Krause, Eden. "Premiere + Q&A: Spirit Animal releases "Karma" in anticipation of Debut Album". onestowatch.com. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  15. "Spirit Animal". In De Goot Entertainment. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  16. "Spirit Animal announce debut album 'Born Yesterday'//Drop new song "Karma"". soundfiction.net. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  17. Reed, Ryan (July 18, 2018). "The Struts Announce Headlining North American Tour". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  18. Serra, Maria. "Greta Van Fleet Release New Song and Other News You Might Have Missed Today". altpress.com. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  19. Frometa, RJ. "Dorothy Announces Tour w/ Spirit Animal + New Album Out Now". Vents Magazine. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  20. "105.7 The X Rocks Event Calendar".
  21. Nagl, Kurt. "Stone Temple Pilots to play final day of Grand Prix on Belle Isle". Crain's Detroit. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  22. D'Astolfo, Guy. "In Theory, Spirit Animal Was The Opening Act". The Business Journal. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  23. Petro, Larry. "THE CULT Announce December Sonic Temple Anniversary Shows". KNAC.com. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  24. Lossiah, Jonah. "Spirit Animal looks to bring new flavor to Cherokee music scene". Cherokee One Feather. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  25. "Interview: Spirit Animal". All Things Go. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  26. Hamersky, Victoria. "Steve Cooper From Spirit Animal talks touring, Red Hot Chili Pepper, & New Music Talks". suburbanrose.com. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  27. Rossignol, Derrick. "All The New Albums Coming Out in August 2018". uproxx.com. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  28. Jenkins, Mark (October 31, 2013). "Spirit Animal album review: 'Kingdom Phylum'". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  29. Jewett, Connor. "Travel Profile: Steve Cooper of Spirit Animal". SunCity Paradise. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
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