The past year has seen Baltimores Spinfire vault into the Mid-Atlantic music mix, contributing their share to the Baltimore-Annapolis tradition of distinct, original modern rock. Amongst a myriad of others, Spinfire cut their teeth playing with regional heavy-hitters, including Kelly Bell, Laughing Colors, Fidel, and Mary Prankster. The bands self-titled debut CD has emerged as a shimmering mix of in-your-face rock and melodic pop and has served as the bands entry pass into the areas musical A-list, helping to secure audiences beyond their Maryland home. Two tracks from the CD Letting It Be and Waitinghave earned regional airplay, and Spinfire have appeared on WNVTs Megahertz. Unsung Heros Matt Davis talked to Spinfire recently, discussing the bands history, some of the intra-scene teamwork that helped make their success possible, their unique bonding ritual, and which fruit is the most frightening.

Matt Davis: Tell me about Spinfire's current lineup?

MATT: We've been together about 3 months. We have our new guitar player, Crickie, who also does a lot of harmony work. And right now we have a bass player named Chad, who couldn't make it out tonight.

Matt Davis: Evan and Matt, you guys are the founding members?

EVAN: Yup.

Matt Davis: I hear that there was some interesting drama between you two before you guys formed the band?

EVAN: I was a drummer back in the day in another local band, and whenever you have two musicians from a small area, people talk things up. We ended up getting in this huge fight, and there was all this stuff between us, and we had never even met. It was like Matt versus Evan. We were going to supposedly fight. I heard that he was going to hit me with baseball bats. (laughter) It was bad! One day, we met at a Guitar Center drum challenge and we were like, Hey, I don't hate you. We just straightened it up, and he went on to beat me in the drum-off. So I was like, Man I gotta have this kid in my band. And about that time, I was switching to guitar and writing songs.

Matt Davis: Whats the story behind the cover art for your CD?

EVAN: The cover art was just a piece we selected by Jimi Haha of Jimmies Chicken Shack. We chose it because, at the time, we were thinking of calling the CD Misdirected, and, when we looked at the picture, it was a guy torn in different directions, and we were like, Hey, that's great.

Matt Davis: Is Misdirected Jimi's name for the piece?

EVAN: No. The piece is called Which Way Do We Go. We also thought he looked like he was spinning, and (hence the connection to) Spinfire. It just seemed to work, and we loved it.

Matt Davis: You guys have incorporated some well-known local musicians from the area on your CD. How did that come about?

EVAN: Steve Whiteman from Kix/Funny Money. I was actually taking vocal lessons from him. It was Rennie's idea. We had a song that could use a harmony. Rennie Grant is our producer, and he was like, What voice could we use? Steve was actually in the studio, and Rennie was like, Do you want to sing on the track? His voice just fit, and it turned into a love-song duet.

Matt Davis: How about Dave Tieff from Laughing Colors?

MATT: Dave was somebody who Evan and I had talked about getting on the CD because he is a really good friend. We love Laughing Colors and we were just looking for that extra texture for the song Weak Nights. He's just a great guy. Great singer.

Matt Davis: Any new Spinfire material in the works?

EVAN: We're in the studio right now, actually. We're at Wright Way Studios in Baltimore. I think we're going to release another six-song EP in November. You've played Waiting on your radio show, but all the rest is new material. We're really happy about it because we feel like we're heading in a new direction with our songs and we feel like a better band completely.

Matt Davis: Do you plan on doing any gigging outside of Baltimore anytime soon?

MATT: Absolutely. We're actually looking for a van and trailer. We've been playing in Philadelphia, Ocean City, and New York. We have a lot of people down in DC/Annapolis and Northern Virginia who like us. There's a pretty big local scene down there, and it's a lot of fun.

EVAN: It's just hard to get down there. We either need to caravan down there, or if we rent a U-Haul we usually smash it into something! (laughter)

CRICKIE: I rented a U-Haul for a show we did in West Virginia. While we were there I had parked it, and Evan goes, Let me move it, I was like, No way, man. My name's on this thing.

EVAN: I was like, Crickie, come on, man. There's no way I'll mess it up.

CRICKIE: So Evan gets in the truck, drives two feet and runs over a bench.

EVAN: The beauty about a U-Haul is that we were able to then take the park bench and put it in the back of the U-Haul.

CRICKIE: And it never happened.

EVAN: Well, the park bench wasn't destroyed if it's not there.

Matt Davis: Wrecking public property aside, what do you guys like to do when you aren't playing music?

MATT: Work out, sleep, work sometimes when I'm not quitting my job, and hook up with girls.

EVAN: I really like to have sex. When I'm not having sex I like to sit home and write. It's kind of like my whole life. So when were not out gigging, I'm just home screwing around with my acoustic.

CRICKIE: I'm a big hockey fan, and I play. I've been playing all my life. I actually got pretty good at it at one point, and then I joined this band and I've started to suck.

EVAN: He was on the Junior Bandits.

CRICKIE: Yeah, I played college and junior A. But I'm also interested in the recording-studio thing, and I'm learning how to engineer and stuff.

Matt Davis: Favorite sport to watch or play?

MATT: Football.

EVAN: I really like ice hockey. I can't play, but I like to watch.

CRICKIE: My favorite sport to watch is lacrosse.

Matt Davis: Phobias or superstitions?

MATT: Evan's dick in my ear.

EVAN: That's your phobia?

MATT: I don't like heights.

EVAN: I only really have one superstition, which is that before every single solitary show I drive around Matt's neighborhood once before we all leave from there. Every time I haven't, something horrible has gone wrong.

Matt Davis: That might cause some problems if you guys start doing some extensive U.S. touring. Maybe you could have a roadie do it for you?

EVAN: I'm gonna have a roadie drive around the neighborhood.

CRICKIE: I'm really superstitious in sporting events when I'm playing. The only phobia I have is... This is really weird...

EVAN: That apple thing?

CRICKIE: Apples.

EVAN: You're such a weirdo, man.

CRICKIE: I just can't stand apples. I can't fuckin' stand it! It's like when people scratch their nails, man.

Matt Davis: You're afraid of apples?

CRICKIE: I'm not afraid of... Yeah, if I were Superman, it would be my kryptonite. It's bad.

Matt Davis: What's your dearest possession?

EVAN: My acoustic guitar. It's a hundred-dollar guitar that was a gift to me. Ever since I got it, it's like all the originality in my body is just pouring out into it. I treat it like crap, but I love it.

CRICKIE: Mine is a guitar as well. It's an Ibanez John Pertucci model.

MATT: Let me say that the band's dearest possession is. . . This is kinda sick. I don't know if you can print this.

EVAN: This is disgusting. He's going to think we're weird.

CRICKIE: We all had to piss one night, and we all pissed in a bottle. It's in the back of a room. That's all we have to say.

EVAN: It was almost our initiation for the new members.

Matt Davis: It's like becoming blood brothers, only it's...

MATT: Piss! Piss brothers!

EVAN: Three months later, it's dark orange with a huge chunk of white on the bottom!

Matt Davis: You guys might want to see a doctor about that. Do you still have the bottle?

EVAN: No. Matt's mom found it and flipped out!

Matt Davis: Who knows? It could have been in the Hard Rock one day. . . . (laughter) Thanks, guys. We'll be looking for your new CD around Thanksgiving.