“It’s colourful” says drummer Daniel Woodhead. “It jumps out at you, catches you off guard and takes you to other places.” Toronto’s Spiral Beach have been drawing much attention lately to their strange and dynamic energy, and will certainly be catching the ears of many with the release of their album Ball this october on Sparks Music. “We’ve been together with these four members the whole way so far, and have made every decision ourselves, so why throw that power away? There’s a whole lot more we can do together.” Daniel and his brother Airick form the songwriting core of the band, which formed backstage at folk festivals around Ontario where bassist David Woodhead was a constant presence. At their parent’s annual New Years Day party they befriended fellow folkie offspring Maddy Wilde, and in February 2003 a permanent lineup was solidified with bassist Dorian Wolf, a transplant from New York City and school friend of Daniel’s.

Ball’s release comes on the heels of the band’s first cross-Canada tour, a journey that Daniel describes as “mind-expanding”. However, this isn’t the band’s first major outing, as they’ve already toured in the United States with fellow Torontonians the Hidden Cameras last November, and again with Sloan this past spring. These successes on the road haven’t kept the band from finding a place for itself in Toronto’s thriving music community though, where their shows have become notorious for the raw energy and surprising musical ability that seems to draw both young and old crowds. “Definitely playing Elvis Mondays was a really important step for us” Daniel recalls, referring to the free monday nights at the Drake held by longtime Toronto music maverick William New. The band played his shows weekly surrounding the release of their 2005 independant self-titled debut, drawing bigger and more energized crowds with each successive gig. During that time they experimented with the visuals that now form an important part of their stage show, as well as introducing chaotic improvised sections into their sets, a move that never ceases to startle audiences into further appreciation for these young players’ natural charisma and enthusiasm onstage.

In December of 2006, the band was featured on the cover of NOW Magazine, and has enjoyed the favour of music critics across Canada, with feature reviews in Exclaim, Eye Weekly, the Ottawa Express and popular music BLOG I(heart)music. A last-minute appearance on MTV Canada Live in July 2007 received praise for the band’s apparent disregard for the show’s sterile aesthetic, bringing a vibrant and much-needed splash of excitement to the typically tame studio taping.

After spending much of the fall and winter on the road, Spiral Beach relocated to a converted barn outside Hamilton in February 2007 to record the material they had been touring, recruiting Hidden Cameras cellist Mike Olsen to co-produce and engineer. The well-rehearsed songs were recorded live off the floor. “It was like a document of what the band actually sounded like at that moment - we just wanted to perfect the sound we already had” says Daniel. After a week in New York City mixing with Medeski Martin & Wood producer Scotty Hard, the band literally went broke, returning to Toronto to let Airick and Daniel finish the project themselves.

BALL is a collection of songs that musically reflect the kaleidoscopic live show that Spiral Beach puts on, full of ideas and textures that the band translates to the stage with expertise, where the visual and sonic elements complement each other perfectly. A genuine air of excitement surrounds this band, and their ambition and potential seems limitless.

Spiral Beach is: Daniel and Airick Woodhead, Maddy Wilde, and Dorian Wolf.

Dorian the yank was born in spanish harlem, moved to Toronto when he was eleven, and has family spread all over the world. He met Daniel in high school and was asked to play bass in the band, not knowing what he was getting himself into. As befits a bass player, he's the most grounded of the four, the only one to hold a steady job (at a local toronto bar), and easily the closest one to sanity. Favourite musics: Gogol Bordello, Queens Of The Stone Age, Sly & The Family Stone, pretty much any early Motown artist (Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Edwin Starr, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes), Kid Koala, Eagles Of Death Metal, Medeski Martin & Wood.

Airick can play most of the instruments he picks up, and can be seen wandering the streets with a guitar in hand, serenading pigeons and stray marmalots. He started writing songs with his brother Daniel when he was 12, frequently refuses to wear shoes or wash his hair, and lives by himself in kensington market. He often finds himself in small Ontario towns with nothing to do. Favourite musics: Syd Barrett, Esquivel, Gogol Bordello, MIA, Jefferson Airplane, Tom Waits, Sly & The Family Stone.

Daniel gets off on piecing together melodies and lyric fragments as they appear in his head, fully proud of the fact that he can't play any instruments other than drums. He also can't smell, can't drive, and is generally regarded as the most smokable member of the band. Favourite musics: The Flaming Lips, Liars, Nirvana, Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention, Gogol Bordello, Queens Of The Stone Age, Ween.

Maddy grew up a couple of blocks away from the Woodheads, and is the only member to have ever been in another band, playing folk music with her sister Suzy. She's addicted to hot tea and peanut butter (not the combination), writes and draws her own cartoon, and doesn't know what colour her hair is. Favourite musics: That song the King Louie sings in the Jungle Book, Moxy Fruvous, Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention, Kraftwerk, Syd Barrett, Liars, Gogol Bordello.