ALBUM REVIEW: Spillie Nelson's "Spillosophy"
“Spillosophy”
By Spillie Nelson
As reviewed by Allen Fennewald
Spillie Nelson’s album “Spillosophy” is available now on Apple Music and YouTube!
Find Spillie Nelson on: Facebook, Apple Music, Instagram, and YouTube
If you love dancing barefoot around the campfire to rock ‘n’ reggae, then the Spillie Nelson crew are the ones for you.
They have a heartwarmingly classic jam band sound that brings me back to simpler times and better parties. The band is named for the first person at a party to spill their drink, aptly named, “Spillie Nelson,” and that good time, fun-loving mentality permeates the album “Spillosophy”.
Hippies, reggae heads, grassers, rockers and ska punks alike can find something to appreciate on “Spillosophy,” which was recorded while in the thick of a mushroom trip at The Music House in Edwardsville, Illinois. The bold move seems to have paid off for the group, because the tracks offer the vibrance of a live performance while still coming out crystal quality. The instrumentals are on point throughout, each solo offering a unique attitude that shows how inspired the band members remained on each take.
The band consists of Andrew Crain, Rich Fleetwood, Josh Whitt, Jamie Smith, Gary Markert and Nick Standford. The record was engineered by Justin Schmitt and assistant Eric A. Gavillet. Josh and Rich founded the band in 2017 and the other members rounded out the bill the following year. The songs on “Spillosophy” contain a lot of the life lessons that Josh and Rich have collected throughout their travels, and they hope others can gain from them as well in their own ways.
Spillie Nelson @ TOCO Family Festival
Nick Stanford (keys), Rich Fleetwood (guitar/vox), Andrew Crain (drums), Josh Whitt (guitar/vox), Gary Markert (bass), Jamie Smith (sax)
We begin with “E-Jam,” which comes in smoother than an e-cig and with twice the vapors as Jamie Smith’s saxophone soars over a lofty organ and rolling drumbeat.
The band falls back as Josh Whitt comes in on lead vocals, soft and bluesy, telling the story of a lonely lady who always wants to be with her man. But she has no need to worry, because he loves her in every way.
Sit back, mama, watch me work
You’re the one who brought me to my knees
Nick Stanford enters on keys like a whirlwind, swirling around your ears, trembling like late summer leaves. They climb the scale up to the heavens before tumbling right back down again.
Lead guitarist Rich Fleetwood gets props on the second solo, grooving through the progression with an effortless, crisp flair. He moves from an easy sailing series of riffs and accelerates into flashy, yet crunchy vamps that you can feel down in your gut.
Spillie Nelson @ Broadway Oyster Bar (St. Louis, MO) 10.11.19
📷: Tyler Gustafson of TG Productions
“Jam Band Blues” starts with a head rocking, booty dropping jam, featuring a honking sax solo, then jumps into the kind of classic rockabilly that’ll have grandma up and doing the boogie-woogie. The splashy keys trade off with the sax at a galloping pace.
Rich takes over on lead vocals, coming on lower in the register than Josh with a swaggering classic rock vocal style, scraping the pan like Jerry Lee Lewis with a little George Thorogood. Josh fills in with backing vocals that are fit for the barbershop.
Well it’s a rolling time and I’m a rolling stone
’Bout to turn around, I’m rolling on
If you wanna get down, well you know where to go
Out behind the shed where the peaches grow
The ivories jump into the jam like a pentatonic cannonball before they bring it home with a guitar solo that Johnny B. Goode would be proud of.
“It’s All Right” is a mellow vibe, cool and reassuring. The sax strolls nonchalantly through a spring sprinkle, kicking about the puddles as the light breaks through. The vibe is a little reggae, a little blues — like a jammy version of Blind Melon’s “No Rain”.
But the vocals bump it up with a hip hop-esque presence.
The song is reassuring but realistic, happy but not exactly triumphant. It brings to mind the Buddhist idea of realizing nirvana by overcoming suffering. It’s all right. Come as you are.
If you’re feeling really down from the rain
Remember the sun will shine again
So it’s all right, yeah, it’s all right
If you’re day gone from good to bad,
To be happy you must be sad
It’s all right, yeah, it’s all right
Spillie Nelson @ Schwagstock 47
📷: Tyler Gustafson of TG Productions
The guitar solo is electric in every sense — bluesy but cheerful.
The chorus is short but sweet. It makes me think of those little sidewalk parties that sometimes pop up around a street performer when enough people show up at just the right time, for just the right song, feeling just the right way. It’s one of those times when strangers can feel like family.
All around the people stand
Singing songs and holding hands
Searching for the light that makes us shine
All in all and so it goes
Where it stops, no one knows
Loving all the light that makes us shine.
The organ solo is perfectly perky. It works itself into a tizzy, exciting the measure like a good preacher can work up their congregation.
“Philosophy” picks the vibes back up with a jovial number. It begins with a flute melody that picks your spirits up like “Three Little Birds” in music and lyric. It’s bright, warm and brings a little smile to your face.
It’s all about philosophy
Maybe just a little of what you need
My friends, my soul is shining bright
It’s all about how you look at things
This song has that chummy campfire vibe that makes me want a s’more. Andrew Crain’s drumming really is the highlight of the track for me. Whether laid back or going full force on some chugging tom fills, the groove holds true. The hi-hat work and rolling snare keep the song skipping all along the way to tasty town.
“Back Steppin’” is a sassy series of crescendos, swinging you softly in the bosom of the beat. The jam is bluesy and swinging. The melody is lifted by flute work that twirls around the rhythm like a songbird on the wing.
Spillie Nelson @ Broadway Oyster Bar (St. Louis, MO) 3.7.20
I was out with you on Friday
Stars in the sky as I held you tight
There’s no wonder there’s no love left in the world
The moon had a sparkle that shined in her eyes
Took me a second before I realized
I’m back steppin’, I’m back steppin’ in the wind.
But the second verse takes a dark turn, hoping for some light at the end of the night.
Awake in the morning and put on my shoes
Pick up the coffee and put on the news
Seems another has been shot down in the street.
Bring back the sunlight and brighten our days
Hopefully someday we might find a way
Back steppin’, back steppin’ in the wind.
“Fragile” has a streetwise vibe to it.
The intro gives off this nervous energy as the guitar chucks and licks over the clattering hi-hat and long somber horn notes. It would work as the intro to a gritty urban cop show set in the disco era. I picture pistol-toting men with gorgeous mustaches and pants that are just tight enough.
When you push me
Well you might’ve pushed a little too hard
I was so young back then
Easily influenced by what I saw
And I wondered, I often wondered
If I will find my way back home
The drummer keeps it slick throughout the track, working that hi-hat through the verses like it owes him money.
The chorus loosens up and stretches the sound, gaining steam as it goes into a doughty guitar solo.
Like an old-time photograph, it’s rolling through my mind
I wonder if I’ll find my way back home
“I See Light” goes reggae all the way.
The sax whispers sweet nothings in our ear over a mellow chicka, chicka, chicka upstroke rhythm. The keys carry you over the melody with belting chords. The sound is bouncy and mysterious, somber and understated, like a dark tunnel with a small light up ahead.
And all is good
And I breath in the day
Because I see light
The guitar solo comes in like a lover’s fingernails softly running up and down your back, light and tingly. The keys tickle your earlobes as they come through before falling back into the refrain.
Spillie Nelson @ Rose Music Hall (Columbia, MO) 2.28.19
“Jimmy” is one of the band’s favorite songs to perform live. It sounds like Dispatch and Leftover Salmon had a baby. The music is chill yet uplifting, the lyrics are narrative and involved as the song rises and falls.
The song begins with a guitar intro that reminds of “Fly Like an Eagle”. The flute comes in to lead, fluttering through the melody as if on the wing.
The verses come through like a spoken word poem.
Jimmy was a second-hand hood
But he didn’t come from Hollywood
Roll his cigarettes up in his sleeves
Like back in the 60s
And he walked through the hallways nice and smooth
Like a velvet razor blade
Never understood a word he said
Except listen to the radio
The breakdown is quite literal. As the instruments bang out a staccato measure, the lyrics demand that you get low. It’s likely that you’re already doing that by this point in the song.
Break it down
How low can you go
The guitar solo leads into a surprise southern rock vibe, going from “Fly Like an Eagle” to “Freebird”. Rich traverses the neck like a twelve step line dance on the fretboard, notes twinkling like neon lights on polished spurs.
The band falls back as Josh and Rich trade off on calling to their smooth friend. By the end of the track, I think we’re all Jimmy.
“Pretend” brings Rich back for leading vocals for a chipper little number with sparkling keys and dazzling flute work. It’s a really happy song for having a chorus that goes “I pretend that I’m not in love with you.” The sound is warm and reassuring, but the lyrics give you other things to think about.
Just wanna run, try to find my way
Got a lot of thoughts, but got nothing to say
Just standing by waiting on the time to change
Enjoy your time, you can enjoy your mind
And let your love shine through
The organ solo is awe inspiring but way too badass for a church. Where the flute played light and frolicked, the organ comes through like a thunderbolt riding a rainbow.
Spillie Nelson @ Woofstock
📷: Tyler Gustafson of TG Productions
“Jump in the Fire” sounds like that fire is on a mountain. It invites you to jump into the passions of the dance and ring around the flames like a bitchin’ pagan party.
It baths in that warm Grateful Dead groove. The wah is long and the vibes are chill. The saxophone fugues with the vocals as the groove rolls through. The guitar solo is soft and smooth, like a little finger tickling your ear.
Jump in the fire
Because you know if feels so good
When the music’s got you in the mood
“Mary Lou” brings the bluesy rock reminiscent of the Allman Brothers. It comes in nice and smooth like a cool chick do. This is a love song to a lady that will never be forgotten. She’s always on the town, but you can count on her coming back to you.
Good wine and sweet perfume
Those are things that come to mind when I think about you
You’re always out on the go
Always manage to find a ticket to the show
The guitar breaks back in with a Southern rock swill that Tedeschi Trucks would appreciate.
The keys are laid back in the track, but they give the crescendos their wings and the music rises through the chorus.
Sweet Mary Lou
Straight from the bottom of my heart, I thank you
Staying loyal and being true
Oh, sweet Mary Lou
“So Excited” opens with a frantic ska sound — heavy on skank strums and hopping horns. The drummer puts in work on this song, frantically jumping and hopping with a boogieing backbeat that drives like a freight train.
I can see the world has passed me by
All that we can do is push and try
But there’s something coming up around the bend
Oh, so excited
The band drops soft as a dollar bill hitting the pavement into a rocksteady break. The wah guitar shines on top of Gary Market’s booming bass line and shimmering synth chords.
Then they hop right back on the ska train to end out the number — excited as ever.
“Right Now” is the kind tune that will have you shaking your ass so hard your headphones fall off while walking down the sidewalk. It’s jazzy, peppy and will have your cares on the breeze. People are going to notice you grooving down the street like you’re at a show, and you’re probably not going to care.
This thing should be the theme song of the next Cheers spinoff.
The break is the bee’s knees, ankles and toes — a great note for the final track on the album. The bass and the drummer get a chance to shine. The rest of the band cuts out to let them flair. It’s probably my favorite part on the album. It’ll have you rocking your whole body like one of those things outside of a used car lot.
The guitar solo gets maximum classic style points. It has that timeless golden sound that would feel right whether it was on a track in the 1960s or 2030s.
Spillie Nelson @ Schwagstock 47
📷: Tyler Gustafson of TG Productions
“Spillosophy” released by Spillie Nelson on Apple Music 7.31.20
Check out every song on Spillie Nelson’s “Spillosophy” on YouTube and give them a like on Facebook for information on upcoming performances.
They’re a fun group of guys and their personalities really shine through on the record. They put on a lively show and have compiled a great body of work for your home enjoyment as well. Listening to it made me really miss the days when my friends would hang out playing hand drums and acoustic guitars around the campfire fire. It has that free atmosphere to the music, but also isn’t afraid to address heavy subjects in the lyrics.
This album reminds us all what a group of amazing musicians can accomplish when they have the freedom to create something that they love, and maybe munch on a little fungus, too.