Spoils System (Rising Band Interview 2025)

(Published: 2025/07/24 at 9:44 pm)

Edition Twenty- Week Twenty; Unit 2:

Written by: Mercedes Barreto

What is the reason for the band name and does this have a significant meaning? Why and how so?

“Dan: The name of the band doesn’t really have a specific meaning. I think I wanted to call the project “Spoils” and me, and my writing partner Sean Hansen realized that there was already a popular band with that name. So Sean suggested we call it Spoils System, which was a “win-win”.

Sean: I’d add that the political climate of early COVID times had a hand in the relevancy of choosing the band name. Definitely spawned from “Spoils”, though.”

Where are some interesting venues you’ve played so far, and where do you plan on playing?

“Dan: So far we’ve been fortunate to have played a lot of great rooms in the Hudson Valley. Our first show in the fall of 2022 was at Colony in Woodstock, which is one of our favorite sounding rooms in the area. We’ve also played at the Falcon (underground), Quinn’s in Beacon, and a great new spot in Newburgh called Untouchable. We have upcoming shows in Rockland County including at Olives in Nyack, and we’re working on setting up gigs outside of New York. Namely in Boston and Philadelphia.

Sean: We’d love to play more DIY college venues around the area: Bard, Vassar, New Paltz.”

Why do you believe your fans and listeners keep coming back? What makes your performance a unique experience?

“Dan: I think that what we do musically is a little different than most of the other bands in the area, which can be advantageous at times and alienating at others. But we feel like we’re writing really good songs and that seems to be getting some attention. We tend to see a lot of musicians at our shows and they always compliment us on the imaginative way we write and arrange our music, which is a great compliment. We try to keep the energy really positive at our shows and offer a unique experience, but it’s also an experience that recalls some aspects of the past. Any fans of early 2000’s indie rock will really connect with our band, and I think we successfully incorporate certain aspects of modern music as well.

Sean: Throughout our past band experiences, our groups and projects always resonated with musicians and were consistently referenced as a “band’s band”. Probably due to our leaning into unexpected chords, melodies, and time signatures.

Who are three top music industry executives who you’d like to work with?

“Dan: We’re not too in tune with music executives these days, but we’re audio engineers as well and are fans of some people. It would be great to work with Ken Andrews someday, he’s an amazing producer/mixer/artist and fronts the band Failure. They’re a big influence on our band. Another person we’re a huge fan of is Nigel Godrich, it would be incredible to get his ears and innovative mixing techniques on some of our tunes.

Sean: I want Brian Emo to yell at me for showing interest in Sub Pop in the mid ‘90s.”

If you could share just one song with the world for a whole day, what song would you share?

“Sean: That’s a tough question! Of our own catalog? Probably “Far Along” from the first LP or “Subtle Amends” from The Nope Out. In the history of music? “Witches’ Rave” by Jeff Buckley.

Where can we hear more of your music, and why should we? What makes Spoils System Band iconic?

“You can find us on Spotify, Apple Music, and on Bandcamp at spoilssystem.bandcamp.com. We just released our 2nd album called “The Nope Out” and we also have another album called “Smoke Signals”, originally released in May 2023. What makes us iconic? Without a doubt, our “dad” jokes.

Anything to add here?

“Please come out and see our band if you’re a fan of well-crafted power pop and shoegaze music that throws nods to artists like Swervedriver, Elliott Smith, Death Cab For Cutie, Blinker the Star, Failure and The Posies. Kellii Scott from Failure plays on two of the songs on our new album “The Nope Out”. Thank you so much for the interview!”

Questions For The Photographer-

What makes these photos special or unique in some way?

“The Band is local and playing in a new venue in Newburgh, NY. There are not a lot of places for bands to play in Newburgh, but there used to be. The building, back in the day, was an Italian Restaurant, which we frequented many times over the years. It’s so good to see music happening again in Newburgh.”

Do you recommend?

“If you like good original music played by seasoned professionals, don’t miss this band. I highly recommend them to any venue looking to hire a band.”