Spooner (band)
| Spooner | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Wayne, Nebraska, Madison, Wisconsin, USA |
| Genres | Power pop, new wave |
| Years active | 1974-1985, 1989-1993 |
| Labels | Mountain Railroad, Boat, Dali/Chameleon |
| Associated acts | Fire Town, Garbage, The Know-It All Boyfriends, Waterdogs |
| Past members | Dave Benton Doug Erikson Bob Olsen Butch Vig Bill Roberts Joel Tappero Jeff Walker |
Spooner was a Midwestern rock band formed in 1974 in Madison, WI, by keyboardist/vocalist Doug Erikson, songwriter/guitarist/vocalist Bob Olsen, and guitarist/vocalist Dave Benton originally as an acoustic/electric trio. Between 1975 and 1978, the group had undergone several line-up changes, including adding Butch Vig as a drummer. Extremely popular in Madison, and able to draw in crowds in other Midwestern cities, Spooner released two well-received albums, Every Corner Dance and The Wildest Dreams and toured intensively throughout the Midwest to promote them.
Spooner disbanded in the mid-1980s, with Erikson and Vig moving on to form Fire Town, who recorded two albums before splitting. Spooner reformed shortly after, and released a final album, The Fugitive Dance before splitting for a final time. During the early nineties, Erikson and Vig's production career took off, with Vig producing for major label artists such as Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins before they formed the multi-platinum selling alternative rock group Garbage.
After originally meeting at college in Wayne, Nebraska in the early 1970s, and performing under the name "Nickelplate Road", Spooner formed in 1974, after a move to Madison, Wisconsin. Spooner's original incarnation was a three-piece outfit, with Bob Olsen-guitar vocals, Doug Erikson-keyboards, vocals, and Dave Benton-guitar/bass/vocals, and performed a mix of acoustic and electric material without drums: "We did all original stuff, and it was pretty spacey...sort of Jackson Browne-ish". In 1975 Olsen left the band, and they brought in Butch Vig on drums and Bill Roberts on guitar. Vig had performed drums in Eclipse, a Madison garage-pop band. By 1978, Spooner consisted of Erikson, Benton, Vig, keyboardist Jeff Walker and bassist Joel Tappero. The third line-up of Spooner evolved their sound into one considered by their fans to be "new wave," even if the band didn't quite agree with the tag.
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