Get your playlists ready to add Twelve Spies debut album, “The Outset”

Recently releasing their debut album, “The Outset”, Memphis rockers, Twelve Spies are coming full force with killer new sounds!

Vibing an alternative rock reverberation straight from the 90’s, mixed in with full force riffs from today, Twelve Spies are a band that you need on your daily playlist!

In regular rotation on Not the Girl Next Door Show/Rock Rage Radio, I wanted listeners to learn a little more about the band. We check out the roots of Twelve Spies and what the future holds for this killer band.

Tell us a little about the band, where are you from? How did you meet?

We are all from the Memphis metro area.

James initially responded to a Facebook ad for a previous music project that David and I were already a part of. That project didn’t work out, however the three of us continued playing music and hanging out. I had a solo internet music project already in the works, and when James discovered it, he encouraged me to make it a “real” band. Since we already had the right folks to convert it to a group that could play live (James on drums and David on bass), it made sense for us to just transition into playing together as Twelve Spies.

 

What kind of music would you describe your sound as? Who are some of your musical influences?

We have been calling our style Alternative Rock. We have heavy, progressive guitar/bass riffs and drums. Our vocals are pretty much all clean without any screaming so far and we like to use vocal harmonies a lot. Some of our big music influences are Chevelle, Tremonti, and Periphery. 

We all have unique musical backgrounds, which we feel also adds to our sound.

Let’s talk about the newest single “Crown Of Thorns”.

We are super excited for this one! It’s our third single and the opening track of our first album. In our live set we actually open with this song because it’s just a fun, progressive heavy song that makes you want to bob your head and sing along. 

Back in 2021, we shot a music video for it in a studio in Memphis. You can find it on our YouTube channel.

 

Tell us what the song is about and what inspired the song?

So this song was really inspired by Periphery from a guitar standpoint. I really like how they use intricate chords and rhythms in their riffs. From a lyrical standpoint, I wrote this song just dealing with my own struggles. It’s about feeling lost and hopeless over sin in your life, and the idea that you can just cast it all on the Cross. It’s the idea that what Christ did for us at the crucifixion is more powerful than any sin in our lives. 

 

How does the collaboration process work as far as writing/composing music?

It usually starts with a guitar riff or instrumental song idea. Usually if a vocal line fits with the idea, we build around that. After the main idea (the “meat and potatoes” if you will) is captured, we write drums and bass into the song. Usually it’s at this point that backup vocals are added and we work on the arrangement of the song. This process is iterative, and as we experiment with ideas in the studio, we share song files that we all listen back to critically. We will get back together and try any ideas each of us has. After several rounds of this, we will eventually call the song done when everyone is happy.

 

How does it feel when you put all your hard work to the test and perform live? Do you have any crazy performance band/fan stories?

 

It’s electric getting to play a song you created, worked on, and practiced up on stage in front of people who are there to listen to you. Not only is it fun to play music, but when you have lyrics that are meaningful and faith-inspired, it’s awesome to see people resonate with it.

 

Right before our first show, our in-ear system failed. We were scrambling trying to figure out what to do and nothing was working. After struggling with it for a while, we collectively decided to just go for it. This is where we have to brag on our drummer James – he held it all together and it turned out to be one of our best shows.

 

Let’s shake it up a little. Tell us some strange facts about the band, that virtually no one would know.

 

We actually record all our music in a home studio. It gives us a ton of flexibility and creativity, and saves us a great deal of cash too. We all have a good time hanging out in the studio and just seeing what we can create. Our vocal tracking sessions have been known on occasion, to be interrupted by the distinct bark of a Border Collie named Daisy!

 

What do you have planned for the rest of 2022?

So we just released our first album, “The Outset” (out on all platforms!). It’s got 10 songs that we have been playing for a while at shows. It’ll be exciting to play some shows and people will know a lot more of the songs we are playing hopefully. We just want to get our music in front of more people and keep having a good time playing shows!

By: Not the Girl Next Door Show/Angela Mockbee

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