Nantucket Music Foundation is pleased to present a free community show with Spin Doctors
Spin Doctors’ first album in 12 years is at once a bold leap for a legendary band and the sound of a group truly revitalized. Marking their debut on new label home and iconic major Capitol Records, Face Full of Cake finds the alt-rock veterans in top form with an abundance of hooks in their arsenal and the warm, funky sound that longtime fans have come to expect from them. The record truly marks a new era for Spin Doctors, and with a blockbuster summer tour on the horizon and new bassist Jack Daley in tow, it’s impossible not to catch the thrilling feeling that this 35 years strong-and-running crew is, despite their wealth of experience, just getting started. Face Full of Cake marks the quartet’s return after 2013’s If the River Was Whiskey; according to drummer Aaron Comess, its creative genesis began while the group was isolating during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It had been a while since we had made a record,” he recalls. “We had talked about it for a while, but nobody was really motivated enough to get together and start the process.”
The album continued to come together after a series of intimate hangs between Comess and Barron (“I’ve figured out after 35 years that the best way to get Chris to write with me is to invite him over for dinner,” Comess chuckles), but a crucial element to Face Full of Cake’s formation was the addition of new bassist Jack Daley, who makes his studio debut with Spin Doctors after joining the band full-time in 2021 to replace former bassist Mark White while on tour. Following the extensive demoing process, the quartet decamped to Asbury Park, splitting time between hotel digs and Daley’s studio space where recording took place. “I was super psyched that they wanted to do it at my studio,” Daley recalls. “When we got into the studio, everyone was really supportive and gave me some pointers about not being afraid to step out a little bit or play a little busier. We had a blast making this record—it was nothing but positive energy.”