SPIRIT KID PLAYS PHILLY

Philadelphia’s North Star Bar played host and time-machine to Spirit Kid and headliners, Eli “Paperboy” Reed & The True Loves last Sunday night. After a delayed setup, Emeen Zarookian’s band-Spirit Kid-lit up the stage with “Honesty”; an upbeat tune featured on the band’s current 7” single which debuted on the 12th of January at the Brooklyn Bowl. Spirit Kid’s stage presence bounces in sync with the moving audience. The band produces fun pop-music that’s undeniably reminiscent of early 60s and 70s rock & roll.

Zarookian’s high voice coos a retro innocence. “I’m only looking at you,” he sings during the band’s second song “That Kind of Man.” The strong musicianship shines from heavy bass to a mean tambourine. The keyboards on this song channel intense Zombies influences. No surprise there, after an earlier eavesdrop heard Spirit Kid sound checking with a great rendition of “She’s Not There.”

The music evokes a new feel-good take on old-style rock music. The band played a mix of songs, including: tracks off their self-titled debut album released in 2010, current 7” single and a few brand-new songs.

In the middle of the set Spirit Kid broke out a cool, boot-stompin’ take on the Beatles’ “One After 909”. It was hard not to dance while band members lost themselves in their instruments. It’s evident  the band grew up listening to Abbey Road as Zarookian twangs his Gretsch like an early George Harrison.

“My Imagination”, a track off the self-titled album produced a lush retro vibe as back-up vocals doo-wopped with a line of “oo-la-la-la. oo-la-la-la”. The steady and poppy drums coupled with deep bass-lines delivered a sound straight from a 1965 vinyl.

Spirit Kid recording shenanigans from Matthew Sisto on Vimeo.

Spirit Kid finished the high-energy, 10-song set with “Wrong Kind of Money” and finally “Fly Trap” off the self-titled album. “It was a great show, the previous couple shows were basically sold out and quite rowdy (SK played the Middle East Downstairs on the 14th) so it had a lot to live up to but was definitely still fun,” the frontman said after the show.

The band plans on releasing their next EP later this year. “We’re now a year into the official “birth” of Spirit Kid in the public eye and with a few different members things are inevitably going to sound a bit different. For one the songs we just released on the 7inch included Matt and our former drummer Andrew playing their respective parts so it was no longer a solo effort all by me and this shaped the way the songs came together, especially ‘Honestly,’” Zarookian said.

With influences ranging from Chuck Berry to Wilco, the band’s retro appeal is clear. The band has gained notoriety from “You Lit Up for Me,” the first song on the debut album, which was featured in trailers for Showtime’s hit show Weeds.

Spirit Kid was also voted as one of 11 “bands to watch in 2011″ by The Phoenix. Zarookian jokes about the honor: “I can’t say I was totally surprised, I mean, it’s definitely an honor to be recognized by peers, press, or anyone really. We had been working hard all year supporting the CD that took me 4 years to actually complete so it’s nice to get something back, otherwise I’m left feeling like … is anybody listening? Does anybody care?” he asks with a laugh.

Association with a Showtime show, the possibility of some indie film song placements and a new album in the works makes the future look bright and inspiring for Spirit Kid. “Inspiration comes from many different sources and positive feedback is definitely one of them. I wish I could say I turn a blind eye to what others think but it inevitably affects me on some level. In this case it is positive. I’d continue doing it anyway but if people say they want to hear more then they will hear more.”