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So who or what is Spork? Spork is a band...A group of four musicians, friends and artists who came together to make music. Founded in the Spring of 1995 in Levine Music Hall at Western Maryland College in Westminster, Spork began as a trio of college students who realized they could all play instruments, and that when played in unison, those instruments sounded kind of neat. Mark Newman, Nathan Smith and Blair St. Amand started playing sporadically throughout the Spring semester of 1995; Blair playing an old out-of-tune piano in Levine or his brother¹s hand-me-down Yamaha keyboard, Nate playing his electric guitar, Bessie, (often unplugged so as not to drown out the other instruments) or his acoustic, and Mark strumming his acoustic guitar. Mostly fooling around with blues chord patterns, popular alternative hits, off-Broadway showtunes and trip-hop rock-a-billy, Spork soon realized their eclectic nature and determined then and there never to be funneled into one genre. However, they also realized that 2 guitars and a keyboard do not a band make. Soon after, the 3 original prongs of Spork began determining their now glorious future. First, they co-wrote the music and lyrics to their first song (and co-sang it), Victim of the Weather. After several comparisons to the Beastie Boys¹ tri-vocal format, Spork decided to limit lead vocals to one person per song, thus paving the way for uni-vocalist bands such as Reel Big Fish, Soul Coughing and Aqua. (thereby leaving the door ajar for other bands to corner the multi-vocalist market: such as Barenaked Ladies, Insane Clown Possee and N¹Sync). The next major artistic move for the band was Mark Newman¹s breakthrough switch from guitar to bass, not only allowing the band to play low notes, but also freeing Blair from having to play low notes on the keyboard, allowing him to wave more frequently during performances (usually to the hot dog vendor). Now, came the hard part. Finding a beat. The band interviewed extensively for the position of drummer knowing full well that a good drummer can cover up all the inevitable forgotten endings and B-flats that are sure to plague truly innovative and experimental groups. Of the 3 candidates, none stood out. But because Adam Schwaninger lived on campus, he got the job. Now, with a full arsenal of talent and instrumentation, Spork was ready to hit the road for their first tour. And they still are. |
