Spiral Beach

Spiral Beach is a Canadian indie rock band, based in Toronto, Ontario, formed in 2003. The group consists of vocalist and guitarist Airick Woodhead, vocalist and keyboardist Maddy Wilde, bassist Dorian Wolf and drummer Daniel Woodhead.

In 2005, the quartet released their self-titled EP and performed locally all over Toronto, including a weekly residency at Toronto’s Drake Hotel.[2]. By June 2006, the band had gained a devoted following and their shows began selling out, with their NXNE showcase ranked as one of the best of the festival.[3] While their self-titled EP began receiving airplay on Canadian campus radio stations and CBC Radio 3, the band embarked on an international concert tour opening for The Hidden Cameras.[4] This was followed by dates opening for Tokyo Police Club[5] and Sloan[6]

Spiral Beach released their second album, Ball,[7][8] on Sparks Music on October 16, 2007. It was produced by Mike Olsen of The Hidden Cameras, and recorded in a converted barn near Hamilton, ON.[9] To celebrate the album’s release, the band organized several concerts in Toronto including an all-ages show on Ward’s Island which drew hundreds of people to what the band describes as a «rave»-style event,[10] as well as filming a music video for the song «Made of Stone» in a circus tent set up in Trinity Bellwoods Park.[11] They toured around Canada to support the album and performed at SXSW in Austin, Texas the following year.

In April, 2008 Spiral Beach played overseas in London, England to coincide with the release of the Voodoo UK 7». The shows were well received and included a show at Club Fandango. The band was also featuring on the home page of MySpace UK. [12]

In June 2008 the band was fined by EcoMedia for $1470 for postering on their large metal recycling bins in Toronto, prompting a benefit show at the Whippersnapper Gallery, one of Toronto’s most popular DIY all-ages venues.[13][14]

In December 2008 the band began work on their third album with producer Mike Olsen. After the initial recording process was complete, they embarked on a North American tour, playing across the continent from Victoria to Halifax to New York City. [15]

In June 2009 Spiral Beach played four shows at the NXNE Festival in Toronto, including performances with Matt & Kim, Japanther, DD/MM/YYYY and The Black Lips. The shows were filmed for a music video to the song «Domino» from their forthcoming album. Chartattack rated the band’s performance at Yonge & Dundas Square as one of the best of the festival.[16]

The album «The Only Really Thing» was released on September 22, 2009, and the band embarked on another north american tour, including several shows at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City, where they were featured as one of the «Top Ten Bands at CMJ» by Paste Magazine. [17]Along with traditional vinyl, CD and mp3 formats, the album was also released as a 95-page photo book, a copy of Daniel Woodhead’s original lyric book, and a comic book by Maddy Wilde. [18]{After several acoustic shows in Toronto that fall, they left for a European tour in November 2009, which included a headlining show with fellow Canadians Hey Rosetta at the Queen of Hoxton in London, in a night presented by Muso’s Guide[19], as well as a performance at the On3Radio Festival in Munich, Germany, broadcast live on-air to thousands of viewers.[20]

Upon the band’s return, they performed on MTV Live for the second time [21], followed by several dates around Ontario, ending with a show in Toronto on Daniel’s birthday, December 19, 2009.

Airick and Daniel Woodhead are the sons of Canadian folk musician David Woodhead, and Wilde is the daughter of Canadian musical satirist Nancy White.[22]

The members of Spiral Beach appear as themselves in the film Charlie Bartlett, with four of their songs featured in the movie.[23] They have also had their video «Made of Stone» used as part of an episode of the TV series Life’s a Zoo.[24][25]

The members of the band most recently appeared on an episode of Master_Tracks, recording the song Vanishing Town. The episode appeared on Nov. 5, 2010; however, the members disbanded prior to the airing of the show.