Built to Spill at the Codfish Hollow Barn -- May 25.
Wednesday, May 25, 7 p.m.
Codfish Hollow Barn, 5013 288th Avenue, Maquoketa IA
With their most recent album Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston lauded by American Songwriter as "a near-perfect marriage of pop rock sensibilities and lyrical sincerity," the revered indie rockers of Built to Spill headline a May 25 concert at Maquoketa's Codfish Hollow Barn, the musicians currently celebrating three decades of live performance and the forthcoming release of their 10th full-length recording When the Wind Forgets Your Name.
Based in Boise, Idaho, Built to Spill's ensemble has long showcased guitarist/lead vocalist Doug Martsch, and is noted for its long and often complex song structures centered on Martsch's guitar playing. Martsch formed the group in 1992 alongside Brett Netson and Ralf Youtz, and in an interview with Spin magazine, Martsch stated that he intended to change the band's lineup for every album, himself being the only permanent member. After Built to Spill's first album Ultimate Alternative Wavers was released in 1993, Netson and Youtz were replaced by Brett Nelson and Andy Capps for 1994's There's Nothing Wrong with Love. A compilation album titled The Normal Years followed, which included recordings by both lineups, and between the completion of albums in 1995, Built to Spill gained exposure by playing on the Lollapalooza tour. Also in 1995, the band collaborated on the song "Still Flat" for the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Bothered, produced by the Red Hot Organization.
Martsch signed Built to Spill to Warner Bros. Records in 1995 and had their first major-label release in 1997 with Perfect from Now On, a critical success that caused the band to become one of the United States' most recognizable indie-rock outfits. In 1999, the ensemble released Keep It Like a Secret to continued critical success and, for the first time, significant commercial success. Built to Spill's fifth studio album, Ancient Melodies of the Future, was released in 2001, and over the past two decades, the recording has been followed by 2006's You in Reverse, 2015's Untethered Moon, and 2020's Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston. The latter release inspired Slug Mag to call Built to Spill "the perfect band for this project," and led Flood magazine to rave that "while the playing is more polished and proficient, less raw and ragged, than Johnston’s ever was, his playful spirit is most definitely here, listening, smiling, nodding along to his own songs."
The musicians of Built to Spill play their Maquoketa engagement on May 25, admission to the 7 p.m. concert is $35-40, and more information and tickets are available by visiting CodfishHollowBarnstormers.com.
