The Spring Standards - Would Things Be Different

Former Philly/Delaware area high school friends who reconnected in New York, James Cleare, Heather Robb and James Smith as The Spring Standards have become a Lower East Side staple over the past few years bringing their own unique brand of three part harmony, multi-instrumental chops and impressive folk/rock songcraft to their often wild and wooly live shows. It's always a challenge to tell who's having more fun -- the audience or the wise-cracking, foot stomping and hootenanny-harmonizing trio on stage. Their music draws mightily from the classic acoustic pop music of the 60's and 70's, with elements of tin-pan alley, Laurel Canyon folk, guitar-pull mountain jamming and cabaret theatrics all conjoined with a hefty dash of tongue-in-cheek, loosely controlled mayhem.

After a promising Rhett Miller-produced EP, The Spring Standards return with their fan-funded independent debut album Would Things Be Different on April 13. Bryce Goggins (Pavement, Phish, Apples in Stereo) is at the production board for the Standards' new standards with their expected engaging mix of styles: the sweetly jaunty country/folk of "Bells and Whistles" to the music hall piano and snare drum snap of "Queen of the Lot". The strategy is simple and direct -- "We want to show people a good time," Smith says, "and play music from the heart." But the trio have in their arsenal the writing skills and an assured way around their enormous bag of instruments to make Would Things Be Different a truly different, joyous listen. Highly recommended.

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The Spring Standards - "Bells and Whistles" (from the album Would Thing Be Different)

The Spring Standards- "Goodbye Midnight" (from the EP No One Will Know)