South Philly Review

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As October draws to a close, locals may choose to commemorate the approach of Halloween in a number of ways: from family trips to the nearest pumpkin patch, to late-night visits to haunted attractions. One Philadelphia-based alternative rock band, SPiN, will get into the  spirit by celebrating the Sept. 28 release of their new album, “BELiEVE,” recorded in a 150-year-old funeral home in South Philadelphia.

Comprised of Pennsport native Henry Cieplinski, guitar and vocals, along with bandmates Eric Rothenheber, vocals and guitar; Jim Vacca, vocals and keyboard; and Lou Chudnofsky, drums — all of whom hail from the region — the band recorded some demos, but the project eventually evolved until the musicians were producing their first full-length album entirely on their own. The quartet handled every aspect of development, from learning how to use Pro Tools, the recording software on their laptops, to designing the cover art and taking their own press photographs with the funeral home, which band members would not name, as a backdrop. In all, they spent three to four days a week putting “BELiEVE” together.

“Lou is pretty scared of everything, but mostly that’s just the Jager talking,” Cieplinski said of their time spent recording at the mortuary.

It was a natural choice for SPiN to choose this rather unusual spot to record their new material: the band practiced and composed all of their music there while attempting to find inspiration from the same space in which their ideas came to life.

In addition, the musicians hoped to capture sound reminiscent of a live recording, since there would be no isolation booths as in a professional studio. Overall, the entire process took a year, during which time the band members enjoyed the freedom allowed by having no time constraints or outside input.

“Recording allowed us to step outside the music and just listen,” Cieplinski said.

The perseverance and self-reliance demonstrated by the band’s decision is perhaps reflected in the central theme behind “BELiEVE,” which, according to Cieplinski, could be “to have faith in yourself when no one else does.” The album, which appears on the HowsaboutNOW? Records label, includes 14 tracks and totals more than 48 minutes. It is available for download on iTunes, Amazon and Rhapsody, among others.

The album release party for “BELiEVE” is 9 p.m. Oct. 30, or Mischief Night, at the Grape Room in Manayunk. The choice for the venue was grounded in nostalgia, as SPiN performed one of their first shows there, and has an appreciation for its band-friendly atmosphere. Other musical acts performing that evening include John Maskal, Ike and Fooling April. In addition, the Jagerettes — Jagermeister’s promotional models — will give away free T-shirts and CDs.

The members of SPiN are no strangers to seamless collaboration. They all take turns composing songs, so that musical differences have never been a cause of dispute since the band’s formation. The members also cite a common reason for pursuing such a career: their love for music.

“Some bands are just about getting chicks, partying, having a stage to exploit their egos,” Cieplinski said. “All of that is also true in our case, by the way.”

SPiN began as a cover band shortly after Rothenheber and Chudnofsky met in their high school jazz band in Wyndmoor. With the addition of Cieplinski, whose brother was also a member of the jazz band and introduced the duo to the young guitarist, the idea to begin performing original music soon emerged.

“[We] needed a drummer. We found Lou on the side of the road somewhere in Hillbilly-ville, Del.,” Cieplinski.

While still in the early stages of transition from cover band to rock quartet, the band met with an unexpected stroke of fortune. It was in ‘04 when they reached out to the Jagermusic.com website. Adam Grayer, Jager Band coordinator for Sidney Frank Importing, Co., Inc., accepted SPiN into the program on a trial run basis.

“Once the band proved that they were a hard working band with the drive to promote themselves and the product, they were made into an official Jager Band,” said Steven Puente, assistant marketing and band coordinator for Sidney Frank. “They are now one of our hardest working bands in the program and we’re very fortunate to have them on the roster.”

The band members site one of their performances at the now-closed Bamboo Bernie’s Cantina in Lansdale, N.J, as a crucial part of this decision.

“Clearly, they had no choice but to sponsor us once they saw how handsome we are,” Cieplinski said.

The band has met with a whirlwind of success since their humble origins in Wyndmoor. 2007 saw the release of their self-titled EP, which was produced by Grammy-Award-winning David Ivory. “Home,” the single from the debut EP, reached No. 7 on the charts for Friday Morning Quarterback, a monthly nationwide music magazine. In addition, the music video for their song “Playing Dead” aired nationally on Fuse TV and Yahoo! Music, as well as Canada’s AUX TV. A Jager Music tour featured the group in shows throughout 22 states, during which they opened for multi-platinum acts like Puddle of Mudd, Hinder, Trapt and Fat Joe.