RTL Talks: Spendo

Rock the Lake will shake Prospera Place from Aug. 11 to 13.

Ahead of the show, 104.7 The LIZARD, 103.1 Beach Radio, and Kelowna10 will be the place to be for all things RTL - from exclusive interviews to ticket giveaways!

Among the bands taking the stage is Spendo on Friday night.

They are a four-member band based in Vancouver, with a deep love for modern and classic rock, especially from the 1970s California era.

Following the release of their seven-track EP "Waiting For Years..." Spendo embarked on a journey of hometown headlining shows, performances at Toronto festivals, and touring British Columbia.

As their summer shows got canceled, they worked on new material and teamed up with renowned Canadian producer Danny Craig (known for his work with bands like Default and One Bad Son), which lead to their single "Fighter," offering a glimpse of the exciting musical direction the band is exploring.

Ryan from 104.7 The LIZARD, sat down and spoke with lead singer Spencer Tomlinson.

Below is a condensed and edited version of the interview.

Ryan: Where does the name Spendo come from?

Spencer: It’s a nickname that I had for years. I originally started this project as a solo project, and struggling for band names that haven't been used in 2023 is pretty challenging coming up with something unique. So, I just went with the nickname that everyone called me and I don't know why, but everybody likes saying Spendo and I just went with it and people liked it. So, as I started formulating a band and the solo project started taking off, we as a band we're like, ‘do we continue going with Spendo or do we try and think of alternate names?’ And we spent about three months trying to come up with names. Nothing was really working and so we were just like, you know what, Spendo works.

R: You guys got this really cool old school sound with this laidback, rootsy blues to harder rock. I know most musicians don’t always love to be compared to other groups, but what is the most flattering comparison that you’ve ever received?

S: I would say Tom Petty, I'm a big Tom Petty fan and we’ve actually been referred to as Tom Petty a couple of times. Fleetwood Mac was another. They're all kind of old school, easy listening rockers, I guess you could say. Another one we’ve gotten too is The Tragically Hip. If we had to identify ourselves, it would be, I guess, Tragically Hip with Fleetwood Mac on steroids.

R: All four members of the band have singing credit; how does it play into the sound?

S: It works well because I'm blessed with some really talented musicians alongside me. They're all masters of their craft and very young too, which is really neat.

Our youngest member, Bradley, is 23 and it just leaves a lot of room for if somebody is doing technical guitar playing and it's harder to sing, well, Jeff over on drums might be able to take over that harmony. We're actually a five-piece band.

We have Eric, who's joined us now and he's on keys, Hammond organ, and piano, so he can also help us out with some vocals here and there. But we really look up to bands such as the Eagles, big, beautiful harmonies. And I mean, it's kind of a lost art in live music nowadays because it's so challenging to nail.

R: We've been talking about this music festival, Rock the Lake, for months, and we've been talking nonstop about all the artists that are going to be playing there. How does it feel to be opening for Finger Eleven and Death from Above 1979?

S: I mean, it's a dream come true, really. As a kid that grew up through the nineties and the early 2000, those songs are pretty heavy on rotation on radio, YouTube and all that stuff, right?

Finger Eleven, I remember listening to them back when I was a kid in the car and just thinking, 'huh, that's a really nice song,' you know, and, and kind of paving the way for the inspiration and here we are getting to be direct support.

R: Seeing as we're both Canadians. You know, you grew up on classic rock. I'm sure you've got love and appreciation for Burton Cummings. You guys are opening up the festival. He is going to be the last act of the festival Sunday night. What do you think about him?

S: I've been on at a festival before with Burton, but I missed his performance and I'm going to be missing his performance again on this festival.

But I mean, he's an absolute legend in Canadian history. You still hear all his songs on the radio, whether you realize he wrote them or not, with Lenny Kravitz doing his 'American Woman'. He's a staple in Canadian history.

So, it's an honor. I didn't even think about it that way, that we were starting the festival and he's closing it. But I wish I could catch his show because I know it's going to be epic.