Indie Icons Built to Spill Coming Back to the Chapel for Three-Night Residency
Photo Credit: Lilah Edward + Melanie Radford
With its emphasis on immediacy and raw emotion, and a subsequent disdain for studio largesse, the indie rock genre has never been one to valorize its guitarists. That said, if a Mount Rushmore of indie guitar gods was to be constructed, the general sentiment is that the faces up there would include some combination of J. Mascis, Johnny Marr, Annie Clark, Stephen Malkmus and Doug Martsch.
The general sentiment, that is, to everyone but Doug Martsch, the longtime frontman of beloved indie rock icons Built to Spill.
“If you and I went down to the local Guitar Center and sat me down next to almost anyone there, they would be able to outplay me on guitar,” said Martsch. “I can’t shred, I’m not learning any new scales, my fingers move too slow. I’m not really sure where this thing came about where I’m one of the best guitar players around—maybe it’s because I’m good at stumbling into some melodies? But I don’t really mind being shitty—as long as people understand that I know what my limitations are.”
Anyone who’s ever found themselves fully enraptured amidst the joyous solos of “Carry the Zero” or “Kicked it in the Sun” might take umbrage with Martsch’s assessment, but the indie rock veteran has always been notoriously self-critical of his own work. That humble, yeoman-like quality is the essence of the Built to Spill, which is probably why the group is still so admired and respected, some 35 years after the band’s founding.
Case in point—the band is set to play a three-night residency at The Chapel on November 11 – 13, the latest stop in a city where they’re always rapturously received. (They’ll also make an encore appearance at the Gundlach Bundschu Winery on Saturday, November 22.)
It doesn’t matter that Built to Spill hasn’t released an album in more than three years (2022’s “When the Wind Forgets Your Name”—another excellent contribution to the band’s faultless canon). And it also doesn’t matter that Built to Spill has featured a rotating cast of band members over the years, with Martsch being the only constant.
The latest iteration of the group—a power trio format featuring bassist Melanie Radford and drummer Teresa Esguerra—has been one of the more durable versions in Built to Spill’s history, with the lineup now in its sixth year of existence.
“I just love playing with them,” Martsch said of his current bandmates. “They’re perfect—they really just lay it down so that I can feel free to do whatever I want. I never have to worry about them. And they just exude all this joy and energy—which, you know, has never really been a Built to Spill thing in the past. The music just flows through them and I think the fans have really responded to their presence.”
Built to Spill has never been a band to tour exclusively behind one album, but with more than three years elapsed since their latest release, the group’s setlist are more expansive and wide-reaching than ever. Selections from most of their albums are played during their live shows, with an emphasis on the three albums that define the band (and indie rock in general)—“There’s Nothing Wrong With Love,” “Perfect From Now On” and “Keep It Like a Secret.”
Those three albums in particular showcase the dynamic, diverse outputs of Martsch’s guitar work. The first record, “There’s Nothing Wrong With Love,” is an endearingly low-stakes collection of indie-pop nuggets, with Martsch approximating a loveable, ramshackle approach reminiscent of his peers Guided By Voices. The follow-up album, “Perfect From Now On,” tacks in the exact opposite direction, with Martsch channeling an ambitious, space-rock focus that is expansive as the prior record was self-contained. And “Keep It Like a Secret” finds Martsch mining that middle ground, combining tight, harmonic pop riffs with trippy guitar solos.
With a peerless discography under his belt, Martsch said he’s in no rush to get back to the studio and crank out the band’s 10th album.
“We have one new song, but I just haven’t really heard anything come out of my guitar lately that’s excited me,” said Martsch. “I’m having a hard time finding magic in the music right now, but I don’t feel too heartbroken about it. I’ve written plenty of songs in my life. If I can’t write anymore, I’ll work on finding new ways to play the old ones.”
Even with songs that are deeply familiar to so many people, there is still something inexorably magical about watching Built to Spill live. His modesty aside, Martsch is a transcendent guitar figure—he might have not the technical chops of a Yngwie Malmsteen or whoever—but he coaxes and pleads and battles with his instrument every night, squeezing every little piece of energy imaginable out of one performance.
“One of the good things about us never really achieving a super high level of success is that I feel like I’m always motivated to work and play my face off every night,” said Martsch. “They’re some bands out there, who are just so good that they can show up and everyone will love them, no matter what. We’re not one of those bands. We always feel like we have to impress people, no matter what.”
That kind of approach has earned Martsch a billing as an indie rock guitar legend, despite all his objections to the fuss. And who cares about the dudes at Guitar Center, anyway. The only real metric you need for measuring the brilliance of Martsch’s work can be found at any Built to Spill Show. There you’ll see the blissed-out, reverent faces of Built to Spill fans, caught up once again in the majesty of their unassuming maestro. Don’t need any more proof than that.
Show Details:
Built to Spill with Larry Yes & Braided WavesWhere: The Chapel
When: Tuesday – Thursday, November 11 – 13, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $51.70, available here, here and here.
Built to Spill with Larry Yes & Braided Waves
Where: Gundlach Bundschu
When: Saturday, November 22, 6:30 p.m.
Tickets: $85, available here.