Spread Your Head at Trim Tab

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Remember the “It’s full of stars” scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey? This’ll be a lot like that.

Fronted by The Flaming Lips’ Jake Ingalls, the psychedelic rock act Spaceface performs tonight at Trim Tab. The Memphis-based group commits to delivering a full-sensory experience, combing their spacey sounds with a vivid laser and light show.

With or without the lights and sights, Spaceface’s music has an inherent way of permeating your grey matter. The clean guitars that introduce “Carnivore” echo through cavernous reverb and delay effects before giving way to growly bass. Far-out synth adds a cosmic atmosphere to the mix. Songs like “Taking It Off” demonstrate the band’s acid-laced rhythm, with Matt Strong’s bass walking a line between a ‘70s psychedelia and today’s indie sensibilities.

Accompanying the music is a visual performance that combines DIY charm with the band’s surreal personality. “We have a couple creatures our friend Natlie Wetzel has designed and built for us that should be making some appearances in the show,” says Daniel Quinlan, the mastermind behind the array of bulbs, lasers, and immersive effects that envelop the audience. “One is a giant squid and the other is an astronaut lion cub. Along with that there will be all kinds of lights and lasers and dancing. Imagine if Ziggy Stardust was going to a house party with Jack White.”

Spaceface began in a house shared by three founding members, Ingalls, Matt Strong, Eric Martin. Around 2011, while Ingalls was a roadie with the Lips, Victor Quinn Hill and Peter Armstrong bought drums and keys to the act, along with the visual production courtesy of Quinlan. “Eventually it kinda all just came together and we started building a light show out of whatever materials we could get our hands on and working up each other’s tunes,” he says.

Although Ingalls is now a touring member of The Flaming Lips, Spaceface allows himself and the entire band to pursue ideas that their other projects don’t accommodate. “The Flaming Lips is an incredibly beautiful monstrosity, but Spaceface is where we can make something our own,” says Quinlan.

“We all loved that type of music and knew we wanted to make something out of that drive and passion,” says Quinlan. “The thrill, excitement, and fun of building something you love and believe in is what always keeps things going for us.” In addition to the trippy vibes of Spaceface, the musicians exercise the indie rock and folk interests in other projects like Strong Martian and Poodle Brandy.

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While the health and weight of Memphis’ music scene goes without saying, the band fills a rare niche for the city. “Lots of soul acts, and you can’t escape the blues,” says Quinlan. There’s not a tremendous psych rock presence beyond some adventurous jam bands. That’s not to say that the music isn’t diverse, though. “Goner Records of course has a great punk rock scene, and I think they are the sole reason Ty Segall plays the Hi-Tone with his bands,” he says.

Trim Tab is already a reliable spot for spectacle, hosting events like The Happening and displaying some thought-provoking art on their walls. Spaceface should feel right at home at the brewery.

The event’s name was lifted from one of Spaceface’s mainstay tunes. “‘Spread Your Head’ is a song that Eric had written and been playing around with for a while before we helped him give his tune some legs and feet,” says Quinlan. “It was the front runner of that batch of tunes for a while and still one of my favorites.”

Tonight’s experience was orchestrated by The Audiovore’s Lee Shook, who has been an instrumental player in the local scene through some excellent booking as well as his show on Birmingham Mountain Radio. Joining the band are Birmingham’s own \\GT// and Future Primitives, having both been highly recommended and stamped with The Audiovore’s seal of approval. To complement the fine brews offered by Trim Tab, Hot Tag will be parked right outside. Drink up and chow down.

Trim Tab is located at 2721 5th Ave South, Birmingham, AL 35233. The show starts at 7 p.m. Pinky Vision has created some very cool prints for this show. You can pick one up at the taproom tonight.

You can check out the event page here.

Photos by Geon Tillinghast.

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