by Laura Garber
There’s an optimism, often dampened by the cruelties of band life, that The Spinouts still exhibit.
The South Bay band will open the second weekend of the Hermosa Beach Concert Series on Sunday Sept. 14, at 3 p.m. ahead of Cobra Cowboy and headliner Rumours: The Ultimate Fleetwood Mac Tribute Show.
The band members, all in their nascent 20s, have performed around Los Angeles, most frequently at Project Barley in Lomita and Redondo. But the Hermosa concert will be before their biggest audience. “It’s nice to be able to play a bigger show where we’re from and get all of our friends down,” said drummer Collin DeMersseman.
“To put on a local group that would not normally have the opportunity to get up on a stage like this, it’s really fantastic,” said Kimberley Koffler, founder of South Bay Music Connection (SBMC), a non-profit that showcases young musicians. SBMC arranged for The Spinout’s Hermosa Beach performance on Sunday.
Through SBMC, The Spinouts have appeared at various South Bay events including the Hermosa Beach St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and Manhattan Beach’s Hometown Fair where they won Battle of the Bands last October under their previous band name, The Jack Rabbits.
Brothers Colin and Chris DeMersseman, the band’s lead guitarist, met Spinout singer Thatcher Horrocks at Redondo Union High School. Their origin story starts out like many bands, with a high school music course and a shared interest in Led Zeppelin. “Colin was in the class and he was wearing a Led Zeppelin shirt, and I was this weird homeschooled kid, and I was like, ‘Yo, bro, that’s a cool Led Zeppelin shirt,” Horrocks said.
Classic rock and its evolution intertwine with their current sound. “All the eras of rock have led up to what we’re trying to create,” Horrocks said. “We’re trying to make our own sound by being inspired by all the great rock bands, from the 60s to the 2000s, and hopefully in the 2020s it’s The Spinouts.”
The way Horrocks contorts his face is reminiscent of Mick Jagger, while DeMersseman’ guitar solos wail like Jimi Hendrix’s.
“Thatcher brings an energy, a stage presence that just electrifies the audience,” Koffler said.
Horrocks said South Bay bands like Blag Flag and Descendants have shaped their journey too. “I’m really inspired by the story arc of those bands. When you go back in time to when they started, they were all just homies too,” Horrocks laughed.
Their social media bios bookend “rock n’ roll” with lightning bolt emojis. But the idea of creating consistent content for an industry landscape dominated by views, likes and virality has been a challenge for the band.
“It’s almost less about the music now and more about making content,” Chris said.
“We do it a little bit, but I would say the majority of our focus right now is trying to perfect our sound and make sure that we have good music,” Horrocks said.
The band doesn’t have songs on streaming platforms yet but they hope their latest single, “Needless Conversations” will be released later this year. ER
