Spider Heart

Within the ribcage-rattling, garage-punk rock and tinges of psychedelic textures that fuel Spider Heart’s forthcoming debut Under the Gun, a tale circulates throughout all nine tracks.

“When I write songs, I sit down with an attitude and see what comes out of it,” says lead singer/guitarist May Black. “[Under the Gun] is a story of love and heartbreak and guns and alcohol.”

The album – set for release on Jan. 20 but to be played in full Friday at Jose’s – kicks off with “Voodoo,” a spoken word overture featuring an acoustic guitar strumming alongside feedback and Black’s reverberated prose running on without a breath: “I’m dry, I’m empty, got nothing left/ Somebody send me a message, a note, a dream of love/ Give me something, a sign from above.”

The tune awakens from its heroin state midway through. The band – Rip Reed on guitar, Jeffrey Archer on bass and Julien Bloit on drums – breaks through the dreary wall with heavy riffage and Black’s boundless lung capacity. The 30-year-old’s vocals aren’t flawless by any means but she sings with the conviction of Patti Smith and has the nihilistic stage presence of Kim Deal.

The psych-punk “Little Doll” secretes a Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog” chord progression, a cacophony of high-hats, and a narrative populated by a wasteland of irreverent teens offering opinions based on irreverent logic.

“There seems to be a lot of vengeance running through the album but I don’t think it’s angry,” Black says. “I wrote a lot of the songs a long time ago when I had a lot of angst, so that comes out. But I’d like to think that there’s some redemption too.” - Monterey County Weekely

Within the ribcage-rattling, garage-punk rock and tinges of psychedelic textures that fuel Spider Heart’s forthcoming debut Under the Gun, a tale circulates throughout all nine tracks.

“When I write songs, I sit down with an attitude and see what comes out of it,” says lead singer/guitarist May Black. “[Under the Gun] is a story of love and heartbreak and guns and alcohol.”

The album – set for release on Jan. 20 but to be played in full Friday at Jose’s – kicks off with “Voodoo,” a spoken word overture featuring an acoustic guitar strumming alongside feedback and Black’s reverberated prose running on without a breath: “I’m dry, I’m empty, got nothing left/ Somebody send me a message, a note, a dream of love/ Give me something, a sign from above.”

The tune awakens from its heroin state midway through. The band – Rip Reed on guitar, Jeffrey Archer on bass and Julien Bloit on drums – breaks through the dreary wall with heavy riffage and Black’s boundless lung capacity. The 30-year-old’s vocals aren’t flawless by any means but she sings with the conviction of Patti Smith and has the nihilistic stage presence of Kim Deal.

The psych-punk “Little Doll” secretes a Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog” chord progression, a cacophony of high-hats, and a narrative populated by a wasteland of irreverent teens offering opinions based on irreverent logic.

“There seems to be a lot of vengeance running through the album but I don’t think it’s angry,” Black says. “I wrote a lot of the songs a long time ago when I had a lot of angst, so that comes out. But I’d like to think that there’s some redemption too.” - Monterey County Weekly

Spider Heart
If you fancy loud, guitar-driven indie rock, check out Spider Heart. Lead singer May Black's voice delivers emotions that are sexy, angry and at times absolutely sultry.

The Oakland band's first record, "Under the Gun," was released in January.

Lineup: May Black, vocals, guitar; Rip Reed, guitars; Julien Bloit, drums; Juli Sherry, bass.

Was there a band you heard when you were young that inspired you to become a musician?
MB: The first time I heard Bob Dylan sing "Lay Lady Lay," I was on my way home from church. I thought it was so dirty and that I shouldn't be listening to it, which obviously made me want to listen to it all the more and hear more of what that disturbing, titillating man had to say.

What's the most important aspect to putting on a live show?
MB: Whiskey and living in the moment. I think you can tell when a performer lets the music take control of them and when a performer tries to control the music. Our music is a beast, and every time we get up there, the elements are always changing. We never know what is going to happen, we never know what the crowd is gonna be like or how they will respond. So with that said, we just get up there and do our thing.

Which of your lyrics best defines your band and why?
JB: There's "Blood in the Water." I think it's a perfect image for the band's themes: faith questioning, doomed passion, obsession, thirst, boots. I think you would always find a connection from this image to any other Spider Heart song.

How did you come up with your band name and what does it mean to you?
RR: I was in Mexico when I saw an illustration of a spider walking on a heart. It seemed to encapsulate what I'd always tried to do musically: something mean and loving at the same time.

Check it out: spiderheart.bandpage.com.

Next gig: 9 p.m. Thursday. With Down Dirty Shake, Dark Beach, Hungry Skinny. $8. The Night Light, 311 Broadway, Oakland. (510) 433-0340. www.thenightlightoakland.com.

- Tony DuShane, bandwidth@sfchronicle.com - Tony DuShane

Sometimes you wanna get a little down and dirty. Emeryville-based band Spider Heart makes garage sexy, dirty and totally awesome. - Lauren Manary