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ALEXANDER “SKIP” SPENCE – ‘OAR’

Briefly the drummer for San Francisco Summer of Love coulda-beens Moby Grape, Spence (who wrote that band’s classic “Omaha”) can be understood as an American analogue to Syd Barrett — an overwhelming singer-songwriting talent who descended into acid madness. His lone solo LP, 1969’s Oar, presaged Sung Tongs-era AnCo in its hypnotic, beautifully sinister psych-folk insularity.

Avey Tare: Just that dark, moody atmosphere that I feel like me, and Brian especially, have really liked in music since high school — kind of darker, mellower stuff. Our sound guy, Chris, [Oar is] like his favorite record of all time, which is kind of interesting to say that that’d be somebody’s favorite record of all time because it is kind of super-dark and super-weird.

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