Spinnerette

Despite achieving commercial success with their punky but slick third album, Coral Fang, the Distillers disbanded in early 2005, leaving singer Brody Dalle to ponder her future as a musician. She set down the bass and took a break from music altogether for a while to give birth to her daughter with husband Josh Homme. Returning to the studio inspired, she started laying down home-recorded tracks with Queens of the Stone Age associate Alain Johannes, and began making plans to do a project with broader pop influences, taking from childhood favorites Neneh Cherry and Tom Petty, as well as contemporary electronic groups. As time progressed, her love of harder rock clouded her original vision and live musicians were added to the mix. Best friend and former Distillers guitarist Tony Bevilacqua was brought in as a co-writer, along with onetime Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore and Red Hot Chili Pepper Jack Irons. One of the songs recorded in their sessions was "Valium Knights," which was released to the Spinnerette website soon after, followed by a digital EP titled Ghetto Love that became available for download in December of 2008. After signing to Warner Bros. imprint Sire Records, a press tour was arranged to promote Dalle's new project, but with difficulties locking down a permanent touring band due to the members' professional obligations, there were only a few select live performances during this time. A new group was formed to play live shows, comprised of bassist Nicole Fiorentino of Radio Vago, guitarist Brian Tulao, Dave Hidalgo, Jr. of Suicidal Tendencies, and guitarists Brian Tulao and Matt Caughthran of the Bronx. Soon, though, Dalle made the choice to move Spinnerette from Sire, signing instead to Rush's label, Anthem Records, and the group's self-titled full-length, which had been slated for release in February of 2009, arrived that summer instead.