From cover band to original circuit, SPiN made the transition with ease and panache. It's been a fast and furious roller coaster ride with no way back. In the time that SPiN has been together, they've managed to get themselves ensnared in a lawsuit with SPIN magazine, played under sh*tty conditions, and recorded their first full-length album and their song "Home" has garnered national radio play gaining them fans in places like Wyoming and Arizona prior to them actually setting foot in the locales.

SPiN has released their first full-length effort, Believe and it is sure to please both program directors and fans alike. Read: radio friendly but not sell-out material. The growth of the band is evident in their complex melodies, poignant lyricism, and streamlined sound. The prettiest song by far on the new album is "Impromptu V.h2", with an eerily beautiful piano intro from keyboardist, Jim, their title track, "Believe" has all of the rock elements those familiar with the band have come to expect and love, and "Don't Look Down" has single success stamped all over it.

Believe is an album mixed of hard-driving power chords and edgy overtones layering over thoughtful, subtle melodic progressions. I am in love with the cover of the Zombies' "Time of the Season". Overall, SPiN has a powerful sound that sticks in your mind without being intrusive.

antiMusic caught up with the band during practice in reparation for their CD release party slated for mischief night of all nights, in Philadelphia.

antiMusic: What's the background on the name, SPiN?

SPiN: We were in a cover band a couple years ago called "SPiN the Bottle". When we starting doing all originals, we decided we needed a change, so we just trimmed the fat and started using SPiN.

antiMusic: Did you ever think that "Home" would be so successful and such a mainstream hit?

SPiN: Yes, no but seriously, yeah, yeah we did.

antiMusic: Talk about working with David Ivory.

SPiN: It was kind of like getting stabbed in the eyeball with a sharp pointy object, but at the same time liking it, sometimes. Working with David Ivory was a good thing for us because we all write, so we needed an honest outside ear to pull the songs apart without the fear of someone getting their feelings hurt. Now we take great pleasure in hurting each other's feelings when we write. David is funny and serious and crazy all mixed into crazy. Did I say crazy twice? No, not that, not that. Yes that.

antiMusic: What was the music scene like when you were growing up and did that influence the way you wrote songs?

SPiN: I think people are influenced by just about anything and everything when they start writing songs, so, of course. Don't roll your eyes, if this were a test, this would be the question to skip until the end for sure.

antiMusic: Maybe I should move it to the end. What is the hardest part about being a musician in Philadelphia? Do you find fans are tough on you?

SPiN: The hardest part about being in our situation in Philadelphia is that the original music scene here is relatively small. Most of the popular places to go are filled with cover bands. Philly is a blue-collar town. People are honest and tough, but that's a cool thing.

antiMusic: You started out playing 2-4 times per week. Can you talk more about that exhaustive schedule and who was the brainchild behind it?

SPiN: Not sure if there was a brainchild. We just wanted to play as much as we could because we knew that would make us a well-rounded, better band. We played a gig once where the toilet on the floor above us was leaking down on us as we played. Once you've had excrement falling on you as you perform, you can handle pretty much anything. (Kings of Leon aren't the only band with a s*** on stage story!)

antiMusic: Talk about your sound and growing up in Philly. How much did the backdrop of Philadelphia influence you?

SPiN: Not sure. Philly is definitely a unique and diverse place to live. I'm sure it's had an impact on us and, therefore, our writing, but it's not like we sound more like Hall and Oates because we grew up in Philly. I'm sure years ago, prior to the Internet, that might have been the case more often.

antiMusic: What has been the most exciting part of this journey?

SPiN: It's exciting not knowing what will happen next in this journey. We just keep plugging away trying to write the best songs we can and hope that we land on our feet.

antiMusic: You've played a number of music conferences and events, what do you consider to be your best accomplishment?

SPiN: Not sure. It was pretty cool that "Home" was being heard on radio as much as it was. We played a few shows in places like Wyoming and Arizona where people knew the song from the radio. That was weird and cool for us. But making this latest album on our own was probably our best accomplishment. We even did our own websites and press photos; bought a remote for the camera on ebay and we were able to pull it off. Independence rules! Hey, that s*** started in Philly, no?

antiMusic: Talk about your latest project, Believe?

SPiN: Nice segue! Well, we worked extremely hard on this project and are very proud of it. It started out as an experiment in recording with the original intention of making better demos of what the songs would end up really sounding like. It turned out the more we did, the more we realized that we could do the whole album ourselves.

antiMusic: I heard you recorded the project in a 150-years-old funeral home?

SPiN: Yep � and that's where we drink, I mean practice, I mean practice drinking.

antiMusic: Have you worked with any notables on this project you'd like to mention?

SPiN: Well, we started a couple tracks with Ivory, but we re-worked those and did the rest ourselves so�yes, we'd like to mention ourselves.

antiMusic: Talk about the recording process. Were there unforeseen snares? What were they?

SPiN: We ran into a problem where we had to re-record a couple things because we originally did a couple tracks all in garage band, but then we bought a few new mic's and started using pro tools half way through. So we had to go back and re-do some stuff for continuity purposes. We also had to add the intro to Sorrow Girl after the song was recorded because it wasn't written that way originally. We had to match that s*** up. Drum sounds, guitar sounds, levels, etc. We changed arrangements after the songs were done in some cases, but the beauty of doing it ourselves was that we did it on our own time without spending a dime... and yes that's a rhyme.

antiMusic: Talk about the success of your video, Playing Dead? Any more videos coming our way?

SPiN: Playing Dead was cool. We had to pull a lot of favors out of our asses for that to happen. A friend edited the video, a friend of a friend directed. We borrowed lights from a friend of a friend. The guy actor was a friend. The female actress was a friend of a friend. We rented an HD camera and the director brought a crew who basically worked for food. We would love to do another video, but not sure if we can do all of that again on our looks alone, although, that seems like it should be plenty, I know. Hopefully, we will work something out. We have ideas for other songs. Everyone and anyone who has seen a video, has an idea for a video.

antiMusic: How do you handle creative differences?

SPiN: We fist fight and whoever wins gets their way. Honestly, it's very much a democracy so majority wins.

antiMusic: What were the defining moments for the band when you recorded the album?

SPiN: Hearing some of the initial mixes was a great feeling, realizing we could make it happen our own way. All the hard work suddenly seemed well worth it. The ever growing crowd of groupies outside the studio didn't hurt either. Ok, so it wasn't our studio... or our groupies.

antiMusic: You've seemed to embrace social media as a band, is that the way you are headed to promote your album?

SPiN: Social what now?

antiMusic: Talk about the album? Who wrote what on it? Do you find that lyrics, melody, composition are equally important?

SPiN: We really all write together. Someone usually brings an idea to the table and then the rest of us beat it up a bit. Add/subtract, etc. Lyrics are important to everyone except Hank, but the melodies are definitely top priority for all of us.

antiMusic: There's always a perfectionist in the group. Who is it in yours?

SPiN: Is perfectionist code for dick? Then, Hank.

antiMusic: What is your favorite track?

SPiN: Actually, hard to say. All of them, I guess? I mean if you had to choose between being eaten by a lion or a shark, what would you choose?

antiMusic: What is your best track?

SPiN: Not sure. Wait, the one that will allow us to buy the most stuff. So until the album comes out, none of them.

antiMusic: What track do you like to play live?

SPiN: Probably Sorrow Girl and Time to Let Go, only because some songs lend themselves to a live performance better than others.

antiMusic: What was the reason for the lawsuit with Spin magazine?

SPiN: They just tried to scare us into changing our name because they don't like the fact that when you search Yahoo for SPiN, we come up before them. But really, how does anyone own a word like that? Arrogance is foolish. Especially because we're a bunch of broke-asses and they have nothing to gain.

antiMusic: What was the outcome of the lawsuit you had against Spin?

SPiN: They sent a cease and desist letter. We drank some Jager while pretending to read it. The End.

antiMusic: When people compare you to My Chemical Romance, Muse, and others of that genre, what's your gut reaction?

SPiN: My gut tells me My Chemical Romance and Muse must be even better than I thought. Seriously though, it is always interesting to hear what someone else hears in our music.

antiMusic: How would you describe your sound/genre?

SPiN: Every musician hates that question. Just so you know. But here goes: Did you ever look in the mirror and say to yourself, man I'm handsome? Well that's how we sound.

antiMusic: What's next?

SPiN: Global Domination.