Local Folk/Rock Artist Debuts New Album

Spike Feldman, a North Shore/Boston-based songwriter, will release his debut rock/folk album, Plural, on Saturday, Sept. 12 at the Spotlight Tavern in Beverly.

The evening will feature solo sets of live music by Feldman and another independent singer-songwriter, Shanimal, to be followed by a listening party featuring the new full-band album in its entirety. The event begins at 9 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Feldman has been writing rock, folk, and indie pop songs for more than 20 years, but has not released any music until now. Drawing inspiration from great songwriters who deftly inhabit both folk and rock spaces—such as Neil Young, Warren Zevon, Ani DiFranco, Lou Barlow, and Steve Earle—Plural presents some of Feldman’s most recent energetic, accessible, and sincere songs, marrying the idealism and humanism of folk with the impatience and rebellion of rock.

The album features an array of outstanding musicians alongside Feldman, including producer/mixing engineer Chris Kersker (bass and keys) and Alex McGillivray (drums), as well as performances by Jordan Alleman (banjo), JD Williams (mandolin), Raj Vikram Singh (guitar), and Victor Mirallas (tenor saxophone).

The release concert/listening party will kick off with a set from Shanimal, who has been playing the blues since 2005. She released one blues album in 2011, titled Rough & Tumble: Everybody Gets the Blues. The album’s genre has been described as blues with an Americana feel using urban inspiration in the folk tradition.