Spencer Seim

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Spencer playing in Hella at the High Five in Columbus, Ohio

Spencer Seim (born January 28, 1981) is best known as the guitarist in the band Hella. He is also the drummer in the Nintendo music cover band called The Advantage. As a guitarist, he is known for quirky riffs featuring bends as well as a rapid picking style, as well as fret-board tapping, all of which are utilized in practically undefinable time signatures, preferring to use phrases which are cut down or added on to. His composition style is mode heavy, a surprising fact as he has no formal musical training. He has been practicing on and off with Zach Hill (Hella drummer) since they both started playing music and both have been influencing each other throughout their musicianship. Playing for The Advantage, Spencer drums employing methods such as repetitive doubles on a single bass drum and quick cymbal muting. Spencer's style also often incorporates complex time signatures, well evidenced on Chirpin' Hard and recordings by the Advantage.

Spencer's musical abilities aren't just limited to guitar or drums; on some of his more recent work, such as Hella's Chirpin Hard album (written and performed by Spencer), Spencer also utilizes keyboards, synths, drum machines, and other instruments in his music. He is very proficient with drum programming, as displayed on the Bitches Ain't Shit But Good People EP. Spencer also enjoys the technical aspect of recording and producing, not to mention midi-controlled vocals.

1 Equipment
2 Discography
- 2.1 With The Advantage
- 2.2 With Hella

[edit] Equipment

The guitar featured in the above-right picture was designed and built for Spencer by guitar designer Scott French. The model name is SF0SS. It features a nut pickup, a built-in amplified egg shaker, and individual outputs for each string pickup. The finish is neon green and is embedded with Spencer's beard trimmings. Scott French claims that it is the most interesting guitar he has ever made. In February 2006 Spencer bought another Scott French guitar, made of eucalyptus and grafted walnut, it measures ½ inch thick around the outside edge of the guitar's entire body. This is the only guitar Spencer used on Hella's 2007 release There's No 666 in Outer Space.

Also visible in the photo is Seim's amplifier stack, which consists of a Mesa/Boogie head and an unidentified cabinet.

When Hella was a two piece, Spencer only used a Boss LS-2 Line Selector to switch between distortion and clean tones. On the tour following the release of Church Gone Wild/Chirpin' Hard, Spencer was seen with an expanded setup using a pedal board.