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• Breaking down The Broken Spindles

Joel Peterson, Broken Spindle’s sole creative member, is hoping that his birthplace of Urbana is ready for his blend of electronic and eerie beats. “I am hoping for a tickertape parade, or at least the key to the city, or both,” he jokes.

With tunes that he says “gravitate towards dark things with a groove that have starkly honest lyrics,” his live shows are known for his use of both film and electronics to put on a distinctive set. After originally making music as a favor to a friend who needed a soundtrack for his short film, he was inspired to keep creating new sounds when film production was over. Since then, he has created three albums, exploring the use of lyrics for the first time with his second release.

In past years, his tour has shifted from just playing background music to a film on stage to having a full band help him in recreating the strange sounds he had produced in the studio. His music has transformed from a pure electronic medium to a plethora of other instruments and percussion.

Prepare for the unexpected at Broken Spindles’ show at the Canopy Club on May 29. “My approach to how I will do songs live: there is no prerecorded material and the set/arrangements will shift depending on how I feel that night,” he says. No matter what his mood is, the overall feeling of his music can be explained as postmodern and experimental. Admittedly, at times it’s easy to get lost in the other worldly sounds in his repertoire, but be assured knowing that you are just in the midst of a visceral experience with Joel Petersen’s Broken Spindles — it’s only natural. Try not to be afraid of what you see and hear, but accept it as an awesome experience.