Book/Spirit is a five-piece Brooklyn based outfit that combines seemingly irreconcilable elements – straightforward rock riffs and atmospheric jam sections, catchy melodies with heavily distorted guitars – to create a sonically lush oeuvre. Book/Spirit traces their origins back to 2018 in Williamsburg, when ad-hoc jam sessions between friends created the foundation to build something dynamic and beautiful together. Drawing upon influences from indie, 90’s college & alternative rock, shoegaze, and noise rock, the band’s line-up features three guitarists who make heavy use of effects pedals (two of whom share lead vocal duties) and is anchored by bass and drums.  

Co-lead vocalists Pete Ferrari and Michael Susa originally met at an audition for an indie folk band. While that group’s singer felt Susa’s guitar playing was “too loud”, Ferrari saw a kindred spirit and the pair began jamming and bonding over their love of bands like Dinosaur Jr. and Pixies. The group’s eventual third guitarist, Pierre Ratzki, identified drummer Garrett Troy via a Craigslist ad looking for a “krautrock drummer”. Eager to turn these informal jam sessions into something more, Susa and Troy booked the band’s first show prior to finalizing their name, lineup, or even writing a single song. With one month to go before the show, the pair called Ferrari to join the band (dubbed the deBlasibros until they settled on a real name) and they began writing and rehearsing material. When the group’s intended lead singer backed out, Ferrari and Susa decided to split lead vocal duties placing them squarely in the tradition of *ahem* The Beatles (cough), Fugazi, and Sonic Youth. After the one and only deBlasibros show, the group re-named themselves Book/Spirit, evoking the interplay between matter and spirit and reflected the diverse and, at times, opposing creative influences within the band. Resisting the lure of instant gratification prevalent in the digital age, Book/Spirit preferred to hone their sound the old-fashioned way playing live for the past few years across various Brooklyn and Manhattan venues with Ratzki taking up bass duties.

After the pandemic lockdown, the group re-emerged as a five piece in 2021 with Ratzki on third guitar with Dave Jacobson (of Good Time Mystery Vision) assisting on bass with an entirely improvised performance at Fremin Art Gallery, which released as “Live at Fremin” from a portable recording device. They began recording their debut studio album in late 2022 at GB’s Juke Joint in Long Island City with producer/engineer Colin Mohnacs. Alejandro Zaniolo was added as permanent bassist in 2023, as the band continues to play shows in Brooklyn and Manhattan in anticipation of their debut studio release.