Needless to say, a deal was not forthcoming. This was but 6 months after the band formed. The band had a demo deal with Hollywood Records, and the trip to LA was for the purpose of recording a demo by which Hollywood would evaluate the band and decide whether or not to offer them a record deal. These demos were heard by Anthony Selph and Joe Frezza at Gasoline Alley, who asked if they could cover ‘Gay Bar’. The Wildbunch originally started with Spencer and dummer Steve Christensen, but when he left Cory Martin stepped in and recorded eight songs on four-track in Martin’s basement studio. He went to Starkville, Mississippi to study at Mississippi State University but didn’t enjoy it due to the lack of a social scene, and a different music taste, and so came back to Detroit to rejoin the Wildbunch. When Spencer graduated he had no ambitions to be in a band, planning to become a weatherman a year after leaving University. Going under many names, such as the Wildbunch, Maine Lobsters, Doycher, and Shatner, this was a more informal group. Spencer learnt to play guitar at this time and soon began writing songs and forming early bands around 1992 at the height of grunge, but playing different music and performing live at frat parties. He went to Berkeley High School where he knew of the other members of them loosely with Steve Nawara’s sister being in his class, but he was friends with Cory Martin. Spencer was born in Pittsburgh, Pensylvania and moved to Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky before settling in Royal Oak in Michigan, moving every three years. These pseudonyms have changed over the years, Spencer now being known as Dick Valentine. We use stage names because we had a stupid idea one night and now we have to live with it Adopting monikers of Martin M and Jackson Pounder respectively, they began touring around Detroit.
Tyler Spencer didn’t come from a musical family and was originally born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania before moving to Detroit before high school. 1995 – 2000 The WildbunchĮlectric Six began as the band The Wildbunch in 1995, formed by drummer Cory Martin and vocalist Tyler Spencer, who had just graduated from college. You can find out more by checking out Spencer’s interview on the Absolute Treasure second disc. The information has been collected by a variety of sources but if there’s something incorrect or missing contact me via the site page.