Emerging from the hipster hotbed of Olympia, WA, Spiv have graced us with an interesting musical pastiche that jumps from Nirvana-esque grunge ("All the Same") to Billy Childish blues ("Hornet's Nest") in the blink of an eye. They throw a twist on things by blantantly sounding like Primus and Firehose on two songs, but admit to it in the lyrics. The somewhat schizo nature of this puts them in the hard-to-define category, but in a good way. A cool debut that bodes well for future releases.
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Like the scene that spawned it, Olympia, Wash's Spiv is kinda hard to pin down. While Seattle will always have grunge, Olympia has always been a mixed bag of music, spitting out indie, punk, rawk, and whatever else loggers will listen to. Spiv embodies it all. The group morphs from track to track. Opener "Nibley View" and the muddy "All the Same" are Nirvana descendents. "Dizzy Tizzy" sounds more like a muscular Beatles track. "Have" is a sensitive and ironic take on the power ballad. And the brief "Bass Gets You Laid" is a straight-up novelty number. It all makes By Definition sound like more of a compilation album than a cohesive disc. But when the band pumps out the killer slow funk jams like "With the Stones", the dirty blues of "Hornet's Nest" or the Primus-inspired quirk of "Make the Best of It", the lack of continuity doesn't really matter. Just like the Beastie Boys' "Check Your Head", the variety is what pulls you along. You're always wondering what's coming next. Sometimes it's worth it. Others: Well, not everyone is perfect. But with By Definition, Spiv at least makes the journey an interesting one.  (from Las Vegas Weekly)
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Jeremy Barber's violin draws comparison to Camper Van Beethoven, but it's Chris Barber's guitar work that defines the band. The Barber Brother's resume reads like a Who's Who of West Coast music with names like Leftover Salmon, Ginger Baker of Cream, and The Goo Goo Dolls as acts they've shared the stage with. The music is happy and catchy, notably "Dizzy Tizzy" which has been receiving national airplay among the West Coast. Chris Barber's humor is present throughout, especially in the two songs that clock in under one minute. The Spiv touring unit is different from the rhythm section that recorded the album, but plans have been made to record a second album. Look for the Barber Brothers to enjoy a long career.
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