Righteous Intonation

Historic : Western : Refined : Epic

Righteous Intonation : a 4-piece, San Antonio based, Country Western String Band band with a bluegrass skeleton, western guts, angelic voices, and fingers of white lightning. Their songs of westward expansion, riverboat tragedies, and gold-mining ghost towns are woven in a pure tapestry of warm harmonies, intertwining melody lines, and hearts that glitter more than Fort Knox gold. Righteous Intonation will make you sit up and say “Gosh darnit who are those boys”?  

Born out of friendships forged in the open mic scenes of the Texas Hill Country, the band got its start when Nick Spyker (songwriter, guitarist, lead vocals) and Tal Spackman (fiddle, vocals) began to play 1800’s parlor music gathered from the dusty boxes of San Antonio estate sales. Forming the original duo “Grandma’s Favorites”, they traveled the streets of San Antonio performing songs not even your grandparents remember. In time, they came to love and focus on the songs of Texas greats Marty Robbins and Townes Van Zandt. 

Nick and Tal found their first fans at The Pig Pen in San Antonio, singing Marty Robbins tunes for Anne Mom’s 85th birthday party. At the advice of John Whipple, ferryman to the folk underworld, Nick joined John’s San Antonio Songwriters’ Saloon and began honing his western chops and songwriting skills. After 6 months of weekly songwriting challenges, Spyker created a basket full of uniquely beautiful material to record a masterpiece record (Vaqueros), and they finally settled on a name: Righteous Intonation.

Many gigs and a few plastic cowboy hats later, Spackman and Spyker set out to form a band with the skillset and musical prowess of myth and legend. The first addition was bassist Connor Montoya, who walked into a San Marcos saloon carrying an upright bass in one hand and a jug of firewater in the other. Spyker, Spackman and Montoya played together for many months sharpening their skills and sound. 

Only a few months later the band met yet another bassist : Patrick Hoppe, who was quickly realized as the lead bassist. Montoya happily stepped aside to the necessary position of mandolin/banjo, and a duel was thankfully, narrowly avoided. 

In May of 2024 the band gathered every last penny to record their first album at the illustrious Ice Cream Factory Studios in Austin, Texas. Recorded almost entirely live, they finished the 15 track record in about a month. This album, blazing with stories of the Texas frontier, the ghostly harmonies of Marty Robbins, and the fusion of four distinctly talented Texas musicians is out now on all streaming platforms.

The band is currently raising money to print their first record “Vaqueros” on vinyl and CD. You can hear them  playing in and around the Texas Hill Country and on tour soon at a venue near you.