About Spur

Johnny Hose had come back home from Los Angeles after graduating from a studio engineering program. As he honed his studio skills, Johnny learned to really listen to songs, acquiring an uncanny ability for song arranging and producing. He learned how a good song worked... how it lived and breathed and how it hooked a listener. He got some friends together, formed a band and played covers in a few bars and wild parties. However, now wiser and restless to write, he felt the current cover band gig was not fulfilling his hunger to create.

So Johnny happens upon Dave Schellenberg's hand-scribbled ad at a St. Louis music store. Dave had returned home from college with a journalism degree in hand, but he quickly soured on the idea of writing obituaries for a po-dunk local newspaper. Music was deeply thread through Dave's family and had rooted in him at a very young age. It didn't take him long in the 'real world' to know that music was where his real passion lived, and he felt the time was right to pursue that passion. Dave, meet Johnny..... the musical spark was lit.

By 1994, Dave and Johnny had penned some originals and played a few gigs with the new songs mixed within set lists filled with many a cover song. First recognition came in June 1993 when "She Won't Let Me Go" was voted in the Top 10 as a runner-up in the St. Louis Music Contest sponsored by Blueberry Hill Records. Feeling energized, the guys began to focus on writing their own music. In the Summer of '94, the duo recorded a home-studio demo of 4 songs which they used to start spreading their new name... DaisyChain (which came from a Beatles song!).

Hard work paid off, and the spring and summer of 1995 found the guys busy playing shows to overwhelming crowds in Memphis and St. Louis for the Crossroads Music Festival and the Regional Music Showcase. Radio interviews followed after the song "She" received recognition as the "Pick of the Week" on the nationally syndicated "New Rock Countdown" radio show. 1996 saw Johnny and Dave writing and recording a fresh batch of new songs for a full-length demo CD entitled "This Town", which was ready in early in 1997. The CD featured a diverse mix of styles, designed to show the duo's songwriting versatility.

By Fall of '97, the guys had built themselves a great live band and performed steadily, honing their stage show and building their fan base. In Summer of '98 radio airplay, in-studio interviews, on-air performances, and an opening slot for Sister 7 and Patty Griffin all began to add to DC's growing "buzz".

1999 proved to be a stellar year for the band. The guys performed in a number of local and national music showcases and festivals and opened for such artists as Paul Simon & Bob Dylan, the Freddy Jones Band, Sonia Dada and April Wine. November '99 and March 2000 saw the band in Nashville performing at the Douglas Corner Cafe for the Indie Music Week showcases. In fact, DC was one of only 28 artists selected nationwide to showcase at those events and was the only artist to have two showcase slots. In May 2000, Johnny and Dave won an open-mic night contest at The Wheel in Nashville and were invited back the following week to perform on the air across 38 states, Canada and Mexico as featured artists on the "Opry Star Spotlight", a nationally syndicated program on WSM Radio hosted by Matthew Gillian. In the studio sharing a microphone with the guys was none other than Country Music Hall of Fame songwriter and Grand Ole Opry member Johnny Russell. This took place just months before he passed away... quite an honor indeed. In August the guys were back in Nashville on the stage of the famed Exit-In performing at a showcase for BMI. Speaking of professional organizations, Johnny and Dave are members of the Recording Academy, BMI, and the Nashville Songwriters Association International.

DaisyChain released their first independent CD entitled "Bring the Rain" in October 2000 to overwhelming critical acclaim, and have followed that release with one success after another. 2001 Highlights... receiving a songwriting award from the Nashville Songwriters Association International for the song "Lover Come Home"... the single "Bring the Rain" had been added to 6 Midwestern radio stations and spent time at #1 on the request charts at two of those stations... DaisyChain received 70 spins a week between 3 songs from their CD on KKDY... the duo won a grant from Jim Beam's B.E.A.M. program to further their career... they were featured twice on the nationally syndicated radio program "Someone You Should Know"... and performed at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville during a writers' round as a guest of Garth Brooks' former manager, Pam Lewis.

In January of 2002, the duo changed their name collectively to SPUR. New songs, new band members, and their refined true-to-heart signature "cutting-edge country" sound have sparked the beginning of a new era for the guys. In February, the guys were the featured artists on the Jim Beam website! Most of 2002 was spent traveling the country performing shows and making many new fans, including a stint touring with Phil Vassar. In November, the guys began writing songs for their next CD. Spot performances showcasing their new songs began in Spring 2003, one highlight being an intimate acoustic duo performance at the famed Sheldon Concert Hall.

Johnny and Dave certainly don't rest on their laurels. Radio interviews, concerts, meet-and-greets, in-store performances, charitable appearances, gathering press, and constant networking are all part of the SPUR routine. With each new goal reached, the duo strives for more. Their raw talent and dedication to songwriting, their mission to entertain audiences, and their drive and determination to succeed shine through in every aspect of their careers as writers, artists and performers. Through it all, the biggest reward for the guys is seeing the smiling faces at each show.

They have opened concerts for Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Emerson Drive, Phil Vassar, Rascal Flatts, Jamie O'Neal, Eric Heatherly, JoDee Messina, Chely Wright, Gary Allan, the Warren Brothers, Ricochet, Charlie Robison, Bruce Robison, Blake Shelton, Trick Pony, Junior Brown, Natalie Merchant, Better Than Ezra, John Mayer, Little Feat, the Pat McGee Band, Chuck Berry, the Groobees, Sonia Dada, the Freddy Jones Band, April Wine, Sister 7, and Patty Griffin. They've even sung the National Anthem for the River City Rascals pro baseball team, the Kelly Chase & Tony Twist (St. Louis Blues) Charity Hockey game, and the Washington University women's softball team.

The guys have played at some amazing venues... Riverport Amphitheatre (now UMB Bank Pavilion), Sheldon Concert Hall, Adelphia Coliseum, Mississippi Nights, The Blue Note, The Pageant, The Beaumont Club, InCahoots, Exit-In, Douglas Corner Cafe, On the Waterfront Festival, Palmer Arena, The Duck Room, Westport Playhouse, and too many colleges, universities, fairs and festivals to list.

But much more important than the venues and the accolades are the folks that come to hear the music! The fans are at the heart of Spur. The guys thank every person who has seen them live, stopped to listen to a song, or come up and said hello along the way. It's truly a blessing to play music and perform for the fans.

The good news is... the SPUR bio is still being written. There's a bright future down the road. So come on out and visit SPURcountry!