After 25 years and 11 albums, the Leadbetter Band’s latest release, Spell, arrives with a striking sense of focus.

Written after the frontman embraced sobriety and fatherhood, the record carries what he calls “a deeper clarity in many aspects of my life, including the songwriting and composition.” That shift is audible. These days the songs breathe more, built around melodies that came from “singing for the sake of singing” rather than chasing a particular sound.

There’s a spiritual undercurrent running through ‘Spell.’ “I believe all words are spells,” he says, framing songwriting as a kind of intentional energy work. Even the heavier moments, like the grinding rocker ‘Demon Dance,’ feel like confrontation. Hope threads through everything. As he puts it, “Hope and gratitude are central to this album.”

“I believe all words are spells”

You’ve described Spell as a “rebirth” born from a creative surge and your journey into sobriety. After releasing 11 albums over 25 years, did writing from this place of clarity change the actual mechanics of how you hear or construct a song? Did breaking the “spell” of alcohol reveal melodies or lyrics that might have been obscured before?

Eric Leadbetter: Wow, it has been almost 25 years since my first album came out in 2003, time flies! The timing of quitting alcohol happened as I stepped into fatherhood and as my wellness journey became more central to my daily practices. With that ritualistic intentional self care becoming essential, I noticed a deeper clarity in many aspects of my life, including the songwriting and composition. I found myself singing melodies more throughout the day, with no goal in mind. Singing for the sake of singing has helped me rediscover my undying love for music.

The title track concept…coming from ‘The Hard Way’ is about breaking free, but you also carry this title of a “shamanistic hard rock poet.” Do you view the act of songwriting itself as a form of positive spell-casting? It feels like this album is designed not just to be heard, but to actively work on the listener’s spirit.

I believe all words are spells, they carry meanings that sometimes are 1000s of years old. Context and intention is everything, as you said “positive spell casting.” I really do believe music can change the world, because it has changed and guided me through life’s triumphs and challenges. It can seem like a very dark world out there, music can help us find the moment we’re in and be present with ourselves. I love the use of mantras and believe that song lyrics are no different.

‘Demon Dance’ has such a killer, churny riff-rock energy that really channels that Chris Cornell/Soundgarden vibe. It’s heavy but incredibly catchy. I have to ask, how much fun was it getting your son Silas in the booth for those wolf howls? Is it a special feeling to have that family lineage immortalized on a track about facing inner demons?

Oh man, I love that! It was the absolute best having Silas sing along and be part of the studio experience. He really thrived in that environment. It didn’t make the final cut, but he wanted to add keyboards, and multiple vocal takes, so I cut him loose and played engineer while he experimented. Since he could walk, he was on stage with me playing his lil uke. Now he’s 5 and is really into his drum set and cajon. He knows my music as well, if not better, than some of our biggest fans! I’m so honored to have this relationship with him. On the day of his preschool graduation, they asked all the kids what they wanted to be when they grow up. All the answers were the typical “astronaut, fireman, policeman etc.” When it got to my kid, he said “I want to be a musician like my dad” in front of the whole assembly. I got choked up a bit of course, because playing music with my best friend and son is such a blessing.

As a vocalist, you have this ability to move from a “whisper to a wail,” invoking the spirits of guys like Cornell or Rodgers. On this album specifically, did you find yourself using your voice differently to match the weight of the lyrics?

Whoa, what a compliment, those are two of my heroes of rock n’ roll! Thank you. Yes, for certain songs like “Shame” there was some gritty belting needed to deliver the message that shame binds one like chains, and you’ll get stuck. “Whole and Broken,” however, needed some much more dynamic sensitivity to deliver that melody and vibe. I love when I’m in the zone of singing and playing dynamically, that’s where the song comes to life.

The Japanese art of Kintsugi — repairing broken pottery with gold — is a central inspiration for the record. That philosophy suggests that our scars make us more beautiful. How did you translate that visual idea into sound?

Hope and gratitude are central to this album, and true hope requires patience, responsibility, and radical acceptance. Playing music is all about tension and release, breathing in calmly between singing and playing phrases, and relaxing into that moment. The point of the art form is that challenges may bend us, maybe even break us, but hope makes you stand back up.

Bend, Oregon has such a specific energy…high desert, vast skies, and a bit of isolation. Do you think that landscape seeps into the Leadbetter Band sound? There is a certain atmospheric width in your jams that feels like it couldn’t have been written in a cramped city studio.

Oregon is a beautiful, amazing state that holds so many different ecosystems colliding into the Cascade Range. That’s why I adore touring out here, so much variety! Absolutely it influences the music, in so many ways. There is a love of nature in the community here, and also the adrenaline from all of the activities can be felt in the harder rock vibes. We recorded the core tracks out in the woods in southern Oregon at Mark Thomas Johnson’s Blue Jay Productions studio, surrounded by old oak trees and wild turkeys. Going on some walks during tracking was so good to get that air in our lungs!

What’s next for you?

Leadbetter Band is playing some regional festivals this spring and summer, as well as some PNW short runs. I’m working on releasing a solo single under my name this year as well, and am going to work with animator Micah Buzan again. He animated “Sky to the Ground,” which turned out wonderfully, so we’re excited to work together again!

Leadbetter Band (Credit: Briana Leadbetter)

Oh and last one, what are some of the records you enjoy listening to lately?

I love collecting vinyl and listening to bands from the past that I’ve never heard of before. One vintage band I’ve been enjoying a lot is “Jane” — pretty progressive psychedelic rock. As far as contemporary bands, I’ve been really enjoying Hermanos Gutierrez, great tones.

Klemen Breznikar

Headline photo: Leadbetter Band (Credit: Briana Leadbetter)

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