Spottiswoode and His Enemies

Spottiswoode & His Enemies are a New York based rock septet. Fronted by Jonathan Spottiswoode, who also writes most of the band's music, the group draws on eclectic influences with songs ranging from rock to folk to jazz and even gospel. Several of the band's members first played together in two Washington DC-based bands: The Oxymorons and the 1990s lounge punk group, the zimmermans.

Formed in 1997, the band has released seven albums and has won three Independent Music Awards and been nominated for several more. They have hosted numerous Manhattan residencies and have toured extensively. They were also the house band for the Bob Dylan tribute at Avery Fisher Hall

In an NPR interview, Jonathan Spottiswoode made this comment on the paradox of being a member of a well loved band but still having to struggle financially in the harsh environment of the modern music industry: "Maybe there was an illusion that was created in the '50s and '60s and '70s where there were all these huge bands making tons of money and there still are a few. But I think maybe the old-fashioned way, where you just — you're an itinerant musician and you depended on the kindness of strangers is — maybe that's the path again these days as things kind of implode."