I came across Batcave Lark (moniker for Lark Detweiler) in November at Substance Fest. They were a backup dancer for Pink Stiletto. Flash forward to the last few days of December and I was weighing two choices: head off to The Smell or the Redwood Bar. I took a look at the bands / artists playing at each venue. Playing the Redwood Bar was a band called Spiral Teeth. I quickly made the connection that Spiral Teeth was another artistic avenue of Detweiler's (maybe I figured this out back in November, but then just forgot about it). Decision was made, if Valery Kvochkova of Pink Stiletto had a connection with Spiral Teeth, I would head out to the Redwood Bar.
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| Spiral Teeth at the Redwood Bar |
I do have to admit that when I walked into the Redwood Bar, I realized that it had been a very long time since I last stepped foot into this venue. The bar had redone their stage, making it larger by removing some diner booths. Taking a look at their Youtube page, where they stream all the sets, I suspect the redesign happened back in early 2025. At least, I made it to the venue once in 2025.
By timing error, I missed the opening singer and came in just at the right moment to catch Spiral Teeth. Based on their Spotify bio their music is described as such, "seeks to find solace and connection in the darkness with gloomy basslines, dreamy faraway almost disconnected vocals, cold minimal drum machines, and ghostly synthesizers."
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| Spiral Teeth at the Redwood Bar |
Detweiler does have a unique background that I didn't figure out until doing research for this article. During the set, they said a few things here and there throughout the set such as, "My favorite things in the world: vampires." Their voice definitely did not have the West Coast-Hollywood accent so I just made the assumption that they were from Eastern Europe. After the set, I happened to notice they had a handful of conversations with various individuals.
My Internet research unveiled that my assumption was all wrong. The first clue came via their 3rd Instagram page that is called: Deaf Dancer Lark. Then I noticed they did a Ted Talk in 2018 (you can watch that video here). Due to an illness, they lost their hearing at the age of 18 months. They learned to read lips so well that no one knew they had lost their hearing until they reached the age of 4.
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| Spiral Teeth at the Redwood Bar |
Wearing a bat belt buckle and dressed in Transylvania Dracula fashion, there was no doubt about the love of all things vampire. With a synth and bass, the sound would have been a perfect fit for Substance Fest. As with their backing of Pink Stiletto, they highlighted their artistic dance moves throughout the set and occasionally took those moves out onto the venue floor.
The song spotlight goes to "Monochrome." In Post-Punk, Detweiler mentions that the song has two different meanings, but the primary focus compares the artist's life to that of capitalistic world and the impact is has on those involved in that world. It is a theme that I've highlighted on this blog site before (be it John Vincent III's "City Rain" to Eliza Spear's "Sweetheart").
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| Spiral Teeth at the Redwood Bar |
Somewhere to go, somewhere to be
I should admit that my fascination with this theme is that I do have a corporate job.
Note: when it came to looking at the written setlist, I was impressed with their penmanship.
Setlist: Absurdity, Pursuit, Battery Operated Ear, Collision, Junk, After Hours, Monochrome, Lady Of The Lake, Silver Skies.
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