The Cocker Spaniels

Overview

Hello! My name is Sean Padilla, and I make music under the name "The Cocker Spaniels." The name comes from a conversation I overheard when I was a preteen, in which a group of my female cousins ranted about how men are “dogs.” I've been making music since childhood. I use whatever equipment and instruments I can buy, rent, or borrow at any given time, and I do the best I can with what I have. I write songs inspired by the things that I and the people I care about go through in our daily lives. My lyrics tend to be humorous and serious simultaneously. My main influences are Prince, Guided by Voices, My Bloody Valentine and J Dilla. If I can make music that both people who look like me and people who don't look like me can enjoy, I'm happy. After a decade of releasing my music solely through homemade cassettes and CDRs, I released my first professionally mastered and pressed CD, “Withstand the Whatnot,” in 2004. I got a lot of good press, a bit of college radio play, and made loads of connections with bands I love. I booked two national tours to support it. The first was successful; the second would've been if my car hadn't broken down after the last show. “Sometimes You've Gotta Fight to Get a Bit of Peace,” my most recent album, was officially released by Hornbuckle Records in the summer of 2010. In my opinion, every element of that album, from the recording to the writing to the performances, was a step up from its predecessor. I booked a five-week national tour to support it, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. After more than a decade of performing solo, C.Spaniels became A REAL, FULL BAND in 2012! My buddies Stephen and Alan, also of power-pop genii Zest of Yore, volunteered to be my rhythm section, and we spent the next two years merking stages all over my former home base of Austin. In the summer of 2014, I moved to Charlotte, NC to be with my fiancee and future stepson. Although I no longer live in the same city as Alan & Stephen, I plan to keep performing with them when I can, and to incorporate them into future recordings. This fall, I'll release "Plays Well With Others," an EP of new and old C.Spaniels songs that I recorded with Alan & Stephen before I moved. After that, I'm gonna start recording the backlog of songs that I've written over the last four years in as many configurations as possible: solo, with Alan & Stephen, with other friends...maybe with you? ;-)