When a band has been around as long as Built to Spill, nothing delivers a stronger reality check than a poke in the eye- sometimes a literal one.
The influential Northwestern indie-rock band, formed in 1993 by gentle, Neil Young-worshiping guitar hero Doug Martsch, has endured its share of misfortune, including the death of former band member Andy Capps last spring, weeks before the release of its new album “You in Reverse.”
Then a detached retina, suffered during a game of basketball, rocked Martsch to the core.
“I could have easily gone totally blind,” Martsch said recently from his home in Idaho. “When it first happened, my vision was horrible and I was super depressed.”
The emergency surgery and recovery forced BTS to cancel its 2006 South by Southwest appearance. And though Martsch will never fully recover, he’s gotten used to the scar tissue on his retina, which sometimes causes double vision, limits his peripheral sight and makes reading difficult.
“The doctor told me the brain adapts and makes adjustments, and just him saying that was a big leap for me,” Martsch said. “I was able to deal with it a lot better.”
The events leading up to the release of the long-awaited “You in Reverse” could have easily derailed BTS’s touring schedule, but fortunately the music prevailed. The group plays the Ogden Theatre on Friday night with the Boggs.
A lot was riding on “You in Reverse,” the band’s first disc in five years. Martsch had burned himself out on music in general after 2001’s “Ancient Melodies of the Future.”
“I felt like I didn’t really have much to offer,” Martsch said. “I had to get my equilibrium back to be able to appreciate what I was doing.”
Time, playing with friends outside of BTS, and a solo album and tour helped him center his priorities. Martsch professes to being more comfortable with himself these days – a good thing since his band’s famously busy road schedule cuts a wide swath across North America through October.
You would never suspect Martsch’s self-doubt from the audience, his jam-leaning solos and lockstep chord changes alternating with hurricane force. Dinosaur Jr.’s J. Mascis, a guitarist Martsch cites as a major influence, would be proud.
Credit Built to Spill’s lineup with its performance prowess of late. Bassist Brett Nelson, drummer Scott Plouf and guitarists Jim Roth and Brett Netson (of Caustic Resin) help Martsch balance his melancholy melodies and explosive chops, which have influenced everyone from Modest Mouse to Death Cab for Cutie.
“Each tour, we try to bring out a few songs we haven’t played before, and we do a certain amount of jamming on stage,” Martsch said. “We haven’t had any major burnout so far.”
Earlier this month the band released a two-song single (“They Got Away,” backed with the Gladiators’ cover “Re-Arrange”) and has been recording material for a new album, although Martsch doesn’t think it will see light any time soon.
Warner Bros. recently reissued BTS’s 1997 opus “Perfect From Now On,” 1999’s “Keep It Like A Secret” and last year’s “You in Reverse” on vinyl, a rare move by a major label that thrilled record-collecting fans. Each was limited to 2,000 copies, remastered from the original tapes and repackaged in deluxe gatefold.
“I mentioned it to (Warner Bros.) because I wanted it to happen, and they really took off and ran with it,” Martsch said. “I was really psyched.”
In fact, Warner Bros. had wanted to re-release every BTS album as a vinyl boxed set to celebrate 10 years on the label, but Martsch said some of the band’s past labels were flaky (Up Records) or uncooperative (C/Z Records).
But nice as the reissues are, they’re just dressing atop the band’s core.
“I definitely feel we’re a better live band than anything,” Martsch said. “We’re not in a hurry to do anything but play.”
Staff writer John Wenzel can be reached at 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com.
Built to Spill
INDIE ROCK | Ogden Theatre, 935 E. Colfax Ave; 9 p.m., Tonight | $25 | Ticketmaster.com
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