Band biographies

Edward Avery
Born: April 17, 1982
Hometown: Seattle, Washington
Instruments: Lead vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, harmonica, banjo, piano, lyrics
Influences: Bon Iver, John Lennon, Damien Rice, Brandon Caulfield, Infinite, Mumford & Sons, Nirvana.



Edward James Marcel Avery was born on the 17th of April, 1982 in Seattle, Washington. His father, Joseph, was a local musician and pivotal figure in the ever-growing Seattle music scene. His mother was also a musician but chose to teach at the local high school instead of going into the music industry alongside her husband. When Edward was 4 years old his father began teaching him numerous musical instruments such as guitar, harmonica, and banjo and Edward was immediately hooked to music. When he was in middle school he, reluctantly, joined the school choir at the request of his mother after she heard him singing Nirvana’s world famous ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ whilst laying in bed one night. It was here that he truly fell in love with music and began to explore more of his many musical talents. He was an average student during school and dropped out at the age of 16 and started touring around Washington playing shows with his father, much to his mother’s mortification. On New Year’s Eve, 1999, Edwards’s father died behind the wheel of his car after he swerved to miss a speeding car and ran into a tree. In February, 2000, his mother committed suicide near the tree where his father had died just months before.

Now only 18, Edward had no family, very little friends, and not much money. He moved in with a family friend in Aberdeen and lived with them until he was 21 when he returned to Seattle and bought his own apartment. He started going to shows again and got to know some people and made friends, with whom he started multiple bands with, but none ever got far off the ground before their demise. In 2008, Edward was at a Biffy Clyro gig when he befriended Haynes McKinnon. Edward and Haynes quickly bonded over their similar musical tastes and ideas and formed Spradley Falls.

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Haynes McKinnon
Born: April 28, 1985
Hometown: Olympia, Washington
Instruments: Lead vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussion, lyrics
Influences: City and Colour, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Nirvana, Biffy Clyro, Ryan Ross Hernandez.



Haynes Hector McKinnon was born on the 28th of April, 1982 in Olympia, Washington. He was raised solely by his mother and has never met or seen his real father. His mother, Tessa, had to work hard to give her and her son a decent lifestyle which meant she was often trying to hold down multiple jobs at once while still trying to spend time with Haynes. Like Edward, Haynes was also thrust into music at a very young age. His mother won a free acoustic guitar and taught herself and Haynes how to play when he was 5 years old. When he was 8, his mother remarried to a man named Anthony, who, to this day, Haynes credits as his “real” father. As a young child Haynes had always done well in school but upon reaching high school his grades started to slip. He started smoking weed and experimenting with whatever other drugs he could score off his classmates. When his parents found out about the drugs they moved him to a boarding school in Washington D.C. where he stayed until he was 17 when they finally let him come back and finish his schooling years at the high school where he started. He stopped taking drugs and is now straight edge. When he was in grade 9, McKinnon’s English teacher caught him playing guitar and singing along after class one lesson and immediately encouraged McKinnon to explore his talents further. However, Haynes was very shy and always turned down the teacher when asked if he wanted to perform a few songs in class. Then one day the teacher told him that he had booked an excursion to a local young people’s theatre where Haynes would perform for the first time in front of an audience. He covered songs by bands like Weezer, Nirvana and The Beatles, as well as playing one original song which is still played at Spradley Falls shows. After that show McKinnon lost his stage-fright and was open to singing in front of anyone.

After leaving school, McKinnon started working as an electrician, helping his step-father’s company but on his days off he would go to local shows or hone his musical skills and write songs. He met Edward Avery in 2008 and formed Spradley Falls. They have been playing shows around the country and writing ever since then and are finally ready to take all the songs that they’ve written into a studio and release an album.

Scott H: Sounds promising. Will be keeping my eyes on you guys for sure!