As the new year and the cold weather sets in, one great way to beat the winter doldrums is to catch “Acoustic Spiral” for memorable acoustic versions of many hits at your favorite local pub or restaurant.
Acoustic Spiral are Bob Thompson of Yardley and Shelly Botwinick of Central New Jersey. The musical duo plays many covers of iconic classic rock, blues, soft rock and current pop hits in venues throughout Yardley, Newtown, New Hope and many other locations in the area.
The group performs classics from groups and soloists such as Hall & Oates to Amy Winehouse, from Melissa Etheridge to Miley Cyrus or from The Beatles, Pat Benatar, Jackson Browne, Alanis Morrissette or Neil Young and many more.
“We do a really cool version of Christopher Cross’ ‘Ride Like the Wind.’ It's just two people performing, but it sounds like there are four players in the group,” Shelly noted. “We do Jackson Brown’s classic, ‘Doctor My Eyes.’ Bob brings out his harmonica for Neil Young’s ‘Heart of Gold,’ It’s a wonderful mixed bag of retro acoustic rock.”
Acoustic Spiral formed in the spring of 2024. Bob and Shelly met through a mutual musician friend in Bucks County. “It has been a beautiful relationship ever since we met almost two years ago,” Bob said.
“Bob and I are working on collaborating with our own originals too,” said Shelly. “So, this will be a continuing partnership. It’s very exciting stuff. We're very versatile. We can do, play and sing anything,” she said.
Bob said, “We are very diversified. I guess our strong area would be classic rock, the 70s era. But, we are also pretty current.”
Bob plays the guitar, harmonica and backing vocals. He’s native to Bucks County. He was raised in Morrisville and graduated from Morrisville High School. Bob retired from a New Jersey utility company and calls performing in a band, “my retirement job.”
“My father was a musician and he started me on playing trumpet when I was very young, probably third or fourth grade. In my teenage years I fell for the guitar and I never looked back. In my early 20s, I pretty much started performing and playing in bands. I've been playing consistently for 25 years in the area,” Bob recalled. “I played with a rock band called Powerhouse for years. And then that ended in 2015. Then I went into the acoustic duo format called the Kate and Bob Duo for seven years.”
Shelly sings and plays percussion. She has performed in many regional bars, restaurants, Atlantic City casinos and in wedding bands over the years. “Bob was looking for another vocalist and we exchanged contact information and started rehearsing and getting some songs together. Our first gig was November of 2024.”
Acoustic Spiral’s name is unique and Shelly said it was challenging to find something different that reflects their music’s approach.
“It’s so hard to pick a name these days. Everything's taken. I was Googling to make sure nobody else had the same kind of name,” she said. They wanted to have the word ‘acoustic’ in the title so people would realize what to expect musically.
“The ‘spiral’ part of the name is because I'm into holistic arts and esoteric arts,” she said. Shelly has an undergraduate degree in music education in vocal choral concentration and a master’s in holistic health. “Spiraling represents the constant energy, the flow, the ebb and flow, in everything,” she said, “It’s a little mysterious. I combine the two; music and holistic health. I practice sound healing, and do group and private sessions, combining music and frequencies with the healing aspects,” she said.
Through the winter of 2026, Acoustic Spiral has local dates booked at The Temperance House in Newtown Borough, Shadybrook Farms in Yardley and the Continental Tavern in Yardley Borough.
“Playing at these historic buildings, for example, the Continental Tavern and at the Temperance House and just being in that environment, it's very powerful,” Shelly said. “The people are fantastic. They always come back to see us. We have a little posse. The owners of these local businesses are so accommodating. Everybody's so supportive. In an age where we have AI and high tech, there’s something so beautiful about that connection that brightens someone's day, lifts them up when they're down. That live resonance just fills the room in a different way than if you're hearing music played by a DJ or on a jukebox,” she noted.
Bob agreed and added: “We want them to come out and have a great experience, enjoy the night, hopefully create a memory.”
For more information on Acoustic Spiral and upcoming winter gigs, visit: www.shellybotwinick.com/about-6.
