Brooklyn is an awesome place for the incubation of some great bands. From Denmark (New Politics and Mew), to England (Deluca), to various small towns and big cities across North America, musicians from all over the world relocate to Brooklyn in order to make it in the US alternative and indie rock scene. On the first night in March, I stopped by the Bowery Ballroom, my favorite venue in NYC, to see another up-and-coming transplant to Brooklyn (this one from the Catskills) and a favorite of local hipsters (think big hats and pointy shoes), Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds.
This highly energetic show began with the entire band on stage minus lead singer Arleigh Kincheloe (who uses the stage name “Sister Sparrow”), as all of the band’s members embarked on an extended danceable intro led by the outfit’s fulltime harmonica player Jackson Kincheloe (Sparrow’s brother and the band’s main lyricist). The band obviously designed the piece to get the crowd riled up for the emergence of Sparrow. These guys are similar in stature to several other rock bands working the local music scene – they have a rabid following in NYC and the region around it, often selling out shows in Manhattan and Brooklyn (they frequently make appearances in Albany, which is where I initially heard about them), but are relatively unknown throughout the rest of the country. Their style of music is difficult to pin down, suffice it to say they layer on a danceable mix of blues rock, funk, and jazz, requiring some excellent musicianship from the band members. A good portion of the audience had obviously seen past shows and was aggressively prepared to groove to the band’s tunes. Sparrow finally appeared on stage after about five minutes into the initial jam and belted out some lyrics jolting the crowd into maximum party mode. Like the audience, the band was equally ready to roll this evening, as it was the official record release party for their new album, “Pay Dirt,” officially let loose just a few days before the show. The set began, however, with several “old favorites” from their first album with which the bulk of the crowd was already familiar (the tunes “Boom Boom” and “Road Trip” representing the primary stand outs). The Dirty Birds didn’t settle into the new stuff until about half way into the show, beginning with the barn-burning first track off the new album “Make it Rain.”
The band is packed full of talent, and they generously heap it on through a longer than average show. Every member of this ensemble, which consists of, in addition to the standard guitar, bass and drums, an entire brass section with alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, trombone, and trumpet. The band also offers the heretofore mentioned, extraordinarily peppy, harmonica player Jackson Kincheloe. Each member of this ensemble received a shot at a solo, and all of them knocked their turn out of the house. My favorite moments in the show included an awesome, extensive solo by drummer Bram Kincheloe (the cousin of Jackson and Sparrow), a rousing harmonica solo by Kincheloe, and an ear bending trumpet solo. These seemed like standouts, but really all of the performances were top notch.
Although the band was awesome, the evening belonged to Sparrow. She has the energy of a superstar and the vocal chops to match. At times she reminded me of robust rock blues American singers from the 60s and 70s such as Janis Joplin and sweet momma Cass Elliot. Even though she doesn’t quite have the pipes to match those women, she is also missing their girth, and has no trouble moving around the stage and working the crowd. She has enough musical sense, however, to recognize the outstanding cadre of musicians backing her up, and she gives them room to breathe, as some of the numbers rollicked on for ten or so minutes. After seeing some pretty mediocre shows since the beginning of the year (most recently the Dum Dum Girls, YAWN), the show made for the most interesting night of music I’ve had since the astonishing Anna Calvi show last December in Williamsburg – go Brooklyn!