interview: sister sparrow and the dirty birds
Just at the heels of their self-titled album release (reviewed by the brilliant Christine Campbell here), lip magazine had a chat to Arleigh of Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds.
How did Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds form? Have there been many line-up changes?
It all started as a pipe dream to an 18 year old rookie songwriter. Once I summoned the courage to share my songs (many of which are on our debut album), my brother Jackson and I would sit around the piano jamming to a small hometown audience. When I moved from the Catskills to the city, we decided with our cousin Bram that our “superband”, as we like to say, had to happen. And so it did. After we 3 Kincheloe’s, We’ve had 5 solid members from the very 1st rehearsal, though the 9th member has had a couple of different faces.
Do you ever find it intimidating fronting such a large band, particularly one where you’re the only female?
Intimidating, no. These guys are my family. They’re protective of me. They’re my 8 big brothers. You know how it is…well, if you have older brothers, I guess…but I can be me. No expectations. No judgments. It’s really awesome, actually.
How much collaboration with other band members is there in your songwriting?
I brought these 12 songs (from the album) to the guys, and we all arranged them together. Everyone puts themselves into each song. At this point they really feel like they belong to all of us. Recently we’ve been writing as a whole band and the results are so exciting!!
What have been the greatest challenges in recording the album?
Scheduling. There are nine of us for god sakes. Ha! In all seriousness, despite the numbers, the truth is, we recorded this album in one night. When we’re all finally in one room, it just works.
There’s been a lot of great music coming out of Brooklyn over the past few years; do you find there’s a music community that has been created and fostered in Brooklyn as a result?
Of course. But I think that’s probably the case in a lot of music rich areas, not just Brooklyn. We chose to be part of the Brooklyn community because, simply put, we LOVE New York. And the Brooklyn music community is particularly supportive.
What do you like to do when you’re not performing with the band?
I know this sounds absurd, but I spend a lot of my free time hanging out with the band. We were all friends first and thankfully, that hasn’t gotten lost in the madness. What do we do together? I don’t know. Play corn hole?
Did you always envision you’d be playing music?
Absolutely. There’s nothing else for me.
What’s the most interesting thing that’s happened to you/your band on tour?
Knife fight in Calcutta. No I’m just kidding. Um…probably the time we got back to Little Bear (our van) after a show in Hartford only to find a homeless man sitting shotgun. Long story short, Barry is now our most trusted roadie.
Do you consider yourself a feminist, and if so, in what way?
Yes. In that I think women should definitely have the right to vote. In all seriousness, I’m really not cause driven. I don’t subscribe to particular religious beliefs. I’m here to live. The only label with which I am comfortable saddling myself is Sparrow.
What’s a question you’ve always wanted to be asked but that has never come up?
Question: Will you marry me?
Answer: No!
Sister Sparrows and the Dirty Birds is out now through Modern Vintage Recordings, and be sure to check out this video of the band, from New York’s BreakThru Radio!
