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The Lovely Sparrows

Emerging from the intimate, lo-fi scene surrounding Jesse's Bed and Breakfast circa 2005, the Lovely Sparrows are the principal project of Shawn Jones. The group's debut 7-inch that year, Take Your Hats Off, You Godless Bastards, was a carefree burst of Pavement-inspired power-pop fuzz that parlayed male/female vocals between Jones and Meaghan Perry. Although the original trio dissolved, Jones reassembled the group with Jason Cooper (Larks & Owls), Earl Vallery, and multi-instrumentalist Lauryn Steinberg and changed directions toward a folk-pop sound. On 2006's Pulling up Floors, Pouring on (New) Paint EP, released on Abandoned Love Records, Jones' poetic lyrics and nasally vocals recalled Jeff Mangum matched with lush arrangements of flute and mandolin. – Doug Freeman
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"The Lovely Sparrows blend lush, complex arrangements with sing-along choruses that bring to mind glorious, folk-inflected pop and well-written novellas. Friends as well as former, current, and occasional members of the band contribute their talents to flesh out Shawn Jones’ songs of heartbreak, blunted resolve, and shimmering resignation. " more
PAST RECOMMENDED SHOWS:
06/20/11 @ Mohawk
The Lovely Sparrows
Local pop tarts stay inside all summer.
01/22/11 @ Mohawk
The Pharcyde
The West Coast counterpart to A Tribe Called Quest in the early 1990s rap-volution, L.A.’s Pharcyde took a more bizarre ride through hip-hop’s neighborhood. The group’s 1992 debut LP, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde, and 1995 follow-up, Labcabincalifornia, left a couple of enduring singles (“Drop,” “Passin’ Me By”), while taking “Ya Mama” to new heights. Notion, Crew54, and BetaPlayer open ceremonies. Inside, Lovely Sparrows, One Hundred Flowers, and other locals pop balloons.
AUDRA SCHROEDER
08/13/09 @ Mohawk
Bowerbirds
Plucked from the same cottage folk scene as Bon Iver (an early champion of the group), Bowerbirds is essentially guitarist/vocalist Phil Moore and multi-instrumentalist Beth Tacular. The Raleigh, N.C.-based duo’s latest, Upper Air, released on Austin’s Dead Oceans, is a serene, sincere collection of acoustic backwoods balladry. Megafaun sets the scene with its rustic, sophomore showing, Gather, Form & Fly (Hometapes), while local indie folk outfit the Lovely Sparrows rustles feathers early.
AUSTIN POWELL
04/24/09 @ Austin Moose Lodge No. 1735
Dana Falconberry, One Hundred Flowers, the Lovely Sparrows
Lovely local sounds from the Moose’s mouth.
01/28/09 @ Stubb's
Pink Nasty
Since releasing her 2006 sophomore effort, Mold the Gold, Pink Nasty’s Sara Beck has kept a low profile. With new songs, the local folk rocker brings her wry humor back to the limelight. The Lovely Sparrows fly up front with the lush sounds of 2008’s debut LP, Bury the Cynics, and Minneapolis’ Caroline Smith & the Good Night Sleeps fall in the middle.
DOUG FREEMAN
11/29/08 @ Mohawk
Robert Gomez, Sarah Jaffe/the Rosebuds
Inside, two of Denton’s finest come south. Guitar virtuoso Robert Gomez’s 2007 sophomore effort, Brand New Towns, delivered delicate melodies that exhumed Elliott Smith, and his follow-up promises an equally subtle grandeur. Gomez also lends his guitar to Sarah Jaffe’s powerfully voiced odes, the young songwriter already crafting her debut LP on the heels of this summer’s stellar Even Born Again EP. Locals the Lovely Sparrows open. Outside, lovey-dovey pop duo the Rosebuds bloom from latest effort Life Like on Merge.
DOUG FREEMAN
09/16/08 @ Emo's CLOSED
Throw Me the Statue
Scott Reitherman’s poptastic flow glimpses over shoulders at the coming-of-age 1990s. Not as nostalgic as it is hopeful, this Seattle touring fourpiece’s 2008 Secretly Canadian debut LP, Moonbeams, features skinny dipping, cliff-diving, hand claps, and “Lolita.” Local folk-pop lovers the Lovely Sparrows open.
DARCIE STEVENS
02/18/08 @ Holy Mountain
Moth Fight, the Lovely Sparrows
Steam punk and sing-songery.
04/26/07 @ Irie Bean Coffee Bar
KVRX Local Live 11 Release
With Zookeeper, Lovely Sparrows, Tee Double, and Jerm Pollet.
03/02/07 @ Emo's CLOSED
Maria Taylor
Taylor's back in the Saddle Creek with the lovely Lynn Teeter Flower.
Last Updated: September 20, 2007

A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Origin: 2005
Genre: Pop/Rock and Singer-Songwriter/Folk
Full Discography:
Pulling up Floors, Pouring on (New) Paint
Abandoned Love (2006)