Photo by Bettina Hansen

Last week, I spoke to Perry Allen, who plays guitar and does vocals for the Sparrows, a cross-country folk band with a new album out for free download on Jan. 20.

The band’s new album, “the Blue Door Sessions,” was recorded live in a Phoenix studio. One of the band’s members, Odetta Hartman, was not able to make the trip – so the rest of the members “re-imagined” the songs for the album, according to Allen.

Photo by the Sparrows

Allen along with Chris Rubeo (guitar, mandolins, vocals), Dan Whitener (banjo, guitar, piano, mandolin, vocals), Brian Barth (multiple instruments) and Hartman (violin, guitar, vocals) make up the group for while everyone was in college in upstate New York.

The band came from a jam session at the school’s free recording studio after Allen and Rubeo had been making “ridiculous late night music in our dorm,” said Allen. Rubeo brought Barth, and Barth brought a banjo player (Whitener). After a impromptu show, they met Hartman and liked her vibe, so they invited her into the group.

Their name came from a friend. In certain ways, their name harkens to “folk America imagery” and “pays homage” to folk crossover bands like the Byrds, according to Allen. It’s also “kind of an adorable name,” Allen added.

Allen said the band is inspired by “the music we like,” which includes traditional folk, bluegrass, rock and roll, and electronic and ambient music. Everyone in the group writes their own songs (lyrics and music) and brings them to the entire band to perfect and practice. Allen said that system works well because the band members live across the U.S. and only get together every six months or so, where they practice, play shows and have recording sessions.

Even though they have limited time to work together, “it’s so chill, it’s so laid back,” Allen said. The bands tries to keep their music fresh and try new things – instead of feeling pressured to produce the same kind of songs over and over again.

The last session in Phoenix included a few shows around the Valley and the new album. Allen said the shows were very high-energy and fun. For live performance, the band likes to break out older folk tunes for sing-a-longs with the crowd, such as Woody Guthrie’s “Mail Myself to You.” The band has also played in before in Phoenix and in New York. They have been on one nationwide tour before.

Before the “Blue Door Sessions,” the Sparrows’ last album was “Rattle Creak and Murmur.” Rubeo produced, engineered and mixed that album as a school project, and the band decided to release it as their sophomore effort.

Allen said the album was a strain on Rubeo, between playing and producing, but it worked out.

Off “Rattle,” I like “Hole in the Floor,” a snarky track Whitener dreamed up while on a plane, according to Allen. With the vision of a song, he put it together without instruments, and blew everyone away that night when he unveiled the song.

Another song, “Shadow Puppets,” features Hartman’s vocals in a piercing but pleasant way. A song about relationships, Allen said Hartman’s fragility and humor comes out in the track.

One of the most interesting songs on “Rattle” in “Running Light,” an instrumental number in the middle of the album. The brainchild of Barth and his interest in experimental and electronic music, it gives the album a good break reminiscent of turning over a record.

I didn’t much care for “Stay,” though Allen told me that’s usually everyone’s favorite track.

As I said before, the Sparrows’ latest album is free – and that’s how they want it, according to Allen. He said the band just wants to share their music, though they may someday press some records. After they start wearing ties, that is.

When the members of Minus Ned returned to their L.A. home after their first nation-wide tour, they were met by an unpleasant surprise. They found their house in shambles, like a crack house in the TV show “Breaking Bad,” according to vocalist and drummer Zach Guglin.

Guglin, vocalist Marissa DuBois, guitarists Michael Martens (also piano) and Mark Pinkert, and bassist Trevor Raffauf were supporting their album “Are We Finally Fitting In?” While they have recorded before, they think of the new album as their first. Guglin said their previous efforts were mostly experimental and don’t reflect what the current band has to offer.

The band was originally founded by Ned, who has since left the group- hence Minus Ned. The current incarnation of the band came together after the guys found DuBois through a Craigslist ad. She sang a part on an earlier album and “she killed it,” said Guglin.

DuBois grew up in Arizona, where she sang solo and with a few punk bands before her fateful move to L.A. at 19. She also used her time before Minus Ned to sharpen her vocals and songwriting skills.

“Are We Finally Fitting In” has variety of musical styles to offer. “III” is a soulful tune sung by DuBois. When asked where the lyrical inspiration was, Guglin (one of the band’s songwriters, along with Martens) explained that the band feels songs take on their own meanings to listeners.

“Whatever reason we wrote it becomes unimportant” once the band plays it to an audience, Guglin said. He wrote “Wayside,” a darker folk track with a Latin infusion, after a visit to South America, but that doesn’t necessarily reflect in the lyrics.

“Gotta Get Out” and “Come On” are the two heaviest and loudest songs on the record, helping to break up the other softer songs. DuBois said she enjoys singing in a wide range of styles – from the attempt at angry grrl pop of “Gotta Get Out” to the quiet harmonies in “Something Better.”

The band looks for ways to record in unique ways. They use Pro Tools to add in neat effects, and even used a recording of speakers blasting into a pot in “New Orleans.” Guglin said they model this search for “creative sounds that you’ve never heard before” after their music influence, Radiohead.

The song “Come On” also provides the inspiration for the album’s title: “Are you finally fitting in/Are you sticking to the mold?” Guglin said the band is still trying to find its musical niche in the indie-pop culture.

“How are you innovative and at the same time fit into pop culture?” Guglin asked.

DuBois added the band also worries about the state of the recording industry and how they will stand out from the endless competition. Guglin is frank that they are looking to make popular music that will draw fans and album sales, but contends they can still make their own brand of music.

The band did all their own booking for their recent tour in a mad rush that Guglin said was easier than expected and helped them make valuable connections with venues. DuBois said the band benefited from playing together almost every day.

Minus Ned have been playing four or five songs slated to be on the next album while on tour. They hope to work on it through the winter and spring, and are looking to tour again summer 2012.

You can also catch them on Facebook.

The Arizona State Fair always surprises with the caliber of musicians they get to play each 18 nights, and I was thrilled when I heard Idol would be among the performers. I grabbed lower section tickets the day they went on sale, and preceded to wait patiently.

Sunday night rolled around and I found myself not 25 feet from the bleach-blond legend, swaggering around the lit-up stage in a vest and tight pants. Idol’s show was a real treat for the fans who went (especially the people who saw him for free in the balcony section).

He doesn’t look a day older than his “White Wedding” video, and he’s a true showman. Through just a few of his hits (Rebel Yell, Eyes Without a Face, L.A. Woman) and some deeper cuts (Do Not [Stand in the Shadow]), he kept the crowd shaking their fists and moving in the their seats. (Unfortunately, the Coliseum does have seats.)

He thanked his long-time guitarist, Steve Stevens (who is incidentally Robert Smith’s long-lost twin), for a great time playing together over all the years. He was very gracious to his whole band and very sweet to the audience, throwing out signed drumsticks, set lists and what I think were paper plates.

You really couldn’t ask for a better show at a better price from such an Idol.

During the set I was introduced “Grapevine Fires,” a lovely and melancholy song in the best vein of Death Cab.

Lead vocalist Ben Gibbard enjoyed a joke or two with the audience, then the band launched into “Transatlanticism.” It was great time and a good show.

I will also note, as it seems to amuse people, that I am very fond of Death Cab, but I really can’t stand Gibbard’s other project, the Postal Service.

I saw Bob Dylan.

He came out, as my mom described, dressed like an outlaw. With “His Band,” he played for a little more than two hours, dancing behind his keyboard or his microphone.

He looked about half his seventy years when tapping his feet to the rearranged versions of “Tangled Up in Blue”, “Desolation Row” and “Like a Rolling Stone,” with his knees bent and his eyes shaded under the brim of his hat.

He looked nothing so much as I imagine the speaker in his song “Isis.”

He also did an original version of “Ballad of a Thin Man,” one of the dark and more haunting songs I’ve ever heard (and let’s be honest, I listen to a lot of dark and haunting music).

But, his voice was melodic in the same way Leonard Cohen’s is as he’s aged – its melody is in its age, in the cynicism and the hope mixed with, for lack of a more precise word, wisdom. Or, maybe world-weariness.

My general impression is he’s as happy to play music now as he was after he discovered Woody Guthrie, a kind of personal satisfaction he gets from making music that restores a lot of my faith in pursuing my dreams.

Unsurprisingly, this was a sort of spiritual experience for me. I’m certainly excited to dig my teeth deeper into his 56 full-length albums and the second part of his autobiography, should it ever come out.

As the inaugural concert at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Clyne and his band entertained the sizable crowd with a 28 or more song setlist that kept everyone singing along to classic and new songs for almost three hours.

The Hot Birds and the Chili Sauce, an Arizona local funk and soul band, played a great opener before the show.

In addition to the album, Clyne encouraged all the fans to wear a sombrero to the event for the Sombrero Solution. The band was supporting the United Way by trying to set a new Guinness World record for the most sombreros worn in one place at one time.

RCPM has two in-store performances for this album in the upcoming week – I suggest you check out Zia’s website and go to one to enjoy the live music and pick up a great Arizona album.

Unida Cantina top picks

-Marie
-Empty Highway
-Heaven on a Paper Plate

As usual, Griffith’s session started at 2 p.m. They usually last about an hour and are sometimes followed by a night of fun with other clients and music therapists. Katie has been analyzing lyrics and blogging about them for about eight months.

Eubanks uses a MacBook laptop, Apple’s GarageBand program and iTunes to record Griffith’s podcasts, including her comments and singing. She also takes notes in a word processor from Griffith’s analysis so she can organize the thoughts before Griffith’s records them.

When I visited, Griffith was working on the eighth installments to her podcast series.

She started by singing JJ Heller’s “What Love Really Means,” projecting her voice so the computer’s microphone could capture it.

Griffith said the lyrics “He cries in the corner where nobody sees” especially struck a cord with her.

She remembers that in elementary school, her peers would refuse to play with her because of her disability. Griffiths said their cruel behavior caused her to “cry emotionally and physically.”

Eubanks peppers Griffith’s analysis of the songs with questions about how she felt at a certain time in her life, and how Griffith’s insight might help others dealing with a disability.

In response to one question about the song, Griffith said it made her angry to see children being mean to someone with a disability.

“People are just unique, like everyone else,” she said.

Griffith also analyzed the song “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey. She said she included the song because it refers to a male friend had a crush on, but “he said he wasn’t interested.”

Eubanks shared that sometimes people “are afraid to line someone in a wheelchair” as a friend or more. She added people had no reason to fear something unknown or different – people are people.

Griffith also shared her advice for anyone who is hesitant to approach a person in a wheelchair or with a disability – “Go up and talk to them like a regular person!”

You can see the podcast I sat in on as well as Griffith’s current updates at her blog, Katie’s World.

The clinic has partnered with ASU’s Music Therapy department and is in the ASU Community Services Building.

Sylamina: Solo Girl 5000.

Chelsey Heath: Where did the name Sylamina: Solo Girl 5000 come from?
Sylamina: It came from the movie Pick of Destiny where Kyle Gass calls himself “KG Solo Man 5000.” I figured that everyone would remember me if it included my actual name in which I am the only living person with that name and added the Solo Girl 5000 part.

CH: How did you get into music?
S: My father was in a small band called the Skinny Coyote Band and ever since then, I wanted to learn the guitar. He would play Jimi Hendrix records early in the morning when I was little, so I kind of grew into it from birth.

CH: Did you teach yourself guitar and how to write lyrics?
S: I would say that I did teach myself, although my father was there to show me one song, he wasn’t the person to really teach anything. He kind of wanted me to do things on my own and be more independent. And apparently it worked!

CH: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration?
S: I have to be in a bad mood to write most of my songs. Writing music is difficult for me if I don’t have real emotions to put in it. The more emotional I am, I feel the better songs I will be able to compose. Surprisingly, I can write both happy and sad music all at the same time. It is just a reason to vent my feelings and write strong words to go with it.

CH: What is your usually lyrical or songwriting process?
S: Songwriting is hard to do in general. I have to be in the mood for it and not be pressed for time. I will usually think of lyrics on the way to and from school on the bus when I’m in deep thought about things. I’ll take note of them, and when I get home, I try to develop a guitar riff to go with it.

Sylamina said her favorite song she has up is “Whispers.” She was inspired by a long distance relationship she was in at the time.

“The guy did poetry and it was sort of a challenge against him,” Sylamina said. She also wants the song to remind listeners that they are not alone in complicated relationships.

————————————————
Whispers

I say goodbye, you said “don’t cry”
I know, this is hard for me

Chorus:
Well where were you when I was crying in the back of the room?
You’re gone now and what am I supposed to do?
Leave me here and all alone is what you’ve always done
I’m tired now and all I needed was a simple apology

I say goodbye, you said “alright”
I know, you didn’t care for me
We lie just fine, see you “next time”
It’s old, let us walk away

Chorus
————————————————

Sylamina hopes to record more songs in the spring when she is less busy with school. She said a friend will be launching a record label soon and has asked her to sign to it.

You can listen to her songs so far and contact her at her MySpace.

I hadn’t heard much of OK Go besides their internet sensation video, but they were fun and quirky. In matching primary colored suits, the quartet bounced around staged and mocked the mostly 30-something audience for sitting through a rock concert.

The show was sold out, and by the time the Pumpkins came on, it certainly showed. I was quite unimpressed with the venue – the staff were downright rude and it was overcrowded – but I won’t make any judgment on it when I have only been there once.

The Pumpkins, led by Billy Corgan (the only original member at this point), absolutely tore through their hour-plus set. They played a nice mix 90′s favorites and more contemporary work. Corgan took a couple of breaks to thank the cheering audience and explain their enthusiasm earned them the older songs he played. He also stopped to give a self-described “lecture” on the dangers of crowd surfing. Comedy hour with Billy Corgan, indeed.

The second to last song, “Tonight, Tonight” is still haunting me as I write this. I guess part of it is Corgan’s vice, part is the guitars and part is the song’s permanent place in my teenager heart.

I give you a few tips with managing your media relations, sans a public relations specialist.

• When first starting out, you will have to compile your own list of local press contacts to send releases, singles, CDs, concert dates, etc. Try to find publications that match your audience. You can find publications that cater to fans of your genre or local area, for example. College papers (such as the State Press) are always looking for stories relevant to campus, so if one of your members is a student or you play a show by campus, do not forget them. Also include the names, emails and phone numbers of music or entertainment reporters from major publications nearby, just in case.

• Please remember that like you, reporters have limited time to comb through their emails and voice mails. Leave short message in both, explaining who you are, why you’re contacting them (new single, upcoming concert), and most importantly – how to contact you. Always give direct phone numbers (cell phones are preferred) and emails you check often.

• As I’ve said before, you must have working and easy-to-use website as a band or musician. Also have updated social media where journalists (as well as fans!) can access your music, upcoming shows, and “about.” Don’t forget the contact sections!

• If you do get coverage in a publication, be sure to keep in touch with that reporter. If it’s an online publication, link to it on your website (it will give you free press and the reporter will appreciate the nod in their direction). Share coverage about you using the band bitly account so you can see how many people are clicking on your links and what sites those clicks are coming from.

If any musicians have other “advice” topics they’d like me to cover, drop me a line in the comment section or email chelseyheath@gmail.com