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The Sparrows take flight on new release
By John Benson
Like a bird pushing its young out of the nest, only to see them return, The Sparrows guitarist, TC Davis, recently watched his 19-year-old son, Gabe, join the Americana band he helped form nearly a decade ago.
“I am certainly very proud,” said Davis, who lives in Ellwood City, Pa. “He is a prodigy and passed me a long time ago. We are lucky and blessed to have him in the band playing any instrument; however, the fact that [former member] Corey Gray left and Gabe can step in on his main instrument, the bass guitar, is a gigantic benefit for us.
“He is definitely the best musician in the band and drives us to play better and with more enthusiasm than ever.”
The dynamic isn’t unlike the experience of another Americana band, Wilco, with its frontman Jeff Tweedy creating a self-titled band with his son Spencer.
“Tweedy playing with his son really is a cool thing, and that is what we sort of have as well,” Davis said.
The excited dad added that his YSU student son brings a real shot in the arm, chops-wise.
The timing couldn’t be better for The Sparrows, which is in the process of recording its third studio album at local studio Ampreon Recorder.
So far, new tracks that have the group hopeful include crowd favorite “California Blinders” and the tentatively titled “Southern Whiskey.” The former tune boasts a spoken-word vibe that Davis said is catchy, while the latter is a straight-up rock ’n’ roll track with a swampy feel.
“I think we found our feet with this third record,” Davis said. “We started off where I’d bring in my songs I had written on acoustic guitar, and then we’d put them into the Sparrows machine and turn them into rock ’n’ roll. The first album, which has songs that are staples of our set, are really simplistic.
“On our second album, ‘Magnolia Sessions,’ we kind of spread our wings a little bit, tried some new things and definitely dipped a little further into that Americana, rootsy vibe. Now with this record, I feel like everybody is all in. It’s not just me. We definitely evolved into a more mature sound.”
Comparatively speaking, The Sparrows fall somewhere between Drive-By Truckers and The Band. Davis added that while he gets his inspiration from the aforementioned Levon Helm and Robbie Robertson act, there’s also a heavy dose of Tom Petty found in the material that provides a pop edge.
As far as the new album is concerned, the plan is to have it out next month. Fans looking to hear the unreleased material can check out The Sparrows when the act returns to the Youngstown area for a Saturday show at Suzie’s Dogs & Drafts. The band also is doing an acoustic show Friday at the BackYard Bar and Grill in Poland.
Davis said there’s something about playing in Northeast Ohio.
“When we first started out, nobody knew what the hell Americana was at the time,” Davis said. “We played to a lot of empty rooms. But we always found that Ohio has been a little more receptive. I don’t want to diss on Pennsylvania people, but we love coming to Ohio to play because it just seems like a vein of rock ’n’ roll adoration still runs through that place.
“They love original music over there, and that’s what we are.”