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| From | Judith Beeman <beeman@istar.ca> |
| Subject | Vancouver's little bird that could |
| Date | Fri, 05 Mar 2004 13:11:24 -0800 |
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From this week's GEORGIA STRAIGHT local freebie. Very different band
than Zumpano.
-------------------
When Sparrow played South by Southwest last year, the Vancouver
six-piece didn't have a record deal and was on a bill with largely
unknown acts. This March 17 to 21, it returns to the Austin, Texas,
music conference with an album on American label Overcoat Recordings and
an opening slot for legendary 1970s act Big Star.
"It just happens that one of the main organizers of the conference is a
big fan of Sparrow," Jason Zumpano, the group's main singer and
songwriter and a veteran of several local indie-rock institutions, told
the Straight. "We had another appearance scheduled that wasn't that
great and he wanted us to have a decent show."
Big Star, led by Alex Chilton and Chris Bell, recorded three early-'70s
albums that met with low sales and little fanfare. But over the years,
the quartet has attained an almost mythic status. In 1993, Big Star
re-formed with original members Chilton and drummer Jody Stephens along
with two members of Seattle act the Posies, Jon Auer and Ken
Stringfellow. The new version has toured intermittently ever since.
"I like the first two records quite a bit, though I haven't listened to
them in quite a while," Zumpano said. "I'll have to bring them down to
get them signed. Who knows if Alex Chilton is approachable."
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