The Lovely Sparrows
Formed in 2005 by singer/songwriter Shawn Jones (Something Happened, Larks & Owls) and longtime friend and collaborator Jason Cooper (Empty Suits, Larks & Owls), The Lovely Sparrows is the culmination of over a decade of slugging it out in the southwestern indie rock circuit. The earliest incarnation of the band, which can be heard on 2005’s self-released Take Your Hats Off You Godless Bastards 7″, reveled in Pavement and Bob Pollard-style laconic fuzz pop.
Their early bash and pop revelry, however, was to be short-lived after a romantic split between Jones and bandmate Meaghan Perry stripped away the band’s fuzzy, upbeat pop leanings. Jones rebuilt the band, embarked on a brief, danger-prone West Coast solo tour, dealt with numerous house floods, and recorded the band’s debut EP in the wake if that breakup. Friends as well as former, current and occasional members of the band contributed their talents to flesh out Pulling up Floors, Pouring on (New) Paint, which was released to small-scale acclaim on upstart label Abandoned Love Records. The EP received positive reviews from the likes of Harp and Paste as well as a host of bloggers and radio stations such as KUT, KVRX, and KSZU. The band showcased at SXSW then embarked on a few short tours of the East Coast and Midwest, recording a Daytrotter session and picking up discerning fans along the way.
Momentum led Jones to pen his most accomplished and ambitious songs to date which have been meticulously fleshed-out and captured on the band’s debut LP, Bury the Cynics. Set for release on July 8th, 2008 by Abandoned Love Records and the Rebel Group, Bury the Cynics marries lyrical pop sensibilities with Jones’ formal musical composition and performance training.
The Lovely Sparrows are a living, pulsing amoeba of a band, deftly able to stage a show with as few as one and as many as seven members. The release of Bury the Cynics will see the band embark on its most extensive touring to date.
