LITTLE ROCK — Arleigh Kincheloe and her band, Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds, could say they found their love of music while still in the nest. At least it was the case for Kincheloe and her brother, Jackson Kincheloe, and their cousin, Bram Kincheloe.
“My parents were in bands and music was always part of our lives, when we were growing up in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York,” Arleigh Kincheloe says. “Our parents are so proud of us, for living out our dream. We used to listen to my dad’s stories of traveling and playing in shady bars. It was always a dream of mine to have not just a band, but also a horn section, which explains why there are nine of us. It makes for some interesting logistics, and you could say it’s like herding cats, only it’s musicians. We have a 12-seater van, which has enough room for everyone, plus their instruments.”
The band name, she says, came from her family dynamics, when her brother used the term “dirty birds” a lot, and the two of them called their mother “Mama Quail,” so she decided to call Arleigh “Sister Sparrow,” which helped inform Arleigh’s vision of her future band as she grew up. The three Kincheloes were augmented when various friends of Jackson and Bram joined the, er, flock.
The band moved to New York and drummer Bram brought in childhood friends J.J. Byars (alto saxophone) and Ryan Snow (trombone), who brought in Johnny Butler (baritone sax). The lineup was complete with the addition of Phil Rodriguez (trumpet), Sasha Brown (guitar) and Aidan Carroll (bass).
“We all got together in Brooklyn and did a fivemonth residency in a Manhattan club, the Rockwood Music Hall, which was a huge steppingstone,” she says. “We have a very high-energy show and we’ve been touring for a year and a half, and have done a lot of the festivals, from Bonnaroo to one in Florida and the New Orleans Jazz Festival.”
The group released a self-titled debut CD in 2010and a follow-up, Pound of Dirt, in late February. While hearing the songs gives a listener plenty of food for thought, watching the band on YouTube videos is even more eye-opening, as singer songwriter Kincheloe moves about the stage like a young female Mick Jagger, with a vocal style that at times recalls Bonnie Raitt or Marcia Ball. With the horn section blazing away, there are reminders of such great horn rock groups as Blood, Sweat & Tears and Chicago Transit Authority (before the name was changed to only that of the city and the sound became more “pop” than rock).
Though the Kincheloe home was less than an hour from Woodstock, the bandjust missed an opportunity to play at Levon Helm’s famous Midnight Ramble when Helm was alive presiding over the twice-a-month event.
“We had been booked to play there, but it turned out to be at the time he got ill again and was not able to play anymore. We did later get to play with his band and his daughter, Amy. My dad is a drummer, so Levon was his hero and we heard a lot of music by The Band while growing up.
“I remember meeting Levon when I was 10 or 11 years old. My sister and I were standing around somewhere and he gave her one of those little Coca-Colas in bottles, which was one of his trademark things he always had.”
Most of the band’s music is original, written by Kincheloe, but she says they perform the occasional cover song, including “Miss You” by The Rolling Stones, “Tell MeSomething Good” by Chaka Khan and Rufus, “Boogie Down, Reggae Woman” by Stevie Wonder, and “Roadhouse Blues” by The Doors.
The band is not a stranger to Little Rock, having played several shows at Stickyz.
Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds
9 p.m. today, Stickyz Rock
’n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 107
River Market Ave., Little
Rock
Admission: $10
(501) 372-7707
stickyz.com
Weekend, Pages 42 on 10/18/2012