An accidental meeting of Pittsburgh-area guitar talent has brought us to a crossroads. This intersection is called "Americana", where folk, country, rock and roll, the blues and soul come together to have a shindig. The Sparrows are purveyors of this fine blend of genres, and this is their story.
Originally called “The Weight”, brothers Chris and Corey Gray met TC Davis completely accidentally. TC called Chris in an attempt to find a drummer. Turns out Chris is an accomplished lead guitarist, not a drummer. Happily, the meeting was fortuitous -- the brothers were moved by the original material Davis brought with him.
The Sparrows came about to, in a sense, shed a little of “The Weight” brought on by numerous drummer replacements. As drummers split, the three remaining members found a collective voice, and embarked on a search for a beat basher who was equally serious about original music.
Cue Tommy Ray Hohnson (aka TH), a veteran of myriad Pittsburgh outfits including The Cynics, Boss Diablo and The Frampton Brothers, to name a few, who was a perfect fit for the "singing, songwriting drummer" position.
TH arrived with the added bonus of “I know a keyboard player, who also plays sax”. Enter Jimmy Deal Watson, Hohnson's childhood mischief accomplice, who proved to be an integral piece of the Sparrows' musical puzzle -- albeit one they didn't even know they needed.
A complete band was all The Sparrows needed to stoke the fires of creativity. Their story draws from the real-life experience of growing up in small-town, rural America. Running a gauntlet spiked with love found, love gone wrong, and love lost, The Sparrows tell tales of addiction and recovery, woman troubles, robbery, and reckless abandon.
Complex harmonies led by the smoky, soulful lead of TC Davis wind through a twisted torrent of music fully infused with the spirit of Americana.
The Sparrows will move your feet and ease your mind. See you at the show.
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