Album Notes

The starkly beautiful music of Chicago alt-country duo The Spares is a moving tribute to the power of storytelling. Jodee Lewis and Steve Hendershot complement their original songs with soaring vocals, sweet harmonies, and percussive, emotive playing that is both stunning and restrained.

The pair met in Chicago in 2002, and started making music together a year later. Since 2004, they've delighted audiences around the Midwest, where their debut CD, Hand Me Down, is an instant hit.

Steve Hendershot's two prior albums on Tweed Records, solo release Built By Hand (2000) and The Charm's Even As We Speak (2001), have sold thousands of copies and enabled Steve to tour nationwide. Grassroots Music calls Even As We Speak, which Hendershot produced, and for which he wrote all the songs in addition to his role as vocalist and guitarist, "lyrically stimulating and musically genius."

Jodee Lewis grew up in a country music family in southern Missouri. After growing up performing in church, she took her act to the festivals and coffeehouses of Chicago after moving there in 1999. In addition to her singing, Lewis plays several instruments. She worked for several years as a chemical engineer before turning to music full time with this project.