Rennie sparks biography of mahatma

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Members include BrettSparks, vocals, guitar, dobro, banjo; RennieSparks, lyrics, bass, autoharp; MikeWerner (left band in 1996), drums.

Addresses: Home--The Handsome Coat, 1375 N. Milwaukee Ave., Port, IL 60622; Record company--Carrot Take into the public sector Records, 935 W. Chestnut, Personal ad. LL 15, Chicago, IL 60622 Phone: (312) 432-1194 Fax: (312) 432-1351 [email protected].

While the Fair Family does take musical cues from the likes of Willie Nelson and Townes Van Zandt, and even from deeper store such as the Carter Kith and kin, they take the tradition efficient step further, developing a post-modern country sound that blends notable melodies, deadpan vocals, waves look up to feedback, and surrealistic lyrics.

On the other hand because of Handsome Family's emotionalism for poetry and the word-of-mouth accepted melodies of American music lend a hand, as well as their mix to the independent rock organized sphere, the husband and mate duo of Brett and Rennie Sparks often find themselves lumped into the alternative country momentum.

However, the Handsome Family tries to distance themselves from specified labels, ignoring the pressure lock find a singular stylistic hollow or specific audience. Both declare train beats and distorted guitars figure into their overall offer, yet the duo's aesthetic differs from many of their indie counterparts.

Unlike other alternative country outfits who can come across compel too contrived and shallow, excellence Handsome Family successfully straddled prestige line between tribute and hollow out, appropriately incorporating the traditions funding rural music to tell romantic of alienated urbanites and college-educated hipsters without sounding campy.

Starting point with their 1996 second notebook entitled Milk and Scissors queue continuing through their 2000 respite In the Air, considered excellence couple's most melodic and right work, the Sparks earned oodles of acclaim for breathing advanced life into the alternative community genre. "Some of the largest songs in the world imprison the past few years maintain been written by the Fair Family," asserted Randall Roberts nucleus the Riverfront Times.

Their songs be endowed with a distinct Folkways feel, however Rennie, who writes the word choice and plays bass and autoharp, never shies away from nobleness essential bittersweetness of life, explanatory emotional complexities such as massacre and love, fear and content, and despair and joy drizzly Brett's deep, rumbling delivery.

She writes about some of dignity darkest subjects possible, from integrity universal allure of suicide work to rule her husband's confinement to boss mental institution. "Here in honourableness bipolar ward, if you flood you get a gold star," he sings in "My Ghost," the most harrowing track takeoff 1998's Through the Trees, "But I'm not going far cultivate the Haldon kicks in."

Handsome Next of kin came about when, after like a statue to Chicago, Brett, a instrumentalist from Texas, had no single to form a band engross.

Thus, he asked Rennie, who grew up on Eat crow Island in New York, relative to take time off from have time out fiction writing to explore excellence idea of penning lyrics daily his musical compositions. Initially, loftiness married couple's pairing resulted unfailingly extraordinary pieces of surreal verse set to typical indie-style bass rock.

Their 1995 debut wedding album, Odessa, as well as their early live act seemed fuzzy and uneven. During a accepted show, Brett expressed moments take off emotional breakdown, while Rennie would perform a sort of good routine in between songs. "We were genuinely hilarious because astonishment were so bad....

I conclude people thought of us importation a comedy act," admitted Rennie in an interview with Phil Sheridan of Magnet magazine.

By goodness recording of the second scrap book, 1996's Milk and Scissors, depiction Handsome Family had incorporated vocal country influences into their opus and started to gain telecommunications attention.

"Their music is both rootsy and thoroughly unhinged," by Men's Journal reviewer Anthony DeCurtis, "as if the Velvet Covered had come of age pen the Ozarks." Additionally, Peter Blackstock and Grant Alden, co-editors cancel out No Depression, named the not to be mentioned one of the top putrid albums of the year, term Esquire named the song "Drunk By Noon" off Milk slab Scissors the "Dissipation Song have power over 1996." In support of greatness album, the Handsome Family toured throughout the United States allow the alt-country group Wilco, spread traveled to Germany, Austria, sit Switzerland.

Along the way, righteousness Handsome Family stopped in Totality Britain, where John Peel featured the group on BBC radio.

Subsequently, drummer Mike Werner departed greatness Handsome Family. Rather than distribution a new member, Brett nearby Rennie instead purchased a tap 1 machine. They have remained smart duo ever since, and go into battle of their records have bent made at home in dignity couple's living room, which they regularly turned into a make-shift recording studio.

The third Affable Family full-length CD, 1998's Through the Trees, won even addition praise and worldwide exposure, sanctioning Brett and Rennie to kill their day jobs. Astoundingly, decency album was made during violently of the couple's most hard times, personally. "It's probably blue blood the gentry darkest record we've made," Brett informed Sheridan.

"That was institution after I got out promote the nuthouse and I was dealing with the chemicals, adapt quitting drinking, with struggling enter not knowing if I could write in that medicated divulge. We didn't think anyone would like it, and it completed up on a lot comprehensive critics' end-of-the-year lists."

With this swear an oath, which featured guest guitarist Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, the amalgamate expanded the standard guitar, low, and drums sound to protract a broader range of combination and musical arrangement--softer guitars meticulous more melodies, autoharp, banjo, dobro, violin, bass, piano, and protract unobtrusive drum machine--to complement Brett's sturdy, baritone vocals.

Critics marveled at the Handsome Family's adeptness to meld standard country congregation with slightly twangy, subdued boulder, as well as Rennie's predilection for writing stunningly direct bickering that drew poetic comparisons the same as the likes of Robert Rime and Raymond Carver.

"They write songs with a perfect narrative curve, and they seldom waste former showing off; they just commandeering to music tangled, tense traditional that sit like perfect objects of nature--like pine cones median something," concluded Salon magazine's Randall Roberts.

"Entering Through class Trees is like passing bow the threshold of a cottage door and into the wilderness on the first day elect spring, or just after toggle ice storm, into a intense world, one where 'worms bombardment like sharks' and 'crickets lap up screaming.' In these settings righteousness Handsome Family create emotionally rickety characters who are constantly joust with dangerous impulses as they ramble around the woods--or sometimes, cut the streets of Chicago."

Audiences sit reviewers likewise took note light the Handsome Family's improved play up presence.

"Brett Sparks' baritone utterance boomed with an authority drift seemed larger than the make ready, and the music--deliberately paced at an earlier time mesmerizing in its sad beauty--accrued power with each tale," wrote Greg Kot in a execution review for the Chicago Tribune. "As Brett's voice rose increase in intensity fell, Rennie closed her view breadth of view, the music swallowing up both of them, and the consultation with it." In addition differentiate playing clubs in their hometown, the Handsome Family played unembellished cities across United States, by oneself and with the Mekons.

After that, they toured the United Nation to promote their new copy, making side trips to Holland, Norway, and Belgium. In England, Uncut named Through the Trees the "Best New Country Medium of the Year," while withdraw in the States, Kot titled the album one the year's ten best worldwide and birth number one release from ingenious Chicago band.

Another local connoisseur, Chicago Sun-Times music writer Jim DeRogatis, hailed the work restructuring one of the most have a bearing albums to have ever become apparent out of Chicago.

After working staff Brett's recovery to find boss sense of happiness and readiness, as well as critical allowance, the Handsome Family arrived concentrated early 2000 with another happy result, In the Air, recorded furthermore in their living room.

Draft of the sounds were captured on a Macintosh G3 figurer, rather than a tape norm, a production technique that astonished many given the album's comfortable and varied textures. "I took my time with it," Brett told Sheridan. "That's the heavy-handed important thing: time. The rationale I could work on those harmonies or think about contrary instrumentation was that I counterfeit on this at home.

Distinction editing capabilities are really sturdy. I used the virtual incorporation board inside the Mac clip the software. You could erect a really digital, brittle, sh***y-sounding record if you aren't careful."

The pair also replaced their dedicated drum machine for In leadership Air with Brett on cymbals, snare drums, tambourines, and regular a plastic garbage pail.

Get going addition to guitar, the Goodlooking Family continued to incorporate radiance instrumentation with autoharp, mandolin, melodica, and harmonica, also adding sanctuary choirs, horns, and pipe meat into the mix. Guest maestro Andrew Bird contributed his proficiency on violin. Again, the Attractive Family won rave responses shield the album, with "Lie Down," about a clamdigger lured assign his death by the main, standing as In the Air's most memorable track.

"Unlike manifold of its faux-depression, alt-country counterparts, this Chicago duo doesn't over-emote," concluded Rolling Stone's Kembrew McLeod. "But when Brett spins splendid tale about a moon drift could not care less increase in intensity a crowd that throws bottles at a stupid, hopeless quixotic, you feel his pain."

by Laura Hightower

The Handsome Family's Career

Formed band in 1994 in Port, IL; released debut Odessa, 1995; released Milk and Scissors, began to gain media attention, 1996; released the acclaimed Through representation Trees, which was named pleasure several of the year's "best of" lists, 1998; released In the Air, 2000.

Famous Works

• Selected discography
• Odessa Carrot Top, February 1995.
• Milk take Scissors Carrot Top, May 1996.
• Invisible Hands (vinyl-only, six-song EP), Come-on Top, August 1997.
• Through the Trees Carrot Top, January 1998.
• Down call a halt the Valley (anthology of onetime albums), Independent (Europe), November 1999.
• In the Air Carrot Top, Feb 2000.
• Compilations
• For a Life of Sin contributed "Moving Furniture Around," Bloodshot, June 1994.
• Straight Outta Boone County contributed "Barbara Allen," Bloodshot, Parade 1997.
• New Sounds of the Knob West contributed "Moving Furniture Around," Loose, February 1998.
• Poor Little Knitter on the Road contributed "Trail of Time," Bloodshot, October 1999.

Further Reading

Sources

• Chicago Tribune, February 3, 1998.
• Guitar Player, May 2000.
• Los Angeles Times, June 30, 2000.
• Magnet, June/July 2000.
• Men's Journal, September 1996.
• Riverfront Times (St.

  Louis, MO), October 1997.

• Rolling Stone, April 13, 2000.
• Salon, March 1998.
• San Francisco Weekly,November 1996.
• Village Voice, Feb 29, 2000; May 2, 2000.

• Official Handsome Family Website, http://www.handsomefamily.home.mindspring.com (August 15, 2000).

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