Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds

One Liner: Soul rock boogie

Poster Position: 21
Slot: Sunday at 6 (which seems like a good slot for someone on the 21st row?)

Thoughts:  Blues, soul rock with a nice horn section thing going on.  According to their Spotify bio, they've hit up ACL in the past.  I did not see them or review them, so this must have been several years back.  Pretty good sound.  They have three albums and then a live double-disc, and I think the best of the albums is their most recent (non-live).  I also really liked the second disc, 2012's Pound of Dirt.  Heavy on the harmonica on this album at times, and each time it makes me think of Blues Traveller.  Has that same trilling harmonica sound. Their original album is more bluesy, but their more recent stuff retains some of that blues sense but goes for more polished sound.  Their most popular track is from their 2015 album The Weather Below, called "Sugar."

Well, I was just about to start making fun of the video for being a little cheesy, and then I just got sucked in and the fun of that song and the charm of the group melted my black little heart and now I just want to watch them play carnival games and lip sync all over again.  I may be a big fat teddy bear, but screw it, that track is groovy.  1.1 million streams for that track, so someone has discovered that sucker and put it on blast.

I was also going to bag on their live album, but then they cover Paul Simon in the middle of one track ("Prison Cells"), which once again charmed me enough to grin and find a touch of pleasure. Otherwise, I'd rather hear the studio versions of these tracks than the live ones.  Which I think bodes poorly for wanting to see them at the fest.  Which really won't be an issue, since they are up against Chris Stapleton.  One more track for you, here is the album opener from their eponymous first album, a track with 250k streams, called "Untie My Shoelaces."

Groovy, bro.