Sister Sparrow And The Dirty Birds 4-20-2013 930 Club Washington DC
Review done by Godfather Recording
Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds started the night with a rockin’ jam without their lead singer, Arleigh Kincheloe, on stage until about 4 minutes in, then it transitioned into an energetic“Millie Mae” where she sang the crowd’s blues away and brought her exciting level of energized funk to the 9:30 Club, on 4-20 no less. With a quick question (“How you feelin DC?”) they went right into “Make It Rain” the lead song from their sophomore album Pound Of Dirt.
The show started off with the 9:30 Club about a quarter filled. These are the real music fans that don’t want to miss a note and want to get all they paid for, they are aware of the talent and who is gracing the stage. As they transitioned to their third song of the evening they slowed it down a bit to a bluesy “Eddy” while keeping the Dirty Birds style of funk running throughout the song.
The next song was a bit unexpected, but from the first note you knew what song was about to grace your ears (Especially if you grew up when the original band–AC/DC–released the song). Half of the crowd was old enough to have seen AC/DC back in the day, and the other half were exposed to them on their parent’s radio. All in all, it was a very diverse crowd. I love when a band does a cover and do it their way, and that is exactly what we got! With Jackson Kincheloe (brother of Arleigh) filled the air with his wonderful harmonica throughout the song. It is rare for me to see a band where the harmonica is played on all the songs. Not many bands can pull this off, but like Blues Traveler, Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds make you wonder why more bands can’t make it work. Another way they made this song fresh was the wonderful horns which were woven perfectly into “Back In Black”. This just might be a biased statement because I for one have always felt a horn section elevated a band to another level. Has anyone ever heard horns during Back In Black? It was amazing and unique.
By this point the crowd had swelled and I got my boogie on in a big way. As Arleigh is movin’ and groovin’ across the stage it seems we’re in lock step to the beat, what a cool feeling from the back of the room where the taper section is. Next we are served up a new song “The Long Way Home” which at times has a melody familiar to me from a song long ago who’s name escapes me, but by all means it’s a true original with a vibe all its own. The air is full with the experience of a nine piece band working in unison to bring their unique sound from Brooklyn New York. “Boogie Man” lets Arleigh work her unique voice, I mean to say it is hard to believe that such a big voice is coming from this petite woman. She is the size of a sparrow with the voice of a lion!
Onto a new song, “Fight”. We have slowed down for this one, and unfortunately those not there for the music (they are there to be seen in the scene) have taken the opportunity to talk to the person next to them, all the while Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds are pouring out their heart and soul for the crowd in this wonderful song about not giving up.
They then move onto a foot stomping, hand clapping jam called “Bulldozer” to arouse the crowd for the final stretch of their set. The jam leads perfectly into “Too Much” which I recall fondly from last Summer’s Mountain Jam in Hunter, New York, the first time they played this festival. The beat is undeniable and if your bones ain’t movin` and groovin` at this point of the show, then you’re in need of a funk transfusion immediately.
The last song of the evening Sister Sparrow gives it up for their talented trombone player Ryan Snow on this New Orleans inspired song “This Is The Town”. What a way to end their set, with such high energy the crowd is really feelin’ it and are fully pumped.
They did their job and then some as the opening act for JJ Grey and Mofro. Not many bands could follow the energy they just laid down in this room! So if you are up to be challenged and you want to bring a great experience to your fans then hire this band to open for you. Hurry, it won’t be long before they are headlining and filling big rooms on their own.
Song Recorded by Godfather Recording:
