I really liked the show. 


It was my second time seeing Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds (website) and I was delightfully (as hoped and expected) very entertained.


The music, the Blues Brothers type entrance and stage pizzaz…it all works.


Good for these Brooklyn-ites that maybe can (if they are lucky) ride the “female-led but not defined” wave of rock and fun bands led these days by Alabama Shakes.

Before the show I chatted with what turned out to be one of the Dirty Birds’ horn players.  Humble kid who plays a fat horn. 


I was talking with him about the varied type of audiences that have been playing too…ie, Mountain Jam vs Highline Ballroom vs opening for Mule at The Beacon.  

Sounds like they were told by Warren’s people that run Mountain Jam, that they would likely be invited back for (like most bands that do well there) every other year.

It is exciting to see bands at this point in their popularity.  It usually comes down to…can you do it every night…can you keep writing those songs…do you got talent and that somet’in special.


Tonight, Jan 25, here in snowy Fairfield, Connecticut at the Stage One Theater (website) with an older crowd than I expected in tow…Sister Sparrow and the fabulous Dirty Birds rolled out a professional musical experience.


For the first time in a while, with media pass and zoom lens in hand…I decided to take less pictures and watch.  Nonetheless, I did capture a few nice close-ups that help tell the story.


Stage One is great spot (good vibe, great beers in the theatre, good eats two doors down) just a few stops beyond the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester… also next to the Metro North station.

Unfortunately my photos from the Fairfield show were damaged…so I thought I’d share one of the previously unreleased images I took at Mountain Jam 2012 of the dynamic brother and sister team.

Lead gal Arleigh Kincheloe is, as they say in the baseball world, a five-tool player.  She maximizes every opportunity to connect with the audience and provide more to the viewer.


Not all the songs are great, but the effort to try something new (no I did not enjoy the ballad) like salsa or reggae…is refreshing and brings a deep musical cornucopia with style…a full 8-piece band (including three horns).


The highlight for me at Stage One was the thumpy “Boom Boom” with cool Mexican trumpet horn (ala Magnolia Electric Company) and a back-beat drum sound (ala Levon Helm).

Their songs have very different identities (ala My Morning Jacket) that keep me engaged when I hear them play without having to go the cover-song route. (BTW..tonight’s Roadhouse Blues wasn’t your best.)


She’s dollar for dollar the best entertainment value in the NYC area.  Catch one of their shows…I will let you know when I am heading next.  Brooklyn Bowl would be fun.  They just played Mexicali Live in Teaneck.


Friends in CT…they are playing a free show at Ballad Park in Ridgefield, CT on June 18.


Flap your wings.