Alan Sparhawk
Encyclopedia
Alan Sparhawk is the guitar
ist and vocalist for American band Low
.
and grew up in Utah
. He met Mimi Parker when he was 9, after his family moved to Minnesota. Sparhawk began writing his own compositions around the age of 13. He later married Parker, and eventually began performing with her in the band Low
, releasing their first album in 1994. As of 2011, Low has released nine full-length studio albums. Alan and Mimi are members of the Mormon
faith. About the LDS Church, Alan has said, "our spiritual beliefs encompass our whole life and understanding of who we are and what we do."
Sparhawk is also a member of the blues-roots band Black Eyed Snakes
, the blues-dub jam band Los Besos, and more recently Retribution Gospel Choir
. He also occasionally plays solo shows in his hometown.
As a solo artist, Sparhawk released his debut album entitled Solo Guitar in August, 2006. He also released a track on a various artists compilation Songs for the End of the World as Hollis M. Sparhawk & Her Father, and the track Be Nice To People With Lice on the various artists compilation album See You on the Moon!
. In 2007 he did a Take-Away Show acoustic video session shot by Vincent Moon
.
Sparhawk has done charity work with the Maasai tribe in Kenya
. After a friend of his became a friend of the village of Namuncha
, he played a Christmas show in order to raise funds to build a school there, where students had previously been meeting in the shade outside. He calls the experience of visiting the Maasai one of the most spiritual of his life.
Alan and Mimi now live in Duluth, Minnesota
, with their two children.
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist and vocalist for American band Low
Low (band)
Low is an American indie rock group from Duluth, Minnesota, formed in 1993. As of 2010, the group is composed of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker , both founding members, and Steve Garrington ....
.
Biography
George Alan Sparhawk (goes by Alan) was born in Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
and grew up in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. He met Mimi Parker when he was 9, after his family moved to Minnesota. Sparhawk began writing his own compositions around the age of 13. He later married Parker, and eventually began performing with her in the band Low
Low (band)
Low is an American indie rock group from Duluth, Minnesota, formed in 1993. As of 2010, the group is composed of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker , both founding members, and Steve Garrington ....
, releasing their first album in 1994. As of 2011, Low has released nine full-length studio albums. Alan and Mimi are members of the Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
faith. About the LDS Church, Alan has said, "our spiritual beliefs encompass our whole life and understanding of who we are and what we do."
Sparhawk is also a member of the blues-roots band Black Eyed Snakes
Black Eyed Snakes
The Black-eyed Snakes is an American blues rock band from Duluth, Minnesota. Since releasing their debut album "It's the Black-eyed Snakes" in 2001, the band has toured the U.S. with Charlie Parr. Front man Alan Sparhawk also performs with Low and Retribution Gospel Choir.The Black-eyed Snakes...
, the blues-dub jam band Los Besos, and more recently Retribution Gospel Choir
Retribution Gospel Choir
Retribution Gospel Choir is a band based out of Duluth, Minnesota that plays short, driving songs that often start out poppy melodic and then turn into psychedelic improvisations and drum and bass-heavy dub. Current members of the band include, Alan Sparhawk , Steve Garrington , both of whom are...
. He also occasionally plays solo shows in his hometown.
As a solo artist, Sparhawk released his debut album entitled Solo Guitar in August, 2006. He also released a track on a various artists compilation Songs for the End of the World as Hollis M. Sparhawk & Her Father, and the track Be Nice To People With Lice on the various artists compilation album See You on the Moon!
See You on the Moon!
See You on the Moon!: Songs for Kids of All Ages is a compilation album, released in 2006 on Paper Bag Records. The album features a number of indie rock artists, mostly but not exclusively from Canada, performing songs written in the style of children's songs.Most tracks are original songs written...
. In 2007 he did a Take-Away Show acoustic video session shot by Vincent Moon
Vincent Moon
Vincent Moon is an independent filmmaker from Paris mainly known for his field work music videos of indie rock related musicians as well as some notable mainstream artists like Tom Jones, R.E.M. or Arcade Fire. Besides making music videos he also makes experimental films and documentaries...
.
Sparhawk has done charity work with the Maasai tribe in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. After a friend of his became a friend of the village of Namuncha
Namuncha
Namuncha is a community is located in the Northern Kajiado District of Kenya's Rift Valley Province located an hour north of Nairobi. A seasonal source of water is the Ewuaso Kedong River. Constructed in the 1990s, there is a water pipeline that runs through the community...
, he played a Christmas show in order to raise funds to build a school there, where students had previously been meeting in the shade outside. He calls the experience of visiting the Maasai one of the most spiritual of his life.
Alan and Mimi now live in Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
, with their two children.
External links
- [ Alan Sparhawk on Allmusic]
- Alan Sparhawk on Silber Records
- 2008 Alan Sparhawk Interview at Bandega.com
- Alan Sparhawk interview (July 2006) for QRD
- Alan Sparhawk visits Kenya for the Maasai Community Collection charity