The Catsk… Read Full Bio ↴The preferred name is Sister Sparrow and The Dirty Birds.
The Catskill Mountains hid rock 'n' roll's best kept secret for almost 18 years.
Then in 2008, singer and songwriter Arleigh Kincheloe said goodbye to her hometown hideaway and moved to New York City to start Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds. In the years since, the group has performed more than 600 shows, released two full-length albums and an EP produced by Randy Jackson (American Idol), and enchanted tastemakers ranging from The Wall Street Journal and LA Times to Glamour, USA Today, and The New Yorker. They have shared the stage with such heavyweights as Gov't Mule, Dr. John, Trombone Shorty, The Avett Brothers, Counting Crows, and Galactic, and have turned audiences into believers through appearances on the festival circuit at Bonnaroo, Firefly, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Voodoo Music Experience and many more.
On May 19th, the band will unleash their most rambunctious, raucous, and righteous recording to date in the form of The Weather Below, which features the band’s roster of her brother, Jackson Kincheloe (harmonica), Sasha Brown (guitar), Josh Myers (bass), Phil Rodriguez (trumpet), Brian Graham (saxophones), and Dan Boyden (drums).
So, what is it about this "hard soul collective," as Arleigh so eloquently puts it, that has engendered such passion from both the press and the people?
"It's loud, fun, and it's supposed to make you feel good," she declares. "That's the goal."
Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds accomplish that goal tenfold with a saucy sonic brew of rock, blues, gospel, and soul. In order to perfect that signature amalgam, the band retreated to the iconic Bear Creek Studio (James Brown, Eric Clapton), just outside Seattle, WA. Locked in the studio for three weeks, they worked closely with producer Ryan Hadlock (The Lumineers, Vance Joy) and cooked up ten irresistible anthems.
"In the past, we did every other record while we were still on the road," says Arleigh. "This time, we blocked out time to immerse ourselves in the recording process. We lived at the studio and worked for 15 hours a day. Ryan was everything I’d hoped for. He saw my vision and added his own flavor. Plus, the studio is so beautiful. We were in a barn in the woods, which was very reminiscent of the Catskill Mountains for me. I felt right at home."
The group takes flight on the first single "Mama Knows." Bolstered by boisterous horns and bluesy grit, the track serves as a soulfully sweet ode to moms everywhere. "The idea for the chorus popped into my head when I was hanging out with my sister," Arleigh recalls. "We were thinking about our mom. She's a huge influence on why I sing. She was my role model. She sang too, and I'd attend her gigs as a little kid. She was so powerful and beautiful—just a queen in my eyes. On the flip side, she raised us to be really humble. I wanted to do something to show my appreciation to her and mothers like her everywhere."
Then there's "Prison Cells," which swings from a bright verse into a wild chant that encourages living it up in the moment with the people who matter the most. "It's about getting in trouble with your best friends and letting the fun take over," she goes on. "We're definitely prone to do that in my family. We'll get into trouble, but we'll be singing and dancing all the way."
Elsewhere on The Weather Below, "Disappear" flaunts a South American-style cinematic shine, while "Don't Be Jealous" points the spotlight on Arleigh's passionate pipes in between a harmonica swell.
"That's The Dirty Birds anthem," she states. "It's the story of us on the road with me and a bunch of dudes and all of our trials and tribulations along the way. We're a crew, and we all have each other's backs. This is a family. That theme runs throughout everything."
Ultimately, Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds stand poised to shake up rock 'n' roll all around the world. "This all stems back to why I loved performing and singing to begin with," Arleigh leaves off. "I want to make crowds happy and see them smile and dance. Singing brings me so much joy. I hope our music does the same for everyone."
Disappear
Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You could see my face from heaven
A woman of lore to rule them all
And then I met you
And I gave it up
I gave you my all
I lost myself
Why don't you take all of me
'Til there's nothing left at all
The part of me you can see
Is getting small
Watch me disappear
Watch me disappear
I lose a little more every day
But I'm watching as you're getting stronger
I've been reduced to featherweight
But I hold on
In spite
I think I might die
Tonight
I'll float up to the sky
Why don't you take all of me
Til there's nothing left at all
The part of me you can see
Is getting small
Watch me disappear
Watch me disappear
I used to wake the sunshine
When I opened up my eyes
You used to love me in the moonlight
Now the moon don't even rise
Why don't you take all of me
'Til there's nothing left at all
The part of me you can see
Is getting small
Watch me disappear
Watch me disappea
The lyrics of Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Bird's "Disappear" describe a woman who once felt larger than life, but has slowly lost herself in a relationship. The song starts off with the singer describing herself as a powerful, almost mythological figure: "The day I was born I was 20 feet tall / You could see my face from heaven / A woman of lore to rule them all." However, her tone shifts as she recalls meeting someone who she gave everything to, ultimately losing herself in the process: "And I gave it up / I gave you my all / I lost myself / I grew down."
As the song progresses, the singer becomes increasingly aware of the toll her relationship has taken on her sense of self: "I lose a little more every day / But I'm watching as you're getting stronger / I've been reduced to featherweight / But I hold on." By the end of the song, the singer seems to have resigned herself to the fact that she may not be able to reclaim the person she used to be: "The part of me you can see / Is getting small / Watch me disappear / Watch me disappear."
Line by Line Meaning
The day I was born I was 20 feet tall
I was born with a sense of grandeur and larger than life aspirations.
You could see my face from heaven
I believed that I was destined for greatness, and that everyone would look up to me.
A woman of lore to rule them all
I saw myself as a legendary figure who would command respect and admiration from everyone.
And then I met you
But then I met you, and everything changed.
And I gave it up
I gave up my dreams of being larger than life and all that I had worked for.
I gave you my all
I committed myself to you completely.
I lost myself
In the process, I lost sight of who I was and what I wanted.
I grew down
Instead of growing into the person I had always hoped to be, I felt like I was shrinking and becoming less.
Why don't you take all of me
Now I'm asking you to take everything that's left of me.
Til there's nothing left at all
Until there's nothing left of me except what you have taken.
The part of me you can see
What's left of me is slowly disappearing.
Is getting small
I'm becoming less and less, until eventually there will be nothing left.
Watch me disappear
Watch me slowly fade away.
I lose a little more every day
Every day, I feel like I'm losing a little bit more of myself.
But I'm watching as you're getting stronger
As I'm fading away, you're becoming more dominant and powerful in our relationship.
I've been reduced to featherweight
I feel like I'm being diminished, becoming weaker and less significant.
But I hold on
Despite all of this, I'm still holding onto what's left of me.
In spite
Despite everything that's happened between us.
I think I might die
I feel like I might not survive this much longer.
Tonight
Right now.
I'll float up to the sky
I feel like I'm slowly losing touch with reality, and maybe even my life.
I used to wake the sunshine
I used to be a source of happiness and positivity.
When I opened up my eyes
Just by being myself and waking up in the morning.
You used to love me in the moonlight
But now, even the things that used to make us happy together aren't working anymore.
Now the moon don't even rise
Our relationship has deteriorated so much that even the simplest things have lost their magic.
Watch me disappear
I'm still fading away...
Watch me disappear
...until I'm gone.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ARLEIGH ROSE KINCHELOE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind