Lightly swirling wah. Is-it-wrong-or-is-it-right leads. Intermittent odd percussion flourishes. Songs about shrimp rolls to go. Loosey goosey warbling atmosphere turned to 10. This is the world of Sparrow Steeple, comprised of almost all of Philly's legendary Strapping Fieldhands fronted by noted visual artist Barry Goldberg. Beginning secretly in the last decade by SF mainman Bob Malloy and drummer Jeff Werner to record Barry's inscrutable songs, the band has now become a legit proposition, minus Bob but with SF guitar and bass Jacy Webster and Bob Dickie, keyboardist Dustin Burrows and record maniac Harmonica Dan. Just as Sir Isaac Newton postulated, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and Strapping Fieldhands fans will find familiar footing here. As for strangers to this weird realm, how about a Tommy Jay more enamored with Incredible String Band than with Lou Reed? Confused? We are too.
