Music:
Member Since: 5/21/2005
Band Website: torisparks.com
Band Members: Tori plays well with others.
STUDIO...
The band on Under This Yellow Sun is truly an incomparable group of people:'
DAVID HENRY (R.E.M., Ben Folds, Vienna Teng, Josh Rouse, Widespread Panic, Indigo Girls, Cowboy Junkies)
PAT BUCHANAN (Rodney Crowell, Mary Chapin Carpenter ... and, the man Paul McCartney called "a f***ing genius" at a party for Buddy Holly)
JOHN DEADERICK (Patty Griffin, James Taylor, Emmylou Harris)
STEVE BOWMAN (Counting Crows, the Bittersweets, and one of the nicest famous people ever)
AARON SANDS (Jars of Clay, multitasker extraordinaire)
MATTHEW BURGESS (Third Eye Blind, Brandi Carlile... general badass)
DANIEL DENNIS (Owner, Prime Cut Records/ Prime Cut Studios)
JOE “THE BONE†RATHBONE (Philly-born independent artiste who kindly guest-appeared on the record)
AARON BLAKE (Tori's road companion for the eight solid months of shows and mad adventures in 2006).
PRODUCED BY DAVID HENRY AND TORI SPARKS.LIVE...
Tori has toured that crazy country called America, France, England, and Ireland -- both solo and with company. So, who's in the current line-up??
TORI SPARKS does the steel string, gut string, vocals. And songwriting. And mayhem.
SERGIO WEBB (Dave Olney, Gail Davies, others) rocks out on electric and slide guitars. Sometimes, instead of the Webb you'll see BRIAN LEE REED (The Evinrudes, more) giving us some lead action -- and occasionally, a bit o' harmonica.
BROOK SUTTON (Good Souls, Ben Graves, sessionista extraordinaire) is in charge of some serious bass. And dancing.
MATTHEW BURGESS (see above) is the master of all things drums, percussion, groove... and is the Official Water-Spitter.
When we're lucky, we sometimes feature producer DAVID HENRY (see above) workin' the cello and trumpet and paint can and shaker. Yay.
Influences: Definitely in no particular order...
Tom Waits, U2, my mom, Ben Harper, Aziza A, Etta James, Mrs. Janoff's English class, Martin Sexton, Joni Mitchell, Soular System, Pea 2, Ani DiFranco, NPR, Ayn Rand, Janis Joplin, the maintenance guy at my crappy secretary job when I first moved to Nashville, Wayne Hall, Murphy's Loft, Waffle House, Billy Bragg, The Plant Formerly Known as Prince, Prince, Amos Lee, Amy Correia, Bill Withers, Damien Rice, Patty Griffin, coffee, Radiohead, coffee, Regina Spektor, coffee, coffee, Amy Steinberg, Mia Zepeda, Dung Nguyen, random acts of kindness, The Beatles, The Boss (mainly just Nebraska), Ben Folds (who thinks I sound like the Pretenders, which is fine), Chris Isaak, Labyrinth, Fraggle Rock, Lord Alfred Tennyson, Bonnie/Sheryl/Alanis/Tori/Jewel/
any-other-female-artiste-that-no-girl-rocker-wants-to-admit-
to-in-order-to-seem-completely-and-totally-original, Colleen McFarland, Caroline Brewer, Feist, Juno, exes, David Bowie, Cecilia the Band, anyone who cuts across the grass, Jed Shoemaker, Siesta Key Beach, Threadless, David Gray, the windshield I cracked in half, Fiona Apple, Jeff Buckley, Leonard Cohen, Mitch Hedberg, Ray Charles, Lightnin' Hopkins, rain when I'm working, A Love Song for Bobby Long, Sante Fe, the red Mustang (rental), Peabody Shoe Repair, Ryan Adams, Vienna Teng, kettle corn, Elmer's Glue, Pete's Candy Store, Nirvana, the White Stripes, Iron and Wine, Wilco, any and all blues (yay blues!), local bands, people who like local bands, booking guys who are human, humans who experiment, odd strangers, stranger friends, the road, and a couple of skeletons in the closet.
Sounds Like:
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About Under This Yellow Sun…
“The talented Tori Sparks… is a knockout…â€
      --Joe McCombs, The Village Voice
“Here’s a singer/songwriter with the strong, eloquent vocals of Bonnie Raitt and the guitar mastery of Joni Mitchell. Her second indie release Under this Yellow Sun is a bounty of subtle rock and haunting blues…
      --Nancy Dunham, Relix
“Tori Sparks’ voice isn’t one of those passive instruments that treats a lyric like it’s a classified ad… Here is a supple, teasing voice that flutters and flies seemingly without effort from note to note, line to line, so that weepy sensitivity and pleading vulnerability cozy up with tough resilience and firm resolve so seamlessly you never even notice the mood swing.â€
      --Jeff Tamarkin, Harp Magazine
“Sparks needs little in the way of effects or layering to get her music across… strong and fabulous…â€
      --Jason MacNeil, PopMatters
“Tori Sparks [is] a folky singer/songwriter graced with a fiery, gutsy delivery worthy of Ani DiFranco…†[5 stars]
      -- Margaret Reges; All Music Guide
“Under This Yellow Sun is a sensuous blend of folk, blues and rock. … Sparks proves herself a soulful songwriter and vocalist who at once manages both strength and vulnerability. An assured, auspicious disc that should bring [Sparks] deserved national attention.†[4 stars]
      --Amanda Schurr; Creative Loafing
“Under This Yellow Sun, the second offering from songbird Tori Sparks, is drenched in drama, featuring Sparks’ torrid vocals splashed over self-penned, alternative roots-rock numbers that sizzle with authenticity.â€
      — LCB, Performing Songwriter
"With the grit of Chrissie Hynde, the sadness of Martha Davis in the Motels, and the pure sensualness of Margo Timmins from the Cowboy Junkies, this girl hurls you onto planet Sparks and leaves you there... you’ll listen to [Under This Yellow Sun] once, then you’ll listen to it a second time and also a third. ...[Tori Sparks] is truly, one of the most original artists I have heard in a long, long time."
      --Rebecca Rego, Music News Nashville
“Tori Sparks manages to avoid the misstep of sounding like every other coffeehouse-circuit singer… Sparks seems to have approached the arrangement of each song on its own; while the album [Under This Yellow Sun] holds together as a collection, it’ wisely avoids the write-the-same-song-twelve-times approach favored by many young artists. Every track on Under This Yellow Sun sounds like Tori Sparks, but none of the songs sounds like another one.â€
      --Bill Kopp; Skope Magazine
“Those are the songwriting skills of someone like Roseanne Cash…Providence RI [from Under this Yellow Sun] has Springsteen a la Nebraska or Darkness on the Edge of Town magic about it.â€
      --Jon Delange, Tinderbox Music
"Tori is a treat to have live in the studio... An excellent songwriter with incredible, fun energy."
--Nick James; WFPK 91.9FM Louisville
“[Tori Sparks] has displayed on her recent release, Under This Yellow Sun, a voice that is equal parts elegant, striking and rangy, while her songs can be soothing, evocative, or energetic.â€
      -- Ron Wynn; Nashville City Paper
“Tori Sparks is… a guitar whiz.â€
      -- Steve Shanafelt; The Mountain Xpress (Bele Chere Festival Preview)
“Tori Sparks is aptly named – she definitely has that spark in her performance!â€
      -- Chuck Leavell; Pianist for the Rolling Stones (1982 – present)
“Besides her great talent, Tori is also one of the hardest-working independent artists out there.â€
      -- Michael Jonathan; Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour
"Like Natalie Merchant and Madeline Peyroux getting together to do heroin... in an awesome sultry way."
      -- CJ Watson; 2008 Kerrville New Folk Winner
"[Tori] is an excellent songwriter... Her songs are well crafted, personal and at times introspective. ... More than anything, Sparks deserves to be recognized for her voice. It can take her about anywhere she wants -- it's that good."
     --David Bowling, The DailyVault
“There is a very sensual quality to her voice. It just drips with emotion. ‘Out of the Void’ is damn near heartbreaking…The songs are well written, interesting and catchy without being trite. The musicianship is fabulous… this is a fantastic album.â€
      --Amy Lotsberg; Collected Sounds
“[Sparks] packs a wallop of a voice… each song proves that she’s more than just a pretty face.â€
      --Paul Barbatano; Dayton City Paper
“Just damn good… [an] exuberant and muscular vocalist/songwriter/guitarist.â€
      --Chris Uebbing;
Infringe This!“[Tori] should add The Pretenders to [her] list of influences. In a good way. I’d take that any day.â€
      --
Ben Folds"Tori Sparks sounds suitably dislocated... in the manner of some funky New Orleans guitarist -- Snooks Elgin, or Walter 'Wolfman' Washington... swinging, controlled performances..."
      --Edd Hurt;
The Nashville Scene"[Tori's] dynamic live show is equal parts soulful singing and zany stand-up-style humor... falls somewhere between Dixie rock, folk blues, and Americana."
      --Joyce Arnold;
City at Night Magazine“Sparks’ bluesy vocals and intensely rhythmic groove paints a sexy and sultry sound that’s a joy to hear in any venue… [the] songstress rocked the room, drew listeners from tables in the back to the stage front and pulled people in from off the street (yes, during SXSW) to hear her…â€
      --Anny Randel,
Savvant Music“Sparks. . . [has] stuck to her muse and it was exactly what people wanted.â€
      --John Stoehr;
Savannah Morning News"A fearless performer, she is notorious for her blend of quirky humor and fiery delivery and has fused a sound and astyle that is unmistakably her own."
      --Cassaundra Baber;
Utica Life & Times“I found her vocal stylings interesting, different…Her music possesses a grit and angst not heard much today…â€
      --Brooke Welu,
Northeast InTune Magazine“…Both concise and taut mixtures of lyrics with music that are thoughtful and evocative without being pretentious. … Discover Sparks’ powerful voice now…!â€
      --Ron Saranich,
Cosmik Debris"All of her hard work is starting to pay off... Yet, with all the apparent beginnings of commercial success, Sparks remains incredibly focused on the reason she sings and plays: the passion that fuels the creation of her music."
      -Don Swaby,
Melt Magazine“Tori can rock so seductively then revert to a striking emotive process. . . there is nothing formulaic that you can pigeon-hole."
      --Carmine Pascuzzi;
Media Search (Australia)“Sparks’ hard work and constant touring is starting to pay off… Musically, Sparks doesn’t sound much like… any other young female singer-songwriter you’ve ever heard.â€
      -- Michael Summers;
Fort Wayne Reader“This multi-talented artist really struts her stuff on [Under This Yellow Sun]. Her warm gutsy vocals are full of soul… mixed with lots of attitude. You’ll want this one for your record collection.â€
      --Brad Fischer,
Nashville Music Guide“Sparks lets go of the typical restraints of the singer-songwriter stigma… She makes me want to grab hold of life, take a breath and push my boundaries to find my inner self. <[i>Under This Yellow Sun] is not only sexy, beautiful, and enticing, but Sparks shows something that many artists forget—the truth.â€
      --Jeff Russell,
Murfreesboro Pulse
Record Label: Glass Mountain Records
Type of Label: Indie
