Sparkydog & Friends is a collaborative project that includes 2 principal singer/songwriters, a female drummer, a thermamin/synth/keyboard player, and a legendary producer based out of the UK. We used to think of ourselves as indie rockers, however with the addition of our studio wizard producer, we are now sort of “wonky pop”, as he likes to say.

The main players include:

• R. Azriel - principle songwriter, guitar, bass, vocals

• DLF (Debb) - our supercool female drummer with neon purple hair, vocals

• 3arthur - our robotics and electronics guru, player of a homemade theremin and many synths and noise

• Graham- principle songwriter, guitars, bass, vocals

• Z - occassional noise and backing track vocals

Our producer:

• Mick Glossop - legendary UK producer, known for his work with PIL, Van Morrison, Frank Zappa, The Waterboys, Tangerine Dream, King Crimson, UFO, Bob Geldof, The Waterboys, Magazine, LLoyd Cole, The Ruts, The Wonder Stuff, and many, many other great bands.

The seed for Sparkydog & Friends began some years ago, as main songwriters R. Azriel & Graham and a variety of friends made strange noises in a garage on cheap pawnshop guitars, with a beat-up old four track running in the background. As their friends abandoned music and move on to the other things life has to offer, the two songwriters kept on writing and recording. A live format trio formed around R. Azriel, DLF, and 3arthur - with Graham making appearances here and there, but mostly showing up to write songs and record. Discussions that began with e-mail and the exchange of music across the Atlantic with Mick led to the idea of once and for all producing a proper record - one that would not be done in a garage with a chirping parrot and barking dog. These discussions led to the building of a wondrous and cool studio designed by acoustics guru Jeff Hedback, and the move towards a classic sounding, 1970’s vibe board designed by Malcolm Toft. 

The building of the studio led to the formation of Magic Leap, a production company that would focus on cool indie music and animated/CG feature films.

The first 2 new singles out of this effort, People Of The World & Red Light, were launched at the SXSW 2010 music festival. The band had a great time playing in Austin, including a very cool show in the OK Gallery art installation. The art for the EP/singles was created at WETA Workshop (Avatar, Lord Of The Rings) in New Zealand. The art itself is part of the pre-production work for a feature film called “The Hour Blue”.  The cover shows Tommi-twee, a focal point for the film, who is a girl bent on changing the world to her own will.

The recording of a full album will commence in May, and continue throughout the summer and fall. The album is expected to be mixed and completed by the late fall of 2010. The album is tentatively being called “People Of The World”, and is turning into an ambitious effort. People Of The World is a concept album, inspired by creative efforts such as the Who’s “Lifehouse”. The idea of People Of The World is to treat the development of the album like the development of a film - with many layers and using the recording studio as an instrument, and having no limitations regarding what may or may not be possible in a live format. The album is a collection of songs connected by a thread, and it shifts from a global view to a very personal one.

The cinematic aspects of the album can also easily translate into a visual/filmic format, and the thought of a live show may more closely resemble what happens when a group such as the Gorillaz takes the stage - extensive use of multimedia, visuals, and multiple players. 

The People Of The World concept album also includes ideas for videos made collectively across the web, an online, interactive community, and a traveling, theatrical show. 

This is not the first ambitious album project for Sparkydog. In 2008 a lo-fi experiment was conducted in the form of the compilation “One Bird A Day” by Sparkydog & Friends. This album was released under a Creative Commons, open source share/remix license, and over 12,000 were distributed to SXSW 2008 attendees. The album included a variety of bands, and received warm reviews.

The release of the first 2 new singles in an EP format, and the development of the full album, is a sea change for the band. It may one day return again to its lo-fi ways and experiments, but the overwhelmingly positive reaction the band has received for both the songwriting, the sonic textures, and overall excellent production perhaps points to a new road.

We call what we do wonky pop - and we hope that you will like it.