Blind Spot

Kathy Sparling

A jump rope rhyme and a ghost story meet by chance in a transit station, pick a forest trail by coin toss, duck out of the rain into a noisy bar, drink themselves dizzy, waltz back home by moonlight, revolt, burn the place down, repent, and end it there.

Blind Spot, singer-songwriter Kathy Sparling's second studio release, features thirteen

A jump rope rhyme and a ghost story meet by chance in a transit station, pick a forest trail by coin toss, duck out of the rain into a noisy bar, drink themselves dizzy, waltz back home by moonlight, revolt, burn the place down, repent, and end it there.

Blind Spot, singer-songwriter Kathy Sparling's second studio release, features thirteen original "story songs," covering a range of styles and moods.

Highlights from this new release include:

  • Fire Sale – The musical spirits of Tony Orlando and Amiee Mann meet and together find the phoenix-like fun in a fiery break-up! Featuring trumpeter Chris Grady.
  • Dancing with Eleanor – in this tale, an elderly gentleman reflects on his long history with Eleanor; the shifting musical language reflects the changing “dance” of their lives. Featuring Dennis Finnegan on guitar, Chris Grady on trumpets, and Lila Sklar on violin.
  • Spin – a driving, manic, drinking song, a Pretenders-drink-too-much-coffee-and-meet-at-the-circus kind of number, featuring star turns by horn player Ralph Carney, guitarist Steve Kirk.
  • The Next Thing You Say – an intimate, contemplative meditation, caught forever in suspense, weaving between the melancholic strains of Dan Cantrell on pump organ and Cheap Suit Serenader Robert Armstrong on saw.
  • High Holy Days – yes, those high holy days: the evocative language of the days of awe and repentance finds its way into an intimate pop song featuring the vocal harmonies of The House Jacks’ Austin Willacy.

This record was produced, aided, and abetted by the production team of Tim Rowe (drums) and Myles Boisen (guitar, bass, organ), assisted by a “How'd I get so lucky” lineup of bay area musicians.

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As You Believed

Kathy Sparling

Literate and lyrical songs about life, love, longing, and laundry.

On the fourteen original songs comprising As You Believed, Kathy’s voice, ukulele, and tenor guitar are joined by numerous Bay Area musicians including bassist and ukulele player Steven Strauss, pianist Charlie Hancock, drummers John Hanes and Federico Gil Sola, guitarists Kurt

Literate and lyrical songs about life, love, longing, and laundry.

On the fourteen original songs comprising As You Believed, Kathy’s voice, ukulele, and tenor guitar are joined by numerous Bay Area musicians including bassist and ukulele player Steven Strauss, pianist Charlie Hancock, drummers John Hanes and Federico Gil Sola, guitarists Kurt Stevenson, Steve Kirk, Dennis Finnegan and Tim Fox, violinist Julian Smedley, and percussionist Bobby Santos. The album was arranged and produced by Steven Strauss, an artist well-known to Bay Area music lovers for his multi-genre-spanning and virtuosic bass and ukulele work.

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