Doctor Sparkles: News
Scary Country Review in FAME - March 14, 2011
Review by Mark S. Tucker (Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange)
"Having started my critiquing career in the weird hell of the 80s Sound Choice magazine with sniveling idiot editor David Ciaffardini (ex-OP-associate of a-holes Scott Becker and Ritchie Unterberger over at OPtion), you'd think I'd have had a crawful of DIY strangeness, enough to last a lifetime, but what that brief stint engendered, following a spate of off-the-wall, creative as all get out, and just plain goofy musics was a love for talented oddballs, because, well, that's where most of the truly intriguing stuff comes from. In that milieu, acts like Ham Sandwich, John Wiggins, The Trouble with Larry, John Zawacki, and a roster of garage maniacs and daunting tunescrafters leavened my appetite for progrock and jazz with a sharpened craving for exotic side dishes. Hopefully, I'll never lose that jones, and cats like Doctor Sparkles show just exactly why no one should.
The gent's promo-lit head shot depicts a Mad Hatter who turned to the light but refused to divest the looniness he'd grown so fond of over a suburban career of entertaining. Then a scattershot liner melange of photos of the good minstrel in various guises injects a syringe of kickapoo joy juice prepping the listener to the ukelele cabaret recording artist's decidedly off-kilter but very righteous ditties. Drenched in humor, a predominantly Left point of view (okay, he digs Ron Paul, a decided conservative, but, hey, given the choice between Moron McCain, CorporObama, and Ayn Paul, who would *you* choose?), and a not-so-distant cousin of jug band music, Scary Country is indeed cabaretic, hitting a very wide range. Something Pretty, f'rinstance, strays into balladic tones in semi-classical Romantic refrains before progressing into an almost Alice Cooper-ish vein a la the archly mellowesque side of Nightmare, Goes to Hell, or DaDa. This lithe turn of events, thank Gawd, finds itself unrestrained by big label pressures or agents fretting about whether or not MTV might find teen-dream idols within.
"Then there's Sparkles' wielding of not just the uke but also banjolele, balalaika, and the ever-popular home-made Dinty Moore Stew Canjolele (no, really, it's right there on the cover!!), and, as you listen, you'll uncover elements of The Firesign Theater, Nash the Slash, Swami Beyondanda, Ian Whitcomb, and sundry way-cool wackos. The Freakin' Fifth is a riff on the Bill of Rights, not Beethoven, and Homeland Security Chum extols Sparkles' views of TSA while Rescue Pig (Episode 1?) is a lighthearted ditty a la the ol' Underdog theme. In voices theatrical and melodic, you get a nonstop dizzying parade of great satires, commentaries, smartassery, zaniness…and, oh yeah, a buttload of wonderful music too, everything quite impressively rendered. Put this guy in a studio with a few bucks for a budget, and I guarantee you'd be astounded at the result.
"Move over, Weird Al."
Read Entire Review at:
http://www.acousticmusic.com/fame/p06922.htm
"Having started my critiquing career in the weird hell of the 80s Sound Choice magazine with sniveling idiot editor David Ciaffardini (ex-OP-associate of a-holes Scott Becker and Ritchie Unterberger over at OPtion), you'd think I'd have had a crawful of DIY strangeness, enough to last a lifetime, but what that brief stint engendered, following a spate of off-the-wall, creative as all get out, and just plain goofy musics was a love for talented oddballs, because, well, that's where most of the truly intriguing stuff comes from. In that milieu, acts like Ham Sandwich, John Wiggins, The Trouble with Larry, John Zawacki, and a roster of garage maniacs and daunting tunescrafters leavened my appetite for progrock and jazz with a sharpened craving for exotic side dishes. Hopefully, I'll never lose that jones, and cats like Doctor Sparkles show just exactly why no one should.
The gent's promo-lit head shot depicts a Mad Hatter who turned to the light but refused to divest the looniness he'd grown so fond of over a suburban career of entertaining. Then a scattershot liner melange of photos of the good minstrel in various guises injects a syringe of kickapoo joy juice prepping the listener to the ukelele cabaret recording artist's decidedly off-kilter but very righteous ditties. Drenched in humor, a predominantly Left point of view (okay, he digs Ron Paul, a decided conservative, but, hey, given the choice between Moron McCain, CorporObama, and Ayn Paul, who would *you* choose?), and a not-so-distant cousin of jug band music, Scary Country is indeed cabaretic, hitting a very wide range. Something Pretty, f'rinstance, strays into balladic tones in semi-classical Romantic refrains before progressing into an almost Alice Cooper-ish vein a la the archly mellowesque side of Nightmare, Goes to Hell, or DaDa. This lithe turn of events, thank Gawd, finds itself unrestrained by big label pressures or agents fretting about whether or not MTV might find teen-dream idols within.
"Then there's Sparkles' wielding of not just the uke but also banjolele, balalaika, and the ever-popular home-made Dinty Moore Stew Canjolele (no, really, it's right there on the cover!!), and, as you listen, you'll uncover elements of The Firesign Theater, Nash the Slash, Swami Beyondanda, Ian Whitcomb, and sundry way-cool wackos. The Freakin' Fifth is a riff on the Bill of Rights, not Beethoven, and Homeland Security Chum extols Sparkles' views of TSA while Rescue Pig (Episode 1?) is a lighthearted ditty a la the ol' Underdog theme. In voices theatrical and melodic, you get a nonstop dizzying parade of great satires, commentaries, smartassery, zaniness…and, oh yeah, a buttload of wonderful music too, everything quite impressively rendered. Put this guy in a studio with a few bucks for a budget, and I guarantee you'd be astounded at the result.
"Move over, Weird Al."
Read Entire Review at:
http://www.acousticmusic.com/fame/p06922.htm
It's a Ukulele Revolution! - January 28, 2011
Thanks to J Boy Shyne for putting together this mix of UKULELE REVOLUTION: http://www.box.net/shared/g96mnl8pdv
This free downloadable song is an excerpt from Jumping Flea Circus on the Scary Country album.
This free downloadable song is an excerpt from Jumping Flea Circus on the Scary Country album.
Scary Country nominated in Hawaii Music Awards - January 15, 2011
It’s time to vote in the Hawaii Music Awards! This is an online people’s choice awards poll that anyone can participate in. Simply visit: www.hawaiimusicawards.com/voting/, enter your email, then vote. (Make sure you click on “Review Votes” and “Submit Votes” after you’ve made your choices.)
Scary Country has been nominated for FOLK album of the year. So please consider voting for: DOCTOR SPARKLES: SCARY COUNTRY.
Scary Country has been nominated for FOLK album of the year. So please consider voting for: DOCTOR SPARKLES: SCARY COUNTRY.
"Scary Country" now available for purchase online! - December 15, 2010
Now you can buy Scary Country CD from CD Baby:
"It's A Ukulele Revolution!" Merchandise - November 29, 2010
There's a new line of merchandise at the Jumping Flea Circus Gift Shoppe, and it declares "It's a Ukulele Revolution!" If the Ukulele of Liberty says so, that's good enough for us!