Sparrow Bellows

At the appointed hour, Sparrow Bellows’ mighty triad stormed the Courtyard Cafe’s area rug-sized stage and tore up the joint with a ferociously fun set of Power Pop.

There are very few guitarists who can convincingly shift from rhythm to lead without tripping on the transition (Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend and Eric Johnson come to mind) and Hickey managed to do so without missing a step. Hickey channels his love of Frank Zappa, Adrian Belew, The Beatles and the Stones into every amazing phrase he wrings out of his Telecaster.

The only thing keeping Wulfeck from erupting into John Entwistle-like bass realms is his important role as co-frontman, singing lead on a good many of the band’s infectious numbers. And as Sparrow Bellows’ big man in the back, Kitzmiller anchors it all with thundering whimsy, providing the perfect percussive atmosphere for the band’s infinite variety of moods. Sparrow Bellows is T-shirt-and-tennis-shoe simple with a wild streak of Art Rock complexity and Power Pop ferocity. And when they throw it all together on stage, they rock harder than a coke boner.

- Brian Baker, Sept 27, 2009

- Cincinnati CityBeat