January Newsletter: My New Name
“Minor Holiday”
(keep reading for more info on the song)
Happy New Year! It’s 2021!!!
After 13 years of creating music and performing under my own name, I’ve decided it’s time to mix things up. And so, upon the birth of this new year, I’m excited (and scared) to announce the birth of my new musical identity: Sparkbird.
On January 22nd, I’ll be releasing the single “Minor Holiday” under this new moniker. I’ve included my real name as well for this release, so it will appear among my releases if you follow me on Spotify or Apple Music.
Join me on Patreon to hear/download "Minor Holiday" now
&
PRE-SAVE the single on Spotify
There are many reasons behind the name-change decision. The biggest is that my name just isn’t that catchy. It’s a fine name, but I don’t think it’s done my music career any favors. Annie Clark chose to use the name St. Vincent because she didn’t want people to see her name and think coffee shop. I hope the name Sparkbird will serve a similar function for me. It feels ambitious, aspirational — a name I can grow into.
Last April I sent you a demo of “Minor Holiday,” and I’m so excited for you to hear the studio version. It features backing vocals by Greta Gertler, percussion by Mathias Kunzli, strings by Yoed Nir, upright bass by Jeni Magana, and clarinet by Lisa Parrott. These various parts were recorded remotely in Portland (me), Los Angeles (Mathias), New York (Yoed, Jeni, and Lisa), and Sydney, Australia (Greta). It was mixed and mastered in Eugene, Oregon, by Thaddeus Moore at Liquid Mastering.
The single’s incredible artwork is a linocut by Rebecca DeMoss and features a non-binary cardinal. Prints will be available at some point! The graphic design is by Chad Lowe.
In addition, artist Kyla Smith is working on an animated lyric video for the song!!
When I started writing “Minor Holiday” in early 2020, I had just finished reading Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and its sequel, The Testaments.
Following these disturbing depictions of a totalitarian regime, I jumped right into Atwood’s Oryx & Crake, which deals with an assortment of catastrophes, from climate change to a pandemic. In real life, the bushfires in Australia were finally nearing containment, but the threat of COVID-19 was suddenly looming.
Season’s grievings to us, one and all
Once we get the hang of it
We’ll forget to get upset
Bearing each unsettling new pall
So adaptable
We’re so adaptable
While reading The Handmaid’s Tale, I had been struck by this prescient warning from Atwood:
“Ordinary, said Aunt Lydia, is what you are used to. This may not seem ordinary to you now, but after a time it will. It will become ordinary.”
I came upon the concept of creeping normality, which Wikipedia describes as “a process by which a major change can be accepted as normal and acceptable if it happens slowly through small, often unnoticeable, increments of change.”
I want to take this opportunity to remind you and myself to maintain an ethic of non-indifference. 2020 may be over, but it’s still our duty to take action, use our voices, care for one another, and strive to create a better world for future generations.
I’ll be in touch in a few weeks when the song and lyric video are released. Thank you so much for your support. I wish everyone a safe, bright 2021.
Take care,
Stephan
a.k.a. Sparkbird
Additional news:
In November I appeared on the Creating Portland podcast!
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube - with videoOn February 11 at 7 PM, I'll be performing/presenting "Sparkbird: An Evening of Piano Pop with Russian Influences" for the University of Oregon department of Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies! More details to come.
The Look at the Harlequins! SONGBOOK is here and it’s beautiful! A PDF version is also available.
“Minor Holiday” sheet music will be available shortly!