Meet Kyle Sparkman

Now here is a super fine strummer to spice up your Saturday afternoon. Taking nods from funk Kyle Sparkman’s sound is even-tempered with calculated grooves. Their latest single “Happy For You” is a wonderful head swaying good time. Grab a jar of peanut butter, or a cup of jello and get to know this wonderful musician.

“MASTERPIECE THEATER” A fill in the blank with Kyle Sparkman

"Everybody Loves RALPH": Tonight we learn what happens to a VOLUPTUOUS husband when he forgets it's his anniversary and invites his buddies over to the house for an all night poker JAWN.

"Monday Night APPENDIX Ball": The New York PAWS play the St. Louis NUGGETS in a game that will decide who goes to the DANK Bowl.

"60 NEEDLES": Investigates the INFURIATING. practice of laundering counterfeit GEESE through CROTCHETY banks

in the WITHERBOTTOM Islands. State of the LAWN Speech: The President is scheduled to deliver his SHRIVELED address before a STICKY session of Congress, telecast from the House of APIARISTS.

Would You Rather

be able to smell the future or hear into the past? Please explain why.

I’ll just assume I have complete control over this ability because a randomly-curated stream of smells and sounds could be horrifying. I don't want to smell the inevitable heat death of the universe, and I can’t pass up the opportunity to listen to some epic concerts, so I’ll take the ability to hear into the past. It would be pretty rad to hear Mozart do his thing, listen to the Grateful Dead play a show with the wall of sound, and catch the Beatles & Hendrix in the 60s. I’d also be interested to know what dinosaurs sounded like… what if they all meow’d like tiny kittens?

Some questions with Kyle Sparkman

How does the Philadelphia music scene compare to NY?


I love the size of the Philly music scene – it’s still a big city, but it feels deceptively tight-knit because of how geographically concentrated the musical activity is compared to NY. I’ve always felt welcomed with open arms by people in the Philly music scene. New York does have that big buzzing artistic energy going for it though. I also love the tiny venues in NY where people pack in like sardines to catch a set (I guess that’s a thing of the past now.) Excluding DIY places, Philly doesn’t really have as many Pete’s Candy Store-type venues.

What was the best piece of advice you ever received?

Expectation is the thief of joy.

If you could make one change to the way the music industry is today what would it be?


With COVID decimating the live music industry and making it that much harder to earn income as a musician, it would be cool to see innovation in the streaming industry. I’d love to see a platform emerge that’s not in bed with major record labels and pays musicians a fair share for their streams.

How does your latest single, “Happy for You” compare to your early releases?


“Happy for You” is much more of a chilled-out acoustic vibration compared to my funkier stuff (like “Funk215” or “Mrs. Robot”.) I mostly aim for funky, high-energy songs because that’s what I like playing live. However, I write most of my music on an acoustic guitar, which means sometimes a more tender song like “Happy for You” will fall into my lap and feels like it should stay on an acoustically grounded. I tend not to release those ones as much – I record them and keep them prisoner on a hard drive. Point in case, I wrote and recorded  “Happy for You” two years ago and wasn’t sure if I’d release it. It’s very existentially driven, so a global pandemic felt like the right time to put it out into the world.

What is the all-time best toy from your childhood? Why?


I had this bitchin’ Hot Wheels car wash when I was 6. It entertained me for hours on end and fondly reminds me of a time when I didn’t have the iPhone-induced attention span of a fly. Nobody had cleaner Hot Wheels than me back in those days.

How has the pandemic shaped your current purview? Has it impacted your creative output?


There’s nothing like a global pandemic to make you re-evaluate your priorities. If anything, I did some soul searching and got back to the main reason I’m pursuing music, which is: to have a body of work that I can proudly look back on at the end of my life. These days, I’m more concerned with creating and releasing material I’m excited about, so I’ve been less focused on doing all the little things everyone tells you to do to promote your music. In terms of creative output, I tend to go through dry periods where I’m not writing much, and then the flood gates open, and I’ll write a bunch of songs. That ebb and flow has stayed relatively the same throughout the year.

What other local artists would you love to collaborate with?


NY local: CARRTOONS is a phenomenal producer. I’ve never met him but would love to work on something with him. Philly local: Just gonna put this out there — Tierra Whack


Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

Practice love & compassion for others, and take care of yourself :)