Consider With Trampled By Turtles (Sub Pop) the next step in the continuing recovery process for Alan Sparhawk following the death that rocked his world in 2022. That November, he lost his wife and longtime creative foil Mimi Parker to ovarian cancer. For almost three decades, Sparhawk and Parker collaborated for a remarkable string of 13 studio albums that came to both define, debunk and ultimately transcend the much-misunderstood indie-rock subgenre known as slowcore.
Sparhawk’s latest run-in with prog-folk bluegrassers Trampled By Turtles is about as organic as it comes. Both acts hail from Duluth, Minn., and TBT has covered “When I Go Deaf” and other Low songs.
“It’s a small scene, so you get to know everyone,” says Sparhawk. “Bands who are very different from one another often end up on the same bill together.”
Perhaps it should come as no surprise how comfortable both parties sound together on album—especially on a track like “Strangers,” where Sparhawk’s free-floating malaise is firmly tethered by the earthy instrumentation and restrained delivery of a band so dialed in, it sounds like steady breathing.
A few days shy of a trip to England to kick off an overseas tour, Sparhawk chatted with MAGNET’s Hobart Rowland.
How did the collaboration with Trampled By Turtles come about?
They’ve become good friends. They took me under their wing and invited me along to some shows they did during the first year after Mimi passed away. It got me out of the house. We had a short conversation about getting together sometime to do some songs, and it ended up working out one afternoon when they were in the studio working on something else. I’d sent a couple demos, thinking we would only get about two or three songs. But it went well, and we tracked six or seven.
How did working with TBT give the Low-era material fresh life?
Songs like “Too High” and “Princess Road Surgery” were songs I’ve had for a few years but just never fit or worked out for Low. I knew TBT would do them well, and I’d always imagined them doing “Too High.” “Not Broken” was a song Mimi and I were working on at the end. Having (daughter) Hollis sing the counter vocal was very special and emotional.
The rest are songs I’ve written post-Low. I know how those guys sound, so it was easy and exciting to hear them playing the songs. It took me a long time to begin to feel stable with my voice. I’d become quite used to hearing Mimi’s voice with mine, so it was difficult to be able to tell how I was doing. I had to let myself trust the people around me. Even as we were mixing, I had to rely on checking with Hollis and (son) Cyrus and engineer Nat Harvie. I’ve since built some confidence and perspective. At first, though, it was very hard to hear myself and know if what I was doing was any good. I miss being able to play a new song for Mimi. I could always hear my voice better when it was next to hers.
What was the vibe like at Pachyderm Studios during the sessions?
Very positive and open. The studio is in the woods, with big windows to see outdoors. The TBT guys were very kind and reverent about the songs and where they came from. We set up in a circle, and I’d briefly walk them through the tune. We only had to do one or two takes for most of the songs. The band is used to working fast like that. Many of my favorite moments and features are things that just happened without discussion or plan. For “Screaming Song,” I told the violin player Ryan (Young) to maybe try something in the instrumental break—and he ended up throwing down the most emotional and cathartic part I’ve ever heard—on the first take, playing all together. You know you’re on to something when things happen in the studio that surprise you.
How does the TBT material jibe with the songs from last year’s solo album? Are there any connections at all?
They sound very different—different people involved, different instruments, different approach to writing, and different vocal approach/voice. White Roses was generated mid howl, while the new one with TBT is more the beginnings of picking up the pieces and trying to understand how to move through the inevitable next day. We carried over two songs from White Roses and did acoustic band versions as a bit of a conscious effort to tie the two together—but I’m fine with the difference. Neither record was pre-planned. They came together during a time that felt very chaotic and hopeless.
Many younger musicians fantasize about performing with their kids someday. What’s it been like to play with Cyrus in Derecho Rhythm Section?
It has been an unexpected joy. I think most parents hope there will be some kind of common interest with their kids—something bigger to share and communicate through. We pushed a little, got them to piano lessons, and provided space and encouragement when they both gravitated toward drums. But there was a moment when we realized that if we pushed too much, they’d lose interest. Kids like discovering things for themselves.
Once we backed off and kind of let go of “encouragement,” they both came around pretty quickly with their own thing. Hollis came home from sophomore year at college with a record she’d written and recorded on her own, and Cyrus came to me with the bass, asking for help learning a Curtis Mayfield song. Since then, we’ve been able to do quite a bit together—and playing in the Derecho RS funk band has really pushed me as a musician. There’s a peace and trust I feel and recognize when we’re playing together. Hollis has a band called Willem Dafoe Fanclub, and Cyrus makes hip-hop tracks and plays bass with me on tour.
See Alan Sparhawk live.
