North Carolina Band Jangling Sparrows Making Their Musical Mark

Asheville's Jangling Sparrows, fronted by eclectic singer/songwriter/guitarist Paul Edelman, create Roots-y, Americana-flavored Rock, a truly original sound that Edelman has cleverly dubbed, 'Zyde-Folk'. The group's most recent release 140 Nickels was voted a "Best Indie Album" selection by the L.A. Music Critic Awards, who added, "Watch for these guys near the top of the Americana music scene!". 140 Nickels received stellar reviews from national publications No Depression, The Alternate Root, Music Connection and manymore, plus extended national/international airplay.

Their latest single "Highway Jawn" was described by Indie Pulse Music as "fun, rich and dynamic...Paul Edelman and Jangling Sparrows take their sound to the limit and bring you into their world, with a country, blues, rock and folk-inspired sound that captures the listener and takes them on a wild hay ride." Read the review, here.

Patch recently did 5 Quick Questions with Edelman, here's how it went.

Patch: What's going on musically speaking, for 2019 with Paul Edelman and Jangling Sparrows?

Edelman: Well, first, thanks for taking the time to let me talk about my music and career. It
can't be overstated, folks that do what you do are so vital to folks that do what I do. Lots
going on over here. Mixing a new album. This one's going to be somewhat heavier in sound to previous stuff with some real wall of sound rock tunes. There's a single out now from it, "Highway Jawn", that's getting some spins. I'm working on putting a new rhythm section together and
I'm working on a really great duo. Ambient and lots of harmonies. It'll be something where I can air out some of my moodier pieces.I expect to have a video ready for the single soon as well.
I'm also just coming out of a writing bubble. I'm in the 'tweeking and perfecting' stage. That usually means I like to also go back and revisit older, unreleased songs as well.

Patch: Musical collaborations are all the rage these days, if you could collaborate with an artist or group, who would it be?

Edelman: Robert Plant-Band of Joy. Jay Farrar, of Uncle Tupelo/Sonvolt Fame. Brittany Howard. Some of the dudes from Dawes. Lady Gaga. Mike Campbell. Keith Richards, Chuck D. Deceased-George Harrison, Bowie, Townes Van Zandt.Time machine- Eric Clapton (1970-75).

Patch: Finish this question: The three topics I write about most in my songs these days are...

Edelman: Society-at-large; not quite political per se, but observations on culture and how we can let ourselves be ruled by imaginary boundaries. Or odes to historical figures lamenting the state of affairs in our modern times. Stories about Dregs-I tend to get my inspiration from the darker side of human nature because it's in all of us and it will never be conquered until its faced. It's fun to inhabit those kinds of characters and own those motivation. Always broken relationships -

Love songs to me shouldn't be sweet. They should be intense, passionate and recognizing of the folly we inject love with. Because love doesn't care what you want it to be.

Patch: Are there any venues in North Carolina you haven't performed at yet, that you'd like to play?

Edelman: pshh, sure, a bunch. I got to perform at ISIS in Asheville for the first time in December. But I'm not really a this venue or that venue-type of guy. They're not badges to me. I like places that care about the live music rather than just fit it in. You can tell that by certain small things and those places can be any style, from Music Hall to dive bar. If I've got a room of people that care about what's happening on stage then I'm in the right place. A lot of that comes down

to how a place cultivates itself and, thus, who it attracts.

Patch: Any parting thoughts?

Edelman: (Stands on Soap Box) If we're going to grow real independent music we have to support each other more than we do, especially online. It's so easy to do but it just doesn't seem to occur. I can't tell you how many musicians friended me on Social Media, they friended me, and so I'd share and like their endeavors, naively believing I'd get it back and I just didn't. I thought they wanted to show interest and support as a peer but instead they just wanted to "collect" me in order to build their social media cult of personality. With very few exceptions, my success has come in spite of many peers rather than because of them. I did the Warren Haynes Xmas Jam this past December in Asheville. The venue posted the event on Facebook and somebody commented that the lineup was nothing special. This is obviously because he has not heard of most of us. Now, him being a jack*ss for such a comment not withstanding, his apathy is a direct result of our own toward each other. Scenes are more and more cliquey, fragmented and competitive. We have to try harder. I say, be cold to your peers at your own peril.

(Jangling Sparrows Duo perform at Commoners Brewing in Concord, NC on Saturday, February 16 at 7pm. Reach out to the band on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/pauledelmanthejanglingsparrow. Website: https://janglingsparrows.com).