Hello, everyone!
Find the latest updates on my Patreon (join for free, there are public posts as well as patron-only posts).
For even more up-to-the-minute news and to be part of a sweet, welcoming, creative (and chaotic in all the best ways) community, join the Sparkbird Discord server.
For classic monthly email updates, join the Sparkbird mailing list.
xoxo,
Stephan
a.k.a. Sparkbird
Hello, everyone!
“Sparkbird” is out today! It sounds SO magical—I’m very proud of how it turned out.
In completely astonishing news, "November” just surpassed 100K streams on Spotify! One. Hundred. Thousand. Streams. In just 6 weeks! My mind is blown.
Bandcamp Friday is today! Only 16 shirts remain, and they’re going fast… so if you want one, now’s the time! I also have sheet music and songbooks, stickers, an enamel pin, and more.
Upcoming shows/releases:
• December 1: Sofar Sounds, Portland, OR [Tickets]
• Release of “November [Sped Up Version]”
• January 5: “Disembodied Mind” music video release [set a reminder here] & release of “Disembodied Mind [Calibeats Remix]” (you’ve never heard my music like this lol)
I MIGHT also have a surprise release in there somewhere… but I’m going to stay sneaky about it for now. ;)
xoxo,
Stephan
a.k.a. Sparkbird
Hello, everyone!
"November” has been out for just 3 weeks and has surpassed 15K streams on Spotify! Sinusoidal Music called it “a masterpiece of contemporary musical artistry,” and countless TikTokers have said that it “scratches their brain just right.” Which makes me squirm, but yay!
My magical next single “Sparkbird” comes out on December 1st. Pre-save it here; maybe this will be the time I get on a fancy Spotify editorial playlist! Fifteenth time’s the charm.
A couple weeks ago I filmed a music video for “Disembodied Mind”. All I can say about the story is that I undergo a very unusual surgical procedure. Stay tuned.
I’ll be back on December 1st to celebrate the release of my self-titled single. Thank you for listening, ordering shirts, sharing songs with friends and followers, and putting stickers out into the world! They’ve made it to a high school in Ireland, so I must be doing something right:
xoxo,
Stephan
a.k.a. Sparkbird
Hello, everyone!
"November” is out TODAY! It turned out absolutely epic, thanks to the dream team behind it.
It was produced by Josh Frigo (music on MTV and ABC) and features percussion/drums by Mathias Kunzli (Regina Spektor), strings by Bizarre Star Strings (The Decemberists, Brandi Carlile), and bass by Jeni Magana (Mitski). Their incredibly high calibre of artistry brought the track beyond what I even imagined.
If you’d like a sticker that ties in with the song and artwork, you can find the form here. It features the lyric “I’ll never hide my scars.”
I’ll be back soon with info on my next single. Thank you to everyone for listening, ordering shirts, sharing songs with friends and followers, and putting stickers out into the world! You give me hope that I can keep managing to do this.
xoxo,
Stephan
a.k.a. Sparkbird
Hello, everyone!
My new single "November” is now out on Patreon! It’ll be on all platforms on October 20th.
If you’d like a sticker that ties in with the song and artwork, you can find the form here. It features the lyric “I’ll never hide my scars.” (You don’t have to pre-save the new singles, but I appreciate it!)
While I recover from a sprained knee, I’m working on a couple new songs, one of which I hope will be ready to debut at my show on October 15th. I’ve been so focused on my novel and recording that I haven’t written a new song in quite a long time!
Thank you to everyone who has ordered shirts! There are still some left. I’ve also got a couple of Look at the Harlequins! era hoodies, steeply discounted.
I’ll be back on the 20th for release day!
xoxo,
Stephan
a.k.a. Sparkbird
Hello, everyone!
I spent much of August working intensely on my young adult novel-in-progress, A BIRD IN THE HEART, and reached the end of this round of revisions. To be honest, this is the most complete the manuscript has been since early 2019. TWENTY NINETEEN! I wanna say that's...a lifetime ago? I’ve got some more work to do on it, but I’ll be querying agents soon.
My next two singles, "Sparkbird" and "November,” will be out in October and November. Adam and I listened to the latest production drafts last night and I got kind of worked up about how cool they're sounding. To the point where Adam was ribbing me about it.
Basically: I feel like "Disembodied Mind" took things to another level, and "Envy" took things to another level... and these new singles will take things to YET ANOTHER level. Two wildly different levels, in fact. You’ll see!
I’ll be back soon with info on pre-saving “Sparkbird”. If you want to help support this work, you can join me on Patreon, order one of the remaining shirts, or even just share a song with a friend or on social media!
Feel free to write to me! I always love hearing from you.
xoxo,
Stephan
a.k.a. Sparkbird
Hi everyone!
“Envy” is out today! Find it on all platforms here. I’m incredibly proud of how this song turned out.
If it resonates with you, send it to a friend, add it to a playlist, use it in a video! Even a quick share can help me out a lot.
It’s Bandcamp Friday, so it’s a great day to get one of my new shirts! (Bandcamp doesn’t take a cut today.) (Patrons get 10% off!)
Behind the song…
I have an acquaintance whose career took off on a level most people only dream of. At first I was purely happy for them; I love this person’s work, and it absolutely merits the attention.
It embarrasses me to admit it, but as the accolades piled up, I noticed myself growing resentful. Why couldn’t I be the one to catch a break?
Social media makes it easier than ever to “compare and despair.” Writing this song helped me put those difficult feelings to use.
The song was produced by Josh Frigo, with percussion and drums by Mathias Kunzli. Josh contributed additional drums, some of the backing vocals, banjo, mandolin, and cello.
In case you missed it, check out the music video for Silent Film, directed by Dawn Jones Redstone. Dawn’s video for my song Varied Thrush won Best Music Video in the Oregon Short Film Festival!
I’ll be back next month with news about my next music video and singles. Feel free to write to me! I always love hearing from you.
Love,
Stephan
a.k.a. Sparkbird
Hi everyone!
“Silent Film” is out today! Directed by Dawn Jones Redstone, and made possible by MusicPortland’s ECHO Fund, the video deals with grief, isolation, finding strength through music.
I hope you’ll help me get it out into the world by watching, liking, commenting, sharing, or any combination of the above.
I also hope you’ll help me by pre-saving my single “Envy” (out August 4th)—it really makes a difference on Spotify and Apple Music! Pre-saving is basically just adding a song to your library in advance. Because it helps me so much, I’m sending stickers to everyone who pre-saves. You can see me unboxing the stickers on TikTok and Instagram.
My birthday is this Sunday (July 23rd), so these things will be a great gift to me. I appreciate your support so much—it really astonishes me and makes my day every time someone shares something or says something nice.
Love,
Stephan
a.k.a. Sparkbird
PS If you need a reminder that Everything Will Be OK, get yourself one of my new shirts! (Patrons get 10% off!)
Hi everyone!
I Am Not a Stranger Here — a.k.a. the song of the summer — is out today! Find it on all platforms here. Also, if you don’t follow me on Spotify yet, that’ll help me a lot!
If you like it, send it to a friend, add it to a playlist, use it in a video! It really goes nowhere without you.
You can watch a sweet little video of me talking about the story behind it here: TikTok | Instagram | Facebook.
If you need a reminder that Everything Will Be OK, get yourself one of my new shirts! Every shirt sold helps sustain me as an artist. (Patrons get 10% off!)
In case you missed it, check out Rebecca DeMoss’s animated lyric video for Disembodied Mind! It’s so, so gorgeous.
I’ll be back next month with news on the music video for Silent Film and details on my next single: Envy. Feel free to write to me! I always love hearing from you.
Love,
Stephan
a.k.a. Sparkbird
Hi everyone!
SO MANY THINGS going on right now. Exclamation points incoming.
Today is the premiere of Rebecca DeMoss’s animated lyric video for “Disembodied Mind”!! Rebecca has created artwork for most of my releases, and I’m awestruck seeing her work come to life in this new format. How mesmerized are you by that recurring image of the sun?? Find Rebecca on Instagram and Etsy.
Portlanders, come see me play at Lydian Music Studios on May 7th at 5 PM (masks required). Everyone else, find the livestream on my YouTube!
Last night “Varied Thrush” had its film festival debut at the Locals Only Film Festival in Olympia, Washington. Seeing my music video on the big screen is a milestone I never expected!
New shirts and hooded tees are available to pre-order! They’re going fast, and I’m not just saying that to sell more shirts. (Really, I had to make urgent additions to the order at the eleventh hour.)
In March I recorded a brand new version of my old song “I Am Not a Stranger Here” in Brooklyn, NY. It’s up on my Patreon today, and it’ll be out on all platforms on June 5th. If you have 30 seconds to spare, you can pre-save the single on Spotify here and I’ll send you this sticker (designed by Chad Lowe) to thank you!
Lastly, this week I’m filming a music video for “Silent Film”! Every music video is a big undertaking, but this is the first to require three days of filming, in multiple locations. I’m very grateful to the ECHO Fund for the grant that’s making this possible, and (eternally) to director Dawn Jones Redstone for bringing her passion and expertise to the project.
As always, I love hearing from you, so feel free to write back!
Love,
Stephan
a.k.a. Sparkbird
Upcoming shows
*Masks required*
May 7, 5:00 PM
$5-10 (can be Venmo’d or paid at the door)
Lydian Music Studios
Portland, OR
September 10, TBA
Seattle, WA
Hi everyone!
"Disembodied Mind" is out today, after three years of work and waiting! I wrote this song at the suggestion of my therapist, about feeling at odds with the person in the mirror, sometimes wishing I just didn’t have to have a body. I hope the song can serve as a reminder to look for the creative potential in our mental health struggles.
It features Mathias Künzli (percussion/drums/backing vocals), Bizarre Star Strings (Mirabai Peart - violin, Kyleen King - viola, Anna Fritz - cello), and Jeni Magana (bass). Gabriel Kahane helped me put the finishing touches on the arrangement. Mixing and mastering is by Thaddeus Moore of Liquid Mixing & Mastering. The artwork is by Rebecca DeMoss, with graphic design by Chad Lowe. Sheet music and stickers are available here.
I also just released a Patreon exclusive cover of the classic song “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most”. You won’t ever find it anywhere else. I’ve loved playing and singing this song for so many years, and I’m excited to share it. Join to hear it and get other perks like this adorable welcome package.
I have two shows coming up this month: April 16th at the Harney County Migratory Bird Festival, and April 30th at Lydian Music Studios in Portland
You can hear me read the opening of my YA novel-in-progress (A Bird in the Heart) on the Archive Project podcast episode with Patrick Radden Keefe. Such an honor to be a 2023 Oregon Literary Fellow!
In news that feels a little silly to mention but is honestly a huge milestone for me, I recently surpassed 10K followers on TikTok. I’m in awe over the people commenting and messaging to tell me my music means something to them — it brightens my day/week/year and gives me hope!
As always, I love hearing from you, so feel free to write back.
Love,
Stephan
a.k.a. Sparkbird
Hi everyone!
My new single "Disembodied Mind" will be released on April 3rd. I am SO excited about this song. It’s about feeling at odds with the person in the mirror — something probably all of us can relate to in some way.
If you pre-save the single, you'll be the first to hear it when it drops and you'll also receive a limited edition sticker as a thank you!
Pre-saving is quick and free, and it improves my chances at getting the song placed on a Spotify editorial playlist.
And if you can't wait until April, the single is out today on Patreon! A lot of people have been asking me how to join — it’s super easy, costs as little as a pomegranate a month, and helps support me as an artist.
As a patron, you'll get behind-the-scenes video updates, perks like stickers and pins and handwritten notes from me, early access to tracks, and more. My patrons helped me decide which design to choose for the artwork for this single! You'll also be helping me create biggest album yet, set to release at the end of the year.
Finally, I want to share some writing news that I'm proud of. After four years of applying, I was named a 2023 Oregon Literary Fellow for my young adult novel-in-progress. It's been a long journey, and I'm grateful to Literary Arts for the recognition and resources that come with this award.
Thank you for your continued support, and I hope to see you over on Patreon — and on TikTok, which has really been growing lately. As always, I love hearing from you, so feel free to write back.
Love,
Stephan
a.k.a. Sparkbird
Today is the release of the Varied Thrush music video!!!
I've been dreaming of making this video for at least four years, and I couldn't be happier with the result. It's a love letter to the Feminist Bird Club, a celebration of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC birders, and a quest to find one of my absolute favorite birds.
Huge thanks to the Regional Arts & Culture Council for the Make|Learn|Build grant that helped fund this project! Thank you to director Dawn Jones Redstone for bringing this vision to life. And thanks to my patrons on Patreon, and readers of these newsletters. Your support makes my creative work possible. Thank you.
Thank you for reading, listening, watching, and sharing. I always love hearing from you, too, so feel free to write back!
Love,
Stephan
a.k.a. Sparkbird
PS Here’s a sneak peek at my next single, Disembodied Mind: Instagram | TikTok | YouTube
Music Video Credits
Starring: Kayla Hanson, XelosXelos Marchandt, Marissa Sanchez
Director: Dawn Jones Redstone
Producer: Ashley Song
Director of Photography: Sean Conley
Production Designer: Alexandra Friedman
Editor: Dawn Jones Redstone
Colorist: Jasmine Vazquez
1st AC: Patricia Pahinag
G&E Swing: Haley McCoy
PA: Antonia Fogg
Executive Producer/Singer-Songwriter: Stephan Nance
Thanks to Leah Benson!
Happy New Year! Do you have a word of the year? Mine is Value. I want to be more intentional about how I’m spending my time, and consider whether I’m focusing on things I actually value.
My next show is Sunday, January 29th, at 5:00 PM at Lydian Music Studios in Portland! If you're not in Portland, you can attend via Zoom (register here | program here).
I have some big writing news to share: I’ve been awarded a 2023 We Need Diverse Books mentorship! Over the next year, under the guidance of award-winning novelist H.E. Edgmon, I’ll be sculpting my YA manuscript into something (hopefully) publishable.
To make the most of this opportunity, I need to cut back a bit on my piano-teaching hours. If you’d like to support me as a creator on Patreon, I’ll be very grateful and send you things like stickers and pins. Over the coming month you’ll be the first to see the Varied Thrush music video, the first to hear my next single (Disembodied Mind), and the first to get the sticker that goes with the single.
Thank you so much to everyone who has listened to Silent Film. It’s attracted some nice press write-ups!
“Sparkbird compels a slice-of-life aesthetic that is reminiscent of Sufjan Stevens and Joni Mitchell.”
- Good Music Radar
“[A] neat and nuanced depiction of heartbreak and pain.”
- Indie Music Flix
“The key marker of this song’s genius is the way that the instruments have been arranged to create a sense of cinematic urgency”
- TJPL News
“Silent Film is powerful in its stillness, and Nance delivers a wallop of a performance”
- B Sides & Badlands
“Sparkbird's soulful songs impress with their personality and vulnerability.”
- Indie Dock UK
There’s been a lot of rejection as well, so I’m incredibly grateful for the support I’ve gotten. If you haven’t listened to my recent work, I hope you’ll check it out! I’m still proud of my earlier releases, but I think I’ve come a long way since 2008. :)
Love,
Stephan
a.k.a. Sparkbird
“Silent Film”
My new single Silent Film is out today!! And Bandcamp is waiving its revenue share TODAY (Dec 2), so today is a fantastic day to buy music or merch.
The backstory... (Reading time: 2 minutes.)
I wrote this song in January 2020 after Gabby, our African Grey parrot, passed away unexpectedly. It was my first night home alone since she’d died; Adam had missed the previous two nights of work, so he needed to go in.
Normally, when Adam was gone, the apartment would still be full of Gabby’s noises. We called her our foley artist. If I was in the kitchen and knocked a spoon a few times on the side of a bowl, Gabby would call out, “Hello!” as if someone was at the door. When I picked up a glass, she’d make a water noise, and when I set it down, she’d go clunk. If I dropped something, she’d say, “Whoops!” If I started eating a snack, she’d make a lip-smacking noise and coo, “C’mere! C’mere!” And every night at 8 o’clock on the dot, she’d loudly announce, “It’s time to go to bed! Goodnight! Get ready to go to bed!”
So even with my Senegal parrot Georgie there to keep me company, the change was drastic. She’d been with us for six years, and suddenly her enormous — often annoying, often endearing — presence was gone.
I tried to distract myself from my grief with a TV show but only lasted about 10 minutes. There was no getting around it, only getting through it.
I never write songs in a single sitting, but that’s what I did with this one. I sat at the piano with my notebook and worked on it until it was finished. The song begins by capturing my feelings from the frantic confusion surrounding her last moments, and goes no further in the grieving process than that lonely night of songwriting. I wrote it about Gabby, but I was also thinking about how it would feel to lose Adam.
As sad as the song is, writing it really helped me. It got some of my feelings out and gave them a place to live.
Recording this song has been a real labor of love, and I'm grateful to finally see it go out into the world. It features the most gorgeous strings by Yoed Nir and gentle percussion by Mathias Kunzli.
Mixing and mastering is by Thaddeus Moore of Liquid Mastering. The artwork is by Rebecca DeMoss, with graphic design by Chad Lowe. If you'd like a Silent Film bookmark or sticker, just let me know where to send it. A music video is forthcoming!
Speaking of music videos, we filmed the Varied Thrush music video last week and I'm SO excited about how it's turning out. I've been dreaming about making this video for three or four years, and the result (thanks to director Dawn Jones Redstone and an incredible team) is everything I hoped for and more. Look out for the release in early 2023.
As always, thank you for listening and helping me get my music out there. ❤️ Without you it's just me recording stuff in my closet!
Love,
Stephan
a.k.a. Sparkbird
“Metropolis of Eden”
Happy February!
My single "Metropolis of Eden" is now available everywhere — click here to find it on all streaming platforms! I wrote this song for former Reddit CEO Yishan Wong's Solarpunk Art Contest — aaaand it won 2nd place! I'm so incredibly honored to have been chosen as one of the winners.
The track features percussion by Mathias Kunzli (drummer for Regina Spektor, Moby, and Lauryn Hill!). I recorded my parts in Portland, Mathias recorded in Los Angeles, and everything was mixed and mastered in Eugene, Oregon, by Thaddeus Moore at Liquid Mastering.
The single’s artwork was created by Leif Holt — another contest winner! The graphic design is by Chad Lowe.
The contest sought art submissions depicting hopeful climate futures. My personal goal was to create a piece that would contrast thematically and sonically with my 2021 single “Minor Holiday” (which I love, but which is admittedly kind of a bummer).
In writing news, I spent much of the last week immersed in the Tin House YA Workshop, under the guidance of acclaimed writer Nina LaCour. I'm grateful to my wonderful colleagues for the transformative experience — both in the workshop and in my first Zoom karaoke night. ;) I'll be working hard to get this manuscript in shape in the coming months, with the goal of querying agents later this year.
Stay tuned for another new single next month! (Which reminds me, I need to get moving on whatever I'm going to release after that... I've got some options, I just need to pick one!)
Thank you so much for listening. ❤️
Love,
Stephan
a.k.a. Sparkbird
“Blue Jay”
Happy 2022!!! And happy 14th hatchday to Georgie! (more on that later)
My hopeful new single "Blue Jay" is now available everywhere! Here's a handy link that compiles all the places you can listen to it. I don't expect any press for this release, so please share it widely if you like it!
I wrote this song after reading Julie Zickefoose's Saving Jemima: Life and Love with a Hard-Luck Jay. It's a must-read if you want to laugh and cry and experience secondhand encounters with the transcendent while learning about Blue Jays.
The track features:
percussion by Mathias Kunzli (drummer for Regina Spektor!!!)
upright bass by Jeni Magana (bassist for Mitski!!!)
trumpet by Jackie Coleman (trumpeter for Solange!!!)
These various parts were recorded remotely in Portland (me), Los Angeles (Mathias), and New York (Jeni, Jackie). It was mixed and mastered in Eugene, Oregon, by Thaddeus Moore at Liquid Mastering.
The single’s gorgeous artwork was created by Rebecca DeMoss. The graphic design is by Chad Lowe.
In other news, Georgie is 14 years old today!! We were both such babies when we met each other in 2008. 😭
And here she is now! If I'm being honest she's not looking her best, thanks to her occasional plucking habit, but she hasn't been doing it recently, so hopefully the patchiness will improve with her next molt. She waved and said "hi" as I took the picture. (No joke.)
ALSO! Remember that Solarpunk Art Contest I entered with my song "Metropolis of Eden"? I WON!!! It'll be released everywhere next month — pre-save it on Spotify here.
If you want a Blue Jay sticker, just let me know and I'll mail you one! Thank you so much for listening. ❤️
Love,
Stephan
a.k.a. Sparkbird
“Varied Thrush”
Happy September!
What a whirlwind the last month has been! I had an absolutely transformative experience at the Lambda Literary Writer’s Retreat. It was exhausting but inspiring, and I’ve been doing my best to keep the momentum up. In the weeks since the retreat, I’ve written 10,000 words of my newest draft. My goal is to have this draft finished by December.
If you’d like to hear me read an excerpt from this work-in-progress, you can find my segment of the Lambda Literary Fellows Reading Series here. (Again, it’s a work-in-progress!!)
In music news, I just released my single “Varied Thrush”! Follow the link to find it on all streaming platforms. If you can spare a few seconds to follow me on Spotify (or wherever you listen), and/or to share the track with someone you think might like it, it would help me out a lot! My listenership is sloooooowly climbing.
If you’d like a Varied Thrush sticker, send me your address and I’ll get one in the mail for you!
Some more new singles are now in the mixing phase, so I should have new releases to announce very soon! I’m hoping I can fit some songwriting in somewhere amidst the fiction-writing before the end of the year as well. Other than that, I’ve been teaching piano (all online again, since case numbers are so high here - please get vaccinated!) and applying for writing grants and fellowships. Fingers crossed!
Happy Labor Day to folks in the US, and shanah tovah to those celebrating Rosh Hashanah!
Take care,
Stephan
a.k.a. Sparkbird
“Varied Thrush”
Happy August!
First things first: on Monday, August 9th, at 5:30 PM Paciifc time, I'll be reading an excerpt from my YA novel as part of the Lambda Literary Writer's Retreat! Register for the Zoom here! I'll be sharing my work alongside some of my fellow Lambda Literary Fellows. (There are events every night next week!)
Then, on August 20th, I’ll be releasing my latest single “Varied Thrush”! It features percussion by Mathias Kunzli, strings by Yoed Nir, upright bass by Jeni Magana, and a field recording of a Varied Thrush by Geoffrey A. Keller (recorded 8 Jun 1995, singing from the top of a dead Port Orford Cedar near Coquille Falls in Oregon).
The single’s artwork is a linocut by Rebecca DeMoss and features — what else — a Varied Thrush. Her original prints will be available on Bandcamp in the coming weeks. The graphic design is by Chad Lowe.
Let me know if you pre-save the track and I'll mail you one of these awesome "hush, hush" stickers!
I’ll be in touch in a few weeks when the song is released. Thank you so much for your support. I hope you're having a safe, tranquil summer!
Take care,
Stephan
a.k.a. Sparkbird
“Wooden”
Happy July!
News:
• Writer’s retreat panic! 😱 😬 🤯
• I made a TikTok! 🙈
• I was a guest on the National Audubon Society’s “I Saw A Bird” show! 🦆
• Rebecca DeMoss’s original linocuts for “Minor Holiday” are now available on Bandcamp! Each print is unique, and there are only five of them.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
I had a major wake-up call recently when Lambda Literary updated their website with profiles of the 2021 Writer’s Retreat Fellows. As I read through the bios of the other writers in my Young Adult Fiction cohort, a knot began to form in my stomach. Nearly everyone has an MFA in Creative Writing. Several of them have agents and book deals with major publishing houses. Then I noticed Leah Johnson, author of the bestselling YA novel You Should See Me in a Crown (Amazon, Bookshop) — which I’m currently reading — and I thought I’d accidentally navigated to the staff page. But no. Leah Johnson is in my cohort. LEAH JOHNSON. Whose novel was the inaugural Reese’s Book Club YA pick. Reese as in Witherspoon.
Leah Johnson is among the 11 writers who will be reading and critiquing the first 25 pages of my novel-in-progress. I will be reading and critiquing Leah Johnson’s work-in-progress.
In case you can’t tell, I’m a little freaked out.
On the other hand, it’s pretty awesome to be included in posts like these:
So I haven’t gotten much songwriting done. I’ve been editing those first 25 pages. And then avoiding those first 25 pages, and being pseudo-productive by making TikTok videos to get my music out to potential new fans. And then paying way too much attention to how those videos are being received. As Gretchen Rubin says, “working is one of the most dangerous forms of procrastination.”
Procrastination is also a dangerous form of procrastination. I have been very diligent in decorating the binder containing my first draft and in-progress latest draft.
Because I don’t have a totally new song for you, I’m sharing a demo of my song “Wooden”. I shared it a while back, but now it has percussion by Mathias Kunzli! You can read more about the song here. I’ll be doing more work on this and other songs in the coming months, for an album that will (fingers crossed) be released this fall. I’ve uploaded a sneak peek at the latest mix of “Varied Thrush” to my Patreon.
Something I really wasn’t expecting: the National Audubon Society asked me to be a guest on the final episode of their “I Saw A Bird” show! Their guests have included such luminaries as Jane Goodall, David Sibley, Kenn Kaufman, SNL’s Melissa Villaseñor, actress Lili Taylor, and a number of my wonderful East Coast birding friends, acquaintances, and Twitter crushes. It was such an honor to be asked to be a part of this. You can watch the episode here on Facebook — my part starts around 21:45. They also used my “Bird From Home” parody of Fifth Harmony’s “Work From Home” for a slideshow at the end. (The episode will also be uploaded to YouTube and included with all the other episodes on this page soon).
Speaking of being asked to be a part of amazing things… Last month I mentioned Mother of Color, an upcoming feature film by queer Latinx writer/director Dawn Jones Redstone, who filmed the music video for my song “Overwintered”. Now I’m excited to share that I’ll be in the background in one scene! I’ve never been in the background of anything so noteworthy, except maybe people’s vacation pictures. I’m excited to be even a little involved in telling this important story.
I hope everyone is staying safe and getting vaccinated as soon as they’re able to! For people in the US, you can find out how to get vaccinated here.
Take care,
Stephan
a.k.a. Sparkbird
