EMQs With Sparrows Eat Crows

Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with USA Alt Rock/ Metal band, Sparrows Eat Crows. Huge thanks to their vocalist/ guitarist, Aden, for taking part. 

What is your name? What do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?

Aden, vocals and guitar. Ben Taylor plays bass, and Omar’s on drums. Three-piece out of Southern California.

The band’s a long story. Sparrows Eat Crows has spanned three continents. It started in New Zealand about twenty years ago, spent a year in Melbourne, then came here about fifteen years back when it was just a drummer and me. Players have come and gone since. This lineup has been ripping for roughly a year, and it’s the best one yet.

We put out Red Tide Rising in 2024 and did the CD release party at the Viper Room in Hollywood. Gods That Fade came after that, then Skinwalkers in August.

How did you come up with your band name?

It’s the little guy winning. A sparrow has no business going after a crow, and it does it anyway. David and Goliath, basically. It’s a simple thing, but it’s the whole idea.

What country or region are you from, and what is the Metal or Rock scene like there?

We’re in Southern California now, but I grew up in New Zealand. The metal scene there was small, and that turned out to be the good part. My first band over there was Star Drunk, and we did well out of it, because when there are only so many bands everyone ends up on the same bills and you actually know each other. Small scene, great music, and nobody pretending.

What is your latest release? Album, EP, Single or Video?

Skinwalkers. Just out.

Who have been your greatest influences?

Silverchair, Helmet, Deftones, Alice In Chains, Machine Head, Soundgarden. Most of what shaped me is 90s grunge and early 2000s heavy. We’re a heavy band, but the weight sits in the air rather than the tempo, and that’s where it comes from.

What first got you into music?

I started on piano, playing by ear. Never read a note. Guitar came later, at eighteen, which makes me a late bloomer, and I haven’t put it down since.

What actually changed things was the big fat riffs. My first album was Jar Of Flies, and Jerry Cantrell’s tone on it, especially Nutshell, did something to me. That’s the sound I wanted to make.

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician, who would it be?

Jerry Cantrell. Still the GOAT for me, and by all accounts a genuinely cool guy on top of it. Easy answer.

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

Sick New World. Something heavy, on a bill with bands we’d actually want to watch, in front of a scene we haven’t met yet. That’s the whole appeal, getting out of our own zip code.

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

Back in New Zealand, in my old band, a guy turned up one night with a tray of about 25 glasses of bourbon. Not a round for the band. A tray, for me, and I was the only one there.

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

Thank you, first of all. We’re glad you’re with us.

We don’t do this chasing success. We play the music we love, big fat riffs, three dudes having a good time, and if you love it too then that’s the whole thing working. Nothing but gratitude from us.

If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

Jimi Hendrix. Easy. The guy was crazy.

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

Getting an idea out of your head and into a form that’s bigger than the thing you made it on. When I pick up the guitar it’s an extension of my soul, and weird stuff comes out that I didn’t plan. It calms me down. It’s a release.

What I hate is pay-to-play, and the people who make a living off talented musicians trying to get somewhere. Venues that act like they’re doing you a favour by letting you play for free. There’s a lot of that out there. Aside from that, I’m pretty happy.

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

A more even playing field, so good bands get a real shot at the bigger stages. It’s a hard place at the moment. AI is everywhere, genuinely good bands aren’t getting the support, and you have to grind for every inch.

The part that drags on me is that growth now runs on content. It doesn’t matter how good you are; it matters how much you post. When you’ve also got a full-time career, that’s a lot of hours going somewhere other than the music.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

I can’t do one. Superunknown, Dirt, Around The Fur. Ask me tomorrow and the order changes.

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs or Downloads?

Vinyl if you’re collecting. Honestly though, whatever gets me the music clearest and easiest.

What I miss is the ritual. We used to have CD parties, everyone round to hear the new Deftones front to back, artwork out on the table, the whole package. You got excited about an album as an object. Now it’s singles, and if it doesn’t grab you in ten seconds, people are gone. Attention spans keep shrinking and something did get lost in that.

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

The Viper Room. When I first turned up here from New Zealand with my guitar, I told myself one day I’d play there, so doing the Red Tide Rising CD release party on that stage with all my friends in the room was the one. We played the Whisky a Go Go in the early Sparrows days too, which was no small thing either.

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

Still an artist, which is what I actually do. I’m an animator and a 3D artist, and I work as an executive producer. Music, art, 3D printing, writing books- it doesn’t matter much what the medium is. I’m always making something.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

Jerry Cantrell, obviously. Trent Reznor. Daniel Johns from Silverchair. Robb Flynn from Machine Head. And Adam Jones from Tool.

What’s next for the band?

More singles on the way, new videos in the works, and getting back out to play as much as we can.

What Social Media or Website links do you use to get your music out to people? Please include any links.

Everything’s on the streaming platforms, and the rest runs through one link.

https://linktr.ee/sparrowseatcrows

Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm or Barm Cake, a Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake?

Roll. That’s what we call them in New Zealand, and Kiwi and English are close enough that I’ll back myself on this one.

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Thanks for running these, we’re both stoked to be in here.

Credit where it’s owed on the new music. Our bass player Ben Taylor produced and mixed it through BRT Productions. Maor Appelbaum mastered it. Harrison from White Cloud Audio handled the drums. And Omar, our drummer, who’s a beast.

Most of all, our fans. That’s who this is for, and we love you. Big thanks to you for running this.

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview unless you have the express permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.