Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds performed at the Columbia Theatre for the Performing
Arts. Arleigh Kincheloe ( left) led with vocals and her brother Jackson Kincheloe (right)
played harmonica. Other band members include Sasha Brown on guitar, Josh Myers
on bass, Phil Rodriguez on trumpet, Brian Graham on saxophone and Dan Boyden
on drums. 
The Lion's Roar/William Schmidt

The Columbia Theatre captivated audiences as they brought in Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds for the New Artist Concert Series. The concert took place on Thursday, October 22 and was geared to a wide range of people.

Before the end of the third song, audience members were dancing in the aisles and by the front stage of the theatre. 

“This is the first time for this kind of event,” said Executive Director of the Columbia Theatre C. Roy Blackwood. “The word got out, the people came. We have more people here than expected for a first time event. I’m trying to serve a broader demographic in the community and to do that I have to put the things they want to hear onstage. That was the emphasis I wanted to put on this concert. The performance I thought was killer, it was everything I hoped it would be so I’m really excited as far as success.”  

Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds started to create their sound over seven years ago, but two members have been playing for their entire lives: vocalist Arleigh Kincheloe and harmonica player Jackson Kincheloe. 

“At this point, we have been doing it for seven years, but me and my brother have been playing together our entire lives,” said Arleigh Kincheloe. “Our drummer is the newest member. Everyone else has seeped in over the years. It is just fun to hang out with everyone and we really are a unit and it brings me a lot of joy to do it and make people feel good as well.”

Some audience members drove all the way from Texas and fought the hazards of driving in Hammond for a girl’s night out. 

“We’ve been listening to them for a couple of years now,” said native of Houston, Texas Sydney Walker. “The band is the main reason we came down here and traveling was great for the most part until you get where the construction is, then there is that crazy turn. I screamed while driving. I screamed, ‘Please help me’ in the car, it was terrifying.”

Not only were audience members ecstatic about Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds, but the band was pleased to play in the venue due to the entire atmosphere of the theater. 

“It’s one of my favorite things about the line of work is getting to see all the new places,” said guitarist Sasha Brown. “When you go into it [a concert], you have no idea what to expect. The whole theatre is very big and hospitable; it is true to that Southern hospitality. The fans were incredible. We have played for audiences where we outnumber the audience members so having been through that, like every band on the road, we had a lot of fun with that and we feel very honored to show up to a place like this. This beautiful venue, great staff, wonderful audience.”

The band has had members come and go over the years, but Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds will make their seventh anniversary this November. 

“We started playing shows and the audience kept growing,” said Brown. “It snowballed and became this thing where we were like let us ride this wave and see how far it can go. Thanksgiving will be our seventh anniversary for the band; it just has been a great journey.”

Over the years, the band has had a wide variety of music offered but plan to continue to rock out for their fans. 

“We just like to get weird, rock out and dance around,” said Brown. “High energy, sweat, soul, rock, dance party; that is what we are about. We are focused on the future and the present.”

To learn more about Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds, visit sistersparrow.com or follow them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. To see what events are coming to the Columbia Theatre, visit columbiatheatre.org.