History
The band was formed in 1993 by husband-and-wife duo Brett Sparks (vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Rennie Sparks (bass, banjo, vocals) and drummer Mike Werner, although the band would later revolve around Rennie, who writes virtually all of the lyrics, and Brett, who writes and plays most of the music, with guest musicians completing the band line-up for recordings and live work.
[1]
Regarding the band name, Sparks said in an interview: "It's just kind of a stupid name. We used to have this really obnoxious drummer, and he used to call me 'Handsome', that was his nickname for me, I think for sarcastic reasons... And he wanted to call it the Handsome family...and we thought it was funny, too. We thought it was a good name."
[2]
Formed in Chicago, Brett was originally from
Texas and Rennie from
Long Island.
[3] The band toured extensively throughout both America and Europe in support of early releases
Odessa
(1995) and
Milk and Scissors
(1996).
During this time, Brett suffered an emotional breakdown, resulting in his hospitalization and diagnosis of
bipolar disorder.
Their third full-length album,
Through the Trees
, was written in the aftermath of these events, and included a song inspired by Brett's experiences in a bipolar ward.
[4] The album was recorded in 1998, using
Jeff Tweedy's mobile studio.
and brought the band to a wider audience. It was named the "Best New Country Album of the Year" by
UNCUT
.
A growing following and raised profile allowed Brett and Rennie to give up their day jobs and work on the band full-time. They toured America and Europe again in support of the 2000 album
In the Air
.
In 2001, they moved to
Albuquerque, New Mexico, and released
Twilight
, with Allmusic opining that the album leads "the listener down a lovely yet dark trail few would dare tread twice".
[5] In 2002, they released a live album,
Live at Schuba's Tavern
, a recording from the
In the Air
tour from Chicago in December 2000.
They have subsequently released the albums
Singing Bones
(2003), and
Last Days of Wonder
(2006).
The band's latest album,
Honey Moon
, was released in April 2009.
[6]
Musical style
The Handsome Family's style is a blend of traditional
country,
bluegrass, and
murder ballads.
Early recordings have
rock elements, but these were less evident from 1996's
Milk and Scissors
onwards.
Rennie's lyrics have a strong
storytelling component, drawing on themes from
Gothic fiction, as well as
American folk music, and often involving macabre subjects as murders, suicides and ghosts. Some songs are also based on actual historical figures or events, including the lives and deaths of
Amelia Earhart ("Amelia Earhart vs. the Dancing Bear", on
Milk and Scissors
),
Emily Shore ("Emily Shore 1819-1839", on
Milk and Scissors
),
Robert Wadlow ("The Giant of Illinois", on
Through the Trees
),
Natalie Wood ("Natalie Wood", an
outtake from
Twilight
, which appears on
Smothered and Covered
), and
Nikola Tesla ("Tesla's Hotel Room", on
Last Days of Wonder
).
Discography
Albums
- Odessa
(1995) Carrot Top
- Milk and Scissors
(1996) Carrot Top
- Invisible Hands
(1997) Scout (German mini-album)
- Through the Trees
(1998) Carrot Top/Loose
- In the Air
(2000) Carrot Top/Vinyl Junkie
- Twilight
(2001) Carrot Top/Vinyl Junkie
- Singing Bones
(2003) Carrot Top
- Last Days of Wonder
(2006) Carrot Top
- Honey Moon
(2009) Carrot Top 04/14/09
;Compilations:
- Down in the Valley
(1999) Vinyl Junkie
- Smothered and Covered
(2003) Handsome
Singles
- "My Beautiful Bride" (1999) Magwheel
References
- Strong, Martin C. (2003) "The Handsome Family", in ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, ISBN 1 84195 335 0
- http://www.triste.co.uk/handsome.htm
- Layne, Joslyn "The Handsome Family Biography", ''Allmusic'', Macrovision Corporation
- See lyrics to "My Ghost" at the Handsome Family website.
- MacNeil, Jason "''Twilight'' Review", ''Allmusic'', Macrovision Corporation
- Blurt Online, ''Handsome Family Takes a Honey Moon''