sparkbird

whimsical dark cabaret folk-pop artist. pg-13. sharing books, theater, etc. that I find thought-provoking, moving, or worth experiencing.

[sparkbirdmusic]

Sparkbird FAQs

• What are your pronouns? What is your gender identity? What is your sexual orientation? - they/them - non-binary - queer/bi/pan

• How do you pronounce Stephan? Like Steven. (I know.)

• Can I use your song for [thing]? Almost definitely, as long as you're not monetizing it. (If you are making money off of it, you may need a license. Contact Annie at [email protected].)

• Will you ever tour in [the UK/Europe/Australia/Florida/etc.]? Hopefully someday! Unfortunately touring is very expensive and complicated, and much like the bloodsucking undead, I can only go where I've been invited.

All I know right now is that I only expect to play a few shows in 2026. Beyond that, I don't imagine I'll ever be an artist who tours extensively—I don't have the following for it, and in my experience I also don't think I'm built for it. (So if I'm playing a show nearby and you want to see me someday, it's probably worth making it happen now. I think that's true for all artists you want to see, though. You rarely know what the last opportunity is until it's too late.)

• What if I can't afford a ticket? Email me at [email protected]. I can generally put a few names on the guest list.

• I'm coming to your show—can I bring you a gift? While I certainly don't expect gifts, you're welcome to bring small ones. I'm not able to accept gifts while I'm on stage, because I'm only allotted a certain amount of time, and it's important for me to use that time doing my job as a performer. If you can't find me before or after my set, the merch table is a safe place to drop something off.

Note: I avoid all animal products and by-products, including craft feathers, wool, and leather. (No need to apologize or feel bad if you've given me something that includes these—I recognize that my lifestyle is somewhat unconventional. Regardless of the materials, I always appreciate the care that goes into these gifts, and I do keep them.)

• Do you have sheet music for your songs? Some of them—scroll down on this page. (Note: when you order sheet music, I have to email it to you; it doesn't give it to you immediately.)

• What are your boundaries around fanart/fanfics? Your art is your art. Make the art you want and need to make.

• Why are you so thirsty for EVERYONE???? It’s mostly a bit. It's not as if it's fabricated per se, but for a while I leaned into it because I was tired of feeling somewhat infantilized by some of my audience.

[sparkbirdmusic]

In elementary school, frustrated by my school library's unhurried acquisition of hot new children's and middle grade titles, I started my own library. It involved this contract that my friends and their parents had to sign, and I think I charged $1 to join.

(It was not a huge success, but I think it did fund the purchase of a single Animorphs book)

[sparkbirdmusic]

[sparkbirdmusic]

Today we will explore intertextuality in the works of Sparkbird to determine whether Sparkbird (or the lyric "I," as it were, in the works of Sparkbird) likes to be pressured and/or pushed.

Excerpt from "A Person":

A person gave a push and watched me whoosh! Into the midst of Risks I was averse to Out on a limb Coerced toward a court of obelisks The burden of pressure bruised my skin more deeply Than the physical impact did

Excerpt from "Grievances":

I don't like to be pressured I don't like to be pushed

We might also consider an early draft of "November":

Based on these examples, the astute listener can safely conclude that Sparkbird enjoys neither pressure nor pushing. This repeated use of pressuring/pushing imagery constitutes a motif that points toward a recurring theme in Sparkbird's work, that of resistance to unhealthy power dynamics in interpersonal relationships.

[theenatiornithebandwagon]

Why do they look like guy gardner…

[sparkbirdmusic]

if anyone has noticed me wearing hats more in videos lately, it is because I’m so completely sick of the comments on my hair. I really wish there were more ways to make it as an artist without the constant commentary on your appearance.

[sparkbirdmusic]

Today we will explore intertextuality in the works of Sparkbird to determine whether Sparkbird (or the lyric "I," as it were, in the works of Sparkbird) likes to be pressured and/or pushed.

Excerpt from "A Person":

A person gave a push and watched me whoosh! Into the midst of Risks I was averse to Out on a limb Coerced toward a court of obelisks The burden of pressure bruised my skin more deeply Than the physical impact did

Excerpt from "Grievances":

I don't like to be pressured I don't like to be pushed

We might also consider an early draft of "November":

Based on these examples, the astute listener can safely conclude that Sparkbird enjoys neither pressure nor pushing. This repeated use of pressuring/pushing imagery constitutes a motif that points toward a recurring theme in Sparkbird's work, that of resistance to unhealthy power dynamics in interpersonal relationships.

[sparkbirdmusic]

pspsps

(animation by @silveradash and Peirranha)

[sparkbirdmusic]

a cast of characters

[sparkbirdmusic]

pspsps

(animation by @silveradash and Peirranha)

[sparkbirdmusic]

The song "A Person" used to begin:

there's a person who wears really nice pairs of pants and I see him everywhere one time I saw him doing a crazy dance in the middle of the street when he was with his friends but mostly I just see him when he's eating lunch

It was going to be about those people who you seem to see all the time but don't know. I never got very far in it, and around 7 years later I repurposed it for a surprisingly whimsical song about a friendship breakup.

[sparkbirdmusic]

if you've given me gifts, I have a question (with a brief preamble).

If you don't live in NYC, you may not know that many apartments here are blessed with 0 (ZERO) closets. (whose idea was this?????)

because of this storage dilemma, I may need to pare down my stash of gifts from listeners (at some point—not imminently). I'm wondering how folks would feel if I lovingly passed some of these incredibly thoughtful gifts on to other listeners.

if, for example, you saw someone post "look what sparkbird sent me!" and it showed a gift you gave me, would you feel:

utterly heartbroken and betrayed

thrilled to see your offering out there living its best life

some third option (please describe)

Voting ended onAug 10

(edit: I feel compelled to add that this is entirely theoretical and completely based on the volume of space currently occupied by gifts, not by any resentment of or disdain for the gifts themselves)

(edit: where do we fall on the regifting of kandi? unacceptable, acceptable, encouraged?)

(edit: honestly I wouldn't be surprised if I just need to organize the box better for now. but someday the question will return. unless someday I have Storage Unit Money.)

(edit [why am I like this]: what if it's a situation where I take a picture of everything there is, and people opt in like "yes, send my gift—that one there—on a journey!" so it's never unexpected)

[sparkbirdmusic]

I feel bad for possibly sending people into a minor panic over this scenario! Some context for anyone who's interested...

Before moving to NYC two years ago, Adam and I lived in 2/3 of a house in Portland, Oregon. In hindsight, it was absolutely palatial.

We got rid of a ton of stuff before moving, and yet, when we arrived in NYC, our belongings filled our tiny apartment to the very brim. Adam went to great lengths both organizing and downsizing so we could actually live here.

Until very recently, I was quite unhelpful in these efforts. Just a couple months ago I burst into tears when Adam asked me to decide which board games to keep.

Without getting too much in the weeds about the mental and physical health issues at stake... a couple weeks ago it hit me that my tendency to accumulate Things (and my reluctance to bid Things adieu) has been keeping Adam stuck in a reeeeally lousy work-from-home setup.

I finally stepped up and have been saying goodbye to a LOT of stuff in an effort to make our apartment more livable. It's already a big improvement, though it isn't quite enough yet.

The long and short of it is that I just really want to make more of an earnest effort to improve Adam's life the way he's always improved mine.

(Shhh though. I mean, he knows all of this, but he doesn't know I'm talking about it; it would/might embarrass him. Fortunately he isn't on tumblr. I just wanted to explain that the context wasn't, like, me masterminding a ruthless cull of gifts for the sake of a minimalist aesthetic or something. In any case, I'm hopeful that I can solve this by just organizing everything better. And maybe someday not being my own merch warehouse, that would make a much bigger difference tbh.)

[ninjaexpertnecromancer]

WARNING This post is long because it contains a review since IMDb decided to make people subscribe to read reviews.

I watched a series called Crazyhead on Netflix almost a decade ago, and then I watched it again. Then I watched it a third time a few years later.... Then a fourth. It's a magnificent demon slaying horror series, and I was finally able to put together the right words without spoiling anything to try and draw more people in. I have watched 595 TV series and miniseries, so for me to take the time to watch something four times is saying a lot. I watched it after I finished catching up on Supernatural, and it filled in the void Sam and Dean left behind perfectly.

This British supernatural dark comedy is magnificent. The exorcisms are completely different than anything ever seen on a screen before making it something necessary to satisfy anyone's curiosity. Trust me. Please read the review by clicking the link or reading below. This is one of those hidden gems you don't want to miss.

The following is the review:

When Amy (Cara Theobold) starts seeing terrifying demons hiding in plain sight behind normal human faces, she assumes her mental health is spiraling until she meets Raquel (Susan Wokoma), a socially awkward, self-taught demon Hunter who sees them too. Together, the duo is dragged into a dark, secret underworld lurking beneath modern British suburbia.

Created by Howard Overman (Misfits), Crazyhead balances crude humor, sharp banter, and genuine horror tropes as two young women navigate demon-slaying alongside awkward twentysomething life. Supported by an unsettling villain performance by Tony Curran, the show delivers a fast, electric ride. It's only flaw is ending on a cliffhanger after just six episodes, but it's well worth a quick weekend binge.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6038584/review/rw11743548/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

[sparkbirdmusic]

if you've given me gifts, I have a question (with a brief preamble).

If you don't live in NYC, you may not know that many apartments here are blessed with 0 (ZERO) closets. (whose idea was this?????)

because of this storage dilemma, I may need to pare down my stash of gifts from listeners (at some point—not imminently). I'm wondering how folks would feel if I lovingly passed some of these incredibly thoughtful gifts on to other listeners.

if, for example, you saw someone post "look what sparkbird sent me!" and it showed a gift you gave me, would you feel:

utterly heartbroken and betrayed

thrilled to see your offering out there living its best life

some third option (please describe)

Voting ended onAug 10

(edit: I feel compelled to add that this is entirely theoretical and completely based on the volume of space currently occupied by gifts, not by any resentment of or disdain for the gifts themselves)

(edit: where do we fall on the regifting of kandi? unacceptable, acceptable, encouraged?)

(edit: honestly I wouldn't be surprised if I just need to organize the box better for now. but someday the question will return. unless someday I have Storage Unit Money.)

(edit [why am I like this]: what if it's a situation where I take a picture of everything there is, and people opt in like "yes, send my gift—that one there—on a journey!" so it's never unexpected)

[sparkbirdmusic]

I have collected a few more agent rejections for my novel 🥀

so I sing a bit of the Garfunkel & Oates song "Such A Loser" to myself (recently I posted a little video of me playing this):

you are such a loser good for you it's something that a lot of people can't do trying is hard that's why people don't do it losing is hard they can't make it through it but not you you are such a loser you are such a loser here's to you 'cause you deserve a cheering section too

it's like Ms. Frizzle says—

(in my mind someone pipes up: "Seatbelts everyone"??)

no, though that's always good advice. I meant the other thing she says: "Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!"

(if you want to read the first 8 chapters of the novel, they're up on AO3)

PS if you don't know Garfunkel & Oates, it's a comedy folk duo and one half of the duo is Kate Micucci (whom some of you might know as Sadie from Steven Universe)

[sparkbirdmusic]

oh my god. I just found an agent who is specifically looking for YA eco-fiction about trying to save an endangered species.

I often have these moments when I'm researching agents, where my heart leaps and I think, "This is it. This is the one."

So far I've been wrong, but... maybe this time 🤞 

(I sent out five other queries this morning as well)

[sparkbirdmusic]

OMG I got into Witch Hat Atelier at just the right time, there's going to be a WHA panel at Flamecon!

The illustrator and writer behind the viral webcomics You Say Latino and You Say Latinx.

[sparkbirdmusic]

me when I plan to never speak to you again

[sparkbirdmusic]

I have collected a few more agent rejections for my novel 🥀

so I sing a bit of the Garfunkel & Oates song "Such A Loser" to myself (recently I posted a little video of me playing this):

you are such a loser good for you it's something that a lot of people can't do trying is hard that's why people don't do it losing is hard they can't make it through it but not you you are such a loser you are such a loser here's to you 'cause you deserve a cheering section too

it's like Ms. Frizzle says—

(in my mind someone pipes up: "Seatbelts everyone"??)

no, though that's always good advice. I meant the other thing she says: "Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!"

(if you want to read the first 8 chapters of the novel, they're up on AO3)

PS if you don't know Garfunkel & Oates, it's a comedy folk duo and one half of the duo is Kate Micucci (whom some of you might know as Sadie from Steven Universe)

[sparkbirdmusic]

a listener meets me at the merch table

[sparkbirdmusic]

I’m very curious about something! A Person is the least listened to song on the album, in spite of it being (in my estimation) both:

A. a fun song

and

B. a banger

Have you listened to A Person?

yes

not yet

Voting ended onAug 8

if you HAVE listened to it and you did not enjoy it, I wish you all the best, see you in another post!

if you have listened to it and did enjoy it, is there any part of the song that you think is particularly compelling? I’m so stumped on how to get people to check it out… I’ve basically given up on it in favor of posting about the most popular songs.

It might just be that the past several releases don’t have very wide appeal, which is fine. (it would be even more fine if I had, like, a job other than music.)

but part of me wonders if there’s some super appealing angle to them that I just haven’t seen. (the releases in question being all the deluxe album tracks)

idk maybe my next song will be my comeback era or something