Penny and Sparrow’s Devotion to Music, Love, and People
Santa Ana, California - August 17, 2026
The last thing you want to hear when you’re lost in a never ending field in the hot, humid heat of the South is two guys bantering about how to become an Apache helicopter pilot…
Unless… that is exactly what you are signing up for!
Penny and Sparrow’s Andrew and Kyle bring you right into the heart of the South: warm light, sprawling golden tallgrass, and a hazy memory.
Their music is full of rich history, stories told with the warmest of timbres and painted with washes of nostalgia. “Alabama Haint” references a specific shade of pale robin’s egg blue used to paint the ceilings of porches in the South that is said to ward off spirits, with the practice originating from Gullah culture. They connect this idea of warding off a spirit or “haint” with the death of a beautiful connection they once shared with someone they loved, and a hesitance in turning away form the memory of it. “Don’t Wanna Be Without Ya” is a folk-y love song that asks their lover what life they prefer and says they’d follow them anywhere they choose; From choosing to be reincarnated again to accidentally coming back as a hairpin in their lover’s hair, it is a joyous and fun song that is also drenched with gut-wrenching devotion.
In their song “Jeopardy”, Andrew and Kyle croon, “What is me dying before you?”
Their music is this wonderfully lush, intentional, and loving storytelling paired with hauntingly beautiful vocal harmonies and masterful guitar wrapping warmly around it all that echoes through their entire discography.
As Penny and Sparrow take you through the South, dropping lore the entire time, they do not just leave you to despair over their music. Interjecting each song in their set list was a mini stand-up set: “You know, in order to become an Apache helicopter pilot, you have to learn to fly in the glove…” From a Q&A session mid-set to recommending bars to doing real crowd work mid-song after forgetting their own lyrics, Kyle and Andrew center, nourish, and nurture the warm, human experience of connection through laughter and music.
The audience was aglow with laughter for most of the show, of course except for the times they were swaying, closing their eyes, holding their partners close during a song.
Paying tribute often to their favorite artists and inspirations, including singing praises about their opener Cece Coakley - who was equally funny and a wonderful singer as well - and artists like Pedro Vargas, Ray LaMontagne, Frank Ocean, Anaïs Mitchell…Hearing their influences ring clearly through their own music, it is abundantly clear that Penny and Sparrow love music deeply, and even more than that, love people deeply.
