Expect the Unexpected After spending 18 years as the Violent Femmes percussionist, John Sparrow has been playing drums in the band for a while now. But what is the musical training ground for playing drums in one of the most popular punk bands of all time? You will be surprised. How did Sparrow get the gig with the Femmes? You’ll be even more surprised. And what is that “instrument” that he’s playing onstage? Well, you get the point… Surprise! It’s wonderful when interviews aren’t anything like what you expected! Photo by Alex Kluft JS: My dad was a drummer. When I started really getting into it, he always told me, “John you’re going to get a gig, so make sure you are ready for everything on any gig. Learn how to play a Bossa Nova, a Tango, a shuffle, a country beat, a punk beat, everything! If you want to […]

April 2023 Issue