SparkDog - Blues Laden Soulbilly Music for the Masses

Hailing from the tiny rivertown of Miamisburg, Ohio, SparkDog emerged from the primordial mold found amidst the empty liquor bottle and leftover food packages festering in the alleys of this American enclave of carp fishing and nuclear-infested alcoholics.

SparkDog is led by David Sparks, a hulking comedic hillbilly son of a preacher man who spent his formative years in small coal mining towns in Eastern Kentucky Appalachian mountains. Raised on gospel, bluegrass and Black Flag, Sparks' booming voice has been described as an amalgamation of Merle Haggard, Etta James, Elvis Presley and Glen Danzig. His combination of vocal range, combined with razor-sharp lyricism and witty intelligence and a dose of soul produces a sound that only a life spent on the brink of America's insanity-riddled underclass can produce.

Before taking up a career in music, Sparks' spent his 20s in the world of journalism, working in several newspapers as a writer, editor, columnist and photographer, and eventually, author and publisher. His book Briar Zen (40 Essays about Common Damn Sense, Sports and Politics of the Incorrect) was an underground hit, prompting Sparks' invitation to lecture at Emerson College, in Boston, MA. Coupled with the critical success of the now defunct underground outlaw journalism, the now defunct Fat City News, Sparks is poised to become one of America's best, brightest and most talented figures to emerge in decades.