As Sparrow Blue gears up for their performance at the second annual Lazy Bison Music Fest in Wainwright on October 3, the band is looking forward to bringing “real thick rock ’n’ roll” to one of Alberta’s up-and-coming music festivals.
For those unfamiliar with Sparrow Blue’s “real thick rock ‘n’ roll,” guitarist Chad Plamondon offers a simple explanation: “It’s sweaty, it’s greasy, it’s unhinged, and it’s a party.”
The St. Albert six-piece specializes in loud, unapologetic classic rock, offering a modern take on the sounds pioneered by Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Mountain, and others. While they’re a little too rowdy to be called “easy listening,” their high-energy performances are accessible to rock fans of all stripes.
Sparrow Blue’s fun-for-everyone approach has given them opportunities to share stages with some of rock’s biggest names. Over the last decade, the band has played with acclaimed acts including The Sheepdogs, The Trews, and Rick Springfield. They’ve also built an extensive festival resume that spans Taste of Edmonton, Taste of Calgary, Edmonton RockFest, Funtastic Fest in Vernon and more.
Riding high on the success of their 2024 LP No Lies, No Tricks, Sparrow Blue has taken their music south of the border for multiple American tours in recent years. Although making headway in the United States is a goal for many bands, it wasn’t something Sparrow Blue took lightly.
“[Our first American tour] was just when everything started, all the friction between the U.S. and Canada,” Plamondon recalls. “It was very much a conversation of ‘Do we do this? Do we not?'”
Ultimately, the band decided to go ahead with their touring plans and were met with open arms by American audiences.
“They treated us incredibly over there,” Plamondon says. “Everybody was nothing but kind to us.”
For all their onstage rock ‘n’ roll antics, Sparrow Blue are invested in making their shows and music “a safe space for everyone.”
“We try to make it a community that builds each other up and brings each other together,” Plamondon says, “because [that’s] what we feel music should be about.”
Back home in Alberta, Sparrow Blue are full steam ahead, working on their next full-length (due out in 2027) and gearing up for a mid-October show to be filmed for an upcoming indie horror film. Before that, however, they’ll be playing Lazy Bison Fest, an emerging festival that’s bringing plenty of excitement to Wainwright this fall.
“It’s always a blast to be part of something in its infancy,” Plamondon says. “We’ve seen firsthand with the band how exciting things can be right in the beginning.”
Whether they’re sharing the stage with legends or rocking a small-town stage, Sparrow Blue bring the same all-in attitude and thick rock ‘n’ roll sound wherever they go.
Learn more about Sparrow Blue’s upcoming shows here.
Learn more about Lazy Bison Music Fest here.
Listen to Sparrow Blue’s single “Real Thick” below:
