The Shaman Rock and Urban Cabaret of Crow Follow

The Shaman Rock and Urban Cabaret of Crow Follow

Based out of the thriving Boston music scene, Crow Follow present an auditory odyssey within the rapturously captivating music.  Their latest single Sylia Sez (For Justine) is sure to capture the hearts and imagination from all types of music fans.  The band has a brilliant collection of songs available for your listening pleasure on Spotify and there is a brand-new EP in the works!  Highwire Daze recently caught up with Tim Sprague and Agent Judy of Crow Follow to find out more about the intriguing shaman rock and urban cabaret found within their dynamic artistry.  Read on…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Crow Follow, and how long the band has been together.
Tim Sprague: Hi, my name is Tim Sprague. In Crow Follow I write, sing and play guitar and trumpet. I co-front the band alongside my partner Agent Judy.  Crow Follow’s first gig was in 2018 we have been making music together for seven years!

Agent Judy: Hello! I am Agent Judy. I co-front the band with Tim Sprague. We are also the writers for the band. I sing, play guitar, and percussion. My intention is to share the brightest vibe available, short of deception. We’ve been together with this same group of people for three or four years now. I think. There was some shifting of personnel for several years till the current shape settled in. We’ve been very very lucky.

You are based out of Boston, Ma. What is your music scene like there?
Agent Judy: The Boston area is on fire with creativity and community. There are so many bands, and such a wealth of innovation and connectivity. Our experiences in the Boston music scene have been inspiring and uplifting. We share gigs, ideas, info, and support each other in all kinds of ways, within a culture that includes musical collaborations, both live and studio. I am mad grateful to be a part of it all.

Tim Sprague: The Boston Music scene is diverse, vibrantly active, with a unique brand of DIY collaboration and a strong legacy of quality. It is a good scene to be in and a wonderful place to build community.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the new single Sylvia Sez (For Justine)?
Tim Sprague: Sylvia Sez was inspired by the spirit and memory of Justine Covault and her work thru WhistleStop Rock and her indy Red on Red Records label to uplift women in rock music in this scene and beyond. Musically, it’s a nod to that loping Velvet Underground /Psychedelic vibe.  The Lyric mosaic written by Agent Judy and Tim twists between narrative and universal themes.

Agent Judy: Tim began it with Sylvia, which he’ll tell you about. The sections I wrote were inspired by reflection on common experiences humans share. I felt this deeply following losses in our community, including Justine. The song expresses counterparts with everyone; through loss, through growth, and a myriad of incidental experiences. As Sylvia’s story unfolds and leads her to greater connection, so are we all led back to each other by our mutual feats, deeds, and ordeals.

Another recent single is entitled I’m In Love With You. What is the inspiration behind that song?
Agent Judy: I’m In Love With You is a romp from the heart. It’s about the fire in the belly that fuels art. That fire is love, love of existing, making, creating, of each other, of the world. It extends out to everyone, we can all be in love. It encourages us to love freely and to rock out.

Tim Sprague: I’m in Love With You was written instantaneously, Live on stage when we needed an encore. It’s a celebration of that feeling when the music is so good and the crowd so hot that you fall in love with everyone in the house!

How close is Crow Follow to releasing a new single or EP?
Agent Judy: We’ve got scratch and rhythm tracks down for four more right now. We’ll be back to recording in the next month or so, hopefully release another single late winter. We’d love to complete an EP or LP by year’s end. We’ve got a huge backlog of material; talk about luxury problems! 😛 We are quite tenacious. 😉 There’s more coming.

Tim Sprague: We are mixing for 4 new singles now, one “Fold Like Money” has been released as a remix by “What About Naomi” on Bandcamp. The Crow Follow single “Golden Days” should be out in March, with more coming! We hope to drop a full length by Nov ‘25.

What could one expect from a live Crow Follow show?
Agent Judy:
==It’s a party with a bit of trance, lots of high spirits, and a grinding swerving jive. People dance, people move. They look happy. Sometimes they seem mesmerized, sometimes they get caught up in the motion. Performing is spellcasting; my intention is to provide an experience, and to share in it, as through a looking glass.

Tim Sprague: At a Crow Follow show you’re gonna hear gritty twinned vocals and badass sax. A belly rolling tribal beat wrapped in velvet hammer bass. Coming offstage from a Crow Follow set I’ve heard:
“You guys are kinda dark, but warm too”
“It’s like I’m in a trance, but I wanna dance!”
“You don’t sound like anybody else”
“No! No! you guys are GOOD!”

Live, Crow Follow creates a vibe reminiscent of the deepest incantations of Captain Beefheart, Patti Smith, and Tom Waits spiced with the urgency of X and the offhand cool of Morphine.  This rusted tramp steamer of a band will get you off the rocks and take you for a ride thru your most urgent dreams.

If Crow Follow could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
Tim Sprague: My dream would be to open for Garbage, Hole or L7. I love the genius of powerful women rocking! I love the contrast between our layered, set back tonality and their full on sonic blast!

Agent Judy: Gotta pick one, huh? Whew, that’s interesting. There are so many musicians and bands that have inspired me enormously. I’m thinking about the lineup. Amongst my heroes who would we open for best? I’m gonna say Morphine. We share a bluesy, slinky sensibility. They were such a thread in the fabric of the Boston music scene, that I didn’t fully appreciate how famous they’d become til after Mark died. But they were an experience I think we’d go well with. It certainly would have been an honor and a treat.

Ask me tomorrow and who knows who we’d be opening for? Maybe PJ Harvey? Patti Smith? The Clash? Nick Cave? Leonard Cohen? L7? Marianne Faithful? Garbage? Tom Waits? Human Sexual Response? Butthole Surfers? Sonic Youth? Pony? Throwing Muses? Bush Tetras? …so many…

Has Crow Follow ever played in the Los Angeles area or is that something you would like to do in the future?
Tim Sprague: Crow Follow has never played LA. We would love to perform in LA in the future, especially in service of a benefit for the folks out there.

Agent Judy: No, we have not, but I for one would LOVE to. I love LA. It would be a joy to come perform there. The recent fires there have been a horror. When anyone there is ready for us, we’ll get there somehow! Meanwhile, stay safe.

Are you involved with any other bands or projects outside of Crow Follow?
Agent Judy: Each of us have had other projects overlapping Crow Follow. Creativity runs rampant. Gotta set it free.  I’ve recently done some backup singing for Girl With a Hawk, as well as Ski Bunny. Tim is now playing bass for John Hovorka Band. It’s also a blast to sit in with Tim’s occasional improv project, Brass Orchid. Carolyn is in Bikini Whale and Butterscott. Johnny’s been in a million bands, including Kenne Highland’s Air Force who still play out. Ramona recently sat in with Bob Censi and is always creating with everyone she meets.

Tim Sprague: I am serving as Bass Operator with John Hovorka Band and also as Prime Conspirator for “Brass Orchid”, a full-frontal live looping 100% improv performance art group.

Any final words of wisdom?
Agent Judy:
These are times that call for all the innovation and courage we can muster. Creative collaborations are radical acts. Let music be your battery; let it energize us, make us smarter and more thoughtful. As artists we can reflect the times through acts of creation and feed the well that keeps us inspired and engaged. It’s our job.

Come out to shows! Support local music! Make playlists! Checkout freeform radio! Buy albums and singles! Promote your fav artists! We love you!!!

Tim Sprague: The best music is live music. The best live music is DIY local music. The best adventure is getting out and finding it! Sending love and healing vibes to the fire affected in California.

(Interview by Ken Morton)

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