Husband-and-wife duo, Brett and Rennie Sparks, the core of goth Americana outfit the Handsome Family, have been releasing albums for the past twenty years. Their unique, eccentric tales of ghosts and folklore deftly weave through dark, highly unpredictable ballads. This fierce dedication to constantly challenging the listener has earned them a slow-and-steady cult following. However, they didn’t receive mainstream recognition until the track “Far From Any Road,” from their 2003 release Singing Bones, was commissioned as the main theme song for HBO’s hit crime drama, True Detective.
The Handsome Family has been touring extensively in support of their latest release, Wilderness, these past few months, and while I missed the opportunity to meet them in person, at San Francisco’s The Chapel, Rennie was nice enough to answer a few of my questions virtually.
Here are her thoughts on modern music distribution, why crowdfunding is wrong, and where she and her husband want to settle next.
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