Yellow Red Sparks Announce Tour

Good coffee, cold weather, friends, family, trials, and tribulations. For some, these are the ins-and-out of everyday life. But for Yellow Red Sparks, this daily make-up holds the inspiration for their craft.

Originally a moniker for California-based solo performer Joshua Hanson, Yellow Red Sparks now represents a trio, also comprised of Sara Lynn Nishikawa (upright bass/vocals), and Goldy (drums/vocals). Together, the three recreate Hanson's songwriting by blending lush harmonies and haunting melodies with softly echoed vocals, as so effortlessly demonstrated on their first self titled album, released January 29, 2013.

The self-titled release is a spartan collection of short stories that, as principal songwriter, Joshua explains, is but a foreword into a much grander narrative. "Just like being human, this record as a whole goes through many emotions and each song on its own is meant to paint a portion of a picture," he muses. " I don't believe that it's possible to share everything a writer is feeling or trying to convey within 3 ½ minutes of a track."

From the high energy guitar of, "Scents And Sensibility," to the heartfelt strings on, "Happiness Comes In A Box," Yellow Red Sparks' first release is a mature accomplishment for the band, and garnered attention from an extensive range of tastemakers. The band have since gone on to win two accolades for their local OC Music Awards in the Best Folk category and opened for the likes of Local Natives, Sea Wolf, The Jezabels, and Aqualung. Principal songwriter, Joshua Hanson, has since been awarded the prestigious Grand Prize in the International Songwriting Competition, for his "Monsters with Misdemeanors," as voted for by industry heavyweights including Robert Smith, Tom Waits and Janelle Monae to name a few.

Their new video for single, "A Play To End All Plays," provides a powerful visual for the haunting track which, for the band, "really stands on it's own from the rest of the record," says Joshua. The video provides a hauntingly dark, and theatrical portrayal of a seemingly doomed relationship, as penned by Hanson. The track's chorus is backed by a choir of children, reminiscent of the eery 1960's film, "Village of The Damned," further adding to the imagery. The video debuted on NPR's, All Songs Considered whose editor, Bob Boilen instantly fell in love with the magnetic orchestration.

In anticipation of their recent album release, the band will be hitting the road in May, bringing their intimate and emphatic live show to audiences across the country. Tour dates below.

To post a comment, you must register and login.