Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron Sparling.
Hi Aaron, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Well i started showing an interest in music at a very young age. From the time i was old enough to walk around and get into stuff, you couldn’t keep me away from the old piano my grandparents had in the family room at their house. I would sit at that piano and just make noise and sing along as if I knew what I was doing. I was always singing and banging on things everywhere I went. It was as if I was just born to be musical. I guess that’s not a far stretch considering I do it for a living. Growing up I lived with my grandparents for many years and my grandpa was a preacher. My favorite day of the week was always Sunday because I got to go to church and watch the band play. Always singing along to the old gospel songs and contemporary Christian music that was being played. I had a major interest in the drums, always has been and still is my favorite instrument. So before and after church the drummer would always let me get up there and go to town for a little while until it was time to go home. By the age of six my uncle gave me my first guitar and I quickly excelled at it. You couldn’t keep that thing away from me. I played it night and day. While all of my friends were outside playing or hanging out I was in my room playing guitar and trying to get better. By the time I was 10-12 years old I was writing songs like crazy and was pretty dang good at guitar given my age. I didn’t care about anything else but music. I grew up listening to all kinds of stuff, Johnny Cash, Elvis, Sheryl Crow, Kid Rock, Puddle of Mud. Most of those I just mentioned is probably all I could get my hands on at that point in life. Whatever my brothers had in their portable CD players Is what I was listening too, oh and of course Tom Petty’s Free Fallen was on repeat. By the time I got into middle school my cousin showed me the Beatles and that was it. I had officially discovered Rock N Roll music. From there I found out about The Doors, Zeppelin, CCR, Steppenwolf, Janis Joplin, and so many more that completely changed my life forever. From that point on I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I was gonna be a rock star. School no longer mattered, sports no longer matter, responsibilities and obedience went out the window as well. All I wanted to do was play music. So I set out to start a band. It started first with my cousins and my brothers just jamming in our garage. Never really turned into anything. We honestly weren’t that good, but it was just a blast looking back on it. It wasn’t until 8th grade when I met my friend Alex Moss on the school bus that I would actually start my first real band. Once we got going though there was no stopping us. It just so happened Alex lived pretty close to me and for the next few years we spent many many many days together making music. Fast forward to my sophomore year in high school. I wasn’t getting anywhere in school, nor did I give a damn about school. So I dropped out after my sophomore year and started working at my uncles pizza shop. Once I saved enough money I was able to move out of my parents house at 17 years old and moved in with my brother. From then on it was full steam ahead. When I wasn’t working to pay the bills I was working on being a full time musician. Playing bars around town when I could, since I was underage I had to wait outside until it was time play and then come in and immediately after I was done I had to leave again. I would also play guitar in my uncle’s band from time to time when they would let me. One night after a gig with my uncle, I told him I was thinking about moving to Nashville to see if I could make something happen. He told me that was probably the best place for me and to try and do it while I was young and had nothing tying me down. It just so happens in January of 2019 I got to open a show for David Ball at my uncles club with my band. After the show I was back in the green room talking to David’s drummer (Scott Metko) about how I was wanting to move to Nashville and I asked him if I did move to Nashville if he would be interested in jamming. So of course he’s being nice and says yes, fully expecting to never see me again, I’m sure. In February of 2019 almost one month later I arrived in Nashville, TN officially. I called up Scott on the phone and told him I had moved to town and was ready to start jamming. So we set something up and did some jamming. Instantly he was apparently blown away by my ability to sing and play pretty much anything. From that day on he was on board and that’s when the first day of the rest of my life started. From there we needed to form the rest of the band. So he made a few calls, because I was brand new to town and knew absolutely no one at this point other than him and a few people that had moved down from Indiana I grew up with. Anyhow, the first person he called was Andrew Lambie. I’ll never forget the first time I met Lambie. We had a little gig from 2pm-6pm on Mondays at this place on Broadway called “Crossroads” (which doesn’t exist anymore) and at this point we were just using hired guns to play gigs and make some extra cash. Anyhow one day before the gig Scott told me he had a young guitar player coming to sit in and jam with us. The guy was Andrew Lambie, he walked in the club with a guitar on his back and had these super bright sparkly white boots. When he walks in I’m thinking to myself who the hell is this guy? So I hop off stage to take a piss. As I’m walking back to the stage I stopped by him and introduced myself. I asked him what he was doing, and if he was playing in the next band or something. He replies actually no, I’m here to jam with this band. I’m like oh so you’re the guy!! Well he got up and sang a song called “Lucille” by Little Richard.. I was instantly like ok this dude is IN!! So then we officially became a 3 piece. Soon after I had been to watch a band called Sweet Fever and met Nolan Brown who played guitar and keys. I was blown away by his talent and stage presence. That night I tried to steal him away from Sweet Fever but he obviously wouldn’t budge. Fast forward a bit, Sweet Fever disbands during covid he’s looking for some work. So I saw my shot to recruit him and jumped on it. Then we officially became a 4 piece. At this point Lambie was playing bass, I was playing guitar, Scott was on drums, and Nolan was on Keys and Guitar. We actually stayed pretty busy during Covid. Most people shut down, but we were still traveling wherever we could to play. Also did a lot of livestreams. What a crazy time in life that was. It seems like ages ago now. Covid was wild…. One night just as Covid was becoming a thing, I went out to a club called Bowies (also doesn’t exist anymore) and my friend Debbie was nagging me about meeting this guy named Kevin Corbo who played bass. Coincidently I had a gig at Bowies a couple weeks later and Lambie wasn’t able to make it due to some college thing. So I needed a bass player. I met Kevin and he seemed cool, so I offered him the gig. He showed up and knew the songs better than I did and from that point on we hired him and moved Lambie over to guitar. So we were now a 5 piece band. (Side note.. before the gig Kevin called me and says “hey I just wanted to let you know I just tested positive for covid”) Now you gotta understand that covid was brand new at this point and no one knew what was to come.. So I respond to him like, “Who gives a shit man we got a gig to play, get your ass down here” so he did…. Well long story short we all got covid after that Haha!! From that point on we finally found the perfect formula and started writing and recording songs to make a record and the rest is history. We started recording down in Muscle Shoals, Alabama at places like Fame Studios, and East Avalon Studios. That’s where all of the early Hippies & Cowboys songs were cut. Songs like 20 To Life and Kokomo. We’ve been climbing the never ending ladder ever since. Of course this day and age Lambie and Nolan are no longer in the band. Of course there were a few other members who have came and went over the years. We actually used to have a full horn section. That whole era would take too long to write about here. I don’t want to bore you with the drama… Now we have Kentaro Yamamuro on Guitar and Connor Lafollette on the keys. Which in my opinion is the best lineup we have ever had. I love the guys like family and we live like one big family out on the road. We take care of each other. We are finally really starting to break through and get some real success. We have opened for bands like Foreigner, BlackBerry Smoke, Goo Goo Dolls, The Black Crowes, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Tesla, Bon Jovi, and many many more.. We’ve also played many major festivals all around the country including We Fest, Pilgrimage Fest, Bristol Rhythm And Roots Fest, Floyd Fest to name a few. We have completed two major 6 week European Tours. We’ve got two records out and currently working on our first full length studio record. There is so much more that has happened over the years, but would take hours to tell that story. Maybe I’ll write a book one day. Who knows. It’s been a long hard road to get where we are today, but I wouldn’t trade a single minute of any of it! I’m proud of my band and my brothers. The Hippies and Cowboys are in my opinion one of the greatest up and coming Southern Rock bands around today.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Our story has been the furthest thing from easy. The road we took to get to where we are today was rocky and sometimes even completely split in two it seems. The biggest struggle I think is that our music is the furthest thing from “mainstream” and so they don’t play our music on the radio and it’s almost impossible to get any interest from record labels or music industry professionals. Another major struggle is keeping the band together. People have come and gone. Life happens and this isn’t exactly the job that’s gonna give you a comfortable routine life. The pay is very inconsistent and the schedule is very unpredictable. The lifestyle that comes along with it can also break you down pretty quick. Lots of late nights and no sleep, lots of gas station meals and oh yeah lots of partying.. So needless to say this job is not for the faint hearted. I feel like that’s the major reason a lot of bands never last because the conditions of being in an up and coming rock n roll band are sometimes just unbearable, and if your not a strong willed individual it will bring you down fast.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We play Rock N Roll / Southern Rock Music. We specialize in all things rock n roll. Traveling around the world bringing an unforgettable experience to our fans. Giving people an opportunity to forget about life for a while and tune out the bull shit. Putting smiles on peoples faces. I like to say we are in the happiness business, selling smiles and rock n roll! We are known for our incredibly high energy live shows. It’s definitely something to see, if you haven’t been to a show I recommend coming out and seeing for yourself how fun they are. I am most proud of the way we have been able to adapt as a band. Anytime we face a struggle or a fork in the road we always find a way to overcome and face the problem
Head on. I’m proud of all the accomplishments we have made throughout our career especially since we are completely independent. No financial backing, no record labels, no booking agent. Just hard work and lots of patience, persistence, and dedication to the thing we love the most, MUSIC! I think what sets us apart from others is exactly what I said before our ridiculous work ethic. We grind all day every day. Averaging around 200-250 shows per year. That doesn’t include the travel days, studio days, and writing days that we have either. I also think it’s incredible what we have been able to accomplish on our own. The festivals, the support slots, the European tours. All completely independent. It just goes to show that if you want something bad enough and you work hard to get it anything is possible. Don’t give up on yourself!
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love Nashville. I think it’s one of the greatest cities in the world. It has many great things to offer. There is an amazing community of people that would do anything for anybody. Here in Nashville we tend to lift each other up and support one another. Where as cities like LA it seems everyone only cares about themselves. I haven’t lived in LA so I’m not completely positive thats the way it is, but I’ve heard stories.. We also have fantastic food, culture, and lots of nightlife. I’m a big fan of all the outdoor activities Nashville and surrounding areas have to offer. I think everyone who lives in Nashville will agree with me when I say the thing I like least about our city is the traffic. Our city has grown so rapidly in the last 10 years that our infrastructure cannot keep up! Dont let the traffic bother you though our keep you from visiting our beloved city! It’s a blast, and I encourage all to come enjoy it as much as I do!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Hippiesandcowboysband.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hippiesandcowboysband?igsh=bHA3YmtzamQ0d2Jx&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/14eBoe1X8gh/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@hippiesandcowboysband?si=h9F-IycQR1p-9BD5
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7EHPLhKuG2jHqjHWgufAvk?si=KfRPBmfNQrC1xWOP6cufkg
Image Credits
Photos taken by: Jeff Wagner
