Do you have a story behind your artist name?
Agent Judy: Ask Tim. Follow the crow. It’s a lovely story.
Tim Sprague: I had stepped away from performing for a while, recovering from an obsession to “make it”. I was writing comics when I went to an underground show and saw two bands run by women, PowerSlut and Stars Like Ours. Their energy excited me so much that I wanted to get on it and start another band, but I wanted this one to be about reaching inside and pulling out the most vulnerable emotions and expressing them.
I was questioning if I had the courage to dig that deep when I had a vision. A crow was flying away from me at eye level into the darkest center of a cold green pine forest. A transparent voice in my head said “Follow the Crow.” That vision inspired the name Crow Follow. The band’s core materialized when I realized that I couldn’t do it alone. I tried one session and halfway through I came upstairs and begged Agent Judy to join us. Before she came down and started singing with me it felt like walking with just one shoe on. It’s that blend that makes our magic.
Tell us a bit about your musical journey. How has it shaped you?
Tim Sprague: I started playing classical music in public school, trumpet. Notes on paper. These kids started a jazz blues band and hearing them improvise blew my mind. One guy taught me a blues scale on trumpet. And I carried that flame with me for five years. I became a filmmaker in school, and the best part of it was writing three songs for a little movie with my friend on guitar.
Around that time, I discovered Patti Smith’s Horses album, which cracked my mind open. I knew I wanted to do that! I started singing in an art punk band, but after one show at the infamous Rat, my guitarist writing partner quit. I started chopping barre chords and within a year I could write, sing, and play. I started my first three-piece punk band and from there the die was cast. You gotta play through a lot of bands to get to the good ones, I am so grateful for what I have learned along the way.
Playing and writing music has always been a vehicle for me to metabolize emotions and experiences. It helps to get them out in the world where they can serve the universe. Making music and creating art in general has kept me sane, It also has opened up for me a world of like minded spirits to share the magic with.
Agent Judy: Music has always been essential to me. When I was seven, I wanted to be Julie Andrews. My mother gave me Sgt. Pepper for my eighth birthday, and everything changed. I always wanted to sing. I was in all the glee clubs, the choruses. I learned a lot there. I got a guitar. I switched from music to visual arts in high school, and I grew into that for decades. I always felt a shadow of a tug on my heart; to not let music, singing, songwriting, get entirely away. When the moment came, I was ready. That was about 13 years ago now I think.
Music has taught me tenacity and courage. It makes me so happy. Songwriting is such a changeable art form. It is poetry on wings that evolves for life. There is nothing that cannot be expressed. We are growing roots as a band. I feel I’ve been given a chance to make art in a way I had only imagined for a long time. I’m constantly pinching myself. Lucky, lucky, lucky. When the time came I knew I was ready to jump in. I did not want to wonder later. Music is the glue of my community, and participating in that is a real honor and a treasure.
How would you describe your sound to someone unfamiliar with it?
Agent Judy: I’ll quote If It’s Too Loud: “…it’s going to click hard and burrow itself right down into your soul. It’s such a unique blend of psychedelia and various unrelated genres of rock and roll…” We get compared to other artists such as, for reference; Tom Waits, Patti Smith, Morphine, Captain Beefheart, X, Marianne Faithful, Jefferson Airplane…
Tim Sprague: Imagine if Tom Waits and Patti Smith had a baby and X, Morphine, and The Velvet Underground stood as godparents. Lyrics are important to Agent Judy and me. We tend to pare down the high frequencies in our sound. Crashing cymbals and icepick guitars can cover the sound of consonants, stripping meaning in the verse. We tend to use lots of toms. Live we go for a sound that is open and beefy with a lot of room to be expressive.
What drew you to the genre/instruments you’re playing right now?
Agent Judy: Singing is a bio instrument, an organic expression of the mind and body. I have always wanted to sing. I’m enamored by harmonies. There are rarely too many voices, in my view. Also, it’s handy! My voice is the instrument I am never without.
Tempering that inner propulsion, I love the external use of instruments. It’s a whole other element. Playing guitar more and more in the band, I’m discovering new sounds and tones that feed the songs. It’s challenging. I enjoy weaving sounds with minimal, melodic parts. I had thought about playing synth, but I could never wrap my head around the tech involved. I knew some, but guitar is more organic, more an extension of the body, at least to me.
Genre generates itself. We make the art we make, as it is given to us by wherever it comes from. Then we decide what genre it is. That said, we are certainly a rock band. We have bluesy qualities, as well as art rock tendencies. I can trace my musical history from show tunes to Simon and Garfunkel, to Joni Mitchell, to David Bowie, to Patti Smith, to Lene Lovich….and on and on. Influences evolve. I’m enjoying the current trend away from genres. It’s in the mashups that the coolest stuff is happening, I think.
Tim Sprague: I dig songs that roll out like a movie in your head. The Ronettes “Leader of the Pack”, Tom Waits’ “Gun Street Girl”, Jim Caroll’s “City Drops into the Night”, Patti Smith’s “Land”, Morphine’s “Top Floor, Bottom Buzzer” As far as genre and instrumentation, for me, it’s about what serves the song, the story that’s being told. We are working in the “Art Rock” idiom because that’s where our heartbeat lives but we can move from pulled back urban cabaret through country or funk flavors up to pushed up punk rock depending on what serves the story of the song.
I love guitar as a versatile and efficient instrument to suggest mood, from a groovy surf ride to a gritty semi rolling up the road. John Keegan bringing the bari sax opens up a new dimensional side step from those familiar guitar tones. Carolyn and Ramona share that special skill at bringing out the low rhythms that get you going in the hips and belly where moods are born.
Agent Judy has a guitar style that counters and compliments mine. Her finger picking and weird instinctive lead playing counter punches my tendency towards damped punk chopping. Her choices with hand percussion are unique. The secret sauce that has really defined our style is the blend of both of our gritty vocal timbres.
What inspires you to write music?
Tim Sprague: I am always imagining characters, situations, and scenarios. They can be triggered by a catchy phrase or a weird comment overheard out on the street. These characters tell me their stories and generate lyrics in the ether. Once I hear one line, my job is to be still, brush away the dust and find the other bones of the song, connect them and find out how they dance. My inspiration comes out of curiosity to hear what the song itself is trying to become..
Agency Judy: Writing lyrics involves rhythmic structure, like any poetry. It contains the ideas and describes the shape of the words you use. Choosing the shape of a melody, adjusting the words, adjusting the rhythm, til it all fits. ‘Til you’re right with what it says. Melodies just float around in my head from time to time. They usually come with some words. I try to write them down before I forget them. We joke about this a lot; the song we wrote yesterday that we’ve now completely forgotten.
Tell us about your current project or song you’re promoting!
Agent Judy: “I’m In Love With You” is a rocker to kick off summer parties. It’s a statement of dedication to the power generated by love in the world. It’s a love song to everyone.
Tim Sprague: Our new single “I’m In Love With You” started as an off the cuff vamp romp encore piece ripped out live at a party after Agent Judy and I had run through our string. I immediately forgot the lyric, but the vibe and the chorus “You know I’m in love with you!” was directed to that fun loving crowd. Agent Judy rewrote the verses and at recording we glued on the intro couplet to give the song an upfront punch. This song is a celebration and call to love with an art punk twist that’s perfect for summer jumping. When this nugget of playful mayhem came into its own, we were eager to bring it to the cookout!
What do you want listeners to take away from listening to your music?
Agent Judy: I hope they feel uplifted, intrigued, and delighted. Like it was a good experience.
Tim Sprague:The deep hope is that our music helps folks enter an alternate vibe where they feel the power of dreams and realize the power to make their dreams real. I hope they can take away a vibe of love and feel safe to be themselves in the most challenging way that serves their path. Simply put, I hope that our listeners have fun being inside the music.
Who are your Top 3 artists right now? If that’s not a fair question, what’s your favorite song right now?
Tim Sprague: My favorite music is local music in the cozy clubs and underground shows. The Top 3 mind blowing bands and songs for me right now are:
Exit 18, a new young band and their song “Seventeen”
Girl With a Hawk, seasoned songwriter Linda Viens doing “Feel Me”
Ski Bunny, iconoclastic trip rockers doing “Hormonal Changes”
For national music: Billie Eilish: Her lyrics always twist in ways that surprise me; Garbage: Their sonic choices and lyric intensity make each song a movie in my mind; Magnapop: I cannot go more than two months without listening to “Here It Comes” with its sneaky rhythm tricks and open ended lyrics making it a Rorsach blot of imagery.
Agency Judy: Right now, like this week? Ok, let’s see – Ski Bunny, Thalia Zedek, and Lydia Lunch. Last week was a different three. I’m always trying to catch up.
I’ve been skipping around a lot lately; haven’t had anything on repeat much. I got on a roll with Lovina Falls which took me to Mistle Thrush. I’m forever hearing music from the ‘80s and ‘90s that I somehow missed. I listened to a bunch of Helium and then some other stuff by Mary Timony. I listened to “Mica” by Mission of Burma and “Dig Lazarus, Dig!!!” by Nick Cave, which remain mesmerizing. Yea, I guess favorite song may not be a fair question after all. LOL
What is the easiest way for fans to connect with you?
Tim Sprageu: Fans can message us at https://www.facebook.com/crowfollowmusic. Or email us at crowfollowmusic@gmail.com.
Agent Judy: The usuals; FB, Insta, Threads. Also Linktree for keeping up on what we’re up to: https://linktr.ee/crow_follow
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crow_follow
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crowfollowmusic
Bandcamp: https://crowfollow.bandcamp.com/
Homepage: https://www.crowfollow.com/
What’s next for you?
Tim Sprague: Following up on our DIY album Red Velvet Radio and a string of three singles with Rock Garden Records. The writing has been flowing and we are looking forward to bringing another bundle of songs into the studio. We are hosting a release party for “I’m In Love With You” at The Jungle in Somerville on June 28 with more New England shows in the offing. And we are excited to be joining the Rock Garden Caravan to play a mini fest at Small’s Bar in Detroit on September 27 and 28.
Agent Judy: Recordings are always from the past. It takes a while to get from writing the song, to practice, to the studio, to release. In the meantime, we’ve been writing and developing new material. We’ve had the luxury of time between shows to explore new sounds, new arrangements, and new ideas. Next will be to get back into the studio. We have several that feel seasoned enough for that. At the same time, we’re always starting new work.
Anything else you’d like to add or let us know about?
Agency Judy: Tx so much for sharing our music. We are easy to find and would love to hear from anyone who would like to connect about art, music, booking, collaborations, and related topics.
Tim Sprague: The scene in Boston is exploding with new bands popping up regularly. A lot of that energy is coming from musicians in the LGBTQ community and we are starting to see hints of collaboration between art punks and the Hip Hop community. The legacy of Justine Covault and her Red on Red label has left a cohort of strong women musicians making music on their own terms. There is an active club scene and also underground shows slipping under the radar. No matter who you are, Boston has a safe space for you here for making and enjoying the music you love.
BIO:
Crow Follow’s shaman rock and urban cabaret brings glowing brightness to the darkest tunes. Risen from the vibe of a diverse and energetic music scene in Boston MA, Crow Follow celebrates and transcends it. Their DNA is from the art-rock, low-rock, and post-punk scenes of the late 20th century, filtered through the usual smoldering warehouses and sketchy sugar shacks of the American Hinterland. Their debut album Red Velvet Radio emerged in 2022, followed by a string of singles on Rock Garden Records, including June 2024’s “I’m In Love With You.”
