The Song Sparrows

We are a group of professionals who come prepared to work. We can bring our own sound equipment or use yours. We like to engage with the crowd and play songs they want to hear. Our general sound is upbeat bluegrass/Americana, with a few hits thrown in there. We play a mixture of originals and covers.

The Song Sparrows play original and traditional Americana, string band, and bluegrass music. Rebecca Minnick (guitar) has been writing songs since childhood, and took up bluegrass guitar as a remedy for homesickness when she moved away from Kentucky. Drew Powell (mandolin) discovered his love of bluegrass music in the mountains of his home state of North Carolina. Prior to moving to Louisville, he played in multiple bluegrass and country bands in the Asheville area. Angela Scharfenberger (bass) holds a PhD in Ethnomusicology, and has been a percussionist with African and Latinx musicians for over twenty years. She teaches African music lessons at the Louisville Folk School. Joe Watts (guitar, banjo) studied jazz and classical guitar at Bellarmine, and has been teaching music and playing guitar in several bands in Louisville for a decade. He was the recipient of a Louisville Music Award in 2016.