For a band named after a hole in a shoe, Sparky's Flaw is doing pretty well.
Sparky "was a nickname for a friend of ours," lead singer and guitarist Will Anderson said. "He had a duct-taped shoe, and he was a really cool guy except that he swore [he'd] never get new shoes. So that was his flaw. We meant to change the name; we just never got around to it, so we're sort of stuck with it now,"
Anderson, a fourth-year College student, and his band mates formed the group in typical high-school band fashion: four best friends spurred by a jealousy of buddies who had already formed one. Really because of a lack of anything else to do, they got together and started practicing. The difference was, however, that they stayed together. So far there's been no Yoko Ono, no Milli Vanilli-like catastrophe, no rift-causing hubris; Sparky's Flaw is just a group of four best friends who stumbled into a band that fits.
In addition to Anderson, the band is made up of Kit French (saxophone and keyboard), Alex Hargrave (bass), Johnny Stubblefield (drums) and a new addition, fourth-year College student Nate McFarland (guitar), who is officially a member as of this week.
Until this past April, the band members managed everything themselves, from T-shirt sales to booking. All that changed when Red Light Management paired Sparky's Flaw with producer Chris Keup. Keup and the band hit it off immediately and went right to work recording songs.
"His production really got us signed with Red Light," Anderson said. "I think after that they took us a little more seriously and saw that there was potential there."
One appeal of signing with Red Light was the freedom the management firm allows its artists. They handle the business aspect, leaving the musicians to do what they do best: play music.
Signing with Red Light Management is a huge step for the band, and it's given members the opportunity to play in bigger cities and venues. Based in Charlottesville, Red Light has offices in New York, Los Angeles and Nashville. Other clients include O.A.R., The Starting Line, Cheap Trick and Dave Matthews Band, with whom Sparky's Flaw played at the Nissan Pavilion this summer.
So what lies ahead? Anderson is confident that they are prepared for anything.
"None of us is looking to get rich quick anytime soon," he admitted. "I'm sure we'll be living with our parents when we graduate. If we're on the road, we're more than happy to be poor if we're playing shows every night."
That's not to say that Sparky's Flaw isn't aspiring for popularity. Anderson said the band members believe in putting out music that they themselves would genuinely enjoy listening to.
"I think you can write those pop songs that people find popular in a way that's smart and [doesn't] cheapen the music."
This week, for the first time in three years, Sparky's Flaw will release a new album, titled Sparky's Flaw EP. It is a compilation of songs they've been working on for the past few years.
Like any band starting out in the current media environment, Sparky's Flaw knows how important it is to broadcast themselves and their music in a whole new set of outlets. In addition to old-fashioned methods (their posters are currently covering Grounds), the band has its own Facebook profile and group, a MySpace page, songs available on iTunes and, for uber-fans, a YouTube video of a group golf outing.
They will be the first to admit that they have a long way to go, but the way things are looking for them, they may soon be able to buy Sparky a new pair of shoes.
You can catch Sparky's Flaw tonight at the U.Va. amphitheater starting at 6 p.m. and tomorrow at the Charlottesville Pavilion on the Downtown Mall at 5 p.m.
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