The Handsome Family

The Handsome Family are the marvelously offbeat, original and distinctive alternative country duo of singer/songwriter/guitarist/keyboardist Brett Sparks and his singer/bassist/songwriter wife Rennie Sparks. Brett hails from Texas, where he studied music and briefly worked in the oil fields. Rennie is a fiction writer who stems from Long Island. The couple split the responsibilities on writing songs: Brett provides the music while Rennie pens the lyrics. The Handsome Family was formed in 1993 in Chicago, Illinois by Brett, Rennie, and drummer Mike Werner. They released their debut album "Odessa" in 1995. The duo record all their albums in the living room of their house. Their dark and eerie, yet still haunting, poignant and beautiful music mixes both traditional and alternative country elements along with flavorsome touches of bluegrass. The Handsome Family have released a steady succession of albums throughout the years: 1996's "Milk and Scissors," 1998's "Through the Trees," 2000's "In the Air," 2001's "Twilight," 2003's "Singing Bones," and 2006's "Last Days of Wonder." "Through the Trees" was named "Best New Country Album of the Year" by "Uncut" magazine. The band have extensively toured and performed in concert in such places as America, Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The duo appear as themselves in the documentaries "Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus" and "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man." Brett and Rennie Sparks live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Handsome Family released their latest album "Honey Moon" in 2009.