High times for Low

The low-fi band rides a wave of critical praise all the way to Olympia for a show on Wednesday

Ross Raihala, The Olympian. April 5, 2001

On the final track of Low's latest album, "Things We Lost in the Fire," newest band member Hollis Mae Sparhawk makes her recorded debut with a series of squawks and squeals.

Does that mean the famously deliberate and quiet Minnesota-based trio has turned over a new musical leaf?

Not really.

Hollis Mae Sparhawk, who turned 1 last month, is the new daughter of band leaders Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker. And her vocals accompany the song "In Metal," a rare Parker lead vocal about the mother-child relationship.

"The birth was the most intense experience I've ever been through, and I wasn't the one pushing the kid out," Sparhawk says with a laugh.

"I always thought becoming a parent would make me scared and more cautious. But it's made me more willing to take chances and be bold. Now, everything else seems like - well, why get too upset about it? Just do it."

That newfound attitude has led to what looks like a banner year for Low, who still live in Duluth, the northern Minnesota town where they first formed eight years ago.

"Things We Lost in the Fire" has earned the band the finest reviews of its career, and the current tour - which stops in Olympia on Wednesday - follows on the heels of a successful set of European live dates. And last year, the Gap used Low's hypnotic take on "Little Drummer Boy" for its widely aired holiday television advertising campaign.

"It's kind of a surprise," says Sparhawk of the new album's critical acclaim. "It's tough for a normal, working-class cult band to get this kind of attention. It's usually just the same old story - whatever the big companies are pushing or some sort of wild, crazy new thing that everybody's talking about."

When Low first emerged with 1994's "I Could Live in Hope," they handily filled that position of "wild, crazy new thing."

In stark contrast to the post-Nirvana grunge bands the major labels were chasing at the time, Low played delicate, hushed songs that moved at a markedly unhurried pace.

Sparhawk pushed the limits of slow guitar playing and singing, and Parker's drum kit consisted of only a cymbal, snare and floor tom.

If that wasn't enough, Sparhawk and Parker were Mormons who didn't smoke, drink or perform concerts on Sundays.

"Not that I'm downplaying our beliefs and convictions," Sparhawk says, "but I don't want the connotations of (our religion) to get in the way of the fragility of what is there. From time to time, people at shows will ask us about it, but I don't see any kind of prominent (religious) element in our audience."

After releasing three albums on a Virgin Records-affiliated label, Low left the corporate world in 1997 and began releasing a series of records for the Chicago indie label Kranky.

Sparhawk admits those first few years were a struggle.

"But now it's nice to be treated like people," he says. "There's way less hassle to deal with now. We don't have stupid things done in our name and we get paid fairly.

"And it's great to be able to look back and realize whatever success we're having now is due to straight-up, honest work, not because a record company sunk a bunch of money into us. It feels like we made it on our own merits."

Just last month, Low played to more than 1,300 people at Shepherd's Bush Empire in London. Sparhawk says that although it was the biggest audience Low has played for, it wasn't necessarily a good experience.

"Actually, it was horrendously frustrating," he says. "We've played more than 600 shows and we've kind of gotten used to this certain level of intimacy with the audience. Yeah, it's exciting to be playing for more people, but it's a different dynamic. There are a million ways of dealing with it, we just haven't figured out our way yet."

And despite the exposure it brought, Low has seen few tangible effects of the Gap commercial.

"I think it's given writers a good first paragraph when they do stories on us," Sparhawk says. "But, honestly, we didn't sell any records from it, and we haven't gotten any (commercial) calls since. There haven't been any Winona Ryders showing up backstage to meet us."

In fact, life on the road with Low is as non-rock star as ever, particularly now with the young Hollis Mae - and a nanny - in tow.

"Well, it's work, you know," Sparhawk says. "It means getting up a little earlier than you wish you had to. But it's working out OK.

"I was a little worried whether all the driving would be a hassle with Hollis. But nobody likes riding in a van for eight hours, so of course she's going to hate it."