The Handsome Family will hit the road in 2020 to celebrate the reissue of Odessa (1994) and Milk And Scissors (1996) by Loose Music is 2020 with both records being available for the first time on vinyl.

During a 30-year career, Brett and Rennie Sparks have created songs that transform the mundane landscape of modern life into a place of mysterious portent across 12 albums. The Handsome Family have been covered by the likes of Jeff Tweedy, Jason Lytle, and Andrew Bird as well Christy Moore. Even David Bowie was a fan. A notebook of the thin white duke’s with the words “The Handsome Family” written in it was found around the time of his death.

But The Handsome Family are perhaps best known in recent times for the use of “Far From Any Road” in season one of the hit TV show True Detective. Both Bruce Springsteen and Guns ’N Roses and have used “Far From Any Road” as walk-in music.

“I tried to form a band when we first moved to Chicago in 1992. After rehearsing with a string of mullet-headed yacht-rockers, I gave up and decided to make a band with my wife Rennie playing bass and my friend Mike Werner on drums. Rennie and Mike were new to their instruments and my guitar playing was very limited. But that was back in the post-punk days and you could do what you wanted, it didn’t matter if you were technically good, as long as you had songs and ideas”says Brett, explaining the origins of the group.

“We were influenced by early country and DIY indie rock, and played both kinds of songs in the same chaotic, distorted style. We played every no-pay gig on Chicago’s Division Street we could book. At one of these shows we were all wearing sailor outfits and drinking heavily. My glasses fell off my face and when I stomped on a distortion pedal I broke them in half— that was the night Patrick Monaghan of Carrot Top Records asked if we wanted to put out a record on his new label. That same night Dave Trumfio offered to record a free, professional “demo tape” for us. We were astounded that anyone was paying attention to our songs given our chaotic stage presence.”

The Handsome Family at Liberty Hall Theatre 6^th May 2020. Tickets €25.00, on sale Friday at 9AM from Ticketmaster.ie and outlets Nationwide.