El Dorado Hills’-based rock band Sparrow consists of high school students Brandon Bagley on rhythm guitar and vocals, Sam Kallan on lead guitar, Chad Vogan on bass, Owen Schumacher on piano, and Gavin Verandez on drums. Playing together now for a little over a year, the group has rocked local venues such as El Dorado Saloon & Grill, The Boardwalk, Holy Diver, and The Silver Orange. Influenced by classics such as Guns N’ Roses, Green Day, 311, Weezer, and Nirvana, Sparrow is wary of pigeonholing themselves into just one genre. “We want people to hear something passionate...something they’ve never heard before that reminds them of the artists and bands they love and remember.”  

HLN: How would you describe your sound? 

Sparrow: Each of us come from different backgrounds: everything from punk and pop, to metal, reggae, and [more]. We kind of mix [all these sounds] together to come up with something new. What makes us stand out is the fact that we really don’t pick a genre or style—we play whatever we’re passionate about. When we write our songs together, we start with a riff, a melody, or even a concept; from there, they start to expand and take shape on their own. 

HLN: As high school students, how do you find the time to create music and rehearse together? 

Sparrow: When asked this, we often joke, “It just depends how much you care about your grades.” In all honesty, it’s definitely a busy lifestyle, but somehow we’ve managed to find a balance that works for us. 

HLN: What do you enjoy most about your community?

Sparrow: What we really love about living in El Dorado Hills is that the community is super [close]. All we need is a place to play, and the people [come to support] us.

HLN: What do you love most about performing? 

Sparrow: Live shows are our favorite part of being in a band; we all love to move when we play and like seeing that energy spill from the stage to the crowd. We want to share our music with as many people as possible and love making music that makes people want to get up and dance. 

HLN: What are your future goals? 

Sparrow: It’s all of our dreams to turn music into a career one day; for now, we want to [continue making] passionate music.

HLN: Any advice for young musicians starting out? 

Sparrow: Play with many [different] people and as often as possible; practice is the first step to everything.  

Follow the band on Instagram @sparrow.band

by HEATHER L. NELSON