Stacey Sperling

Where are you from originally?

Los Angeles, CA

What was your first instrument(s)?

Autoharp

Musical history?

When I was little, post-autoharp, I started playing clarinet. My dad had played a little in the army and I had his old clarinet, which I thought was pretty cool. in school band, I constantly competed with this one other girl for first seat. Oddly enough, we both pretty much stunk. Much later, in my 20s, I discovered the rejuvenating power of rocking on the drums. With little technical skill but decent rhythm and lots of spunk, I played in various you’ve-never-heard-of-them bands, in San Francisco and Austin, and it was grand. I have big plans to return to the rocking some time soon . . .

Any bands/artists you’ve played with in the past?

Discotéca, Carolina Ghost Queen, Stickpony, Duchess

List 5 records that changed your life. Why/how?

The Beatles: Abbey Road

Because that’s when I first understood how awesome music could be.

Bruce: Greetings from Asbury Park

This changed my life because even at my tender young age, Bruce still made me experience whole lifetimes of highs and lows, yearning and rejection, heartbreak and redemption.

4-way tie between Led Zeppelin I, II, III, & IV

This is where I learned the power of rock, and it took hold of me and never really let go. Plus: so much fun to party to.

X: Los Angeles

I did not discover this until AFTER I had left Los Angeles, which is a shame. I was living in Santa Cruz and somehow found what felt like a missing piece of myself in the music.

Uncle Tupelo: Still Feel Gone.

I’m putting this as a stand-in for a whole world of alternative country, folk, country, Texas roadhouse, bluegrass and more that I started to open up to in San Francisco and Austin. The beautiful simplicity of the vocals, the instrumentation, the depth of the tradition that it’s all steeped in – incredible.