Sweet Spirit

With notorious ferocity and powerful hooks, Sabrina Ellis and Andrew Cashen's newest musical project, Sweet Spirit, has quickly garnered critical praise and captivated the Austin music scene. Known to long-time Austinites for their work in A Giant Dog and Bobby Jealousy, Sweet Spirit proudly strengthens a decade-plus collaboration between the writing partners.

From their first performance at the 2003 Spring, TX homecoming dance as ad-hoc cover band Youth In Asia, Ellis and Cashen have refined their partnership, and by 2014 needed a new outlet for songs ill-fitting the garage-rock restraints of A Giant Dog. Following sage advice from the young producer mystic Tom Brenneck, Ellis rounded up Cashen and a troupe of fellow far-flung service-industry daydreamers to produce a throwback country soul group. Through their first year as a band, Sweet Spirit developed their sound with a diversity and balance of influences, for which the group quickly gained acclaim. Delivered in sultry harmonies with as many guitars as possible, Sweet Spirit gives exuberant voice to the struggles of loving and living.

Drafted alongside Ellis and Cashen are lifelong pianist Jake Knight (also of Bobby Jealousy), drummer Daniel Blanchard (Leatherbag, Wire Tree), Megabig bassist Jon Fichter, and charmbomb guitarist Josh Merry. The Sweet Spirit house band features vocalist/percussionist Cara Tillman (Burgess Meredith), Leslie Matthews on alto sax, and trumpeter Samuel Rives.
Sweet Spirit's sound reflects an intimate and reverential familiarity with American pop, illustrating the emotional tribulations of this year and yesteryear. Mike McCarthy will produce their first record, due in summer 2015 on Nine Mile Records.

by Emmet Duff