The Handsome Family

The Handsome Family are the marvelously offbeat, original and distinctive alternative country duo of singer/songwriter/guitarist/keyboardist Brett Sparks and his singer/bassist/songwriter wife Rennie Sparks. Brett hails from Texas, where he studied music and briefly worked in the oil fields. Rennie is a fiction writer who stems from Long Island. The couple split the responsibilities on writing songs: Brett provides the music while Rennie pens the lyrics. The Handsome Family was formed in 1993 in Chicago, Illinois by Brett, Rennie, and drummer Mike Werner. They released their debut album "Odessa" in 1995. The duo record all their albums in the living room of their house. Their dark and eerie, yet still haunting, poignant and beautiful music mixes both traditional and alternative country elements along with flavorsome touches of bluegrass. The Handsome Family have released a steady succession of albums throughout the years: 1996's "Milk and Scissors," 1998's "Through the Trees," 2000's "