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Low was an American
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
band from
Duluth, Minnesota Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...
, formed in 1993 by Alan Sparhawk (guitar and vocals) and Mimi Parker (drums and vocals). The band was a trio from 1993 to 2020, having featured four different bassists. Low disbanded following the death of Parker in 2022. The music of Low was characterized by slow
tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...
s and minimalist arrangements. Early descriptions sometimes referred to the band's style as a rock subgenre called " slowcore", and Low were often compared to the band Bedhead, who played this style during the early 1990s. However, Low's members ultimately disapproved of the term. Parker and Sparhawk's vocal harmonies represented perhaps the group's most distinctive element; critic Denise Sullivan writes that their shared vocals are "as chilling as anything Gram arsonsand Emmylou arrisever conspired on—though that's not to say it's
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
-tinged, just straight from the heart." Low's style grew experimental over time, gradually incorporating elements of electronica and glitch music on later releases, while retaining their minimalist approach.


History

The band formed in early 1993. Sparhawk had been playing in the Superior, Wisconsin, band Zen Identity, the core of which was formed by drummer Robb Berry and vocalist Bill Walton. That band needed a new bassist, and recruited future Low bassist John Nichols. At that time, Nichols was a senior at Superior Senior High School, and bassist in the band Lorenzo's Tractor. Sparhawk taught Zen Identity songs to Nichols and during practices, the two started improvising with some very modest, quiet themes. As a joke, they wondered what would happen if they played such quiet music in front of Duluth, Minnesota, crowds, during a time when the most popular style of rock music was the loud,
grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...
, "post-punk" sound. Soon, the joke became a serious thought. Sparhawk left Zen Identity, who continued to perform and record without him, and he and Nichols recruited Sparhawk's wife Mimi Parker to play a very modest drum kit composed of a single snare drum, single cymbal, and a single floor tom. She was to use brushes almost exclusively, rather than drum sticks. Their influences were Hüsker Dü, REM, Sex Pistols
The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...
 and 
Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees ( ) were a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. Post-punk pioneers, they were widely influential, both over their contemporaries and later ...
. Sparhawk said they played their first two shows in 1993 at the RecyclaBell in Duluth. Low's debut album, '' I Could Live in Hope'', was released on
Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...
' Vernon Yard imprint in 1994. It featured Nichols on bass, though he was replaced by
Zak Sally Zak Sally is an American musician and comic artist. He was the bass guitarist for the bands Low_(band), Low (1995 to 2004) and Enemymine (1998 to 2000) and is the singer and guitar player in The Hand. Sally is from Duluth, Minnesota, Duluth, Mi ...
, who joined for the recording of the band's next album ''Long Division''. Both ''I Could Live in Hope'' and ''Long Division'' were produced and recorded by Kramer. ''Long Division'' and its similar follow-up, 1996's ''The Curtain Hits the Cast'', established the band as critical darlings; extensive touring helped them to develop a highly devoted fan base. "Over the Ocean", a single drawn from ''The Curtain Hits the Cast'', also became something of a hit on college radio. By the time of their next full-length album, 1999's ''Secret Name,'' Low had moved to the independent label Kranky. In between, they released several singles and
EPs An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
. In 1999, Low joined forces with
Dirty Three Dirty Three are an Australian instrumental rock band, consisting of Warren Ellis (musician), Warren Ellis (violin, keyboards), Mick Turner (electric guitar, organ and bass) and Jim White (drummer), Jim White (drums), which formed in 1992. Their ...
to record an In The Fishtank session for Konkurrent records.
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
called the six-song disc "some of the best material either unit has produced." Of particular note is the disc's lengthy cover of
Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...
's "Down by the River". 2001 saw the release of ''Things We Lost in the Fire''. The following year saw the release of the band's final full-length on Kranky, ''Trust''. All three of the band's full-length releases on Kranky featured superstar producers: ''Secret Name'' and ''Things We Lost in the Fire'' feature the work of recording engineer
Steve Albini Steven Frank Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (band), ...
, who proved sympathetic to capturing the band's strengths; while ''Trust'' was recorded by Tom Herbers along with Duluth engineer Eric Swanson and mixed by Tchad Blake at
Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...
's Real World Studios. In April 2003, Peter S. Scholtes of the Twin Cities weekly paper ''City Pages'' posted in his
weblog A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries also known as posts. Posts are typically displayed in Reverse chronology, reverse chronologic ...
that Zak Sally had left Low. The following month, the band posted an update to the news on their website: "We have all had to work through some personal things recently ... After sorting it out, the good news is that Zak is remaining in the band ..." In July 2003, they toured Europe with
Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...
, Sally in tow. Following a successful tour in early 2004 that vividly demonstrated the band's commitment to their fans (Parker was visibly pregnant throughout), the band signaled their intent to continue making music by signing with powerhouse indie label
Sub Pop Sub Pop is an independent record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana (band), Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the gru ...
. To tie up the loose ends of the era, Low released a three-disc rarities compilation on its own Chairkickers label in 2004. Beginning with ''Secret Name'', the band have diversified their sound. The band use subtle
electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
touches to augment their sound, reflective of their tenure with Kranky and their exposure to the Midwest's
post-rock Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...
scene. Adding a more overt rock element to their aesthetic, the band has used fuzz bass from ''Things We Lost In the Fire'' onward, and began using distorted lead guitar on ''Trust''. The band's 2005 album, ''The Great Destroyer'', nods even further in the direction of rock. Recorded with producer Dave Fridmann and released by Sub Pop in January 2005, ''The Great Destroyer'' has received mostly positive reviews; the '' Village Voice'' described the record's "comparatively thunderous verve". Low cancelled the second leg of their extensive tour in support of ''The Great Destroyer'' in late spring of 2005. Sparhawk published a statement on the band's website, addressed directly to fans, detailing his personal problems with depression that resulted in the cancellation of the tour. In August 2005, Sparhawk announced his return to performance, embarking on a US tour with former Red House Painters frontman Mark Kozelek. In October 2005, Sally announced he was leaving the band. Low replaced Sally with Matt Livingston, a bassist and saxophonist from Duluth's musical scene. In addition to playing bass guitar, Livingston also played an antique Navy chaplain's pump organ in the group. After appearing on 2007's ''Drums and Guns'' and touring with the group, Matt Livingston left Low in 2008, to be replaced by Steve Garrington. Garrington would perform with the band for the next 12 years and four studio albums: 2011's ''Cmon'', 2013's ''The Invisible Way'', 2015's ''Ones and Sixes'' and 2018's ''Double Negative''. Sparhawk and Parker provided guest vocals on "Lunacy", the opening track on Swans' 2012 album ''The Seer''. In June 2021, the band announced an upcoming release on Sub Pop entitled ''
Hey What ''Hey What'' (stylized in all uppercase) is the thirteenth and final studio album by Minnesota-based duo Low, released on September 10, 2021, through Sub Pop. It is their third recording in a row produced by BJ Burton, building on the distorted ...
''. The album was released on September 10. With the announcement of the album came news of Garrington's departure from the band a year prior, turning Low into an official duo for the first time in their career. It was soon announced that the band had hired Charlie Parr bassist Liz Draper to support ''Hey What'' on tour. Parker was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in late 2020; she began treatment in 2021 and publicly revealed the diagnosis during a podcast interview in January 2022. In August 2022, the band cancelled some European shows to accommodate Parker's treatment. In September, the band cancelled its dates opening for Death Cab for Cutie in the United States. In October, the band cancelled the remainder of their 2022 European tour dates, due to continued concerns about Parker's health. Parker died on November 5, 2022. Following Parker's death, Sparhawk focused his musical attention to a new project named Damien, featuring their son, Cyrus, on bass guitar, songwriter Marc Gartman on vocals and drummer Owen Mahon. Formed in late 2021, prior to Parker's death, the band's debut album ''The Boy Who Drew Cats'' was released in May 2023. Upon the album's release, Sparhawk noted: "I'm learning not to be surprised by anything. There is a weird process going on and I have to allow myself the possibility that I have no idea what I'm going to be by the end of this." In June 2023, Sparhawk confirmed via Twitter that Low had ended with Parker's passing. "Low is and was Mimi," he wrote. "It was amazing. I'm grateful."


Performance

Low were known for their live performances. Rock club audiences sometimes watched the band while seated on the floor. During their early career, the band often faced unsympathetic and inattentive audiences in bars and clubs, to which they responded by bucking rock protocol and turning their volume down. The dynamic range of their early music made it susceptible to background noise and chatter, since many of their songs were very quiet. A performance in 1996 at the
South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
festival was overpowered when a Scandinavian hardcore band was booked downstairs. The ''Trust'' album marked a turning point, and Low's music developed a more emphatic sound. Their shows often featured drastically reinterpreted
cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
s of famous songs by Joy Division and
The Smiths The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...
, in addition to their own original material. In performance, Low showed off a sense of humor not necessarily found on their recordings; a tour in early 2004 featured a cover of OutKast's hit song " Hey Ya!". At a gig in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
on
Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...
1998, the band took the stage as a Misfits tribute act, complete with corpse paint and black clothing. At the 2008 End of the Road Festival in
Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
, England, Sparhawk abruptly ended the band's performance by ripping the strings and lead out of his guitar, throwing it to the ground and then hurling it into the crowd before exiting the stage. He had earlier informed the audience that it had been a "crappy day". In 2010 they performed ''The Great Destroyer'' at the Primavera Sound Festival in
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
. On Friday July 13, 2012, Low gave a candlelit concert at Halifax Minster in England. Low's performance at the 2013 Rock the Garden concert in Minneapolis consisted of a slowed and lengthened version of their drone rock song " Do You Know How to Waltz?" followed by Alan saying, "Drone, not drones," a reference to an anti-drone sticker made by Minneapolis's Luke Heiken; the performance resulted in mass audience confusion and divisive online discussion. The performance lasted half an hour and was broadcast live on radio station
KCMP KCMP (89.3 FM, ''89.3 the Current'') is a radio station owned by Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) that broadcasts an adult album alternative (AAA) music format including a significant rotation of songs by local artists. Licensed to Northfield, Mi ...
, which had been playing cuts of their recent album. Low had performed a more traditional show for KCMP at the Fitzgerald Theater earlier in the year. On September 4, 2022, at what proved to be the band's final performance, Low took the stage at the Water Is Life Festival in Duluth.


Commercial success

The band's mainstream exposure was limited in the early part of their career. The band's version of "The Little Drummer Boy", played as a
hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...
, was featured in a Gap television ad that depicted a snowball fight in slow-motion to match the song's glacial tempo. Starting with ''Things We Lost in the Fire'' (2001), Low's albums began to appear on sales charts in Europe; starting with ''The Great Destroyer'' (2005) they began to chart in the United States as well. A remix of their song "Halflight" was featured in the '' Mothman Prophecies'' motion picture in 2002. The band made their network television debut in 2005 by performing the single "California" on an episode of '' Last Call with Carson Daly''. On June 11, 2007, Scott Bateman, a web animator, announced that his video for Low's song "Hatchet (Optimimi version)" would be one of the preloads on the new Microsoft Zune portable media player. That same year they recorded a song called "Family Tree" which featured in the "Careful" episode of the Nick Jr. kids' show '' Yo Gabba Gabba!'' On March 24, 2008, their song "Point of Disgust" was featured in the UK television show '' Skins'', prompting a rush of download sales from
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
. Another of their songs, "Sunflower", was featured in the following episode (episode 9), and "Breaker" was featured in a later episode. As the music supervisor of ''Skins'' declared in the Episode Track Listing section of the show's official website: "You may have guessed by now that we are all pretty huge fans of Low in the Skins office". The 2008 movie ''KillShot'', starring Mickey Rourke and Diane Lane, features the song "Monkey" early in the film. The 2003 documentary film ''Tarnation'' by Jonathan Caouette features the Low tracks "Laser Beam", "Embrace", and "Back Home Again" alongside tracks by artists such as Red House Painters and
The Magnetic Fields The Magnetic Fields are an American Band (rock and pop), band founded and led by Stephin Merritt. Merritt is the group's primary songwriter, producer, and vocalist, as well as frequent multi-instrumentalist. The band is named after the André B ...
. "Laser Beam" also featured on episode 4 season 2 of the television show '' Misfits''. Low was the subject of the 2008 documentary ''Low: You May Need a Murderer''. In 2010,
Robert Plant Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin from its founding in 1968 until their breakup in 1980. Since then, he has had a successful solo ca ...
recorded two Low songs from ''The Great Destroyer'', "Monkey" and "Silver Rider", for his album '' Band of Joy''. In an interview, Plant said of ''The Great Destroyer'', "It's great music; it's always been in the house playing away beside
Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American pianist, singer, and songwriter. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock 'n' roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis m ...
and
Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. He was at the forefront of transforming acoustic Delta blues into electric Chica ...
, you know. There's room for everything." Buddy Miller, who played guitar on '' Band of Joy'', had worked with Low in the past. The band were chosen by Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in March 2012 in Minehead, England. Their song "Dancing and Blood" off of the album ''Double Negative'' was used as the end credit music for the 2025 A24 film ''
Warfare War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of State (polity), states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or betwe ...
'', as well as episode six of the third season of
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
series ''
13 Reasons Why ''13 Reasons Why'' (also stylized as ''TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY'') is an American teen drama television series based on the 2007 novel '' Thirteen Reasons Why'' by author Jay Asher. Developed for Netflix by Brian Yorkey and with Selena Gomez ser ...
'', "You Can Tell the Heart of a Man by How He Grieves".


Personal lives

George Alan Sparhawk moved from
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
to
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
when he was nine years old. He met Mimi Jo Parker (1967–2022) while they were both students at the same grade school in the small town of Clearbrook, Minnesota outside of Bemidji. They married and moved to Duluth, where they formed Low. Sparhawk is, and Parker was, a member of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
, about which Sparhawk said, "Our spiritual beliefs encompass our whole life and understanding of who we are and what we do." Sparhawk has done charity work with the Maasai tribe in
Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
. After a friend of his became a friend of the village of Namuncha, Sparhawk played a Christmas show to raise funds to build a school there, where students had previously been meeting in the shade outside. He calls the experience of visiting the Maasai one of the most spiritual of his life. Parker was diagnosed with cancer in December 2020. She did not disclose her illness until mid-2021, when Low was forced to cancel multiple tour dates. She died on November 5, 2022. Low announced Parker's death on their Twitter account on November 6 with the message: "Friends, it's hard to put the universe into language and into a short message, but she passed away last night, surrounded by family and love, including yours. Keep her name close and sacred. Share this moment with someone who needs you. Love is indeed the most important thing."


Side projects

Low founded the
record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...
Chairkickers' Union, which releases their own material as well as work by musicians such as Rivulets and Haley Bonar. Sparhawk is notably active in Duluth's small but vibrant independent music scene; he operates a recording studio in the town, in a deconsecrated church where the acoustics provided the lush reverb which was characteristic of Low's sound. Most of the musicians on the Chairkickers' Union label are based in Duluth and its environs. Zak Sally has toured as a bassist with
Dirty Three Dirty Three are an Australian instrumental rock band, consisting of Warren Ellis (musician), Warren Ellis (violin, keyboards), Mick Turner (electric guitar, organ and bass) and Jim White (drummer), Jim White (drums), which formed in 1992. Their ...
, and Sparhawk has devoted considerable time and energy to his Black Eyed Snakes project, a blues-rock revival band which plays a style of music that is dissimilar to that played by Low; in this group, Sparhawk performs under the pseudonym "Chicken-Bone George". Low and the Black-Eyed Snakes have played some of the same songs, including "Lordy". Sparhawk has also played with the Retribution Gospel Choir (RGC). Matt Livingston, who became Low's bassist in late 2005, also played in the RGC. On that band's first tour, which began in fall 2005, the group covered the Low song "From Your Place on Sunset". Songs have also crossed over in the other direction—Low covered the RGC songs "Hatchet" and "Breaker" on their '' Drums and Guns'' album. Sparhawk released his debut solo album '' Solo Guitar'' in August 2006. As Hollis M. Sparhawk & Her Father, his track "Thanks 1 2 3 Watch" appeared on the 2002 compilation album "Songs for the End of the World" released by Duluth label Silber Records. Sparhawk contributed the song "Be Nice to People with Lice" to the Paper Bag Records compilation of children's songs '' See You on the Moon!'' released in 2006. Sparhawk and Sally have recorded synthesizer-centric songs in the New Wave style under the name The Hospital People. Its most widely distributed record was "Crash / We'll Be Philosophers", released as a 7-inch on clear vinyl by Duck Suit Records. Sparhawk and Sally have also played live as The Tooth Fairies, with Sally performing on drums and Sean Erspamer on bass; Tooth Fairies sets have typically consisted of cover songs by the Stooges, MC5, and similar bands. Sally has done the art for several
graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...
s, and he also did the artwork for former Pedro the Lion member David Bazan's first solo release, the EP ''Fewer Moving Parts'' (now part of the Barsuk Records catalog). At one time, Mimi Parker was rumored to have started a punk band called Rubbersnake, but this was an inside joke on the part of the band. In April 2012, Low collaborated with artist Peter Liversidge for a combined performance at the Royal Festival Hall in London. A year later, Low collaborated with Liversidge again for a performance at the Barbican Centre in London. In 2011, Sparhawk began collaborating with Duluth violinist and vocalist Gaelynn Lea in a band called The Murder of Crows. The duo plays Lea's originals, instrumentals, and covers, using looping pedals and pared-down arrangements. Their first album, ''Imperfecta'', was released in June 2012. Sparhawk plays in the
Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...
tribute act Tired Eyes and Derecho Rhythm Section. On September 27, 2024, Sparhawk released his second solo album, ''White Roses, My God''. His third, ''Alan Sparhawk With Trampled by Turtles'', was released on May 30, 2025.


Honors and awards

The band has been honored with a star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue (nightclub), First Avenue; the honor recognizes performers who have played sold-out shows at the iconic venue and have made major contributions to local culture. Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh.


Members

''In chronological order'' *Alan Sparhawk – vocals, guitars, keyboards, percussion (1993–2022) *Mimi Parker – vocals, percussion, drums (1993–2022; died 2022) *John Nichols – bass guitar (1993–1994) *
Zak Sally Zak Sally is an American musician and comic artist. He was the bass guitarist for the bands Low_(band), Low (1995 to 2004) and Enemymine (1998 to 2000) and is the singer and guitar player in The Hand. Sally is from Duluth, Minnesota, Duluth, Mi ...
– bass guitar, keyboards (1994–2005) *Matt Livingston – bass guitar (2005–2008) *Steve Garrington – bass guitar, organ, piano (2008–2020) *Liz Draper – bass guitar (2021–2022; touring only)


Discography


Studio albums

Note


EPs

* ''Low'' (Summershine, 1994) * ''Finally... (EP), Finally...'' (Vernon Yard Recordings, 1996) * ''Transmission (Low EP), Transmission'' (Vernon Yard Recordings, 1996) * ''Songs for a Dead Pilot'' (Kranky, 1997) * ''Christmas (Low EP), Christmas'' (Kranky, 1999) * ''Bombscare'' with Spring Heel Jack (Tugboat, 2000) * ''The Exit Papers'' (Temporary Residence Limited, 2000) – "a soundtrack to an imaginary film" * ''In the Fishtank 7'' with
Dirty Three Dirty Three are an Australian instrumental rock band, consisting of Warren Ellis (musician), Warren Ellis (violin, keyboards), Mick Turner (electric guitar, organ and bass) and Jim White (drummer), Jim White (drums), which formed in 1992. Their ...
(In the Fishtank, 2001) * ''Murderer (EP), Murderer'' (Vinyl Films, 2003) * ''Plays Nice Places'' (2012)


Singles

* "Over the Ocean" (maxi-single) – (Vernon Yard Recordings, 1996) * "If You Were Born Today (Song for Little Baby Jesus)" (7") – (Wurlitzer Jukebox, 1997) * "No Need" (split album, split maxi-single with
Dirty Three Dirty Three are an Australian instrumental rock band, consisting of Warren Ellis (musician), Warren Ellis (violin, keyboards), Mick Turner (electric guitar, organ and bass) and Jim White (drummer), Jim White (drums), which formed in 1992. Their ...
) – (Touch And Go, 1997) * "Venus" 7" (Sub Pop, 1997) * "Joan of Arc" 7" (Tugboat, 1998) * "Sleep at the Bottom" (split album, split 7" with Piano Magic & Transient Waves) – (Rocket Girl, 1998) * "Immune" 7" (Tugboat, 1999) * "Dinosaur Act" 7", maxi-single (Tugboat, 2000) * "K. / Low" split album, split 7", maxi-single (Tiger Style, 2001) * "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" / "Because You Stood Still" CD single (Chairkickers' Music, 2001) * "Canada" 7", maxi-single (Rough Trade (UK), 2002) * "David & Jude / Stole Some Sentimental Jewellery" split album, split 7" with Vibracathedral Orchestra (Misplaced Music, 2002) * "The Great Destroyer#"California", California" maxi-single (Rough Trade (UK), 2004) * "Tonight" 12", maxi-single (Buzzin' Fly, 2004) * "Hatchet (Optimimi Version)" 7" (Sub Pop, 2007) * "Santa's Coming Over" 7" (Sub Pop, 2008) * "Just Make It Stop" (Sub Pop, 2013) * "Stay (Rihanna song), Stay" (Sub Pop, 2013) – Rihanna cover, digital release * "What Part of Me" (Sub Pop, 2015) * "Lies" (Sub Pop, 2015) * Low / S. Carey – "Not a Word" / "I Won't Let You" (Sub Pop, 2016, Record Store Day Release)' * "Let's Stay Together (Al Green song), Let's Stay Together" (2018) – Al Green cover * "Quorum" / "Dancing and Blood" / "Fly" (2018) * "Days Like These" (Sub Pop, 2021)


Live albums

* ''Maybe They Are Not Liking the Human Beings'' (Saturday Night Beaver, 1998) – semi-official release * ''One More Reason to Forget'' (Bluesanct, 1998) * ''Paris '99: "Anthony, Are You Around?"'' (P-Vine, 2001)


Miscellaneous

* ''owL Remix'' (Vernon Yard Recordings, 1998) * ''The Mothman Prophecies'' – Music from the Motion Picture – "Half Light (Single)", "Half Light (Tail Credit)" (Lakeshore Records, 2002) * ''A Lifetime of Temporary Relief: 10 Years of B-Sides and Rarities'' box set (Chairkickers' Music, 2004) * ''We Could Live in Hope: A Tribute to Low'' (Fractured Discs, 2004) * ''Tonight The Monkeys Die (Low Remixes)'' (Chairkickers' Music, 2005)


Compilations

* ''A Means to an End: The Music of Joy Division'' (Hut Recordings, 1995) * ''Indie-Rock Flea Market Part 2'' 7" (Flip Recording Company, 1995) * ''New Music June'' (College Music Journal, 1995) * ''The Paper 7"'' (Papercut Records, 1997) * ''A Tribute to Spacemen 3'' (Rocket Girl, 1998) * ''Astralwerks 1998 Summer Sampler'' (Astralwerks, 1998) * ''Kompilation'' (Southern Records, 1998) * ''Shanti Project Collection'' (Badman Recording Co. Jr., 1999) * ''Duluth Does Dylan'' (Spinout Records, 2000) * ''Take Me Home: A Tribute to John Denver'' (Badman Recording Co., 2000) * ''A Rocket Girl Compilation'' (Rocket Girl, 2001) * ''Benicàssim 2001'' (Festival Internacional de Benicàssim, 2001) * ''*Seasonal Greetings'' (Mobile Records, 2002) * ''Une Rentrée 2002 – Tome 1'' (Les Inrockuptibles, 2002) * ''Another Country – Songs of Dignity & Redemption from the Other Side of the Tracks'' (Agenda, 2003) * ''Buzzin' Fly Volume One: Replenishing Music for the Modern Soul'' (Buzzin' Fly Records, 2004) * ''The Trip – Snow Patrol'' (Family Recordings (UK), 2004) * ''Duyster.'' (Play It Again Sam (PIAS), 2005) * ''This Bird Has Flown – A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul'' (Razor & Tie, 2005) * ''Rough Trade Shops – Counter Culture 05'' (V2, 2006) * ''Elegy Sampler 47'' (Elegy, 2007) * ''Sounds – Now!'' (Musikexpress, 2007) * ''Dead Man's Town: A Tribute to Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A'' (Lightning Rod, 2014)


References


External links

* {{Authority control Low (band), 1994 establishments in Minnesota Musical groups established in 1994 Musical groups disestablished in 2022 Musical groups from Duluth, Minnesota Musical trios from Minnesota Indie rock musical groups from Minnesota Slowcore groups Rough Trade Records artists Latter Day Saints from Minnesota Kranky (record label) artists P-Vine Records artists Rocket Girl artists Sub Pop artists