Words about the World Inside
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A
Word About Sunsites
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| "As I found myself listening to the beautiful guitars and cello that grace this fine album, I realized it was connecting to my soul. | |
| My suspicions were confirmed when I asked Jesse about what was going on when he made Sunsites in 1996. First, a little context. You have to understand this was the debut songwriting effort for a drummer, and a drummer for a noise-pop outfit (Poor Old Lu) at that. More than a few folks were surprised when Jesse's first solo album consisted not of the edgy rock sound he had become associated with but something you'd expect to have "Wyndham Hill" slapped on it somewhere. |  Jesse
Sprinkle |
| Sprinkle says, "I want to challenge younger people to find the value of quiet, contemplative music and I want older people to be exposed to younger artists. So this is a record I had to do. It was what was inside me. I used to listen to nothing but heavy metal and my life was changed when I learned the value of soft, gentle music." | |
| As I spent more and more time with the splendid record, the eerie sense grew that I was being told stories even though Sunsites contains no vocals. So it was no shock to hear Jesse say, "It wasn't that I didn't have any lyrics or anything to say, it's just that the music I was writing was saying things that I couldn't say in words. It was a transition for me, to learn to tell stories with music. The words were going to come later." |  Phil
Peterson |
| Sprinkle has done a masterful job of sharing the emotion of his stories through the gorgeous soundscapes of Sunsites. You as the listener are free to superimpose your tales, passions and pathos right into the sixteen tracks. Sprinkle remarked to me his amazement with the power of music association. | |
| "I wanted people to associate the emotion of my music with significant events in their own lives." | |
| One of
the outstanding features of this album is the masterful cello work of Seattle
cellist and musician extraordinaire, Phil Peterson. Phil is an unusual
musician in that he is classically trained, yet is willing to improvise.
This makes him a most valuable player to an artist like Jesse Sprinkle
who wishes to add some depth to pop music."
--Nick Purdy |
 Aaron
Sprinkle |
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A Word About Roobrik |
| "Jesse Sprinkle, former drummer for Poor Old Lu, calls Roobrik, the wonderfully melodic and introspective album from his new band, The World Inside, "simple music for simple people." With a style that mixes acoustic alterna-folk, euro-pop rock, ambient ethereal goth, and classical interpretations, that's quite a feat. | |
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the
live band
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After producing an instrumental album, Sunsites, Sprinkle reveals both his lyrical voice and poeticism on Roobrik. "And the trees stood to me in a way which they never had/ And before the doors of home could welcome me/ The bells within the sky would chime their song/ Then they paused and counted up to eight." |
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l-r:
Jesse Hargis(guitar), Joel Votaw(bass), Jesse Sprinkle(guitar, vocals),
Andrew King(drums)
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The band,
which also includes Phil Peterson of XOOS, was formed by Jesse after he
and Phil worked on a number of musical projects together under various
names (Sunsites, Clive Staples). The name "The World Inside" was taken
from the album of the same name by Human Drama--an album that Jesse felt
captured the emotion and sentiment he himself wanted to express in his
music. What Jesse captures on Roobrik is something wonderful."
--Nick Purdy |
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A
Word About Number Two
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| "At first listen, Number Two had an effect on me that few CDs have: I liked it. Now, I'm not as picky of a listener as I sometimes like to think, but I do know that it's rather rare for me to pop a CD in the player for the first time and absolutely love every single song from beginning to end. But as the music on this disc filled my ears, I couldn't pull my attention away from every word sung, or miss a single musical note. I was hooked. | |
| Now, when I tell you that not a day went by before I knew every word to every song, don't let that fool you into thinking that the lyrics on this album are any less poetic than they've ever been in The World Inside's music. On the contrary, Mr. Sprinkle still manages to paint the same beautiful images with his words that he does and always has with his music. "In the midst of praise / With a broken haze / In the afterglow is where the only song began / And do you lie where faces have no breath? / And will we hide this ever pending death?" |  the
live band |
| No longer featuring the cello stylings of Seattle's Phil Peterson, The World Inside's new guitar driven approach works phenomenally well with the current line-up, including Brian Moore (guitar), Joel Votaw (bass), and Andy King (drums), whom, without Jesse, also make up their own band, Seven Head Division, a common touring partner with The World Inside. | l-r: Andy King (drums), Brian Moore (guitar), Joel Votaw (bass), Jesse Sprinkle (guitar, vocals) |
| A far cry from the
subtle acoustic feel of Roobrik and Sunsites, Number Two explores a more
aggressive and energetic side of Jesse Sprinkle's songwriting talents.
With a heavier emphasis on an acoustic/electric mix of sounds, the songs
on this album give off a more pop-rock feel than Jesse's previous efforts,
without venturing into that embarrassing abyss of poppy bands that are
all smiles with no depth and a firm grasp on songs that have nothing to
do with real life. The result: ten songs that not only provoke thought
and actually mean something, but make you wanna tap your feet and sing
along at the top of your lungs."
--Quin Kermott |
