Photo by Julia Cartwright
In 2010, Mark Linkous committed suicide at 47, after a long battle with depression. He was informally known as ‘Sparklehorse’, the name of the three piece band that he fronted, and renowned as one of the country’s best songwriters.
Linkous’ music was emotional, downtempo and deeply human. Many of his songs were characterized by a near-whisper vocal tone that he sang in so he wouldn’t wake up his sleeping wife in the next room.
Sparklehorse inspired thousands. Thirteen years later, musicians around the world are still grappling with the loss.
Among those musicians is drummer Jeff Ryan, who thumps and crashes his way through Dallas’ alternative rock scene in bands like Motorcade and Pleasant Grove. Ryan’s reverence for Linkous hasn’t faded one bit. This December, he plans to commemorate him.
“I just want to celebrate Mark in some way,” Ryan says. “Not in a cheesy way or even in a profitable way. Just celebrate the people that are here in Dallas that maybe don’t know what an amazing American songwriter we had.”
Ryan’s celebration will be held at the Kessler Theater, beginning with a screening of the 2022 documentary, This Is Sparklehorse, followed by a full set of Sparklehorse songs performed by a rotating cast of Dallas frontmen. The event’s proceeds will be given to Foundation 45, an organization that provides support for mental health, substance abuse and suicide preventon.
“This is Sparklehorse really shows that quiet human humanistic side of him,” Ryan explains. ”He’s really personable, but he’s really sensitive.”
Ryan worked with local artists Jerome Brock and Kim Herriage to craft the instrumentation of the songs. He and members of Pleasant Grove will serve as the backing band while lead singers cycle out, including Tim Delaughter of The Polyphonic Spree and Nathan Mongol Wells of The Ottoman Turks.
“It’s strange to curate an event that’s inherently sad,” Ryan says. “But in a way, it’s cool to see so many people excited about it.”
The celebration will be the first event held in Dallas for Sparklehorse. For people who might not be familiar with his work, Ryan is crafting his local legacy in a sense. It’s an immense amount of pressure, but not enough that Ryan feels.
“I respect him so much and I want to do a good job,” he says. “But it’s already predetermined. I know how everything goes. I’m not creating the songs. I’m just recreating them.”
One month out from the event, it seems Dallas is in store for a warm, unifying celebration.
“It’s gonna be hard,” he says. “The only thing I’m worried about is getting emotional, but that’s a good thing. Those are real emotions.”
