In the modern musical world of iTunes and Spotify, it's touring, not album sales, that is a band's best weapon to reach audiences -- and pay the bills.
That fact has not been lost on Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds.
In April alone, the Brooklyn-based funk/soul group performs in Alaska and Louisiana, with a half-dozen other tour stops on the East Coast.
The band even launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2012 to get a new tour van when their old rig broke down after logging 50,000 miles and playing 150 shows the previous year.
"It was pretty amazing how much support we got," said singer Arleigh Kincheloe, known as Sister Sparrow. "Touring is the way to do it. It's just the way the game has changed. I love to travel but it's also a way to make a living. It's absolutely the option to keep the band together and make a living."
It's been a successful approach for Kincheloe and crew, who have gained a reputation as a scintillating and spirited live act in their seven years since forming. The band will play Saturday at the West High auditorium in a concert to benefit Alaska Public Media.
Kincheloe drives the sound with her scrappy, bluesy vocals while the six-piece, brass-infused Dirty Birds provide the groove.
The band is fresh off a trip to South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, where in typical workmanlike fashion, they played seven shows in four days.
"It was definitely our most successful South by Southwest to date," Kincheloe said. "It's a mess of people and bands. It takes a lot of effort and luck to make a difference down there, but this year was worth it for sure."
Although the band's wheelhouse is playing live, they have a new album set for release in mid-May.
In making "The Weather Below," Kincheloe took on a greater role, working hand-in-hand with producer Ryan Hadlock, best known for his work on the Lumineers' debut album. Recorded at Hadlock's Bear Creek Studio in Seattle, Kincheloe said the album is typical Sister Sparrow fare, with a few exceptions.
"We really saw eye-to-eye on the direction," Kincheloe said of working with Hadlock. "We spend three whole weeks and lived in the studio in Seattle. That helped us make a concise unified sound for the whole thing. A couple of the songs are a little more on the poppy side than we've done in the past. I think there's a lot of rock-out Dirty Birds songs. I'm so proud of it and excited."
The Dirty Birds feature Josh Myers on bass and Dan Boyden on drums. Guitarist Sasha Brown grew up in the Boston suburbs and graduated from the Berklee School of Music. The horn section is composed of Phil Rodriguez (trumpet) and Brian Graham (saxophones). Musical talent runs in the Kincheloe family -- brother Jackson plays harmonica with the Dirty Birds.
"I feel really lucky they're on board," Kincheloe said. "They make it super easy and fun. At the end of the day, that's what makes us keep doing it. They're amazing. I'm shocked at the things they can do sometimes; the jam sessions get really interesting."
Although there have been some changes in the band's lineup since it was founded in 2008, the exhaustive tour schedule has sharpened the band's sound.
"I think at this point, we've been together for so long, we don't struggle with getting together on the same wavelength," Kincheloe said. "We're pretty unified. We're all in each other's brains at this point. We were really efficient (in recording the upcoming album). It's partially because we're a touring band and we know how important time and efficiency is."
Growing up in the Catskill Mountain area in New York, Kincheloe didn't have to look far for encouragement. Her parents were both musical and her dad, John, still drums in a band called Blues Maneuver.
"It's the main reason I do music at all, being exposed at a young age and nurtured by parents that it's OK to follow that path in life," she said. "They were invaluable. My dad is still a drummer. I was inspired by watching them do it and playing with them from the time I was about 9. It definitely shaped the idea of the music I wanted to play."
Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds
Opener: Nervis Rex
When: 7:30 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.) Saturday
Where: West High auditorium
Tickets: $35 for Alaska Public Media members $45 for non-members
Members meet-and-greet cocktail hour: $55