Doctor Sparkles
Meet Doctor Sparkles... mad scientist, cartoon character, mystical chicken, beach bum, Santa's Elf, spaceship landing sequence, Mexican tomcat, fantasy crooner, Mr. Gonad wannabe, Latin cornball, mushroom chorus, New Age wise guy, and more... His attitude is tropically infectious, he plays the ukulele and he's really a doctor... or at least he calls himself one...
Honestly, no one seems really sure what Doctor Sparkles is a doctor of,
and speculation into his background seems to further mystify this
enigmatic kook of uke. Many have seen the giant diploma from Silly U.
which he uses as the main sail on his ship "The Imagination", but most
question whether they should take such certification seriously and/or
personally. Certain internet search engines link Doctor Sparkles with
Atlantis University, but it remains vague as to whether he attended there,
taught there or, indeed, whether such an institution ever existed. Still
others believe Doctor Sparkles to be the re-creation of one Kevin Patrick Baiko, a medical doctor turned folk-rock musician whose epic double CD Fool's Gold has already sold at least 50 copies since it's release in 2003. Whatever Doctor Sparkles' credentials may be, he sure is a wise guy.
Doctor Sparkles crooned onto the music scene in Spring 2006 with his debut album CD Sail Away, a prolonged musical fantasy vacation, which one reviewer called... "pseudo-psychedelic, island breezy, folky, Latin influenced ferris wheel ride for the child within." This hyper-creative appeal to the "child within" might well explain the mixed reaction to his recordings, ranging from "a sweet and light and happy spirituality tickling the canvas of the cosmic giggle" to "unnerving" as well as a certain hesitance venues and radio stations demonstrated in giving the music of this silly stick a chance. And then it could have been his red mad hatter's tophat and pimped out costume. Or perhaps just the name "Doctor Sparkles".
Despite reservations from the imaginatively conservative, Doctor Sparkles managed to land consistent bookings through the remainder of 2006, increasingly joined by his merry ensemble “The Mystic Nomads”, most of whom had participated in the recording of Sail Away and who were rather silly individuals on their own. Children, artists and artistic children consistently received their music and persona well, and at its 2006 awards show grass roots musician-run organization Just Plain Folks voted Sail Away 2nd Runner-up for Best Cabaret Album and voted its title track Best Cabaret Song for its November 2006 awards show. In December of that year, Port Folio Magazine included Doctor Sparkles & the Mystic Nomads in their annual list of top 50 local acts of the Greater Hampton Roads Area.
Seeking a more receptive audience, Doctor Sparkles has recently moved to San Francisco, where he can often be spotted playing his ukulele in such places as Golden Gate Park and Fisherman's Wharf. he is currently enlisting local musicians interested in putting together a band, and hopes to organize a Ukulele Cabaret in San Francisco. Meanwhile he continues to record several albums, most notably an album of original swing music, entitled "Monkey Swing Monkey Doo", with an anticipated release date of April 1, 2008.
If you are a musician in the San Francisco area and you are interested in developing an onstage/offstage character and play re-creative music with Doctor Sparkles, please send an email using the links on this website.