Tobin Sprout

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Tobin Sprout is an American musician best known for his contribution as a band member of indie rock group Guided by Voices (GBV). Tobin Sprout's solo career has garnered him critical praise for his songwriting skills and musicianship. A self taught musician from an early age, he played with and was a major collaborator to the Dayton, OH rockers, employing a 4-track and home studio skills, contributing to the unique lo-fi sound of GBV. He was a member of the band from 1987 through 1997. His biggest contribution to GBV were the songs that he wrote and sang (examples: "It's Like Soul Man," "Awful Bliss," "Atom Eyes" and many more). Yet the band frequently recorded in Sprout's home studio [1] and as a member of the band he contributed as a co-writer, multi-instrumentalist and studio engineer [2]. Since the 1997 split though, he has appeared on three GBV recordings. Contributing piano to the Isolation Drills song "Hows My Drinking?" [3] and guitar to the Half Smiles of the Decomposed tracks "Girls of Wild Strawberries" [4] and "Huffman Prairie Flying Field," [5] the latter of which was the final track on GBV's final LP.

Although a visual artist by trade, he has continued to write his own music, releasing Carnival Boy in 1996, Moonflower Plastic in 1997 and Let's Welcome the Circus People in 1999. He also wrote songs for a project called Eyesinweasel which were collected on 2000's Wrinkled Thoughts. His Demos and Outtakes collection was released in the following year. Also in 2001, Sprout rejoined with Robert Pollard (of Guided by Voices) to form Airport 5, independently releasing numerous singles and 2 full length albums, Tower in the Fountain of Sparks and in 2002, Life Starts Here. In 2003. He continued writing and composing independently, this time from his home in Leland, Michigan, recording and releasing his most recent solo effort Lost Planets & Phantom Voices.

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