AJ Lambert Covers Sparklehorse’s ‘More Yellow Birds’ In Moving Tribute

AJ Lambert pays tribute to late tour manager Kiko Loiacono with new cover of Sparklehorse's 'More Yellow Birds'.

AJ Lambert has released a cover of Sparkehorse’s “More Yellow Birds” in memory of her friend and tour manager Kiko Loiacono who passed away late last year. The song was recorded at Rome’s fabled Morricone studios.

AJ shares, “Kiko Loiacono - it seemed that almost everyone knew him, or at least that he was always only one or two degrees away. When he changed careers to become a tour manager he also became, almost immediately, a legend - just by being his irrepressible, joyful and pure self. 

He touched the lives of so many people and I only knew him for a relatively short time. Still, he was one of the only people who truly believed in what I was trying to do, and for that, I will be forever grateful. But I will always wish I had expressed that gratitude more than I did while he was around. He didn’t like to be thanked; he said it was all about mutual respect. We butted heads and had our issues, but we always ended conflicts with love, no matter how long it took to get there. With Kiko, love always won the day in the end. But I still wish I had just one more long day with him, to really have him hear me tell him how very much he meant to me in the short time I was lucky enough to call him my friend. 

He and I worked together for the last time this past summer, when we were gifted with the opportunity to record at Forum Studios in Rome, where Ennio Morricone recorded his legendary soundtracks - of course, Kiko arranged that. This is the song we recorded there, thanks to Kiko, on his birthday weekend in his home country. It’s a Sparklehorse song that I chose on the plane over, the day before we recorded - I had nothing new written so I picked a cover. I had no idea it would end up having such resonance with me after Kiko died. He is all I can think of when I hear it.”