Sylvia Rose Novak

A tiny woman with a huge presence, Sylvia Rose Novak is a multi-instrumentalist hailing from south-central Alabama. Having been painted as a “dark and brooding intellectual” via her songwriting, Novak’s best known, among her fans, to captivate an audience with her sharp sense of humor. Her carefully worded banter leads listeners delicately into her songs, much like the prologue of a book, or a narrator in a movie.

Drawing inspiration from writers such as Cormac McCarthy, Donald Ray Pollock, and Flannery O’Connor; Sylvia Rose Novak has crafted a unique style of songwriting that might, itself, be called Southern Gothic. Novak’s resonant vocals couple with her unconventionally structured songs to create a listening experience that is akin to becoming immersed in a short story. 

While Novak primarily fronts her band on the fiddle, she’s the bassist for Birmingham rock outfit Five Shot Jack. She is also their primary songwriter. Over the last few years, on the heels of her three record releases, Novak has toured the United States extensively.

Having opened for acts such as American Aquarium, Chris Knight, If Birds Could Fly, The Ghost of Paul Revere, Heath Green and the Makeshifters, Mike and the Moonpies, Will Hogue, Rod Picott, Caleb Caudle, and Belle Adair; Novak’s musical career has seen forward momentum with her third album, Someone Else’s War, receiving major press attention.