The Songbirds Radio Hour Songbirds Guitar & Pop Culture Museum

(First aired on WUTC 4/13/24)
Call Me Spinster is one part kaleidoscopic indie rock, one part porchy holler pop — and every bit a family operation. The brainchild of three sisters in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Call Me Spinster skims nostalgia from psychedelic folk to 90’s synth-pop, weaving frank vocals with ethereal harmonies to make sense of their constantly growing world.
Band practice for Call Me Spinster is not your typical beer-fueled midnight garage rock. It starts at 10 a.m. A 7-month-old chews an XLR cord in the corner. A toddler naps in the next room over the screech of bass amps and keyboards. The sisters pause constantly to breastfeed, change a diaper, or lull a cranky child back to sleep.
The chaos of motherhood would cause most bands to stall, but Call Me Spinster has always rocked with children in the background. When Amelia, the eldest sister, became pregnant with her first child in 2017, she took maternity leave from her teaching job. The same month Amelia’s son was born, her sisters Rachel and Rosie quit their respective teaching jobs in Costa Rica and Portland, Oregon and joined Amelia in Chattanooga.
The sisters began by tackling Prince and Drake covers on a hodgepodge of acquired instruments — including their Amish grandfather’s old accordion, an upright bass, glockenspiel, and even the occasional pie pan. They busked, played brunch gigs and local festivals, then eventually opened for bigger touring acts across the Southeast. When they started applying their unorthodox arrangements to their own songs, they quickly attracted New West/Strolling Bones label head George Fontaine Sr., who connected them with producer Drew Vandenberg (of Montreal, Faye Webster, Toro y Moi) to create their first EP in 2020.
“The result is a set of songs that they can certainly be proud of, a series of soft, shimmering melodies that convey both youthful enthusiasm and elegiac indulgence,” wrote American Songwriter.
Call Me Spinster’s first full-length album, Potholes is due out spring of 2024 on Strolling Bones Records. Tracks range from “nods to Robyn and ‘90s synth pop”… “moments of Minnie Riperton-era Rotary Connection and Air.” Other songs dip into the realm of country - folk, but in an unusually understated, anti-Nashville style, pedal steel or accordion pinging nostalgia but staying out of the way. Lyrics present a gentle, sometimes starkly candid view of domestic life. While the inspirations are raw, there is no shortage of technicolored joy on this album. Call Me Spinster underscores emotional depth with bouncy electropop that makes you want to dance in public.
Call Me Spinster Tracklist:
Feet are Dirty
Potholes
No Yield Sign
Mule
Born in a Ditch
Standby
White Lines
Other Artists Tracklist:
Joni Mitchell – "California"
Simon and Garfunkel – "The Only Living Boy in New York"
The Clash – "Lost in the Supermarket"
The Diddys – "Intergalactic Love Song"

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(First aired on WUTC 3/9/24)
In Chicago, a city overflowing with unrivaled blues talent, world-renowned Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials have been standing tall for almost 30 years. The band’s big sound, fueled by Lil’ Ed’s gloriously rollicking slide work and deep blues string bending, along with his rough-edged, soulful vocals, is as real and hard-hitting as Chicago blues gets.
After playing around town in various clubs during the 80s, the band was invited into the recording studio by Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer, and the end result of the session was 30 songs cut in three hours with no overdubs and only one second take. Twelve of those songs became the band’s debut album, Roughhousin’, released in September of 1986.
Nine albums and thousands of performances later, Lil’ Ed is now universally hailed as a giant of the genre. Lil’ Ed and The Blues Imperials—bassist (and Ed’s half-brother) James “Pookie” Young, guitarist Mike Garrett, and drummer Kelly Littleton—have remained together for nearly 30 years (an extraordinary feat for any group), the band fueling Ed’s songs with their rock-solid, road-tested, telepathic musicianship.
The Big Sound Of Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials is the musically electrifying, emotionally intense and downright fun new album from the band Guitar Player calls “a snarling boogie-blues machine…they blow down the walls.” With this new album, the band continues to bring their blistering Chicago blues to “Ed Heads” new and old. Their infectious energy, joyful showmanship and masterful playing have been honed to a razor’s edge by their many years together.
Lil’ Ed, Pookie, Mike and Kelly have seen sports stars and presidents, musical fads and fashion trends come and go. Meanwhile, their fiery music has more than stood the test of time. “We’re not band members,” says Williams, “we’re family, and families stay together.” Night after night, gig after riotous gig, the musical family called Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials bring their big, dynamic Chicago blues sound to fans across the country and around the world.
Episode Tracklist:
Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials – "If You Were Mine"
J.B. Hutto – "Speak My Mind"
J.B. Hutto – "Lulu Belle's Here"
Blind Willie Johnson – "Dark Was the Night"
Sister Rosetta Tharpe – "Rock Me"
Mississippi Fred McDowell – "You Gotta Move"
Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials – "Troubled World"
Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials – "You Done Me Wrong For the Last Time"
The Nighthawks – "Come Baby"
Satan and Adam – "Big Boss Man"
Frank Sinatra – "Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)"
The Police – "It's Alright For You"
Jimi Hendrix – "Red House"
Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials – "Natural Man"
Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials – "Giving Up On Your Love"

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(First aired on WUTC 2/10/24)
The Mason Jennings History:
Mason Jennings was born on the Island of Hawaii, but at an early age his family moved to the opposite of tropical, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At 13, he started playing guitar and writing songs. Mason later dropped out of high school and decided to move to Minneapolis to pursue his musical career. Jennings made this decision after a friend of his father’s sent him cassette tapes of the Replacements, Jayhawks, and Prince. After non-stop listening he felt like it would be a great home for his music.
Jennings produced his self-titled debut album in 1997 on a Tascam analog four-track in the living room of a rented home, playing all instruments himself. In October 1998, he began a weekly gig at Minneapolis' 400 Bar. The two-week gig ended up lasting four months. Birds Flying Away, Mason's second record, revealed his penchant for singing first-person narratives of imaginary rustic characters. In 2002, Jennings released a studio album, Century Spring, and a "fans only" collection of acoustic songs, Simple Life. Mason released all three albums (and re-released his earlier albums) on his own record label, Architect Records.
In June of 2005, Jennings signed with Glacial Pace, a subsidiary of Sony's Epic Records headed by Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock. Minnesota's Star Tribune credited Brock with convincing Mason to sign after he opened for several Modest Mouse shows in 2004. Jennings had long avoided the major labels, citing desires to maintain creative control and dodge big-label politics.
In early 2008, Mason signed with Jack Johnson's record label, Brushfire Records. Jennings released In the Ever in May 2008. Blood of Man soon followed and received a coveted 4-Star review in Rolling Stone, who also cited, “What makes Mason Jennings one of the best singer songwriters you’ve never heard of is his ragged intimate voice and his simple ruminations on God, war, hope and gratitude.”
With many more albums and projects in between, we fast forward to the release of Wild Dark Metal in 2016. He got divorced and after taking some time off to focus on painting, to recover from depression and to heal from agoraphobia, he began touring again. He remarried in 2018 and released an album of love songs inspired by his new relationship, Songs From When We Met, available now.
Mason Jennings Tracklist:
Butterfly
Chemical Car
Keepin’ It Real
Nothing
Something About Your Love
United States Global Empire
The Light, Part II
Drinking as Religion 
Darkness Between the Fireflies
Cursive Prayers
Other Artists Tracklist:
Bob Dylan – “Tangled Up in Blue”
Mötley Crue – “Dr. Feelgood”
Mötley Crue – “Kickstart My Heart”
The Beatles – “Get Back”
Hank Williams – “I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive”
Gordon Lightfoot – “Only Love Would Know”

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(First aired on WUTC 1/13/24)
"Marissa Paternoster is one of the best guitar players alive.” -Kathleen Hanna
A band lasting for half the lifetime of its members, Screaming Females has long been pounding out their own desire path. Formed in 2005 in New Brunswick, NJ, the trio has consistently created a hearty, surprising mix of indie-, alt-, punk- and stoner-rock, all with their original line-up of Marissa Paternoster (guitar/vocals), “King Mike” Mike Abbate (bass) and Jarrett Dougherty (drums).
Released on February 17th, 2023 by Don Giovanni Records, Screaming Females’ final album, Desire Pathway, was recorded at Minnesota’s Pachyderm Studios. Bright and full, the album captures the band at a time when nothing was certain other than their abiding desire to make music together.
For 18 years and eight albums, Screaming Females have clearly created their own path in the world, touring DIY, self-managing, and releasing music without compromise. The route might cut a little off the main road, but you’ll quickly see there’s a reason they went this way. You just might like where it leads you! 
Screaming Females: 2005–2023
Episode Tracklist:
Ripe – Screaming Females
Bell – Screaming Females
Ever Fall in Love – Buzzcock
True Believers – The Bouncing Souls
Cut Your Hair – Pavement
Sheep – Screaming Females (Live at Songbirds)
Tell Me No – Screaming Females (Live at Songbirds)
Mourning Dove – Screaming Females (Live at Songbirds)
Let me In – Screaming Females
What's Wrong with You – Bratmobile
Freewheel – Team Dresch
Titan – Screaming Females (Live at Songbirds)
Halfway Down – Screaming Females (Live at Songbirds)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(First aired on WUTC 12/9/23)
Guitarist / songwriter / producer Emily Wolfe has been making waves with her powerful vocals and dynamic guitar skills - and shows no signs of slowing down.
Not only is Epiphone / Gibson releasing a second Emily Wolfe Signature guitar - the “White Wolfe” - but she also recently released The Blowback, the self-produced follow-up to her 2021 album Outlier.
“I’ve spent 10 years building a foundation for my career and this year feels different. It feels like the momentum is finally picking up and I’m ready to take off. With new music coming out, another signature guitar with Epiphone and touring being back to normal after the pandemic, I am filled with nothing but excitement and gratitude," she wrote.
Wolfe’s music combines elements of classic rock, blues and modern alternative rock - creating a unique and energetic sound. She has garnered attention for her passionate live performance and has been recognized as an emerging talent in the rock music scene. Her work and live show have been praised as transcendent, sticky & sweet, and provocative - with a “blazing guitar that runs balance against compellingly melodic vocals that range from scorching to soothing.”
Episode Tracklist:
Holy Roller – Emily Wolfe
Walk in My Shoes – Emily Wolfe
Friendship Train – Gladys Knight & The Pips
Missionary Son – Emily Wolfe
Silencer – Emily Wolfe
The Slider – T. Rex (Emily Wolfe cover, live at Songbirds)
Dead End Luck – Emily Wolfe (Live at Songbirds)
Forty Six & 2 – TOOL
Sleep Now In the Fire – Rage Against the Machine
Heat of the Moment – Emily Wolfe (Live at Songbirds)
Bad Behavior – Emily Wolfe
No Man – Emily Wolfe
Predator – Emily Wolfe

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(First aired on WUTC 11/11/23)
KT Tunstall burst onto the music scene with her 2004 multi-platinum debut, Eye to the Telescope, which spawned the global hits "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" and "Suddenly I See." These songs established Tunstall as a captivating, must-see performer, as well as a Songwriter with a singular knack for balancing introspective folk and propulsive rock. "I feel there are two immediate, recognizable pillars of my style," she says. "I have this troubadour, acoustic guitar-driven emotional side. Then there's definitely a rocker side of me with sharper teeth."
In the last few years, the Grammy-nominated Scottish musician has expanded on these musical selves by focusing on a trilogy of records, where each album zeroes in on a single concept: soul, body and mind. The first - 2016's KIN - was the soul record, 2018's WAX was the body record, and the new 2022 NUT is the mind record.
Episode Tracklist:
Other Side of the World – KT Tunstall
Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night – Bon Jovi
Black Horse and the Cherry Tree – KT Tunstall
Blue Moon – Billie Holiday
Psycho Killer – Talking Heads and live cover by KT Tunstall
You and Me On The Rock – Brandi Carlile
Little Favours – KT Tunstall
Lady Writer – Dire Straits
Goin’ Out West – Tom Waits
Universe & U – KT Tunstall
Suddenly I See – KT Tunstall
Hey! Bo Diddley – Bo Diddley

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.