Birdy
Chicago, Illinois, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2006 | SELF
Music
Press
The acoustic foursome BIRDY fills the nest with an abundance of harmonies and organic instrumentation throughout its latest long player, Magic Days. The band more than lives up to its "fringe folk" tagline, thanks to a series of earthy, slightly quirky originals, alongside inventive rearrangements of the tried and true "Wayfaring Stranger" and "You Are My Sunshine."
Andy Argyrakis
Illinois Entertainer Magazine
February 2013 - Illinois Entertainer Magazine
La Grange, IL — October 4, 2010
Birds of a feather flock together holds true with the music group Birdy - even if one bird is the only male in a flock of females. The La Grange-based band composed of members Sharon Speziale, Bianca Bevard and Meg Thomas, recently added a new member, Roy McNaughton, their first male “birdy.” The flock performs among the trees at the Danada Fall Festival in Wheaton. We talk to Speziale and Thomas about how McNaughton was the answer to their bird calls.
How did you come up with the name Birdy?
Speziale: We tend to gravitate toward songs that are more about free-thinking, free-spirit, which brings to mind the image of birds. And one day Bianca blurted out Birdy, and it just kind of stuck. I think it chose us.
How would you describe your music style?
Speziale: We’re in the folk music genre, contemporary, Americana style. We write our own pieces and perform cover tunes … that we work into a Birdy style that is fairly stripped down and fits the instruments that we have to offer.
Thomas: It pulls definitely from the folk genre, but there’s a twist. … The rhythms I bring in crosses over to different genres, like calypso and Latin genres. As a percussionist, my music influence is kind of all over the place because I also play with a steel drum band based out of Geneva and a punk rock band, plus I’ve done some experimental music and Brazilian music.
You recently added a fourth member – a male. Why not keep yourselves as an all-female group?
Speziale: It really wasn’t the plan to find a female. We wanted to find the right person who fit our sound. … We went through a lot of people — males and females — before finding that person who would fit in best with us.
Thomas: Roy is a good fit, personality-wise, and he’s a great musician. We’re still comfortable talking about whatever around him. … Playing the upright bass, Roy adds a fullness and groovy rhythm to the music that otherwise wouldn’t be there if not for him on the bass.
The band’s online biography says your members laugh more than they rehearse. What gets the band laughing?
Thomas: Our goofiness. We don’t take anything too seriously because when you start taking things seriously, it becomes work. What makes us enjoy getting together for rehearsals is that we have a great time together.
Speziale: Rehearsals are an opportunity for the four of us to come together from four different worlds. It’s such a nice release. When you’re in a band, it’s like a family. And being from different areas, we sometimes don’t get to see each other for a few weeks. So when we get together at rehearsals, we all just have fun stories to tell over the couple of weeks we’ve been apart. It’s a time for us to let loose and be ourselves and make music. … We do laugh a lot, but we get to rehearsing eventually.
Hear Birdy tweet
WHERE Danada Forest Preserve, east side of Naperville Road, 1 mile south of Butterfield Road, Wheaton; (630) 668-6012, www.dupageforest.com
WHEN 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 10
HOW MUCH Free
WEB birdytunes.org
EXTRA The Danada Fall Festival is from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 10 in Wheaton. A parade of horse breeds, hayrides, face painting, grooming demonstrations and educational displays are ongoing throughout the day at the festival. Admission is free; fees on some activities.
- Suburban Life Newspaper
“Wow! I have heard - and aired - a lot of covers of this great traditional song [Poor
Wayfaring Stranger], but yours is truly special. I expected the beautiful Birdy harmony, but was surprised by the overall arrangement - love Meg’s djembe!”
- Lilli Kuzma - WDCB Radio, Glen Ellyn, IL
“Thank goodness for Birdy and their new CD! Bianca, Sharon and Meg have struck a most fortunate chord. Their voices and their message are clear and beautiful.” - Mark Dvorak, Singer/Songwriter & Instructor at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music
Discography
MAGIC DAYS 2012
JOURNEY HOME 2009
Photos
Bio
BIRDY is a Chicago-based acoustic group featuring outstanding vocal harmony, fine originals, and creative musical arrangements...
With an eclectic repertoire that draws from both traditional and contemporary influences, Birdy has quickly established itself on the Chicago music scene and beyond, and is a regular performer at coffee houses, restaurants and pubs, folk venues, community centers, neighborhood parties, festivals, and farmers markets.
The BIRDY idea was literally 'sparked' in the '90's while Bianca Bevard and Sharon Speziale were singing around a bonfire at a camping weekend. Instantly recognizing a soaring harmony blend, the two began performing together regularly. In-demand percussionist Meg Thomas, who provides a wonderful driving and creative dimension to BIRDY's established sound, joined the group in 2007. More recently, veteran bassist Roy McNaughton joined the group, with bass lines that are both artistically fluid and warmly down to earth.
A typical BIRDY concert includes BIRDY originals, covers of favorite singer/songwriters both near and far, traditional folk tunes with a twist, songs of love (lost, acquired or desired), and a few other styles thrown in for good measure. Influenced by Nanci Griffith, Joni Mitchell, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, The Wailin' Jennys, Deb Talan/The Weepies, Martha Scanlan, Truckstop Souvenir, Alison Krauss, New Orleans, Flamenco, Appalachian and traditional folk music, and the list goes on....
BIRDY resonates with the richness of these influences, entertaining with songs that evoke many different sounds, thoughts, and feelings. The group identifies with the haunting sound of wind blowing through the trees, golden autumn days, the hope of spring, and music born from street, gospel and truth. BIRDY's new CD MAGIC DAYS was released in August 2012, and their first CD Journey Home, in October 2009.
Band Members
Links
