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The best thing about afternoon PopFest shows is the likelihood that you will be surprised by band at least once per day. Yesterday, that band was Little Birds from McKinney, TX. They played soft, soft music where the guitars sounded like ringing bells, with a country jangle. One of the lyrics stuck with me: "Something more than what I am." They were definitely more than what their unassuming stage presence indicated.
When we asked them a month ago what to expect from their PopFest set, they told us, "Music from Texas that doesn't necessarily sound like music from Texas." Well, it did sound like it was from Texas, like the unhurried rumble of Texas weather. It wasn't lazy, just inevitable and purifying and dusty. I'll never read a page of Cormac McCarthy again without hearing Little Birds in my head.
What really got me, though, was the tinge of small church gospel that colored most of their set. The harmonies weren't boys-choir-flawless, but they were rough and beautiful enough for the worship of regular people, which is what I happen to prefer. If you have a minute, check out some of their music on MySpace - "A Song For You" gets me a little.
<a href="http://www.athensexchange.com/blog/302">http://www.athensexchange.com/blog/302</a> - Len Neighbors (Athens Exchange)
Discography
Now I Understand (ep)
A Secret In Your Ear
Compilations:
Music By the Book (Half Price Books)
Photos
Bio
Little Birds began as a simple solo project for Brooke Opie Ragusa, but it has evolved into an instrument swapping sextet brimming with harmonies. After years of performing by herself under her own name, Brooke was joined by her husband Dan, Faye Collins, Cliff Caster and Justin Lloyd in 2006. With the addition of Scott Lorenz, the group decided to rename themselves Little Birds. No longer the product of any single member, the band's music develops naturally from the sum of its parts. Evoking both the sprawling openness of their north Texas home and the intimacy of conversations with close friends, Little Birds make music that is unpretentious and quietly uplifting.
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