Skirts / Wished Bone / Vireo

Skirts Bio - By Mallory Hawk

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When Dallas songwriter Alex Montenegro began writing songs, she stuck to her usual tools, an out of tune guitar, a loop pedal, a Tascam tape machine. After self-recording the entirety of her early DIY bandcamp releases, 2021’s sprawling debut Great Big Wild Oak saw Montenegro  incorporate other musicians and recording methods alongside her established style. Great Big Wild Oak displayed Skirts at their most polished, weaving warm, traditional Americana textures with Montenegro’s lo-fi piano and intimate vocals. The album earned her the title of “Band to Watch” by Stereogum and a home on indie label Double Double Whammy.

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On new single “Run” — the band’s first release since 2021, Montenegro continues to synthesize the DIY and high-fidelity approach to writing music. Though the song’s immediate guitar squeal is a far cry from her early soft-spoken bedroom pop, Montenegro’s twangy grooves and hushed vocals intermingle with the new, bombastic sounds. 

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During a west coast tour in 2022, Montenegro was insistent on spotting wild horses, though the patience and long drives required became too cumbersome. “The idea of seeing these beautiful creatures just run free for hours is still such a dream of mine. That imagery is what inspired the first line of the song.” she recalls. “I sort of swung into a place where I could only write songs on piano after covid, and ‘Run’ is a result of that.” Leaning into a more collaborative environment, Montenegro’s joined by Joshua Luttrull on lead guitar, Daniel Bryson on drums, and Bennett Littlejohn on bass. “I’ve always liked to create depth and texture by using cool production. I feel a lot of growth in our sound and I’m very excited to have something new out in the world.”

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Wished Bone Bio by: Spencer Radcliffe

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There is a tune drifting above Athens County, Ohio. Wafting past the water tower and mingling with the muted multicolor palettes of trees that endlessly line the ridges, the melody is tender and the words are true. Wished Bone is the pseudonym of Ashley Rhodus, a well-versed student of song and expert conjurer of every fleeting feeling. 

Wished Bone is something of a well-kept Appalachian secret. Over the past 8 years, Rhodus has released two full-length albums (2019’s Sap Season and 2018’s Cellar Belly) as well as two collaborative albums and her debut EP, Pseudo Recordings.  Rhodus’s songs tend to stretch and dream like blossoming buds while also radiating a buzzing warmth, like a baseboard heater coming back to life after summertime hibernation. The music itself is like a watercolor brushed with gently strummed acoustic guitars and lilting drums, keys and woodwinds bleeding in from the edges. Undeniably central is Rhodus’s singular voice, carrying  an irresistible realness and guiding the songs like a lantern flickering down a wooded path. Wished bone is a love letter to the world. 

A plant biologist and gardener by trade, Rhodus sees human experience as an organic reflection of the natural world and its processes. Currently studying cartography (officially) and Tascam-ography (unofficially) in Ohio, keep an eye out for new music and summer/fall tour dates.

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+ Vireo - https://vireo.bandcamp.com/