The band is a musical project based around songs written and played by Ross Cowman (previously part of The Pasties) with various line-ups over the band's history. They use, at various times, the guitar, cello, harp, melodica, flute, glockenspiel, banjo, and of course, voices. Topics range from mental illness, gender standards, and male privilege, to the celebration of relationships and place.
Lineups:
A Long and Ugly Road
-Ross Cowman was previously part of The Pasties.
-Sara Lankutis sang and performed on the first album, A Long and Ugly Road.
The Winged Life
-Ross Cowman
-Onyx of Olympia, who sings and plays harp in The Winged Life, has performed and recorded solo and is a founding member of Olympia DIY supergroup Polka Dot Dot Dot.
-Christopher Schiel, who sings and plays cello in The Winged Life, has performed and recorded solo as SON.
-Bobby Joe Watson sings and plays banjo.
Battlegrounds
-Ross Cowman
-Danielle Chiero sings and plays flute.
-Micah Ellison, who sings and plays melodica in Batllegrounds, has performed and recorded in Seattle as Secret Plan.
Lions of Cascadia
-Ross Cowman
-Molly McDermott
-Sean Carson
-Danielle Chiero
Ross Cowman and Micah Ellison regularly perform in the band and are sometimes joined by Danielle Chiero.
Bedroom Faeries
June Madrona Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trying not to fall behind
You and you tall friends
Talking about boys
We put makeup on
That night in your room
You took a picture of me
Dressed up in girl's clothes
Now i know how faeries cleaned my room
Now i know how santa always knew
Sister i love you
Weekends on the boat
Dad hid behind newspapers
You took trips down the dock
To call boys on the phone
And i didn't understand
Why you wouldn't just ignore
All the sexist shit he'd say
To you and your friends
When i was a boy i wasn't there for you
Now that i'm grown i have no excuse
Sister i love you
The lyrics to June Madrona's "Bedroom Faeries" give insight into the relationship between the singer and their sister. The first verse describes a childhood memory of the singer following their sister home from school while trying to keep up with her and her tall friends. They reminisce about a night where they put makeup on and their sister took a picture of them dressed up in girl's clothes. The second verse moves into discussing their weekends on a boat with their dad, where their sister would take trips down to the dock to call boys on the phone, all while their dad hid behind newspapers. The singer reflects on their lack of understanding as to why their sister didn't just ignore the sexist remarks made by the boys.
The chorus of the song repeats the lyrics "Sister, I love you," solidifying the fact that despite differences and past mistakes, the singer loves and cares for their sister deeply. The final lines of the song express regret for not being there for their sister when they were a boy, but now that they are grown, they have no excuse. The song concludes with the repeated line, "Sister, I love you."
Line by Line Meaning
I followed you home from school
I trailed behind you as you walked back to your house after classes
Trying not to fall behind
I made sure not to lose sight of you and fall too far back in the distance
You and your tall friends
You and your group of equally tall friends
Talking about boys
Engaged in conversation about boys; discussing them
We put makeup on
We applied cosmetics to our faces
That night in your room
On a particular night spent in your bedroom
You took a picture of me
You captured an image of me with a camera
Dressed up in girl's clothes
Wearing clothing and accessories typically meant for females
Now i know how faeries cleaned my room
After reflecting upon past experiences, I now understand that otherworldly beings tidied up my living space
Now i know how santa always knew
I have come to realize the method through which Santa Claus gained knowledge about my behavior
Sister i love you
Dear sibling, I care deeply about you
Weekends on the boat
Days off spent on the watercraft
Dad hid behind newspapers
Our father concealed himself behind printed material
You took trips down the dock
You made journeys down the dock
To call boys on the phone
In order to communicate with male acquaintances via telephone
And i didn't understand
I was unable to comprehend
Why you wouldn't just ignore
I couldn't grasp why you wouldn't simply disregard
All the sexist shit he'd say
The sexist remarks he made
To you and your friends
Directed towards you and your group of pals
When i was a boy i wasn't there for you
During my youth, I failed to be present for you
Now that i'm grown i have no excuse
As an adult, I can no longer justify my past absences and shortcomings
Sister i love you
To my dear sibling, I hold great affection for you
Contributed by Joshua F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.