Salome Songbird, a Denver-based trio blending strings, harmonies, and heartfelt songwriting, returned to KGNU for a live in-studio session. They performed original songs, including “Moon Song,” “White Wine,” and “Mango Margaritas,” and spoke with Indra Raj about their creative process, balancing heavy themes with humor, and upcoming shows across Colorado. (9/24/25)
Indra Raj: I am so pleased to be bringing onto our airwaves, live in our studio, Salome Songbird, local musicians. They were in at the beginning of this year, and they’re back again to play some music for us and talk about upcoming shows. Hi, everyone.
Salome Songbird: Hello.
Indra Raj: How are you doing?
Salome Songbird: Thanks for having us on today.
Indra Raj: We’re so happy to have you back and excited to hear some music. Why don’t we start with that, and then we’ll chat?
(Song performance – “One Day”)
Indra Raj: You are listening to Salome Songbird live in the KGNU studios this morning. Is that a new one?
Salome Songbird: That’s actually an old one. I wrote it probably 10 years ago.
Indra Raj: Okay.
Salome Songbird: But it’s come to new life with this band, which is exciting.
Indra Raj: What’s it called?
Salome Songbird: Little Blackbird. Sorry—it’s gone through a couple of name changes. I’m really bad at naming my songs. It’s had about three different names, but Little Blackbird is where it’s at. And that’s going to come out as a single in a couple of weeks.
Indra Raj: Wonderful. Before we get to that, I’d love it if you could all just say your name and what instrument you’re playing in the band.
Joy Adams: I’m Joy Adams. I was playing banjo on that song, but I also play mandolin and cello in the band.
Ariele McCing: I’m Ariele McCing. I play violin, sing, and write some of the songs in the band.
Bryan Dubrow: I’m Bryan Dubrow. I play guitar and do some singing.
Indra Raj: Great. It’s so wonderful to have you back in the studio. Talking about singles—you’ve released a few throughout this year, right?
Salome Songbird: Yeah.
Indra Raj: Are you looking to release a full album or EP at some point, or how are you approaching that?
Salome Songbird: I’d love to eventually do an album. We have plans in the works. The singles are great because you can focus so much attention on one song at a time, tell the full story behind it, and give it proper playtime.
At the very beginning of the year, we released four songs. I think all of them had a certain amount of weight, and it was nice to give each their due. Thankfully, the way streaming services work, you can bundle those songs into a collection or an album.
We’ve got a couple more songs planned, and then hopefully at the start of next year we’ll start getting a proper full-length album rolling. If we’re ready for it.
Indra Raj: I know we had you in earlier this year, but for people who may not have heard that session, can you remind our listeners how you three found each other and became a band?
Ariele McCing: Sure. Joy and I went to school at the University of Miami. We met in the grad school program—I think we were in a classical string quartet together.
Joy Adams: Yeah.
Ariele McCing: And we both knew the other wrote songs. At one point I needed someone to join me for a short set at a local café. It was unpaid and ended up being background music.
Joy Adams: Yeah, I got paid in coffee—classic gigs.
Ariele McCing: I asked a bunch of people, and I asked Joy because I knew she wrote songs. The band name actually came out of that night. We were excited and came up with “Salome Songbird” during rehearsal.
The story behind that is that Joy was supposed to be named Salome, and I was the songbird. All of our songs have a darker element to them with a bit of whimsy. We revived this project after at least seven or eight years and added Bryan, so now we’re a trio.
Indra Raj: Yes. Well, it’s great to have you here. We’ll talk a little more, but you do have a few shows coming up this weekend. Do you want to mention what those are?
Salome Songbird: Yes. We’re going to be in Carbondale, Salida, and Greeley this weekend. Friday we’re playing at Steve’s Guitars in Carbondale at 8:00 PM. Saturday we’re playing at a church in Salida. And Sunday we’re playing a house concert in Greeley.
You can find all the info for those on our website, salomesongbird.com, or on the venues’ websites. You can get tickets or RSVP for the house concert there. And if you know anyone in those towns, please send them our way—we’d love to see them.
Indra Raj: Sounds like they’re all going to be pretty intimate concert experiences.
Salome Songbird: Oh yeah, that’s our jam. Those are always special for everyone—the performers and the listeners.
Indra Raj: Alright, let’s hear a couple songs right in a row, and then we’ll come back and talk a little.
(Song performances: “Moon Song” and “White Wine”)
Indra Raj: This is Salome Songbird live in the KGNU studio this morning on the Morning Sound Alternative. Just so beautiful. Another DJ here, who’s on after me, texted to say how much she’s enjoying your set. I’m sure many of our listeners are too. It’s wonderful to have you back in the studio.
We first heard Moon Song, which is a released single, and then what was the second song you played?
Salome Songbird: That one’s called White Wine—W-H-I-N-E.
Indra Raj: Got it. That one’s not released yet?
Salome Songbird: No, I wrote it during the pandemic after a pretty deep argument with a family member. It came from that tension where they said, “We ought to get along because we’re family,” despite voting really differently. On a base level that sounds idealistic, but if someone’s voting against your rights—or your friends’ rights—it’s really hard to look them in the eye and feel love. That’s where the song came from.
Indra Raj: Yeah, that’s probably a familiar tension for a lot of people these days. Nice to hear the background on that. Do you plan to record and release it?
Salome Songbird: I hope it winds up on the upcoming album project we’re starting to dig into.
(Conversation continues about originals vs. covers, arrangements, and band process …)
(Final song performance: “Mango Margaritas”)
Indra Raj: Thank you so much to Salome Songbird for being here in the studio today. Let’s run through these shows one last time: Steve’s Guitars in Carbondale on Friday, September 26th; Saturday the 27th in Salida; and Sunday the 28th at Cottonwood House Concerts in Greeley.
You also have shows in October and December—October 11th at Bread Bar in Silver Plume, October 12th at Swallow Hill Music in Denver with the Rakish Duo, and December 4th as part of the Soundpost Sessions.
People can keep up with you at salomesongbird.com and on Instagram, right?
Salome Songbird: Yes! We’ve got a pretty silly Instagram account—we like to balance the heavy songs with humor.
Indra Raj: Perfect. Well, I have a Bandcamp alert set for your music, and I’ll be waiting for the new singles and album when it comes. We look forward to having you in the studio again, hopefully next year.
Salome Songbird: That’d be great. Thanks so much for having us.
Indra Raj: Thank you for being here.
