Author: Shannon Cleary

"She said the best country singers die in the back of classic cars"
-Bright Eyes Classic Cars

There is no such thing as a short answer to a meaningful question. In considering this,
any attempt to develop meaning behind Signs and Wonders becomes futile, yet practical.
In every sound constitution and disappointment, Vassar and the Speckled Bird have
demonstrated something that is unique and peculiar. They have enabled themselves to
remove all elements that may have restrained the group in the past. As a result, they
surge forward in a way that surpasses all expectations anyone many have had in the past.
Vassar appears to be singing from a more personal place while the Speckled Bird feels
more like a concrete idea as opposed to an accompanying band of misfit musicians.

“Think of Me” literally buzzes and hums into the listener’s ear. A gentle guitar strum
is the first sign of Vassar’s arrival to the scene. This song is a prayer first and foremost.
It’s a prayer to feel known and not exist in partial hearsay. In every motion to beg for
forgiveness, there is a realization that in the eyes of the familiar they will always know
who you are. There is also a bit at play in regards to the state of the Speckled Bird as
a whole. In this declaration, one can only wonder if “Think of Me” is meant to speak
directly to an audience. This audience could be the one that knew Vassar all along or the
one that became introduced to Vassar upon his reappearance four years ago. This may
be a stretch, but it may also be an ode to the change that Signs and Wonders is about to
progress towards. It’s a confident reminder that in the Speckled Bird’s evolution, we will
all still know who they are. In my own personal reflections, I tend to think of absence.
In one’s absence, it becomes easy to forget the quirks and intricacies that you enable
you to believe that your ability to breathe is predicated on. In any reintroduction, it all
comes back and it floods your senses. This ability to still know, love and feel reverie is
all contained in the simple refrain orchestrated in “Think of Me.”

photograph by Jim Vassar.

This sense of remembrance carries itself into “The Face of My Father.” As we may all
realize, the idea of a person tends to transcend their physical being. With this thought in
mind, the voice of the song speaks of a desire and a thirst to return to a familiar time. In
this craving, it shouldn’t be mistaken for any claims of dissatisfaction in the current state
of things. It’s simply an appraisal of the place where we used to belong and what it means
to us presently. A musical dynamic utilized in the opening verse is the strength of simple
guitar plucks that pull off that add urgency to the lyrics. It’s the bumps in the memory
lanes that help guide us to the eventual refrain as well as the silver hues of bird wings as
they call the soft crescent of a lake home.

In any idea of home, there are places that are forced upon us. They will never compare
to home but they are what we adjust to in order to strive for survival. This is the sense I
get from “Black Canyon.” It’s in the struggles that a place can provide us that we find a
kinship that carries us through. This may also be the first moment that Signs and Wonders
makes the listener consider the travels that lay ahead. There have already been instances
where in the mind’s eye; our withered bones, failed organs and tested patience contain us
all for the successes we hope await us. “Black Canyon” more or less presents an idea that
waiting around for this could be the end to everything. The moments spent waiting are far
more dangerous than any of us could have ever anticipated.

photograph by Leslie Higgins.

In the same vein as “The Face of My Father,” we receive a similar thought in “The Ballad
of Charles Chamberlain.” Instead of reflecting on the past with a gentle fondness, this
song predicates itself on preparing for death. The preparation is a similar process in that
remembering the past has already been accomplished. It’s not that we have to realize
and appreciate all that has been achieved. In doing this, we can only hope to be ready
to become one of the dearly departed. Something that should be noted is how “The
Ballad of Charles Chamberlain” is able to consider a stark subject matter yet provide it
with a level of optimism. At no point does the song attempt to beg for pity or complete
redemption. It simply presents itself as an ode to a life lived to it’s fullest.

“Abilene” stands as an argument against the placation of former locations revealed on
Signs and Wonders. In this take, the enthusiasm of the protagonist comes across in a very
sentimental way. This will also be the song in which the record takes its name from. I
find it to be very revealing as to the reason why the record was entitled this. The way
in which the idea of “signs and wonders” is discussed is in light of past events revealed
throughout the record. In all of the tragedy and frustration that surrounds everyone,
there is a lot to be said about the often time ignored beauty the universe provides. In
the simplicity of describing an adventure running across a neighbor’s yard, it’s easy to
pinpoint this affection for the tiniest of satisfaction. It’s easy to cloud your judgment with
a failure to yearn for greater and bigger things. There are many justifications to find one
in this position, but the brave and chivalrous will always succeed when it comes to the
fruition of a lifetime well spent.


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“Turn To Face The Wind” isn’t that much different. In attempting to imagine the
important bestowed to the element of air and it’s subsequent fury in the shape of wind, I
think of how The Low Branches approached the idea of elemental effect. Their focus was
directed towards more aquatic elemental detriment. In Vassar’s case, he utilizes the idea
of how the wind provides vigor. It provides energy for the world to function. Its effect is
faintly realized in comparison to that of human action. An allusion is being illustrated
that describes how the little control we have over elemental forces is akin to the little
control we have over force that is set in motion by fierce emotion.

In how “Abilene” and “Turn To Face The Wind” analyze ideas, elements and physical
objects that are out of our control, “East Madison” focuses on disruption. The song
preys upon the listener’s reaction to the disruptive nature of violence. In a house falling
apart around our protagonist, she remains in a bathtub as something out of the ordinary
occurs outside. It’s in how she reacts that really brings chills to the situation. She sees
the flow of blood and how silence immediately overcomes the world. The use of the
word “trespass” is fitting. In this burglary of humanity, something far greater than
can ever be appreciated has been stolen. This isn’t considered as one can assume she
turns away from the window and pushes her attention back to remaining submerged
underwater.

photograph by Leslie Higgins

“Nothing Casts A Shadow” could be considered the final attempt. In this final plight,
the protagonist stares at the sky, the smoke, the valleys and everything in between. It’s
difficult to withstand the desire to just throw it all away. Everything appears as a disaster
and there seems to be reluctance in the world to mend itself. In the lack of shadows,
there is a lack of history and a lack of existence. A burned down tree no longer acts as
a marker of one’s past. It’s with the desire to rebuild that our protagonist decides that
he cant do this alone and to hope against hope is an awful way to live. As early songs
attempt to cope with tragedy, this is the moment when a realization that there will always
be destruction in the world. In this darkness, there is more to gain by using it to learn and
better oneself. It’s not to be forgotten but it’s worst to submit to this devastation. While
once and for all giving up the ghosts that are responsible for our personal and emotional
maturity.

Signs and Wonders bares this immediate sensation upon its first listen. You identify
that it is Jonathan Vassar and the Speckled Bird, but it’s not the one you recall from The
Hours and The Days. Nor is it the one you recognize from The Fire Next Time. This is
the moment when Vassar and the Speckled Bird have reached a pinnacle of achievement
that they have always been destined for. They embrace the cynicism, the personal history
and the declaration of desire to new heights. It’s not in how they resonate when you
listen to the record. It’s in how they resonate internally within each listener, participating
musician and the songsmith of Jonathan Vassar with the assistance of Josh Quarles. It
makes sense that this would be the first proper full-length by Vassar and the Speckled
Bird. If I may, I’d like to introduce all of you to Jonathan Vassar and the Speckled Bird
and the enigmatic delicate thoughts they have created on Signs and Wonders.

The Speckled Bird is Chris Edwards, Joshua Quarles, Antonia FD Vassar and Jonathan Vassar
All songs by Quarles and Vassar, except Abeline by Edwards and Vassar.
Recorded and Mixed by Joshua Quarles at Book House Studio.
Mastered by Saff Mastering.
'Signs & Wonders' Design work by Matt Klimas
Released by Triple Stamp Records
Album Packaging by Triple Stamp Press

'Signs & Wonders' is available through Triple Stamp Records: triplestamp.com

Keep up with The Speckled Bird through their website: jonathanvassar.com

See Jonathan Vassar & The Speckled Bird live at The Firehouse T...

with Chris Kasper (PA), and The Dish Dogs (Harrisonburg).