Recent unexpected deaths remind us not only of our ultimate shared mortality, but our general inability at such times to express loss. And that’s where music comes in.
“Birdhouse,” the latest video from the Cleveland band Seafair that we’re proud to premiere today at TVD, uses the band’s strengths to pledge love and continued devotion to those departed, in a most tuneful way.
Like many of the band’s songs, it’s built on the snap of Ryan Kelly’s drums, over which the acoustic guitar and bass of Michael Flaherty and Joshua Riehl are deepened and colored by the tastefully done violin and cello of Andrea Belding-Elson and Tara Hanish. Atop all of that are the warm and rich vocals of Chayla Hope, who also provides keyboard touches.
Visually, the clip for Seafair’s “Birdhouse” is as lyrical as the sound, with its indication of memory marked by a stack of shared favorite vinyl, the flipping pages of a book, or especially the flocks of birds coming in to land. Throughout, the visual constant that’s front and center is its chief symbol of remembrance—not some mournful shroud or stone marker, but that most hopeful sentinel of spring and flight, the birdhouse.
“Every birdhouse that I ever see holds your memory, keeps you close to me,” Hope sings. An especially poignant moment comes when each band member holds a photo or object from some lost loved one to drive home the point—a personal moment in a beautifully made universal one.
“Birdhouse” is the latest video from the band’s full-length debut The Querencia. Recorded in Denver and released about a year ago, it’s helped Seafair win recognitions like Best Band 2015 from Cleveland Scene magazine. Tracks like “Birdhouse” ensure they’ll be wider known very soon.
Seafair Official | Facebook | Twitter
Seafair on Tour:
05/05 – Cleveland, OH – The Grog Shop*
05/07 – New York, NY – Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2*
05/20 – Akron, OH – The Rialto Theatre
06/10 – Pittsburgh, PA – Howler’s
06/11 – Brooklyn, NY – Littlefield
w/ Jesus On The Mainline
