GRETTA SEABIRD LIVE AT THE SOU’WETER

3/1/2025 | FREE AND OPEN TO ALL | 8PM

Live Music: Gretta Seabird

 Gretta Seabird is the new moniker from frontwomen, Lee McDonnell (from Lee and the bees, Bevelers) that is packed with soul and pop. Lee and the band are set to release their first single ‘Cycling’ off their upcoming EP February of 2025. 

Lee has played locally in Portland for 13 years and has performed her songwriting across the US and Canada. 

Over the years she has shared bills at large and intimate settings with notable bands including Kaleo, Waxahatchee, Taylor John Williams, Nicki Bluhm, Shook Twins, Moorea Masa, Jesca Hoop, Mutual Benefit, among others. 

Her new project began with a simple songwriting challenge. Every two weeks, Jeremiah Brunnhoelzl would email guitar tracks from his flat in Brooklyn, NY to Lee McDonnell in Portland, OR, who would then give herself a mere day to pen down lyrics and melody. As the songs formed at a rapid, yet natural pace, the pair began to believe in the poetry they were creating, in the little moments caught in time. Thus, Gretta Seabird was formed, and with it the debut EP “Cycling.”

Lee McDonnell and Jeremiah Brunnhoelzl first met in 2011 near the beginning of their music careers, which found them each playing in various projects across Portland’s independent music scene. McDonnell formed projects ‘Bevelers’ and ‘Lee and the Bees’ and Brunnhoelzl began performing under the moniker ‘Arlo Indigo,’ allowing each artist to develop their own voice as they maintained a friendship over the years. The pandemic years brought about a transitional period for both artists: Brunnhoelzl relocated to Brooklyn, NY, while McDonnell battled vocal challenges that led to the loss of her singing voice for over a year.

“Losing my singing voice was absolutely frightening and I felt like I was losing my identity.” McDonnell said. “I felt like this EP was a revisit to getting back into music and falling in love with the processes and production.”

The EP is fresh, buoyant, each of its tracks a tiny love letter to the human condition. McDonnell’s voice floats above Brunnhoelzl’s playful guitar work, her rich harmonies and backing vocal flourishes adding a warmth to the spacious mix which explores an indie-pop sound that brings to mind The Blow, or Lucius. The sonic experimentation was a conscious decision on the part of McDonnell, who was eager to break free from the bounds of her guitar and embrace a new and unrestrained territory of exploration. It speaks to her philosophy as an artist, which renders her songwriting urgent and off the cuff.