SONGBIRD | Adventures in home recording with Martin Ruby

SONGBIRD is a brutally honest, behind the scenes look at the songwriting and recording process. Based on Marco North's experiences with his debut album, Heaven Get Behind Me  he shares demos, hard-earned lessons, triumphs and finished tracks in each episode.

An expat New Yorker living in Moscow, playing 100-year-old instruments, writing songs about Fellini dying, a French stalker, Kodachrome and California divorces, North shares one bittersweet anecdote after the next in this fascinating deep dive into his sparse, cinematic songs.

Musicians will find inspiration, a healthy serving of laughter and great deal of comfort from this series. Music lovers will get an inside look at the creative process, and the story behind each song.

Recent Episodes

Feb. 19, 2022

The story behind the song | Lord Loves a Workin' Man

This "behind the song" episode is all about another SPITBALL classic, Lord Loves a Working' Man. Marco talks with SPITBALL's rhythm section - Chris Orcutt (drums) and Mike Webb (bass) about the origins of this lurid, muscula…
Feb. 2, 2022

The story behind the song | Use Me

This "behind the song" episode is all about SPITBALL's cover of Bill Wither's Use Me (often called Use Me Up by mistake). Marco talks with SPITBALL's "engine room" - Chris Orcutt (drums) and Mike Webb (bass) about what makes…
Jan. 20, 2022

The story behind the song | Ska'd for Life

This "behind the song" episode is all about a SPITBALL classic, Ska'd for Life. This is the first time our listeners will hear both a live CBGBs version as well as a studio version of the track, made at LOHO Studios. Loho ha…
Jan. 5, 2022

The story behind the song | Hairdryer + Home Cookin'

SERIES UPDATE: We some terribly sad news to share with our listeners. SPITBALL's glorious singer and guitarist Molly Fitch passed away. With her family's blessing, we are going to continue publishing our interviews with her,…
Dec. 19, 2021

The story behind the song | Sunshine Superman

SERIES UPDATE: We some terribly sad news to share with our listeners. SPITBALL's glorious singer and guitarist Molly Fitch passed away last week, and we are just at a complete loss. With her family's blessing, we are going t…
Dec. 10, 2021

The story behind the song | Raychel + Gun/Parkside

SONGBIRD Season Two continues with a double-decker "behind the song" episode, all about Raychel and Gun/Parkside. We ask the big questions, like "Is Raychel our Sweet Jane?" and dig into SPITBALL's nimble, loose style. At an…