“It’s more of a classic-sounding song compared to most of my music… I had ‘Wheels’ recorded, but was looking for a harmony similar to the Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris Trio album,” says Chicago singer/songwriter Ella Williams, aka Squirrel Flower (whose sounds she describes as “witch rock”), of the standalone single, which dropped this March and may just be the “PHILTHYest” song ever, as it also features Ella’s friends (and ours) Billie Marten and Babehoven’s Maya Bon. Williams and I are chatting via phone for the first time since the first quarter of 2023, when she was preparing to bring Squirrel Flower’s solo acoustic headlining tour to The Side Chape of the First Unitarian Church.
However, this April Squirrel Flower found herself in The Sanctuary of the First Unitarian Church for the final night of a tour opening for Billie Marten, which gave fans a rare opportunity to hear a live rendition of “Wheels” featuring Ella and Billie, which closed out Squirrel Flower’s set: “I think the collab actually happened before the tour materialized, but it was really freakin’ amazing to get to play it every night!” I find out during a recent chat with Babehoven that Ella actually invited Maya to perform the song as the official trio at the Philadelphia appearance, but Maya had to decline for practical reasons. (Keep checking the site for that chat and get your tickets to see Babehoven headlining Johnny Brenda’s November 5th.)
That April show at The Church was actually Squirrel Flower’s first of three shows in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection this year. This June she opened The Fillmore for Spoon and The Beths (her biggest local show yet), and on September 30th Squirrel Flower will be headlining Johnny Brenda’s for the final show of the venue’s 20th anniversary month. The gig is part of a tour that kicks off tonight behind Squirrel Flower’s fourth studio album, Say A Prayer to the Gods of Getting Going, which dropped last month courtesy of longtime home Polyvinyl Record Co. (also home to PHILTHY phriends Momma, Palehound, and STRFKR.)
“With this album, I wanted to lean into my voice a lot more and intentionally produce the music in a way so that there was nothing getting in the way of or shrouding the voice. It was important to me to have physical space between my voice and the instruments,” Williams explains of Say A Prayer to the Gods of Getting Going, her second full-length collaboration in a row at Asheville’s Drop of Sun studios with co-producer Alex Farrar, who’s also worked with PHILTHY phriends like Hotline TNT, mercury, Hello Mary, Indigo De Souza, and Snail Mail. Williams says she’s a big fan of Farrar’s catalogue, especially his work with Wednesday, Merce Lemon, Fust, Horse Jumper of Love (whose Dimitri Giannopoulos opened the 2023 show at The Church), Annie DiRusso, and Truth Club (which is her all-time favorite). She also tells me that Farrar helped shape the album’s sound.
“He’s the best! I trust him a lot as a collaborator. [2023 LP] Tomorrow’s Fire was one of the easiest and most locked-in collaborations I’ve ever done. This album was more of a struggle, not in a bad way, but more of a mystery… I had so many songs, and he helped to guide the direction of the record by helping me to decide what songs to keep, and he encouraged me to record the quieter songs.”
“Cleveland,” Say A Prayer to the Gods of Getting Going’s fourth and final single was co-written (a rarity for Ella) with sibling Nate Williams for their family band, uncommon rat… a family band I was unfamiliar with prior to the single’s press release… “It’s really underground and we haven’t released much. The band formed in 2022, when we were all living in Chicago; we had been playing so much music together our whole lives… We played some shows, but then two months later they moved back to the East Coast,” Ella tells me. However, this July they did play a DIY festival: “We recently played the Nitro-a-Go-Go festival in Chicago, which was all outdoor generator shows, but it was totally great, with shows from artists like Greg Freeman, Age of Peace, and PARKiNG.”
Squirrel Flower’s current headlining tour runs for two solid months, wrapping with a hometown show at Thalia Hall on November 20th. In addition to the Johnny Brenda’s show, Ella tells me she’s really excited for New York City at Elsewhere (“It’s on a rooftop!”); Ojai, California (which she mentions is the site of the wellness center/rehab facility in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice); her first show in Vancouver; and several shows in Texas (“I have four shows in Texas, which is crazy.”) “The band sounds phenomenal… It feels like every time we play, we’re truly playing music. It feels very new, it feels very raw, it feels very electric,” Williams tells me of the current live show.
Joining Squirrel Flower as support are three acts (each handling a different portion of the touur) that are quite noteworthy in their own right: youbet (who you may have seen locally with Coco, Ratboys/Palehound, or This Is Lorelei, and who will be opening The Church for Wishy on October 15th… Get your tickets and keep checking the site for my recent chat with Wishy’s Kevin Krauter.), Dari Bay (who’s opening the Johnny Brenda’s show), and our phriends Sour Widows (who we met prior to their September 2024 show at Johnny Brenda’s… a double-headlining date with youbet…) And Ella tells me all of the acts are quite near and dear to her: “I’m really excited! All of these bands are friends of mine… I feel so lucky to have them joining me. Those three bands are like my three favorite bands!”
*Get your tickets here.
**Listen for a Squirrel Flower classic on the September edition of Philthy Radio, now streaming via Y-Not Radio.
