Music of the Mountains: Where to be and what to see -- Salomé Songbird

Salome (usually spelled without an accent above the “e”) is a Hebrew name, derived from the word “shalom,” meaning “peace.” It’s a Biblical name given to a disciple, as well as a princess, in the New Testament. With this context, the parents of Dr. Joy Adams considered naming their daughter Salome. However, her dad was afraid of other kids calling her “salami” instead. Ultimately, they changed her name from “peace” to “joy,” but the woman who would grow up with the latter name would keep the former in her mind and heart.

The grown Adams attended graduate school at the University of Miami, writing songs at the same time as another student, Ariele Grace Macadangdang. In 2015, Macadangdang needed someone to join her for a set in a local cafe. She thought of Adams, as they both played in the classical string quartet The Wild. They came up with a name in their first rehearsal – Adams joked that she was Salome and Macadangdang that she was a songbird. Thus, the name Salomé Songbird (always spelled with the accent) stuck.

Ultimately, Adams moved to Colorado, encouraging Macadangdang to follow, as well as Bryan Dubrow, fellow University of Miami student as well as both Macadangdang’s musical partner (they started writing and performing together as American Darling Valve in late 2016) and her life partner (the two married in January 2021). For years, the three kept in touch and occasionally tried writing and performing long-distance with little to no success.

However, eventually, Dubrow and Macadangdang followed Adams’s requests and moved to Colorado together, and during the summer of 2022, the three found themselves stuck in quarantine at Adams’s house for over a week. After playing songs together on her porch, they all decided to revive Salomé Songbird as a trio, with Adams providing cello, banjo, mandolin, and vocals, Macadangdang providing violin and vocals, and Dubrow providing guitar.