Album Notes

Check out albums by Congress of Starlings and Andrea Bunch at cdbaby.com/group/congressofstarli

The moment she picked up her father's 1958 Harmony tenor guitar, Aerin Tedesco started writing songs . . . and she hasn't stopped since.

Her songwriting came of age at Bard College in the Hudson Valley, where she studied literature and creative writing and began building a following at coffeehouses and colleges in the region.

After graduating, Aerin returned to her hometown Buffalo, where she performed at well-loved local venues such as Nietzsche's and the Calumet Arts Café, and collaborated with talented artists such as rock diva Alison Pipitone, guitar legend Michael Meldrum, and songstress Kathy Moriarty. She also established her own independent record label, Egasage Records (named after her two tenor guitars, Egas and Sage). Aerin's work in Buffalo earned her an appearance on the television program AM Buffalo, an invitation to read her songs at the public library poetry series, and nominations for an Artvoice Music Award and Buffalo Music Award.

From her home base Aerin began to travel across the Northeast and Midwest, performing at clubs, coffeehouses, colleges, and festivals (including the North by Northeast Festival, Great Blue Heron Festival, Lilith Fair Festival, and National Women's Music Festival). Concert reviewers delighted in her spunky onstage presence, expressive songwriting, captivating voice, and trademark tenor guitar.

When Aerin released her fourth album, Angels and Allegories, it appeared in ICE Magazine's Indie Five for December 1999. It was also eagerly awaited by an international mailing list of fans who had discovered Aerin not only at her live performances, but also on disc at local record stores like New World Record in Buffalo, NY and Side One Music in Richmond, IN; or on radio programs like WBFO's Folk Music Show in Buffalo, NY and WPKN's Amazon Radio in New Haven, CT; or in print in publications like Dirty Linen; or on the Web at sites like MP3.com.

Aerin moved to Chicago in the Spring of 2000. She has been playing at local venues, such as Uncommon Ground, the Heartland Caf'e9, and the Old Town School of Folk Music. Encouraged by the success of Angels, Aerin recently completed her fifth CD entitled Birthmark, which she released on September 18, 2003. Most of the album was recorded by Belfast native and local Chicago engineer Joe Cassidy (Butterfly Child, Assassins) and features a host of local talent such as Doug Brush (Las Guitarra s de Espana, Kristin Shout) on drums and percussion, Nick Macri (Euphone, Bobby Conn) on bass, J.P. Cassidy (Magnesium, Cardinals) on electric guitar, Steve Thorngate (Sinister Luck Ensemble) on electric guitar, Rob Stephenson (Sunnyside Up) on guitar, an d Andrea Bunch on vocals.