Punkie and the Spitfires - BirdwellMusic.com

Track Cover Art for Punkie and the Spitfires

I'd been playing ukulele for a few months and was discovering some sounds I thought were cool. It was the discovery of learning new chords and shapes along with the vague idea of a story about an "all-woman" band that made this tune come together. I've been inspired by so many female artists and bands: Heart (Ann and Nancy Wilson), Carol King, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, The Go-Go's, just to name a few. It was only recently that the band Fanny came to my attention. They weren't on my radar as a kid, but should have been. During the pandemic I listened to a lot of Fanny's music and learned a bit about their lives and music. Donald Fagan's "The H Gang" was a cool vibe that I have to confess I drew inspiration from.

Like my love of jazz and the jazz masters, the so-called "girl" bands of yesterday and even today don't seem to get the same attention as their male only counterparts. Maybe that's changing, but probably not.

We'll, connecting that bit of nostalgia with the pandemic and the politics of this day might make it easier to understand how I came up with my epic "Punkie" ballad. I owe a great debt to the ukulele I was learning at the time as the sound of that little instrument opened my mind to some musical settings I'd never considered. I soaked up a lot during the online Master Class with Jake Shimabukuro. What a great teacher and musician he is! And while I'll probably always maintain my amateur status on the ukulele I see that as a good thing. A simple instrument, simple (mostly) chords and settings, a bit of synth colorings and sound effects and "Punkie" emerged as something bigger than me.

I was super excited to record "Punkie" and did everything in my power to try to get the imagery of this "three-piece ultimate band" that saves humanity through a combination raw skill and determination into some sort of sonic form that could convey the story that came to me seemingly out of the blue, but was actually there all along and I simply needed to recognize it and write it down.

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Lyrics

Punkie and the Spitfires words and music by Rob Birdwell

she was a young woman
living in dystopian times
fighting “The Forces”
any way that she could

she got a secret-coded message
from her grandfather who
had been in hiding
since the “Night of the Wood”

at the rendez-vous location
he gave her information
of the Phase Three
Resistance plan

there was a cache of munitions
for radical musicians
to fight and form
the ultimate band

Punkie learned to play
on her grandfather’s custom strat
joined by Coco and Luana
endless nights they slayed
those serpentine attacks
fury pouring down like rain...

Punkie and the Spitfires
burning hot molten metal tonight
Punkie and the Spitfires
burning on and on and on
Punkie and the Spitfires
lighting it up
they gonna give you a fight boi
Punkie and the Spitfires…

there was talk in the council
of rebellion and scoundrels
causing citizens
to rumble and scream

the last thing they needed
was to crack
and be defeated
by a Punkie-Spitfire team

meanwhile the word was on the wire
of a rebel band on fire
with a hyper-sonic
victory plan

and though they knew a lot about ‘em
the council couldn’t stop ‘em
they were helpless
when the music began

Punkie made her way
through every desperate town
joined by Coco and Luana
underground they played
their fiery rebel sound
thunder roaring through the pain...

(heavy metal ½ time interlude & fermata)

there were major celebrations
for the slew of liberations
all the people glad to be free

some thought without a villain terror
they would never stay together
and “The Flames” would be history

but never fear a bit for Punkie
as she kept it hot and funky
with her Spitfires close at hand

they were the talk of generations
endless love and veneration
for this three-piece ultimate band

Punkie learned to play
on her grandfather’s custom strat
joined by Coco and Luana
endless nights they slayed
those serpentine attacks
fury pouring down like rain...

Punkie and the Spitfires
ou ou ou...ou ou...
Punkie and the Spitfires
burning on and on and on

Punkie and the Spitfires...