Hello reader,
Welcome back.
Today, we’re going to explore an American roots musician venturing out on his own. The one and only Freddy Trujillo. According to the bio for his newest album, “For more than two decades, Freddy Trujillo has quietly built one of the most distinctive careers in American roots music. Whether anchoring the rhythm section as bassist for Richmond Fontaine and The Delines or stepping into the spotlight as a solo artist, the Simi Valley, California-born and Portland, Oregon-based musician has consistently blended Americana, folk, rock, Mexican musical traditions, and deeply personal storytelling into a body of work that refuses to fit neatly into any one genre. His songs have explored Chicano identity, family, memory, injustice, and belonging with equal parts honesty and compassion, earning him a reputation as one of the Pacific Northwest’s most thoughtful songwriters.”
Trujillo’s solo discography includes his debut full-length album Hawks & Highways (2002), followed by Amexica (2014), the great Sketch of a Man (2023), and I Never Threw A Shadow At It (2024). You can find all releases on his site both digitally and physically, right here.
And on September 26th via El Cortez Records, Ave Trujillo was released for your listening pleasure. Via the El Cortez site press release, we learn more about the album itself and Freddy: “The title itself carries multiple meanings. ‘Ave’ means ‘bird’ in both Spanish and Latin, while also serving as a playful nod to Ave Maria. It immediately hints at the album’s central idea without revealing just how expansive that idea becomes over its songs. While each track bears the name of a different bird, Ave Trujillo isn’t simply a record about birds. Instead, birds become characters, symbols, metaphors, and witnesses, connecting everyday human experiences to the rhythms of the natural world.”
Buckle up, you’re in for a lot of bird talk today. In a good way, though. You don’t have to be a birder to enjoy this album or the information you’ll read about it today. Good is good regardless of genre or concept. Don’t judge a book by its cover either.
The release on the site continues, “I have always been into birds since I was a kid. They’ve appeared on other records. My first record was called Hawks & Highways. It was sort of a challenge to see if I could make a whole bird-themed record.” Trujillo explains.
The El Cortez site continues, “Ironically, the project almost became something entirely different. Trujillo originally envisioned Ave Trujillo as a children’s album, inspired in part by his years working at CD Baby, where he noticed just how successful children’s music could be. The idea began innocently enough with ‘Black-capped Chickadee,’ whose cheerful melody was inspired directly by the bird’s unmistakable call. But as the writing continued, the songs naturally drifted toward darker, more nuanced subjects. Rather than fight where the music wanted to go, Trujillo embraced it. ‘I couldn’t seem to make it a children’s record,’ he laughs. ‘It got too dark.’ That balance between light and shadow ultimately became one of the record’s defining strengths. Bright, melodic songs sit comfortably beside stories of loss, disappearance, cultural identity, environmental concern, and hope. Trujillo compares the approach to the dynamic between John Lennon and Paul McCartney, where lighter moments helped offset the heavier ones. “I liked the idea that a song like ‘Black-capped Chickadee’ would offset some of the darker themes,’ he says. ‘Much like Paul McCartney would add to a Beatles record.'”
Trujillo continues, “‘I wanted these birds to have different characters,’ he says. ‘I took some publishing classes through Berklee that talked a lot about co-writing. I’m a much more confident writer now, so collaboration comes easier.’ Those collaborations also reunited many of the musicians who have become central figures throughout Trujillo’s career. Produced alongside Cory Gray, who engineered, mixed, arranged the horn parts, and contributed keyboards and trumpet, the album features Sean Oldham on drums, Willy Vlautin on rhythm guitar and co-writing duties for ‘Canyon Wren,’ and Richmond Fontaine founding member Paul Brainard delivering a memorable guitar solo on ‘Turkey Vulture.’ Longtime collaborator Luther Russell – best known for his work with Those Pretty Wrongs, Sarabeth Tucek, and as a co-writer on songs recorded by Weezer – returns to co-write ‘Vermilion Flycatcher.’ Russell also produced Trujillo’s first three solo albums, making his presence on Ave Trujillo feel like both a reunion and a continuation of one of the artist’s most important creative partnerships. ‘I realized if I got Sean, Dan, Willy, Cory and myself together, it was almost like Richmond Fontaine 2.0,’ Trujillo says. ‘Then adding Paul made it even more special.'”
It’s a unique project, as Trujillo notes, “I don’t know if anyone has done a bird-themed record. I always have a hard time figuring out what genre I fit into. I usually just say rock, singer-songwriter, Americana. I’m influenced by all of it.”
Let’s take a look at the great illustrations that were used for the singles artwork!
Let’s check in again with Trujillo and the El Cortez press release: “For all its musical ambition, however, Ave Trujillo ultimately circles back to a remarkably simple idea: paying attention. Trujillo hopes listeners leave the album not only humming melodies inspired by birdsong, but also looking up a little more often.
‘The natural world is always around us,’ he says. ‘Sometimes we don’t notice it. People say, ‘Stop and smell the roses.’ I’m saying, ‘Listen to the birds.’ They can tell us a lot about what’s happening environmentally, and by putting these birds into stories about everyday life, maybe people will start paying more attention.’
That philosophy extends beyond the album itself. Trujillo also hopes Ave Trujillo introduces new listeners to his music-driven web series, On the List with Freddy Trujillo, where his lifelong passions for music and birding naturally intersect. Rather than simply documenting birds, the series follows Trujillo as he takes fellow musicians into the field for bird walks, using the experience as the backdrop for conversations about songwriting, touring, creativity, and the ever-changing music industry. Equal parts birding adventure, music documentary, and artist interview series, On the List with Freddy Trujillo reflects many of the same themes explored throughout Ave Trujillo.
‘I see a lot of similarities between birds and musicians.’ Trujillo says. ‘Birds often have to migrate to survive, much like bands do. The Delines spend a great deal of time touring Europe because that’s where we’re able to survive as artists. Birds sing, and musicians sing. We’re all colorful characters who like to fluff our feathers a little.'”
And now that we’ve explored the concept of the album and Freddy’s discography and biography a bit, let’s head to Freddy Trujillo’s YouTube channel for some hype for your ears:
Check out the opening track, “Black-Capped Chickadee”:
(All credits to Freddy Trujillo)
The next song, “Common Loon”:
(All credits to Freddy Trujillo)
All the brass instrumentation within the “Canyon Wren”:
(All credits and rights to Freddy Trujillo)
The obnoxious neighbors. “Blue Jay”:
(All credits and rights to Freddy Trujillo)
Overall, Ave Trujillo showcases Freddy Trujillo’s songcraft and songwriting talents. Assembling a who’s who of musicians, aka Richmond Fontaine 2.0 in Cory Gray (engineered, mixed, arranged the horn parts, and contributed keyboards and trumpet), Sean Oldham (drums), Willy Vlautin (rhythm guitar, co-writer for a song), Paul Brainard (with a stunning guitar solo on ‘Turkey Vulture’), Luther Russell, and Sarabeth Tucek (co-wrote a song), brought together to assist in executing an ambitious concept album from a devoted birder. Each showcases their own skills, clear for all listeners to hear. The result of all assembled parts is a damn good album that seamlessly combines a love of birds with gorgeous multi-layered melodies, excellent musicianship, and nearly a dozen great stories of human existence and experiences that also feature birds and some personification. Each track incorporates the bird named in the title. Again, it’s seamless while you listen. At least that’s the experience I had.
Though the album is bounded and grounded by birds, the melodies vary from song to song. A Chicano-sounding melody gives way to a more rock or Americana one on the next song. Followed by a song melody grounded in more Western U.S. vibes, then a melody with Spanish guitar and complementary brass. Some melodies are slower, darker, or lighter. It’s not jarring. As you move from one song to the next, it truly flows well together. While concept album listeners may expect melodies to sound more similar than these songs do, I love what Trujillo and company did here by not settling on one melody throughout the album. The guitar work is incredible, with each song having its memorable, ear-worm sections. There’s also fabulous brass work, drums, and other percussion. Brass is always a welcome addition for me. Trujillo gets plenty of time to showcase his lyrics and vocals, too. All are well made, fit each song, and pair perfectly with each melody and the song’s pacing. And of course, his songcraft is another strength of this album, serving as a strong foundation to build and layer upon.
Ave Trujillo gets 4 out of 5 Scum Drops from me. I think this will serve as a good introduction to Freddy Trujillo for many new listeners. I also feel that the album fits well within Trujillo’s already diverse discography. Relative to all new 2026 releases, it is a very good album. Definitely better than average, and to me, it fits well within the 72nd-83rd percentile tied to our Scum Drops rating system. We only take the time to publish albums we feel are 4 Scum Drops or better, so if you’re reading a review, you can trust it’ll be a damn good to excellent listening experience. Add this album to your collection in the format you can get your hands on.
I’ll always advocate taking the time to listen to every album in its entirety. Listening to Ave Trujillo takes a mere 38 minutes from start to finish, or just over an hour if you listen twice back-to-back. Along the way, you’ll discover your own favorite songs free from the influence or bias of others. After several listens, I found the songs emboldened below to be my favorites on this album.
The tracklist for Ave Trujillo (song length)
- Black-Capped Chickadee (2:33)
- Common Loon (4:50)
- Mourning Dove (4:01)
- Canyon Wren (3:29)
- Blue Jay (3:50)
- Mockingbird (3:44)
- Crow (3:20)
- Phalarope (4:02)
- Turkey Vulture (3:52)
- Vermilion Flycatcher (3:15)
- Flap Party (1:39)
Total runtime: 38:45
For more, check out Freddy’s website, his music on YouTube, Apple Music, Bandcamp, Spotify, and socials: FacebookÂ
Thank you for reading this and supporting good music.
Until next time,
Alex
Check out other albums that we’ve reviewed here.Â
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site, scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for our Water Tower Sessions and SWT Interviews series. And for checking out all of our socials.
Questions, feedback, or more? Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
