The Early Birds

The Early Birds band, was originally formed in 1986 under the name The Southside Ensemble as a percussion ensemble. At this time, the band was lead by a music therapist to teach rhythm fundamentals and encourage cohesion among participants. Later the group would evolve into accepting various instruments into the fold as more musical talent came to Southside, eventually including a rap element, and later singing.  The band had become a full-fledged rock ensemble and was writing their own original material, recording albums, and traveling to perform on a regular basis.

Along with their own original songs, they've performed hundreds of covers, and re-imagined versions of popular music. In October 2017, when Southside Art Center transitioned to Southside Unlimited, the Southside Ensemble rebranded themselves as The Early Birds. The Early Birds represents the very best of what we accomplish at Southside Unlimited, with high standards of excellence in professionalism and musical quality.