Initially formed on the campus of the University of Georgia by Carter King, Daniel Womack, Thomas Johnson, and Brannen Miles, Futurebirds is an alt-country, psychedelic rock and roll band that is known for their dynamic, high-energy sets and immersive, genre-bending soundscapes.
They will be returning to the Signal for the first time since 2022, on Saturday, December 6th.
The band started out playing shows and local bars around Athens in 2008, and as of 2025, they are celebrating 15 years since the release of their first album, Hampton’s Lullaby.
When speaking with the original founding member of the band, Carter King, about if anything has changed since they first began 15 years ago, he suggested that much has changed, yet the reason behind why they perform and write music remains the same.
“It’s interesting to see how much has changed and how much is exactly the same. Obviously, we’ve grown a lot as a band and gotten all kinds of opportunities. We’ve got to play some amazing tours and play with amazing bands and at amazing venues; we’ve gotten so lucky in that respect.
At the end of the day, what we’re always trying to come back to is keeping the original flame of why we started the band intact: because it’s fun and we enjoy it, and we enjoy playing music together. If you lose that, you’ve lost it all.
They have certainly kept that flame alive over the past fifteen years and have received critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, Paste, and USA Today, to name a few. They have collaborated and toured with well-known acts like My Morning Jacket, Drive-By Truckers, and Waxahatchee.
Their latest album, Deluxe Company, was released on October 31st of 2025, which marks just over fifteen years since the release of their debut album.
When asked about how the band’s songwriting has evolved since their first album, King mentioned that they are all a bit scattered now geographically, and often they write things separately from each other and then get together to flesh the songs out.
“There’s no specific formula for it in any way. When we were in Athens and living in the same houses, the songwriting was way more communal, and it still does have a group aspect to it, but more so now, people are writing on their own, coming up with little nuggets, and then, when we get time together, we’ll rent an Airbnb, hang, and hash out ideas. That’s when you get the beginning of a collaborative effect on it.”
When discussing their upcoming performance in Chattanooga after performing here in 2022 at The Signal, King spoke about how excited he was that the band was returning to the Scenic City.
“We always have a fun time in Chattanooga. It’s a nice middle ground between all of our respective homes. It’s nice to be close to home, and it always has a little bit of a laid-back feel. We’ve had great friends that always lived in Chattanooga, and I feel like December is a good time to come in from the cold and get sweaty at a rock and roll show.”
Futurebirds
- 8 p.m. Saturday, December 6.
- $34.48-$52.14.
- The Signal. 21 Choo Choo Ave., Chattanooga, TN.
- thesignaltn.com
Performance photo by Aspen DeRosa