The Speakers have been playing music together since they were twelve. Since 1999 they've recorded eight highly orchestrated experimental indie folky-pop album masterpieces-all in bedrooms and parks. "The Happy Birthday Album" was written for one of our girlfriends as her birthday present when she turned 28, in the birthday song tradition of our second album, the one with the cover that has a spilled soda on it. Special guests on this album are Jolie Holland, Dave Mihaly, and Melissa Bertolino. Jolie Holland (not then but now on Anti- Records, and formerly of The Be Good Tanyas) played kid's accordion, fiddle, doshpuluur, and sang on five of the songs. She also co-wrote three of them. Dave Mihaly (of the Shimmering Leaves, Ara Anderson's Iron & the Albatross, eighties country/funk/jazz/profound amazing silliness band Bardo, and also Jolie Holland's drummer for the past umpteen years) played drums and percussion, marimba, and sang on three songs. He also co-wrote one of them. And last but not least, Melissa Bertolino (of the Extra Action Marching Band) played trumpet on one song.