‘Catalyst Sessions’ recap: Ed Woltil

Thursday on The Catalyst Sessions, the half hour was devoted to singer/songwriter Ed Woltil, who’s been crafting some of most exquisite pop music in the bay area for something like 40 years.

A founding (and quite key) member of the much-loved bands Mad For Electra and the Ditchflowers, Woltil is also one of the Florida Bjorkestra’s secret weapons (they have several) and a man who makes a hummable, singable and infinitely unforgettable album when he’s in the mood.

Pandemic days have delivered One in My Tree, recorded (mostly) at home, in isolation, rich with unexpected melodic twists and turns – and shimmering, Beatle-esque vocal harmonies.

The Beatles, not surprisingly, played a huge part in shaping Ed Woltil’s musical vocabulary – in the episode, he and the host discover they’re both non-apologetic Beatle geeks.

He also performs two songs from One in My Tree, “When We Fall in Love” and “Migrator.”

Check out Ed Woltil.

Today on The Catalyst Sessions: St. Pete Opera tenor, and professional music therapist, Chris Romeo.

Streaming weekdays at 7 p.m. on the Catalyst Facebook page. All episodes are archived on our YouTube page.