Beneath Her War Paint
- Mickey Fingers
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
Listen To, Beneath Her War Paint On Mixcloud .. Or Press Play
Beneath Her War Paint
June 27, 2026 | 2:00 am | Central |
WDRTVelvet Umbrella Records | After Hours
With Mickey Fingers & Celeste Violet
Beneath Her War Paint
Beneath Her War Paint
Velvet Umbrella Radio After Hours
Sometimes playlists arrive because you’re searching for songs.
Sometimes they arrive because life won’t stop making music around you.
This one began in an emergency room.
Between monitors, oxygen sensors, quiet conversations, and machines speaking their own strange language, one rhythm kept repeating.
Beep… Beep… Beep…
It instantly reminded Celeste of Tones On Tail’s “War.”
Once that connection happened, the rest of the playlist seemed to write itself.
Not because it was about conflict.
Because it was about what we carry beneath it.
The faces we wear while trying to stay brave.
The quiet strength hidden underneath exhaustion.
The version of ourselves that keeps moving forward even when we’re scared.
Beneath Her War Paint became an exploration of resilience.
Of vulnerability.
Of beauty that survives difficult weeks.
From the tribal pulse of War…
through the dreamlike worlds of Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins, Austra, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Crystal Castles, and Florence + The Machine…
the evening slowly transforms from anxiety into something softer.
Acceptance.
Wonder.
Hope.
By the time Björk’s “Frosti” gently closes the night, the emergency room has become a quiet winter landscape.
Sometimes healing doesn’t announce itself with fireworks.
Sometimes it simply arrives…
one peaceful breath at a time.
Harry's House Of Hootenannies | Beneath Her War Paint |Velvet Umbrella Radio
✨ Dive into the full playlist below — with videos linked for every track, so you can watch, listen, and wander through the eclectic flow.
Set your reminders | After Hours | Hour One | Weekly, On WDRT.
From Her Hospital Bed
PLAY LIST
Tones On Tail - War
Bauhaus - She's In Parties
Siouxsie & The Banshees - Red Light
Dead Can Dance - In Power We Entrust The Love Advocated
Cocteau Twins - Lorelei
The Legendary Pink Dots - On The Boards
Austra - Spellwork
Black Moth Super Rainbow - Forever Heavy
I Monster - Who Is She?
Crystal Castles - Celestica
Florence + The Machine - Cosmic Love
Dead Can Dance - The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove
Björk - Frosti
Mickey's Corner | An Update on Celeste
A Quick Note From Mickey
We are a group of spoonies who create weird art, stranger stories, music, and radio together. Between connective tissue disorders, autoimmune adventures, and the occasional unexpected plot twist from the universe, life around here is rarely boring.
This past week, Celeste gave us quite a scare.
After experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath, and pain that continued to spread, we all encouraged her to head to the ER to rule out some of the more serious complications that can sometimes accompany Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and autoimmune conditions, including blood clots and aortic dissection, as well as more common concerns like heart attack or pneumonia.
Thankfully, those possibilities were ruled out.
She has since followed up with a new doctor, who is also taking a closer look at a long-standing back injury. While the exact cause is still being sorted out, one possibility being considered is pleurisy, an inflammation of the lining around the lungs. The good news is that the chest pain has resolved, she’s breathing comfortably again, and she’s on the mend.
Physical therapy is next on the agenda because, as many zebras know, there’s always something that needs a little maintenance.
As a result, we’re taking a short break from Petals & Hooks this week while she recovers.
We are incredibly grateful she’s doing better and deeply appreciate everyone who reached out with kindness, support, and encouragement. We also hope that sharing these experiences helps others remember that when something feels wrong, it’s always worth getting checked out.
Take care of yourselves, friends.
— Mickey Fingers, Mr. Announcer Man & Gala Violet
Sometimes art begins with inspiration.
Sometimes it begins with survival.
This collection became a reminder that even in hospital rooms, waiting rooms, and uncertain weeks…
imagination still finds a way to leave little breadcrumbs toward hope.
Thank you for walking these strange hallways with us.
We’ll keep the lights on.
💜
Harry’s House of Hootenannies
Before you wander deeper into the archives, make one stop at one of our favorite gatherings.
Harry’s House of Hootenannies was created for a dear spoonie friend who needed something joyful during a difficult week. Instead of dwelling on the hard parts, we built an entire radio universe where pie contests matter, raccoons judge desserts with suspicious enthusiasm, robots serve pink lemonade, flamingos never miss a party, and everyone is welcome exactly as they are.
Sometimes laughter isn’t an escape from reality.
Sometimes it’s medicine.
If you’ve never visited Harry’s House before… pull up a chair. We saved you a slice of mystery pie. Click The Show Art To Visit The Blog
Or Listen To Harry's House Of Hootenannies on Mixcloud
The Story Continues…
Every now and then, a single playlist grows into something much larger.
What began as music slowly became characters, artwork, strange little worlds, and stories that unfolded over several weeks.
During Celeste’s recovery, our planned Petals & Hooks chapter quietly waited for another day. In its place, an unexpected collection of dreamlike adventures appeared instead.
Waiting rooms became portals. Hospital corridors became mysteries. Recovery meetings moved to rooftops beneath impossible stars.
Sometimes the best stories aren’t the ones we planned.
They’re the ones that arrive when we need them most.
Follow the next four chapters below and see where the strange signals lead…
Welcome to Velvet Umbrella Radio
This place was built for curious people.
For night owls, daydreamers, spoonies, artists, music lovers, recovering perfectionists, accidental philosophers, and anyone who has ever wondered if there might be a stranger, kinder world hiding just around the next corner.
Every door leads somewhere different.
Some open into radio shows.
Some become stories.
Some are music.
Some are simply places to rest for a while.
Take your time.
Follow whatever catches your eye.
If a flamingo hands you directions… it’s usually worth listening.
Welcome home.
In Case You Missed It…
Click any show artwork below to listen, explore the story, browse the artwork, or wander a little deeper down the rabbit hole.
📻 Eclectic Wonderland
Wednesdays • 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM (CT) • WDRT 91.9 FM
Where the strange adventures begin.
Eclectic Wonderland is our weekly live radio show filled with independent artists, forgotten gems, ambient soundscapes, novelty records, unexpected detours, and the occasional pineapple with legal representation.
Featured Adventure:🧜 Mermaids, Non-Fish & Other Perfectly Reasonable Creatures
🎭 First Week: Alternate Wednesday
(Covers, remixes, reinterpretations, and musical curveballs)
🎵 Third Week: Independent Artist Showcase
(Please send us your music)
🛸 Fourth Week: Audities
(Our weirdest shows, experimental broadcasts, novelty records, and unexplained events)
🌙 Velvet Umbrella Radio: After Hours
Fridays • 2:00 AM to 3:00 AM (CT)
When the lights get softer and the stories become a little more mysterious.
After Hours leans into dream pop, darkwave, ambient, gothic folk, cinematic soundscapes, and the quieter corners of the Velvet Umbrella universe.
Featured Adventure:✨ Signals From Beneath
Dream Pop.
Darkwave.
Trip-Hop.
Late-night discoveries.
Moonlit roads.
Signals from beneath.
And occasionally…
reports from Atlantis.
After Hours with Celeste Violet and Mickey Fingers
After Hours is more of an Evening Vibe:
And then .....
🧜♀️ Petals & Hooks
Mixcloud Exclusive
Premieres Fridays at Midnight
With Celeste Violet & Mickey Fingers
Petals & Hooks is where the filters come off. Long-form themed journeys.
Dream narratives. Storytelling. Unexpected connections.
Beautiful mistakes. The things that don’t fit neatly inside traditional radio.
Most episodes run between three and four hours.
Some are explicit.
All are deeply strange.
Some stories need more than one chapter.
Petals & Hooks is our long-form audio journey where playlists become story worlds, unfolding over multiple episodes through music, artwork, and imagination.
Current Story:🪸 Beneath the SurfacePart One & Part Two
Beneath The Surface - Part One
Part Three of our current four-part story cycle.
A two-hour descent into signals, longing, dreams, memory, and moonlit shorelines.
Explicit & Unfiltered Content.
Mixcloud Exclusive.
Beneath The Surface - Part Two
Part Four of our current four-part story cycle.
The water gets deeper.
The signals get stronger.
The investigation continues.
Explicit & Unfiltered Content.
Mixcloud Exclusive.
Thank You For Visiting
If You Missed This Transmission…
(last month’s featured story) Click any show artwork below to listen, explore the story, browse the artwork, or wander a little deeper down the rabbit hole.
Keep Exploring…
If you’re not quite ready to head home, there are still plenty of strange little corners waiting to be discovered.
🎙️ Welcome to Velvet Umbrella Radio
Start here if you’re new. Meet the cast, step inside our world, and learn why nothing around here is ever quite normal.
🚪 Explore Our Sister Stations
Three different doors. Three different adventures.
• After Hours• Velvet Umbrella Radio• Petals & Hooks
🌂 Visit VelvetUmbrella.com
Music, stories, artwork, projects, archives, and all the wonderfully weird things we’re building.
📼 From the Vault
Archived transmissions, favorite episodes, and forgotten adventures from years past.
🌊 Continue the Story…
If you didn’t mean to leave just yet, Petals & Hooks is waiting just beyond the next door.
No rush.
Stay as long as you need.
Thank you for listening 💋
Stay Connected
Follow along, say hello, and join us as we continue building strange little worlds together.
Mickey Fingers
Celeste Violet
🦇 Stay with us… or come back when the lights go out.
Part of the Velvet Umbrella Radio: After Hours series. Originally developed alongside Eclectic Wonderland on WDRT 91.9FM Viroqua
Produced by DJ Celeste and Mickey Fingers for the Eclectic Wonderland universe.
The Folks We Blame For This…
Creative Direction & Visual Worldbuilding
Celeste Violet | DJ Tea Mickey Fingers
Music Curation & Programming
Celeste Violet | DJ TeaMickey Fingers
Original Voice Overs & Incidental Music
Mickey Fingers
Writing, Storyworld & Show Notes
Celeste Violet | DJ Tea
Mickey Fingers
Video Production & Editing
Celeste Violet
Audio Production & Sound Engineering
Mickey Fingers
Celeste Violet
Featuring
Eclectic Wonderland
DJ Tea | Celeste Violet
Mr. Announcer Man
Mickey Fingers
Velvet Umbrella Radio
After Hours
Celeste Violet
Mickey Fingers
Petals & Hooks
Celeste Violet
Mickey Fingers
Special Thanks
To every independent artist who trusted us with their music.
To every listener who wandered in.
To every spoonie who reminds us that creating is an act of hope.
And to the wonderfully strange little community that continues to make this world feel like home.
💜