Ever seen the Northern Lights? I saw them about seven years ago. Incredible. MoB favorites Bowerbirds will release their sophomore album, Upper Air on Dead Oceans on July 7th. Download the first track “Northern Lights” below.

Myspace: Bowerbirds
MP3: Bowerbirds – “Northern Lights”

Bowerbirds + Megafaun are hitting the road hard, sadly no Wisconsin date, but check the full tour dates below. (more…)

You can hear the sounds of Tim Easton‘s Joshua Tree, CA home on the songs that make up his 5th album, Porcupine. Cut from the same New West Records cloth that is home to so many of our favorites here at the muzzle, this one rose to the top immediately upon pressing play. Look for songs culled from this release to appear on this week’s podcast. Until then, grab a download of “Broke My Heart” below.

Buy: Tim Easton – Porcupine
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Myspace: Tim Easton
MP3: Tim Easton – “Broke My Heart”

Champaign, IL continues to be a breeding ground for new musical discovery here at Muzzle of Bees. Over the weekend I finally got around to taking in New Ruins after numerous e-mails suggested they’d be my speed. It was an outstanding recommendation, which I now forward onto you. A few months ago the group released We Make Our Own Bad Luck on Parasol from which you can (and should) download the track “Lake” below. Enjoy.

Buy: New Ruins
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Myspace: New Ruins
MP3: New Ruins – “Lake”
MP3: New Ruins – “Ships”

Here are the Wisconsin and Chicago shows we recommend you take in this week. Check them out below and let us know which ones you’ll be attending or ones you think should really make our list. Also, don’t miss the very solid week of new releases, including our recommended purchases below.

Upcoming Wisconsin Shows:

5/11 – Lightning Dust – High Noon Saloon, Madison
5/13 – David Greeneberger & Paul Cebar Cherry Picking Apple Blossom Time – Pabst Theater
5/15 – NOMO – Terrace, Madison
5/16 – The Championship/Juniper Tar/Vega Star – Linneman’s, Milwaukee
5/16 – The Evening Rig + The Saltshakers – BBC, Milwaukee
5/16 – William Elliott Whitmore – Stonefly, Milwaukee

Upcoming Chicago Shows:

5/11 – Centro-Matic – Schuba’s
5/12 – Papercuts + Vetiver – AV-aerie
5/12 – Bruce Springsteen – United Center
5/12 – Iron & Wine – Lakeshore Theatre
5/13 – Iron & Wine – Schuba’s
5/13 – Centro-matic – The House, DeKalb, IL
5/13 – Ben Lee – Bottom Lounge
5/14 – Lady Sovereign – Metro
5/14 – Mike Watt & The Missingmen – Schuba’s
5/15 – Hood Internet/Yea Big + Kid Static – Hideout
5/16 – Ben Harper + Relentless7 – Vic Theatre
5/16 – The Vaselines/ The 1900s – Metro

Just Announced:

5/16 – The Championship/Juniper Tar/Vega Star – Linneman’s, Milwaukee
6/3 – Maynard James Keenan (Tool) – Whole Foods Wine Bottle Signing, Milwaukee
6/16 – Justin Townes Earle – Barrymore Theatre, Madison
6/19 – Detroit Cobras – High Noon Saloon, Madison
6/19 – The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band – UW Student Union, Madison
6/25 – Steve Earle – The Vic, Chicago
8/12 – The Wallflowers – Wisconsin State Fair, Milwaukee
8/14 – Cracker – Wisconsin State Fair, Milwaukee
8/23 – Pearl Jam – United Center, Chicago
8/24 – Pearl Jam – United Center, Chicago
10/3 – Fever Ray – Metro

New Releases:

Steve Earle – Townes, The Wooden Birds – Magnolia, Weinland – Breaks in the Sun, Mark Kozelek – Lost Verses Live

+Bookmark our Wisconsin and Chicago shows pages for all your concert announcements+

By Jodi Root

The Bottom Lounge hosted a very interesting and solid music line-up last evening here in Chicago. Opening up the night was the rhythmic, electro-drumbeat, ambient yelp chant sounds from the duo The Berg Sans Nipple—wasn’t sure what to expect from these guys, especially with the remainder of the line-up—but I was not disappointed. Warming things up a bit, Doomtree ringleader P.O.S. was next up—busting out yet another, incredible live performance with several numbers from his recently released album, Never Better. P.O.S. got the kids to their feet, hands in the air, and bouncing to his fresh ass rhymes, backed up by the DJ mix of Plain Ole Bill, as he thanked the crowd for making it out earlier for his set—the last of four stops with Cursive. It seemed like an odd bill for these two groups to be paired up with this Saddle Creek rock staple, but the overall theme of solid music definitely prevailed.

For their final U.S. tour stop until June, Cursive took to the stage around 11:00 to a full house, busting out several older numbers and giving their loyal fans exactly what they wanted. The sound quality was super crisp, and the beats were right on, loud and immediate. Songs seamlessly blended from track to track—led by Tim Kasher’s misplaced, spoken word/yelp/shouting vocal work, atop driven guitars, steady bass, disarrayed organ action, tight percussion and polished horn segues. The crowd loved it.

Highlights from the set included older jams, “Dorothy at Forty,” “The Night I Lost the Will to Fight,” and “Bad Sects.” My only complaint from last night would be that I really would have liked to have seen more new songs accounted for. “I Couldn’t Love You” was pretty rad, and of course “From the Hips” was accounted for as the final encore number—which was dedicated to the wives and girlfriends of the group for sticking it through despite their constant absences on the road. But still, even though I do dig their older material as well, I feel like I see the same show every time I make it out to see these dudes—last year at Belmont Art and Music Fest, their SXSW set at Radio Room (video above), and lastly, Bottom Lounge. Mama, I’m Swollen may be one of my top albums of ’09 thus far and I think it’d be super great to see a more consistent representation of the album live. Still, I see why older material is showcased as well; these dudes have been around on the scene for a while so it’s great to see they are sticking true to their roots. Overall, it was a solid performance and a kickass night of music.

Discuss: Did anyone else make it out last night? What were your thoughts on Cursive and the openers?

Additional U.S. tour dates are listed below.

JUNE 13 DENVER, CO WESTWORD MUSIC SHOWCASE
JUNE 18 SIOUX FALLS, SD NUTTY’S NORTH
JUNE 20 BILLINGS, MT YELLOWSTONE VALLEY BREWERY
JUNE 21 MISSOULA, MT THE OTHER SIDE
JUNE 22 SPOKANE, WA KNITTING FACTORY
JUNE 23 SEATTLE, WA NEUMO’S
JUNE 24 PORTLAND, OR WONDER BALLROOM
JUNE 27 SAN FRANCISCO, CA GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL
JUNE 28 LOS ANGELES, CA EL REY THEATRE
JUNE 29 POMONA, CA GLASSHOUSE
JULY 1 SALT LAKE CITY, UT CLUB SOUND

Buy: Cursive – Mama, I’m Swollen
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Myspace: Cursive
MP3: Cursive – “From The Hips”

Awesome. Even cooler? Taken right here in Milwaukee. Can’t wait for this record.