Tonight is the official kick off to Milwaukee’s Radio Summer Camp at Turner Hall Ballroom. On bill is the return of Sometime Sweet Susan with support from local favorites Juiper Tar, The Trusty Knife & The Dim Suns.

The festival continues through the weekend in venues throughout the city and showcases some of our favorite bands. Don’t forget to save a little gas in the tank for the Roadside Graves hangover show on Monday!

Milwaukee’s Juniper Tar has been in the studio crafting a future release. You may recall their opening set for A.A. Bondy a few months back. We snuck behind close doors and got an advanced listen to a new track called “Birds in Trees.” We thought we’d share our good fortune and excitement by providing an advanced audio peek of the rough mix below. It sure sounds promising to us. Recommended for fans of Megafaun, The Byrds, or anything with great harmonies. Dig.

MP3: Juniper Tar – “Birds In Trees” (Rough Mix)

This is going to be one of the greatest nights in Muzzle of Bees history. For real. Four of my favorite bands combining old favorites Catfish Haven and Rural Alberta Advantage with new favorites Common Loon and Frontier Folk Nebraska will grace the Cactus Club stage this Friday, August 21st. This one great night of music comes to you via Radio Summer Camp put on by our friends at 91.7 WMSE.

Haven’t gotten your Radio Summer Camp pass? You get a $5 discount off the already bargain price of $25 for being a Muzzle of Bees reader. Honestly, $20 for all this goodness is a superb offer.

MP3: Catfish Haven – “Set In Stone”
MP3: Catfish Haven – “Crazy For Leaving”
MP3: Catfish Haven – “Please Come Back”
MP3: The Rural Alberta Advantage – “Don’t Haunt this Place”
MP3: The Rural Alberta Advantage – “Frank, AB”

We continue to anticipate the second full length release from Grand Archives, Keep in Mind Frankenstein (that’s the artwork right up there). We’ve already dropped the upcoming Madison show details on you and today we’ve got some audio goodness. Below, download and/or stream “Oslo Novelist” and “Silver Among the Gold” from the forthcoming record, arriving September 15th on Sub Pop.

Previously: 5 Questions with Grand Archives

Buy: Grand Archives

MP3: Grand Archives – “Oslo Novelist”
MP3: Grand Archives – “Silver Among the Gold”

If you follow me on Twitter you would have seen yesterday’s proclamation that “The first two tracks on the new @portugaltheman album might also be two of the best songs of the year!” The second song on the album, “Work All Day” is captured in the simple/beautiful acoustic fashion via the video above.

I saw this band at Lollapalooza a few weeks ago and they were one of the best bands I saw on Sunday. Got me really excited for their Madison and Milwaukee shows in October. I’m telling you right now, don’t miss these guys live.

I’ll leave you with the sister video of “People Stay,” also acoustic, and the first track lauded above. Great stuff.

Buy: Portugal. The Man – The Satanic Satanist
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Myspace: Portugal. The Man
MP3: Portugal. The Man – “People Say”

I’ve been on a pretty steady diet of Iron and Wine lately. I have the Record Store Day exclusive live release from Norfolk 2005 to thank for re-inserting them into constant rotation. Thinking I was getting said live release on vinyl, I was a little dismayed when it arrived on single CD. I guess that’s the price I pay for missing out on the release date and buying on eBay. All disappointment was quickly forgotten after a single listen.

I have never been disappointed in a Sam Beam fronted live show. I’ve seen him solo, with Calexico, loud and rocking and whispered acoustic. All perfect. As the music world continues to spin out of control with the next big thing, it’s important to not neglect the true beauty of consistency and quality output.

Below, download one of my favorite Iron and Wine songs, “Upward Over The Mountain” from the aforementioned Norfolk live recording from June 20th, 2005. The original version appears on the essential The Creek Drank the Cradle and contains some of my favorite Sam Beam penned lyrics.

MP3: Iron & Wine – “Upward Over The Mountain” (Live, Norfolk 6/20/2005)

Iron & Wine headline the Pygmalion Festival in Champaign, IL on Saturday, September 19th.

Discuss: What is your favorite Iron and Wine record? Favorite Songs?

We’re thrilled to be partnering with our friends at the Forward Music Fest to showcase the festival kick off party at High Noon Saloon on Thursday, September 17th. The line up is filled with bands our speed: Megafaun, All Tiny Creatures, Cedarwell & Juniper Tar. Pretty sweet.

The event is included with the Forward Music Festival pass (available here) and, if I were you, would keep an eye on the FMF09 Twitter page for special deals and announcements coming soon.

Previously: 5 Questions with Megafaun
Previously: Photos: The Rosebuds + Megafaun – Club Garibaldi
Previously: From The Crowd: The Rosebuds + Megafaun

Buy: Megafaun – Gather, Form And Fly

Myspace: Megafaun
MP3: Megafaun – “The Fade”
MP3: Megafaun – “Kaufmans Ballad”