By Tyler Fassnacht

After getting to the venue fifteen minutes before doors officially opened, I realized how much I really overestimated the popularity of this show. I was the first person in line and along with some friends of mine we were the only ones for a while. Also the doors were opening thirty minutes late due to some bands being late for sound check. All that being said, for all of those people who didn’t come, they missed out on a really great show.

First on the bill was Cymbals Eat Guitars, a band that I was almost as excited to see as the Pains. I had seen them previously in July when they played the Madison pre-pitchfork show with Ponytail and Yeasayer and they impressed me back then and now they just blew me away. The guys were more energetic and they really took advantage of all the colored lights against the movie screen backdrop of the Orpheum. The Cymbal’s melodic guitar jams seemed to impress the majority of the people around me, even if there weren’t many people there in the first place, so again, to those of you who didn’t come, your loss.

After a quick stage change the Depreciation Guild came out and were a slight disappointment coming off of my Cymbals Eat Guitars high. The band specialized in loud, noisy, shoegazy, My Bloody Valentine-ish songs, but the songs weren’t very dynamic and their sound couldn’t keep my interest past the first couple songs. Oh yeah, and did I mention they were loud? There have not been many concerts I’ve seen where the opener was louder than the headliner and I think it should be rule that they can’t.

All was not lost however; after the Pains of Being Pure at Heart came out (with 2/3 of the Depreciation Guild in their band) I was quickly launched back up on a music high. There isn’t much to say other than, they were poppy, they were fun and they were great. It was just a really enjoyable concert. Along with the catchy songs off of their self-titled album, they threw in two new songs and some nice stage banter; such as how lead singer Kip was born in Madison. Who knew! Much to my disappoint, it still was not a full house by the time the Pains started playing, something they really deserved. At least the crowd really started moving when they played “Everything With You”. With only one album, that is less than forty minutes, there wasn’t much hope that the band would be playing far into the night, and so I wasn’t surprised when they ended. I would have been sad because the fun was over, but after that concert I don’t think I will stop smiling for a week.

MP3: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – “Everything With You”
MP3: The Depreciation Guild – “Darklooming”

In support of his brilliant new album, When The Devil’s Loose, A.A. Bondy returns to Club Garibaldi on Tuesday, November 24th.

If you’re a Bondy fan, I urge you to check out the recent interview he did with The Drunkard as well as the Onion A.V. Club album review.

Tickets are $10 and are on sale now.

Buy: A.A. Bondy – When the Devil’s Loose
MP3: A.A. Bondy – “I Can See The Pines Are Dancing”
MP3: AA Bondy :: “When The Devil’s Loose”

Muzzle of Bees is proud to present Juniper Tar and The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir on Friday, November 13th at Club Garibaldi in Milwaukee. The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir recently released …and the Horse You Rode in On on Bloodshot Records from which you can download “Stop!” below.

If you haven’t acquainted yourself with the new Juniper Tar demo of “Birds In Trees,” definitely take a listen below. It represents a sampling of some of the best music coming out of Milwaukee these days.

MP3: Juniper Tar – “Birds In Trees” (Rough Mix)
MP3: Scotland Yard Gospel Choir – “Stop!”

In conjunction with his upcoming tour with Jolie Holland (including a previously announced Madison show), Matt Bauer has released the staggering video for “As She Came Out of the Water” above. If we haven’t already convinced you of Bauer’s songwriting brilliance, I can’t think of a better introduction than this video and of course, seeing him live.

Buy: Matt Bauer – The Island Moved in the Storm
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Myspace: Matt Bauer
MP3: Matt Bauer – “Don’t Let Me Out”

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. This week’s recommended new releases include The Beatles Rock Band, The entire Beatles Remastered Catalog, and new releases from Yo La Tengo, J. Tillman, Noah & The Whale and more!

Upcoming Wisconsin Shows:

9/8 – Hayes Carll – Oneida Bingo & Casino, Green Bay
9/9 – The Pains of Being Pure At Heart/Cymbals Eat Guitars – Orpheum Stage Door, Madison
9/9 – The Psychedelic Furs + Happy Mondays – The Pabst Theater, Milwaukee
9/10 – Ramona Falls – High Noon Saloon, Madison
9/11 – Paul Cebar & The Milwaukeeans – Harmony Bar & Grill, Madison
9/11 – Matt & Kim + Amanda Blank – Majestic, Madison
9/11 – Common + Dashboard Confessional – Marcus Amphitheater, Milwaukee

Upcoming Chicago Shows:

9/10 – Deer Tick – Bottom Lounge
9/12 – The Cave Singers + Lightning Dust – Schubas
9/12 – Bloodshot Records Anniversary Beer-B-Q w/Alejandro Escovedo – The Hideout
9/12 – U2/Snow Patrol – Soldier Field
9/13 – U2/Snow Patrol – Soldier Field

Just Announced:

11/4 – Simian Mobile Disco + Phenomenal Handclap Band – Metro, Chicago
11/21 – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – High Noon Saloon, Madison
11/24 – A.A. Bondy- Club Garibaldi, Milwaukee

New Releases:

The Beatles Remastered, The Beatles Rock Band, J. Tillman – Year in the Kingdom, Yo La Tengo – Popular Songs, Noah and the Whale – The First Days of Spring, Os Mutantes – Haih Or Amortecedor

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

We now know that the Club Garibaldi stage holds nine. Last night’s Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros show revival might have been one of the year’s best, but we’ll let you chat that up in the comments. One night after their appearance on David Letterman the band completely sold out the venue and was, in my opinion, simply fantastic. We’ve got the photos to prove it thanks to Erik. Big thanks to Jeremiah Nelson for an amazing opening set. Thanks to everyone who came out and made last night memorable.

Buy: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – Up From Below
MP3: Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros – “40 Day Dream”