Megafaun’s self-titled new album arrives September 20th on Home-Tapes.

(Sad Songs & Waltzes is a recurring feature on Muzzle of Bees, where artists share their favorite sad songs. Previous contributors include Megafaun, Delta Spirit, Damien Jurado, Sharon Van Etten, Over The Rhine, Conrad Plymouth, Frontier Ruckus, Strand of Oaks, and Roadside Graves.)

This feature has been one of my favorite accomplishments while running this site. The selections shared have opened musical doors previously closed to me. For that I’m very appreciative. I’m very excited to share with you Phil Cook’s contributions to this ongoing feature. Many of you are familiar with Megafaun, the band Phil shares with his brother Brad and friend Joe Westerlund. Recently, Phil Cook released a beautiful album called Hungry Mother Blues, which has rightfully drawn praise from Pitchfork and Aquarium Drunkard. It’s a beautiful listen that ends almost as soon as it begins and you find yourself playing it again and again. I could go on at length, but instead let’s get to Phil’s favorite sad songs…

Sad Songs & Waltzes by Phil Cook:

I struggle with writing lyrics. I start to think of something and all of a sudden it becomes everything. I love to sing, especially in harmony, but writing my own words is tough. I’ve always found sanctuary in playing instruments. Right near the end of college, I took my tax return and I spontaneously bought a banjo. I had been studying the piano through lessons, gigs, combos, and rock bands since I was old enough to sit up straight. I don’t regret majoring in music at all, but I have struggled with the institutionalization it left in me. My favorite musicians were English and Philosophy majors back then. I admired their instincts, for I had become somewhat numb to my own.

One day I was in a music shop in River Falls, WI and I randomly pulled a banjo off the wall, never having played one, and within 45 minutes it was bought and paid for and sitting happily in my back seat. It felt bold and new in my hands. Uncharted. Instinctual, even! I found my brother Brad. He was sitting in his room listening to music, as always, and as I showed my new prize off to him I became distracted by the stereo. “Good lord, what is this?” He had a promo of the new record from a group called The Tin Hat Trio from San Francisco. The Rodeo Eroded. Formed in A trio of New York-bred musicians who straddled the ties between many of the city’s underground scenes for years. Combining Carla Kihlsted’s violin with Rob Burger’s odd assortment of accordions, prepared pianos, Chamberlins, and other keyboards, the trio was rounded out by composer Mark Orton. Mark brought the earth into their chamber, using the dobro, the banjo, and the guitar. They seemingly ignored any genres or trends and played with a lot of integrity. I needed to follow instinct at this point in my life and he had it in spades. Always tasteful and patient, his voice was consistent no matter which instrument he used. I dove in hard. I played banjo everyday, eventually settling into a clawhammer style. The simplicity of melody rather than chords. I went back to basics but I had a lot more to say.

In the late summer of 2004, The Tin Hat Trio released their next record titled Book of Silk. The record begins with “The Longest Night,” which remains the most haunting melody I’ve heard. I came to learn that just before the record was made, Mark Orton’s wife Lauren had drowned in a tragic rafting accident. They had been married just a year or two. My heart breaks every time I hear this song. I think about Mark. I think about the title. I’m humbled by the amount of empathy in Rob and Carla’s accompaniment. Without words, this is the saddest song I’ve experienced.

Tin Hat Trio – “The Longest Night” (Listen)

“The Longest Night” is bookended by another waltz at the end of the record named “Lauren’s Lullaby.” Mark plays with such beautiful strength on this song. He lets us know that despite his sadness he still has hope. Breathtaking. That solo. I’ve listened to this song hundreds of times and teared up every time.

Tin Hat Trio – “Lauren’s Lullaby” (Listen)

These songs pull me into a realm where I feel life’s inevitable dark endings, but rest in the community and friendship I’ve found in music. I’m so grateful to be able to do this and share it with others. I know I’ll get better at writing lyrics as time goes on. It’s also important to remember that words are just words. If you’ve got something to say, you’ll find a way to say it.

Dedicated to Mark Orton

MP3: Phil Cook & His Feat – “Ballad of a Hungry Mother”
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Buy: Phil Cook & His Feet – Hungry Mother Blues

[Photo by Graham Tolbert]

We caught the premiere of Megafaun’s video for “Carolina Days” at the Hometapes SXSW Friend Island Party. It debuted on Pitchfork this week. See Megafaun on tour with the Mountain Goats on the dates below.

Megafaun Tour Dates:

04/02/11 – Ithaca, NY – Castaways*
04/03/11 – Toronto, ON – Opera House*
04/05/11 – Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre*
04/06/11 – Nashville, TN – Mercy Lounge*
04/07/11 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse*
04/08/11 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle*
04/10/11 – Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle*
04/11/11 – Columbus, OH – Wexner Center for the Performing Arts*
04/12/11 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Small’s*
04/14/11 – Baltimore, MD – The Ottobar*
04/15/11 – Philadelphia, PA – Theater of Living Arts*
04/16/11 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg^
*=with The Mountain Goats
^=with Sharon Van Etten

Previously: Review: Megafaun – 9:30 Club, Washington D.C.
Previously: Sad Songs & Waltzes :: Brad Cook, Megafaun

Buy: Megafaun – Heretofore
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MP3: Megafaun – “Volunteers”

By Jon Stone | @jwstone

I just returned from an epic journey out to the Capitol – my first ever visit to those Eastern States. For a middle-class west-coast guy, exploring the east feels not unlike getting to visit the places that only ever existed in books and movies: Metropolis, Coruscant, The Emerald City. With its rich history, its monuments, museums, and memorials, Washington D.C. especially has this flavor for me. So too, then, does the 9:30 Club, that venue that has been emblazoned upon my mind as the legendary site of so many stellar NPR podcasted shows. Surely these places don’t actually exist.

But they do. I’ve now been there. What’s more, I had the chance to see Megafaun – probably my favorite band right now – on Friday night in that city at that spot. Filling the warm-up slot for the Mountain Goats, the trio played a short set to a sold-out Mountain Goats crowd and rarely have I seen such gracious openers. They came out with beards, banjo, and black Gayngs sweatshirt blazing, and pushed through what seemed to be initial sound issues (faulty guitar connection, touchy vocal mic levels) and into a solid 45 minutes of great songs spanning their five-year, three-release career.

More and more, I find myself drawn to bands like Megafaun — likely due to my ever-increasing proclivity for acoustic instruments and music. I’m fascinated by the ways that a small group of modern musicians are utilizing old-time traditions in thoughtful and progressive ways. This isn’t just a casual mining for old-time gems easily appropriated for a barn stomp – there are only a few bands that do that well (Old Crow comes to mind). Instead, artists like Megafaun’s Brad and Phil Cook and Joe Westerlund seem more interested in the chemistry and molecular structure of the old-time tradition. Their songs aren’t so much appropriations as they are alchemic deconstructions and re-assemblages of string-band traditions and sounds (see “Darkest Hour” from Gather, Form, & Fly [2009] or the twelve-and-a-half minute tone poem/song “Comprovisation for Connor Pass” on the mini-album Heretofore [2010]). And while an opening slot may not be the best place to experiment sonically like Megafaun does so masterfully on their records, there were glimpses of that genius at Friday night’s show.

They played several of my more-straightforward favorites on Friday including “The Fade,” “Carolina Days” and “Kaufman’s Ballad.” We also were treated to a ‘round-the-mic version of “Worried Mind.” They encouraged and succeeded in getting the audience to sing back-up harmonies on the latter. We were also treated to the Westerland-led spiritual “His Robe” and “Lazy Suicide,” both from their debut Bury the Square (2008) – a song Phil said had been played so many different ways, he’d lost count.

Though the 9:30 Club didn’t blow me away in their treatment of Megafaun’s unique amplification needs (Mountain Goats sounded much more balanced), their set was over too quickly and I’m left pining after my next opportunity to see them and with a renewed desire to practice my clawhammer banjo.

I left the show with both Gather, Form & Fly and Heretofore on vinyl. You should do yourself a favor and check them out as well.

Buy: Megafaun – Gather, Form & Fly - Heretofore

By Alex Schaaf

One of the best things about the shows that I’ve seen since I moved to New York City is that several of them have been “special” shows: the ones where the parents come, where the cousins come; where the whole room is just full of support and adoration for the artist on stage. This, of course, is due to the fact that several of my favorite bands happen to be from NYC, and so their shows here always seem to be a little more important. Not that Wisconsin is totally devoid of “special” shows, I got the same kind of feeling when I saw one of Bon Iver’s first full-band shows ever at a tiny venue in Eau Claire (brag brag). But it’s just something that happens more regularly here.

Last night’s Sharon Van Etten show at Bowery Ballroom, an event that sold out days earlier, was definitely one of those shows. Van Etten repeatedly expressed her excitement and nervousness due to the size of the crowd. She constantly thanked her parents, her cousins, her sister, friends from Tennessee, and the rest of us for making the night so special. Van Etten’s personality really won me over last night, as her playful, humorous modesty is really striking in comparison to the cautiously aggressive tone she sometimes takes in her songs.

Van Etten seemed well aware of what a special night it was, and she lived up to the expectations with the performance. Her band, which included a drummer, bassist, keyboardist, and backup singer (Cat Martino), did an excellent job at filling out the songs and replicating the energy that is on the album. The set started with five songs from Epic, her latest release, and each song was given an extra dose of energy in the live setting. Later she would showcase a couple of brand new songs, some older tunes, and even an R.E.M. cover.

The night also featured a couple of guest performers: Brad Cook from Megafaun came and sang on “Tornado” in the middle of the set, and he also played bass during the R.E.M. cover. Peter Silberman of the Antlers came out and provided vocals during set-closer “Love More,” which was my favorite song on the record and proved to be a beautifully haunting way to end the first set.

I was a relatively late arrival to the Sharon Van Etten bandwagon. I first heard of her about a year ago, when I listened to Because I Was In Love, her 2009 album. I enjoyed it, but didn’t get hooked. Then 2010 went by, and I heard more and more praise for Van Etten, coming from artists I respect like Justin Vernon and The National, along with this very website. Finally, a month ago or so, I got a hold of her new album, Epic, and ever since then I’ve spinning it non stop and falling in love with her songs over and over again.

With Because I Was In Love, I enjoyed it on some level, but ultimately I kind of relegated it to the “female acoustic singer-songwriter” bin and didn’t see too much value past that distinction. Looking back, I can’t blame myself, as most of the songs are based around acoustic guitar and vocals, which is a very tricky combination these days. You either do it right and create a distinctive sound (The Tallest Man on Earth, Bon Iver) or it just blends in with the millions of other people that record songs with just acoustic guitar and voice.

However, after getting hooked on Epic, I appreciate much more the things she was doing with both records. The new material features a bit more fleshed-out arrangements, a bit more rocking, and a couple of songs that don’t even have any acoustic guitar at all. This kind of diversity helped me to see what gorgeous songs Van Etten was writing, and the amazing delivery and performances that were behind each song. Definitely a force to be reckoned with, I predict Van Etten has a grand 2011.

Upcoming:

4/7 – Sharon Van Etten – Pabst Theater (MILWAUKEE)
4/8 – Sharon Van Etten – Der Rathskeller (MADISON)
4/9 – Sharon Van Etten – Lincoln Hall (CHICAGO)

MP3: Sharon Van Etten – “Love More”
MP3: Sharon Van Etten – “I Couldn’t Save You”
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Buy: Sharon Van Etten – Epic

2010 provided plenty of memorable nights of live music in Madison, Milwaukee, Chicago, and at various festivals and cities across the US. Below you’ll find my 30 favorite concerts of 2010. Inevitably, there are probably ones I forgot about, didn’t attend, or straight up didn’t know about. That being said, the 30 shows listed below represent some of the best nights of my life this year. [Photo by CJ Foeckler]

1. Pavement – Pabst Theater, Milwaukee (Video: “Range Life” “Summer Babe” “Trigger Cut“)
2. Neil Young + Bert Jansch – The Ryman, Nashville (Nashville Scene Review)
3. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – Preservation Hall, New Orleans (Muzzle of Bees Review/Photos)
4. Muzzle of Bees 5th Anniversary – Cactus Club, Milwaukee (A.V Club Milwaukee Review)
5. Megafaun + Sam Quinn + Conrad Plymouth – Club Garibaldi, Milwaukee (Video: “Bonnie’s Song” | A.V Club Milwaukee Review)
6. Jónsi – Pabst Theater, Milwaukee (Video: “Grown Till Tall” “Tornado” “Sinking Friendships“)
7. The Tallest Man On Earth – Pabst Theater, Milwaukee (Video: “I Won’t Be Found“)
8. Breathe Owl Breathe – Cactus Club, Milwaukee (Video: “House of Gold” “Swimming“)
9. The Rural Alberta Advantage – SXSW Backyard BBQ, Austin (Muzzle of Bees Review)
10. Sharon Van Etten – Cactus Club, Milwaukee (Video: “A Joke Or A Lie“)
11. The Rosebuds + Broken Social Scene – Hopscotch Music Festival, Raleigh (Review)
12. Strand of Oaks + Golden Coins + Wolfgang Schaefer – Cactus Club (Video: “Two Kids“)
13. GAYNGS – Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee (A.V. Club Milwaukee Review)
14. Frontier Ruckus + David Wax Museum + Juniper Tar – Cactus Club
15. Roadside Graves + Jeremiah Nelson – Cactus Club, Milwaukee
16. Crooked Fingers + Conrad Plymouth – Club Garibaldi, Milwaukee (Video: “Revenge“)
17. A.A. Bondy – High Noon Saloon, Madison (Video: “Black Rain, Black Rain“)
18. Damien Jurado – Mad Planet, Milwaukee (Video: “Kansas City” “Harborview” “Abilene“)
19. The Flaming Lips – Riverside Theater, Milwaukee (Video: “Do You Realize?“)
20. The Avett Brothers + The Low Anthem – Riverside, Milwaukee (Video: “I & Love & You“)
21. The National + Owen Pallet – Riviera, Chicago (Video: “Terrible Love” “Squalor Victoria“)
22. Harlem – Slims, Hopscotch Music Festival, Raleigh (Video: “Gay Human Bones“)
23. St. Vincent – Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee (Video: “These Days“)
24. My Morning Jacket – Charter One Pavillion, Chicago (Muzzle of Bee Review/Photos)
25. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros + Dawes – Pabst, Milwaukee (Video: “Home“)
26. Langhorne Slim – Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee (Video: “Land of Dreams“)
27. Built To Spill – Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee (Video: “Car” “Carry The Zero“)
28. Nathaniel Rateliff – Club Garibaldi, Milwaukee (Video: “Pounds & Pounds“)
29. Devo – Summerfest, Milwaukee (Video: “Beautiful World” “Jocko Homo“)
30. The National + The Antlers – Radio City Music Hall, New York (Video: “Conversation 16“)

Discuss: What were the best concerts you saw this year? What shows did you miss that you really wanted to see? Who tops your list of who you’d like to see live in 2011?