Sharon Van Etten Releasing 'Tramp' Deluxe Edition, Will Steal Your Heart with This Unreleased Demo

Photo by Shervin Lainez

On November 13th, Jagjaguwar will release a deluxe edition of Sharon Van Etten's stellar 2012 album Tramp. Along with the original release, the deluxe edition features demo versions of every album track along with the previously unreleased bonus track, “Tell Me.”

Shark Week Play Baltimore Next Week

Hope you've all been digging our latest mixtape III. If you've had a chance to check it out, then you've probably been introduced to D.C. quartet Shark Week. Wanted to give all you fellow D.C./Baltimore locals a heads up that the band will be performing their first show in Baltimore next Friday, September 21st at Mums (1132 S Hanover St.). The band will share the bill with Society Fringe Players and Cortez Mission (Jason Butcher of Among Wolves & Andrew Grimm and Timothy Bracken of June Star). Full details below.

Shark Week, Society Fringe Players, Cortez Mission
Mums (1132 S Hanover St.)
9PM
$5

Download III here.

Caleb Stine and The Honey Dewdrops Perform in Baltimore This Friday

This Friday, the Hush Concert series presents Baltimore music staple Caleb Stine at Folk Haus. The Americana/folk artist is currently touring along with Virginia's The Honey Dewdrops, the folk duo of Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish. Baltimore's Brand New Key (featuring David Karpay of Frontier Myth) opens the show. It's sure to be a night of heavenly folk music. If you've never had the unique experience of attending an intimate folk house show, I highly recommend it. There's nothing quite like sharing in the chilling, but soothing, ambiance that a set of beautiful, harmonious voices and acoustic guitars can create.

See Frank Ocean's Great "Late Night" Performance, Download 10-Minute Epic "Pyramids"

Photo by Lloyd Bishop (NBC)

Frank Ocean. You've probably heard the name quite a bit in the past week in one way or another. And while a lil 'ol blog like Mixtape Muse writing about a buzzed about artist might seem like an attempt to ride the coattails of that buzzwave in an attempt to increase our amount of hits, it's really not. We here at Mixtape Muse have been fans of Ocean (born Christopher Breaux) since last year's debut Nostalgia, Ultra mixtape. And so, I feel I must share Frank Ocean's performance from Monday night's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon."

But why?

Download 2 New Bowerbirds Songs, See Them In Baltimore Tomorrow

Raleigh indie folk rockers Bowerbirds will be performing at the Ottobar tomorrow evening, touring in support of their brand new album, The Clearing (Dead Oceans). For those unaffected by that news, I recommend checking out the band's recent 10,000 Takes Session featuring a live performance of The Clearing's "This Year" as well as their North Shore Session featuring a performance of two other tracks from the new album: "Overcome With Light" and "Brave World."

SPIRIT ANIMAL IN D.C. THIS SUNDAY, DOWNLOAD "CROCODILE SKINS"

What's slick like electro, infectious like funk, and packed with rock 'n' roll attitude? A Spirit Animal. Does that sound like something you'd like to see live? Well, you're in luck if you happen to live in NYC or the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area. The New York band only has two shows lined up at the moment, the first of which is tonight at Cameo Gallery in Brooklyn along with Flying Cars. And THIS Sunday, May 20th, these dudes will be gracing the fine stage of Red Palace in D.C. along with Vamos and Flying Cars. Based solely off some YouTube clips I've seen, Spirit Animal puts on a solid show. Not to miss if you want a good time.

The band will soon be releasing Spiritia Animalia, the follow up to their 2010 debut LP, The Cost of Living. They're currently sharing a track from it called "Crocodile Skins" for free download. Well, that's awfully nice of them, and...wait...and they're also sharing a killer remix of the song by Big Black Delta, the solo project of Jonathan Bates (Mellowdrone, ex-M83). Internet high five.

REVIEW: !!! & Shabazz Palaces @ The Talking Head Club, Baltimore, MD, 4/17/12

!!! @ The Talking Head, 4/17

On Tuesday night here in Baltimore, I hit The Talking Head Club (housed in Sonar) to see disco punk band !!! (aka Chk Chk Chk) and alternative hip hop group Shabazz Palaces perform. The room itself isn't particularly big, which made the turnout all the more surprising; it was a good turnout, but it seemed to be just under full capacity. These two acts are great on record, and, not surprisingly, put on great live shows, as well.

Sharon Van Etten Performs @ Ottobar This Thursday

Photo by Dusdin Condren

Sharon Van Etten's latest album, Tramp, is one of our favorite releases of 2012 thus far. A combination of both gentle folk and hauntingly earnest indie rock, Tramp sounds like a classic without dating itself. It's a melancholic record with upbeat and downtempo moments, but it always manages to draw the beauty from beneath its plaintive face.

For those in the Baltimore/D.C. area, I highly recommend catching Van Etten's performance at the Ottobar this Thurday, 4/19. The Ottobar is located at 2549 N. Howard St. Baltimore, MD 21218. Flock of Dimes (aka Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak) opens the show. Check out a few live performances here and here.

!!! & Shabazz Palaces Performing @ The Talking Head Club in Baltimore, 4/17

Yes, yes, and yes. Two of MM's favorite acts, !!! (or Chk Chk Chk) and Shabazz Palaces will be sharing the stage at the Talking Head Club (a part of Sonar) here in Baltimore this Tuesday, April 17th. Who came up with this bill? Whoever you are, you are wise and awesome. !!!'s most recent album is 2010's Strange Weather, Isn't It?, and Shabazz Palaces' most recent album is Black Up -- which was my #2 album of 2011. When it comes to great alternative, genre-leading artists, look no further than !!! and Shabazz Palaces. I highly recommend catching their show this Tuesday.

Bard & Mustache Live Performance & Interview: A Real Valentine's Day Treat

Greg Bortnichak and Erin Murphy are two of the finest human beings I've had the pleasure of meeting, part of the reason why their existence as Bard and Mustache is all the more special. Aside from being incredibly talented musicians and proponents, and torchbearers, of Sarasota's burgeoning music scene, Greg and Erin are a couple. There've been plenty of relationships in music throughout the ages that have resulted in some great duets/duos, but there's something particularly lovely about the bond between these two musicians -- something that thrives and reveals itself through their music. It seems only fitting that I've the distinct pleasure and honor of sharing and debuting a live performance and interview with Bard and Mustache -- a perfect post to share on this Valentine's Day holiday.

Cass McCombs Kicks Off Tour This Week, Download New Song

Photo by Paul Valencia Pl

Fresh off the release of Wit's End and Humor Risk, his two critically-acclaimed 2011 albums, singer/songwriter extraordinaire Cass McCombs shows no signs of slowing down. McCombs will kick off his first North American of 2012 this week in Phoenix, AZ, and will be in town here in Baltimore on January 21st at The Ottobar. Not only that, but the new music keeps on coming. On January 31st, he'll release a new single, "Bradley Manning," a song about the U.S. soldier who was arrested after allegedly providing confidential information to WikiLeaks. It's a real late '60s/early '70s moody rocker with a steady, heavy groove; a cool, calm, and collected sort of protest song.

PHOTOS: Holy Ghost! @ 9:30 Club, Washington, DC / 11.23.11

This past Wednesday, New York electro/disco pop outfit Holy Ghost! performed at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. I ventured down to catch the show and, for the first time ever, photograph a concert. I've filmed shows before, but never photographed one. Lucky for me (i.e. uh oh) they didn't allow flash, so it was an experience. Thanks to a buddy of mine I had a great camera for the show, and I managed to get off a few decent shots, finally utilizing all that knowledge from those photography courses I took in college.

Holy Ghost! were spot on, and understandably so. Not only was their stop in D.C. Thanksgiving Eve, it also marked the final date on their nationwide tour. Live, the DJ duo of Nick Millhiser and Alex Frankel is joined by four additional musicians. It's refreshing to see and hear a band recreate their electronic-based music live as opposed to just playing to backing tracks. Also, as it turns out, trying to photograph and pay close attention to the music proves to be rather tricky.

First time. No Flash. Just hope.

DOWNLOAD: Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Live @ Palace Theatre (9/30/08) // Hear "Ashes & Fire" In Full Now

Ryan Adams is set to release his thirteenth studio album, Ashes & Fire, on October 10th through his own label PAX-AM (in conjunction with Capitol Records). We've already heard the first single "Lucky Now," and below, in case you missed it, you can also see a live performance of the new album's title track. If you're interested in hearing more, NPR currently has the entire album up for streaming here.

To celebrate the release of Ashes & Fire, I want to share with you a concert from Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, one of my favorite live performances I've ever heard. I've been meaning to share this for quite some time now. This particular concert took place in Cleveland, OH on September 30, 2008 and featured a 26-song set spanning many of Adams' releases from the past decade. You can download the concert for free below. And while you might think a free concert bootleg might be a bit poor in terms of sound quality, this actually sounds like a professional recording captured for a live album. Really.

BRAID WEEK: Watch A Selection of Live Footage

Continuing on with "Braid Week," today we have some great live footage of the band from back in the '90s. If you're like me and never had the chance to see the band live (back in the day), then you'll be grateful for these pretty good quality videos -- and you'll thank the Indie Rock gods for YouTube. Of course, if you live in or near Illinois, then you have a chance to catch the band live on August 27th at The Metro in Chicago and/or on September 24th at the Highdive in Champaign as a part of the Pygmalion Music Festival. For the rest of us spread around the globe, let's enjoy these videos below, and hope that maybe they'll play some out of state shows down the road.

VIDEO: Foo Fighters Play New LP In Its Entirety + More @ Ed Sullivan Theater

If you've been frequenting the site recently, you're probably aware that the Foo Fighters just released their seventh studio album, Wasting Light, on Tuesday. And while I have yet to write a proper review of the album, I can tell you that I love it. Then again, I've already expressed my love for the band as they've been such a big part of my life growing up. Anytime the band releases an album, I always get excited, and, clearly (above), pick it up. I hope to review Wasting Light for the site, but only time will tell if I get to it. I'm hoping to, but I can't make any promises.

Anyways, on Tuesday, the Foos appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman to perform Wasting Light's first single "Rope." If you've kept up with the band and/or The Late Show, then you know that Foo Fighters are regulars on the show (Letterman has even called them his favorite band). So, it only made sense then that the band's stint at the Ed Sullivan Theater wouldn't stop at just one performance. Members of the audience were in for a real treat Tuesday when the band stuck around to perform a nearly two hour concert.

Donning black suits, adjusting their guitars to chest level, the Foos performed in front of the same stage setup featured in The Beatles historic 1964 appearance at the theater. As a part of the "Live on Letterman" series, the band performed a web-only concert that saw them play Wasting Light in its entirety followed by a number of other songs, including "Stacked Actors" and hits like "Everlong" and "Learn To Fly." The first half of the show was even shot in black and white to further capture the aesthetic of that classic 1964 performance. Watch the whole concert after the hop.

LIVE REVIEW: Joan of Arc @ Golden West Café, 1/22/11

I am not familiar with Joan of Arc’s back catalog. Is that sacrilege in the indie music community? I don’t know, but it’s the truth. Coming to a JOA show with no real preconceived ideas of what to expect certainly leaves one with a certain sense of excitement, especially when one is only familiar with a few older songs and the band’s 2009 LP, Flowers. I went in understanding that Joan of Arc is known for being rather adventurous in terms of themes, lyrics, and music, intentionally misleading and confusing listeners.

The set on Saturday night’s sold out show at Baltimore’s Golden West Café – a restaurant by day, a concert venue by night – was primarily filled with new songs. And while such a move might be off-putting for some, Joan of Arc’s set was rather entertaining. It was easy to move to the rhythms, which seemed to constantly shift, but it was also stimulating as I found myself focusing deeply on the interplay between all four musicians (guitarist/vocalist Tim Kinsella, guitarist Victor Villareal, bassist Bobby Burg, and drummer Theo Katsaounis). Both Kinsella and Villareal tended to play contrasting riffs that, although different in style and emotion, converged together in an effective cacophonous force. It was a rambunctious performance that had its harmonious moments. There was a jazz-like freedom to each song, with shifting rhythms, syncopation, and furious fretboard action. Looking around the room, even devoted fans seemed to be nodding along in approval to the newer material – though, of course, older material drew the biggest reactions.

VIDEO: Alcoholic Faith Mission - "Sobriety Up and Left" (Live in a Restaurant)

CMJ recently took place in New York, which means hundreds of bands descended on the city for a few days. CMJ is, more or less, the closest thing we East Coasters get to our own SXSW. Bands come from all over the country -- some come from other countries, too -- and perform all over the city. One of the imports that performed at this year's CMJ was Danish sextet Alcoholic Faith Mission. While the band was in town, they took some time to film a live performance inside a restaurant, which you can watch below.

It's very well framed and paced. I don't want to ruin the video for you, so I'll leave this introduction short. I will say that the circular motion of the video seems to hold a certain symbolism for how the band is set up around the restaurant. The band, despite being spread around the room, is connected by their music and a sort of collective mood. There's an unspoken bond between them, and the intimacy of the whole arrangement is rather engaging -- let alone beautiful.

Maserati Announce Fall Tour Dates, Hear 2 New Songs

By Fred Weaver

Athens-based post-rockers Maserati are set to release their new album, Pyramid of the Sun, on November 9th through Temporary Residence. The album features eight songs, including two collaborations with Steve Moore (Zombi), and was mixed by Justin Van Der Volgen (!!!, Out Hud) and Jeremy deVine (Temporary Residence Founder).

On November 8th of last year, drummer Gerhardt "Jerry" Fuchs died after falling down an elevator shaft. He was on his way to a benefit that was being held to raise education funds for underprivileged children in India. The elevator he was riding with a friend stopped between floors, so Fuchs and his friend decided to jump out to the nearest floor. His friend made it, but when Fuchs jumped, a piece of his clothing got caught on the elevator, pulling him back which caused him to fall to his untimely death. When I found out about his death -- let alone how he died -- I was in total shock. I'm glad that there is more music from Fuchs on the horizon, allowing him to live on for future generations.

Pyramid of the Sun is one of Fuchs' final recordings. His death halted the recording process, which had already begun before his passing. But the band was determined to complete the album, in memory of Fuchs. They spent the better part of a year laboring over the album's completion. Realizing that it was one of his final recordings, they paid great attention to detail and took a lot of care in ensuring that the album would be finished right, continuing the legacy of Jerry Fuchs.

Delicate Steve Announces Fall Tour With Fang Island

On record, the music of Delicate Steve might be the brainchild of guitarist Steve Marion, but live it's an entirely different animal, something that comes to life with help from a few close friends and bandmates. I had the opportunity to catch Delicate Steve live back in July of this year and to say it was exciting and inspiring would be a bit of an understatement. The room started off full of strangers, but then the band took the stage and people were bobbing their heads, tapping their feet, and dancing all around, brimming with cheer in agreement over Delicate Steve. Marion might stand front and center, but there's an unspoken connection between everyone on stage that demonstrates the band's musical unity and appreciation of one another. Delicate Steve is the type of thing you have to see live. And lucky you, Delicate Steve is going on tour with Fang Island. Alright!

See the dates for Delicate Steve's tour with Fang Island and hear a song from Delicate Steve's current, self-released LP after the jump.

Dirty Projectors Releasing Expanded Edition of Bitte Orca, Hitting the Road

On September 28th, Dirty Projectors will release a 2xCD/digital expanded edition of their critically-acclaimed album Bitte Orca. The new, limited-edition Bitte Orca set comes with premium packaging and a bonus disc featuring unreleased live material and b-sides. Included on the bonus disc is an EP-length live acoustic performance recorded at New York’s Other Music in June of 2009.

You can download a live version of Bitte Orca's "Temecula Sunrise" from that Other Music performance right here. And below, you can get yourself a free digital 7" of "Ascending Melody" b/w "Emblem of the World".

See the tracklisting for the expanded edition of Bitte Orca and scope the band's upcoming tour dates after the jump.