Bird and Flower’s current live line-up features Erik (from Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos) on lap steel, Tyler (Couch Fort/Super Desserts) on banjo, Dan (Miranda Sound) on cello/bass drum, Justin on harmonium/bass drum/omnichord, and Eve on ukulele/omnichord/freestyle tambourine. On Saturday, they did this great cover of Madonna’s “Borderline”.

Sunken Treasure is releasing the Bird and Flower debut album on vinyl in July. More details coming soon.

Sunken Treasure Records is our small companion record label to donewaiting.com. We’ve released a bunch of albums over the course of the last few years, and we’ve decided to make all of them available as a free download for the rest of December. Click here to see what we got and get downloading. You’ll find the latest releases from Megan Palmer, Miranda Sound, Eric Metronome, and The Evil Queens as well as the first album by The Celebrity Pilots.

We’ve also announced our next releases for 2009. ur first release next year will be a split seven inch vinyl release featuring Columbus’ The Black Swans and Brooklyn’s Alina Simone. Both songs are beautiful and heartbreaking, and you’ll surely want it in your collection. Expect that in the Feb/March timeframe.

We also plan to work with Eve Searls, aka Bird and Flower, on the release of her debut album. I’ve been a fan of Eve since she first popped up on the scene and her first effort is fabulous. This will happen sometime in April/May (which will be here before you know it…)

More to come, including some Megan Palmer vinyl, and maybe a few more tricks up our sleeves. Happy holidays!

Last night was magical. The final show for a band that’s been around nine years and made a hell of a lot of friends brings people out. As I was sitting at the merch table, I kept watching the door, saying, “Hey, there’s so-and-so. Hey, there’s what’s-his-name.” It was pretty amazing. I think Billy said about five states were represented, including Rhode Island, Indiana and Florida.

Miranda Sound rocked Ravari Room for a solid two hours. During the first few songs, Billy kicked a full bottle of beer over onto Dan’s pedals, prompting him to say that if Dan got electrocuted, it would serve him right for moving to D.C., which got big (good-natured) cheers from the crowd. They moved right along, through a set that included old and new. The new stuff has never sounded better.

Former drummer Scott Haynes stepped up to one of the two drum kits on stage to play along with Dan Bell during “Cast Anchor Cast” and stayed on for a few more dual-drummer versions of songs and to play a few older ones while Dan stood in the audience, listening to the band the way he used to do before he joined four years ago. “Midas” seemed to be a crowd favorite, the chorus shouted back to the band while they smiled.

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Sunken Treasure Records is an offshoot of donewaiting.com. We’ve just launched our own Digital Download Store where you can purchase non-DRM’d, high quality MP3s directly from us. (Regular CD copy available too)

You can also choose how much you’d like to pay for the brand new Miranda Sound album. Whether it’s $1, $5, $10, etc. etc, you choose the price, pay it, download it and you’re good to go. Click here to download.

We’ve also put the entire new Miranda Sound album available for free streaming on Muxtape.

Miranda Sound celebrated the release of their fourth and final album last Friday, and you can see a bunch more photos right here.

Purchase the new album here.

Miranda Sound are releasing their final album 6/20 at Ravari Room in Columbus OH via our small record label, Sunken Treasure Records. There are a handful of shows scheduled for the summer. Click here for complete details.

Here’s two new songs to prepare you:

MP3: Falling Man
MP3: Leave Everyone Behind

Columbus Ohio’s Miranda Sound, friends on my little Sunken Treasure Records label, are breaking up at the end of the summer after they put out their final album next month. Complete details here.

The band has released their last record, Western Reserve, as a complete and free mp3 download. Click here to grab it and spread it far and wide.

Here’s a few of my favorite songs from it…

MP3: My Surname’s An Airplane
MP3: To Partner and President
MP3: The Lull of Youngstown

MP3 Cutout Bin
MP3 Korea

With the exception of the forthcoming debut by Lydia Loveless, there isn’t another local release that I’ve been anticipating more than The Kyle Sowashes‘ Yeah Buddy. I was tempted to call Kyle the “everyman of Columbus indie rock” – he plays the part perfectly, from the look (scruffy beard, glasses) to the sounds he creates (think 1991 Chapel Hill, North Carolina). But Kyle is anything but the everyman. Guys like Kyle aren’t truly appreciated until after they’ve left a scene, either by finally throwing in the towel or picking up stakes and moving on to the next opportunity in another city. Kyle is a die-hard supporter of the Columbus music scene, you’ll find him out and about taking in the sights and sounds of what this city has to offer musically. And if you hear about a great show coming to town, your first thought should be “I wonder if Kyle helped book this?” as he’s brought some of indie rock’s elite to town over the past few years (Eric Bachmann, Adam Franklin, Karl Hendrix Trio, etc.).

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Some thoughts on the two record breaking events we had this weekend to celebrate the 5 year.

Saturday
MIKE SHIFLET – really interesting stuff. loved the band. he mentioned in our interview with him that he’s hoping to do more shows with a band and i hope he follows up. it’s the making of something really cool.

MIRANDA SOUND – love the new stuff. i like when they play it a little heavier, something they don’t always do…. i think it adds a great extra layer to their music.

EL JESUS DE MAGICO – four years ago if you would have told me that i would have El Jesus play my 5 year party I would have laughed in your face. Things change, and I’m really happy that they did. Set was fucking FIERCE. can’t wait to hear their new album.

BRAINBOW/BLUEPRINT – I had intentionally stayed away from the rehersals because I wanted to experience the show for the first time with the crowd. And put it quite simply, I was stunned. Look, I love music, but this was seriously mind blowing. I felt something that I haven’t felt in a long time.

Instead of Brainbow trying to recreate the music of Blueprint, they approached it from their own point of view. It was Blueprint. It was Brainbow. Neither band sacrificed their integrity or created some sort of Frankenstein rock/rap thing that was only a novelty. I say this with all seriousness, it was epic! When Print said it was their last song, I was heartbroken! I could have used 5 more songs. I didn’t want it to end, and that’s a sign of a good set. Leave us wanting more….

I know it took a lot of time for Print and Brainbow to practice for this event, and I am really thankful that they did. It means so much that they took on this experiment for the 5 year anniversary of the site, and I can’t show my appreciation enough.

PS: Bob Ray Starker and Leslie Jankowski (from Church of the Red Museum) added a horn section in two of the songs. What a nice touch! Oh man. So good.

We did bill this as a one time only thing, and I hope they consider maybe doing it again in the future. Or maybe not. Maybe in this internet age when everything is recorded, Youtubed, and distributed to the world, it’s nice to have a “YOU HAD TO BE THERE” thing. I’d be happy either way.

This was the biggest crowd we’ve ever had for a single donewaiting.com event. It was great.

Update: Youtubed! This is Brainbow/Blueprint performing “Liberated”. Picture quality is dark but it’s the music that matters.

Friday

GRAVE BLANKETS – first time seeing them, won’t be my last. Really good sound. The recorded material they’ve put out there doesn’t do them justice…. they are a great live band.

SINKANE – Ahmed has always been one of my favorite musicians in Columbus and it looks like he’s finally firmed up his vision of Sinkane. Their set was hypnotic. Really cool. And with a solid indie label putting their album out later this year, things are gonna explode! Can’t wait! AHMED I WANT A PICTURE DISC RECORD.

THIS MOMENT IN BLACK HISTORY – haven’t seen them since they opened up for YEah Yeah Yeahs in Cleveland a few years back. Good set, liked the energy. First mosh pit ever at a donewaiting event.

DEATHLY FIGHTER – I am a believer.

This Moment in Black History Video from the Show

Yesterday, my girlfriend fiance and I celebrated our five year anniversary. Last week we got engaged! Holy crap dudes am I becoming… an adult?

I’ve put together a little mix of MP3s featuring songs from Kiesha’s favorite bands. Enjoy!

MP3: The Book of Love by The Magnetic Fields
MP3: Clementine by The Decemberists
MP3: Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone by Ted Leo
MP3: The Lull of Youngstown by Miranda Sound