The Catbirds have released their first full-length album Subanimal Sounds, and will be celebrating this release tonight (March 4th) at The Hideout with Baby Teeth. The Catbirds is primarily the work of Baltimore’s Peter Beyer, but the band includes F. James Cooper of our own Detholz!, as well as Benyamin Artes-Miranda and Karl Doerfenmueller of Chicago.

The Catbird sound is somewhat Americana, somewhat psychedelic, and like folk-pop. It’s a pleasant blend that could span a number of decades and influences, namely Belle and Sebastian or The Beach Boys.

This week the soulful JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound released a brand new single called “Get it Together”. The single is back with this incredible rework of the Wilco track “I am Trying to Break Your Heart”. This is the bands first release since last year’s self-released full-length r&b/soul album Beat of Our Own Drum.

JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound will be performing at Tonic Room on March 10th.

This week the New Jersey net label Rain Above Records released a new (and free) digital single by the bedroom troubadour Tinyfolk. The single features two songs “I Was Cato the Elder” and “Snowy Branches” and totals less than five minutes in length. Over the years Tinyfolk has tried his hand at many different styles, but these tracks are clear and gentle folk.

Tinyfolk will be performing at The Space in DeKalb, IL on March 15th.

Coach House Sounds has released two new sessions this week, one by Southern Illinois band Headlights, and one by the dynamic group of musicians known simply as Push. There sound is a collection of their instruments, and that might be a negative statement if it weren’t for the diverse range of instruments they play. Marimba, vibraphone, glockenspiel, synths, bells, and more have found their way into the groups sound. Their songs fill rooms and as you can tell you the images from their CHS section so does their equipment.

Push play at Martyrs in Chicago on Thursday March 11.

The third free track (third of fourty-four) from Smashing Pumpkins new project Teargarden By Kaleidyscope has been released. This is Billy’s attempt at a protest song. Here is how he explains it, ““I have a hard time saying in most cases what inspires a song–some of them just pour out of me like salt and I feel like a custodian of a spirit I don’t fully understand but certainly can feel. The closest answer I have is that it’s a protest song–what I am protesting I’m not sure but it has something to do with real inner freedom and the consequence of what it means to be free.”

Episode two of Small Chicago has been posted and it features The Warms Ones. As they reach their third song in this basement set you can see why they might be called The Warm Ones. Check out Small Chicago for the entire set and bonus images. The Warm Ones have dubbed this the year they make contact and so far they have.

You can see The Warm Ones live on March 24th at Schubas.

Here is the first line of the bio for Dot Dot Dot, “Dot Dot Dot’s music is a thrilling union of rock elements cloaked in dance beats with synthy frills; it’s a wonder they didn’t call themselves Duran Duran Duran. “ That bio really says it all. The music of Dot Dot Dot sounds very much like classic Duran Duran, but the fact is this is still fun danceable party rock. For a band that doesn’t seem to take themselves too seriously they have managed to amass quit a following for their LP and EP, both self-released. The first track on their new EP 1, is called “Don’t Move” and is a fun synth-driven romp that makes no attempts to be anything more.

The band will be performing at Schubas on March 4th for a rare all ages show before hitting the road for most of March.

This April, Netherfriends (aka Shawn Rosenblatt) will find himself homeless and he will be embarking on a 50 Songs 50 States tour. You will be able to follow his progress here. Shawn is also close to completing his first full-length LP called Barry and Sherry (named after his parents) and today premiered a video for the project. The song is called "Lead You Through the Misty Fog of Milwaukee Ave".

Before he leaves in April, Netherfriends will be performing two shows here, Mar 15 at Lincoln Hall with Woods and Real Estate and Mar 18 at Empty Bottle with Deakin (Animal Collective).

On the inside cover of the sophomore album, Time and Temperature, from Judson Claiborne you will find a quote from Daphne Rose Kingma. “We tend to think of relationships as static, as if we could just get into them, assume a position inside them and then continue to hold it, essentially without changing forever, world without end. But in fact our relationships are fluid, vivid, mercurial, and constantly changing.” It perfectly sets the stage for the plucked strings, melodies, and heartfelt lyrics that follow. These ten tracks crave a graceful notch into the static image of love. The instrument Judson uses to crave is the fable as he tells tales of a CIA worker struggles to keep a relationship with his wife, or a student falling a little to deeply in love. The tale keeps changing as the type of relationship changes. Musically, there are element indie folk, country, and just plain Americana, but Claiborne’s web is complex and refreshing. This album is beautifully put together by La Societe Expeditionnaire, and topped of by incredible photos from New York’s Sarah Wilmer. The album will be released on April 6th and will become one of the top Chicago albums of the year.

The record release show will take place on March 5th at The Hideout with Sonoi and Eiren Cafall. Judson Claiborne will also perform at Reckless Records in Wicker Park on March 6th at 4:00pm for free.

Yesterday, Daytrotter posted their session with Joe Pug. Joe performed one track from his first ep, Nation of Heat, and three songs from his new album Messengers. My favorite line from the Daytrotter write-up is as follows, "It’s like reaching for a cup of coffee, intent of enjoying a small and toasty sip, believing that you’re going to have to take it slow or risk burning your tongue out of your mouth, only to find that the liquid in the cup has gone disgustingly cold in the span between sips." Joe Pug’s music is filled with continual sense that live is out to get you, but he delivers with a warm and understanding of a veteran bar-hand after close.

Tonight at The Hideout, The Laureates celebrate the release of their third effort and EP entitled No Kontrol. The ep is released through Funambulist Recording Company and finds the band continuing on their enjoyable path of mixing classic rock sound with ‘90’s underground and surprisingly Brit Pop. It’s a fun mixture that sounds nostalgic and original at the same time. The band has been working together since 2005, and over the last four years have now released two eps and a well received full-length, There Are No More Gentlemen (2008). You can download the EP for free from the website Candy Dinner.

Joining The Laureates tonight will be Tiger Bones, The Runnies, and Only Children. The show starts at 9pm and tickets are $8.

White Car are one of the more unique and exciting duo’s in town, and this month they released their debut self-titled 12” on Rainbow Body Records. They are celebrating the release of the ep on March 2nd at Danny’s Tavern (1451 W. Dickens) with DJs Beau Wanzer and Gatekeeper.