Mud Dauber haps. December is cold, yo.

Greetings on this fine, cold holiday season-

What the heck? Nobody at Mud Dauber is playing an upcoming show? A completely empty schedule?

Ok, yes, we admit it. Nobody's playing. Folks will eventually be playing, but for now the calendar is as barren as... well, as the Barren Coast. But don't let that kill your holiday contact high, for there is a mighty force at Mud Dauber. What's been going on since we were last in touch? We'll tell ya...

Matthew Grimm & The Red Smear's new album, The Ghost of Rock & Roll, has so far entered the Euro Americana chart at #18, has reached #12 on the Roots Music Report Roots Rock chart, and is holding at #2 on the Roots Music Report Iowa chart!

The Mayflies' new album, A Thousand Small Things, has entered the Euro Americana Chart at #15, has entered the Freeform American Roots chart at #19, has reached #10 on the Roots Music Report Roots Country chart, and is holding at #1 on the Roots Music Report Iowa chart!

And Patrick Bloom's new album, Ghosts of Radio (yes, we see the "ghost" theme), has entered the Freeform American Roots chart at #22, has reached #5 on the Roots Music Report Iowa chart, and has entered the Euro Americana Chart at #8!

Not bad. Oh, and BeJae Fleming's LAST album, Destination Unimportant (from 2005) is STILL holding its own at #9 on the Roots Music Report Iowa chart. Yes, it's just that good. (Ok, it was released on Trailer Records at the time, but we're still proud).

Thanks so much for the ever lasting love and support. Mud Dauber is pushing Iowa into the ears of folks around the world, and we couldn't do it without you. Have a lovely solstice and remember, PBR is just as fine a drink as eggnog.

See you in 2010!

-The Mud Dauber Gang

Mud Dauber Haps (wuzzup?)

Ah yes, that time again to fill your In Box up with yet MORE stuff. Because you don't already get enough, right? Well, it's sunny outside around these parts, the plants are growing, the garden needs hoeing, and the lawn needs mowing. Word.

This week y'all are invited to see The Mayflies bust down the doors in Iowa City with their official CD Release show. It's at The Yacht Club, and it'll be an event. Just check out the Mud Dauber calendar for more info (the 'Flies will be traveling about as well). The CD is a good'un, and it will most definitely make you crave beer. And the new album from Matthew Grimm and the Red Smear is available too, in all of its pop roots glory. Mmmm. Neither album is actively online yet, but you can always drop a note our way and those guys (yup, they're all guys) will get back with you. We'll be sure to post as soon as you can either buy a CD or download the records.

Thanks for being a part of our world. We love you and want to rub your feet.

Off Deadline

Off Deadline has published an article on the inner workings of Mud Dauber Records. Now you can see for your own self how unglamorous our little world can be...

Batty

The boys in The Gilded Bats have been a busy bunch. Firstly, Nobert Sarsfield, crooner and sawer, did and interview with Garry Harrison, an essential Illinois fiddler and field recorder, that was published in The Old-Time Herald (Volume 11, Number 8, for those of you counting...), and a portion of the interview is available to view online. Go ahead and purchase it if you'd like to read the interview in full.

Bill Bryant, strummer and crooner, was chosen, along with his writing partner, Becky Peterson, as a finalist for the 2008 Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship. They were flown to Los Angeles ("wow... the big city!...) to attend the awards ceremony. Word has it that Bill started a fight when the attendant at the free bar informed him that there was no moonshine available. Possums were tossed.

Finally, Andrew Epstein, frailer and crooner, is in Sudan, working on his doctorate and conducting research on youth, displacement, and education in Sudan. Andrew is a very smart, passionate man, and we hope that he will continue, when not playing banjo, to make the earth a hell of a lot better than it currently is. His amazing blog is called The Transubstantiator, and it's full of stories, pictures, and even poetry about his doings in Sudan. Read it immediately.

Ahhh... sweet banjo...

A lovely article appeared in newspaper the Iowa City Press-Citizen, discussing banjo and how the instrument is being utilized by players in Iowa, including The Mayflies own Jon Eric. Also mentioned is Bob Black, one of our very favorite folks on this big earth, and a dang fine musician. The article can be read in full here...

August at the nest...

Greetings Mud-misers,

What's going on at Mud Dauber Records? So glad you asked!

To start, The Gilded Bats will be playing at the majestic, historic, and super-amazing Englert Theatre in Iowa City, IA on Saturday, August 9th. Yup, this Saturday. Presented by the Iowa Friends of Old-Time Music, this ***FREE*** show will also feature Stones in the Field, the Escape the Floodwater Jug Band, and The Awful Purdies. Holy frickin' cow. It's at 7 pm. The only reason to not be there is because you hate cute puppies.

On top of reaching #14 on the Euro Americana chart and #10 on the Roots Music Report chart, Patrick Bloom has started to receive another round of national and international airplay for his current release, Moses. As a matter of fact, Carrie Delzoppo, lovely host of the radio show "The Cowboy's Sweetheart" in Byron Bay, Australia, will be featuring the album on her program this week. The show airs at 10:00 am Saturday, August 9th on Bay FM in Byron Bay, Australia. What's that? You're not planning to be Down Under this weekend? Then you can hear the show online at 7:00 pm central standard time in the states. To listen in, just go to BayFM's website at www.bayfm.org.

--Wait... that means that The Gilded Bats will be playing live, this Saturday August 9th at 7:00 pm, at the VERY SAME TIME that Patrick Bloom's album will be getting featured online? Uh... yes. Smack us with a wooden chair and call us Sally, but it's true.--

Meanwhile, Bloom's album Moses has been given great reviews (quick ones) by both Taproot Radio and Absolute Powerpop, and was recommended as a current best pick by Rootsy.nu.

And lastly, The Mayflies have been chosen as the Band of the Month on the Iowa Jam Band Society website. Be careful y'all... they may technically qualify as a "jam band", but they're a true roots phenom. They just happen to play their butts off. AND they'll be starting tracking for their NEW ALBUM this week! (Oooooh... look at all of those capitol letters). Songs to be recorded include those penned by band members Stacy Webster, Dave Lumberg, and Jon Eric, and five additional songs by Patrick Bloom will be included in there as well. Yessiree.

Patrick Bloom review from The Boudin Barndance

From our pal Dan Ferguson, host of the lovely Boudin Barndance on WRIU in Rhode Island:

Patrick Bloom
Moses
Mud Dauber Records MD0002

Renowned singer/songwriter Greg Brown describes Moses from fellow Iowan Patrick Bloom as “..the music that scarecrows dance to when everyone else is asleep.” How to truly interpret that only Brown knows, but I’ve got to think said scrarecrows are digging this album. A rootsy affair, at its foundation is a collection of alluring melodies saddled with Bloom’s literate, lyrical touch. With the tuneful Moses, the Iowa-by-way-of-Long Island Bloom demonstrates a keen eye for detail and a narrative style that neatly mixes emotion with smarts. (Visit www.patrickbloom.com.)

Thanks Dan!