Our newest single Caroline's Calling is now available to download or stream just about anywhere you normally get your music. Head over to our videos page to check it out. We are really proud of this one. It's the 4th single we have released from our upcoming sophomore album, which we hope to finish and release at some point in 2020. Once again, this song was produced by Nick Lutsko and features backing vocals from Amber Fults and lead guitar from Matt Shigekawa (from Ashley and the X's). We hope you like it!
Welcome
Thank you for visiting the official website for Magic Birds, a Chattanooga, TN-based band made up of Scott Bruce and Ben Ezell. Delivering their own brand of Americana music, the duo blends together elements of classic country, bluegrass and folk, producing a style of music that exemplifies the sound that has helped shape their lives. Check out the site, see where the next performance will be and take a listen to a few tunes. Hope you like what you hear!
We're baaaaack...
We have been pretty quiet during the first few months of 2019, but we are gearing up for some new shows in May and cannot wait to perform for you all again! We will be a part of the Guerrilla Showcases at the SERFA Conference in Chattanooga on Saturday 5/18 and then will turn around the very next day on Sunday 5/19 to be a part of the festivities in the Chattanooga Choo Choo gardens for a Blues, Bluegrass & BBQ event for Mental Health Awareness Month. After that, we will return to Anderson, SC on Sat 7/20 for what will sure to be a fun night. But keep checking back on the website as we continue to add more dates, as well as more details for these shows already scheduled. Also, we are still in the studio working on our new album, but we may have a new single to tide you over very soon. Stay tuned....
One last single before the year ends!
We are still working on our new album, but we wanted to go ahead and release one last single for you before the year ends. And there couldn't be a better time to release Shiver! We have been playing this one out live for a while now, but it's never been recorded. With the excellent production from our good buddy Nick Lutsko, we're proud to finally share it with you!
Download or stream it on Spotify, YouTube, Amazon, iTunes or CD Baby....or just visit our videos page on our site. We hope you enjoy it!
Another new single out now!
Our new single "Reliance" is out now! This is our second release from our upcoming sophomore album. Produced by Nick Lutsko, this track features both Randy Steele (banjo) and Deron Stevens (mandolin) from Slim Pickins Bluegrass Band!
Download or stream it at any of the popular locations:
YouTube
Spotify
iTunes
Amazon
CD Baby
New Year, New Light
We are very proud to present our newest single, New Year, New Light. The first release from our upcoming sophomore album, this track was produced by Nick Lutsko, includes music accompaniment by Nick and features Danimal Pinson on the lap steel guitar.
Here are a few links to get you up-to-speed:
- Lyric Video on YouTube
- Press from Nooga.com
- Download on CD Baby
- Download on Amazon
- Download on iTunes
- Stream on Spotify
Please like, share, download, stream and spread the word to your friends...and most importantly, thank you for listening and supporting Magic Birds!
Back at it again!
After months and months of constant touring, we took some much needed time off to spend quality time with our families. Now that our kids remember what we look like, we are back at it again with a slew of new shows. It all starts this Saturday 9/30 at The Rooftop Hop in downtown Chattanooga. And while you are here, please check out all of our upcoming shows. We hope to see your smiling face at a few of them! Oh, and we may even have a handful of new songs for you to hear.....
At Barking Legs we will be.....
For our next 2 shows, we will find ourselves at one of our favorite Chattanooga venues; Barking Legs Theater. First, we are so excited that we were asked to be a part of Nathan Bell's CD Release Party on Sat 7/15. His new album Love>Fear (48 hours in traitorland) is out now and it is fantastic. Here's one of our favorite songs on the album, just to get you warmed up for the celebration: Raise Your Fist. Next, we will be back at Barking Legs on Sat 8/5 for another installation of our songwriters in the round showcase. This one is going to be a doozy, as we have some awesome Chattanooga area songwriters lined up for your listening pleasure. Check out the details here.
We hope to see you out at our shows, and keep checking back to this site because we will be performing at some popular Chattanooga events in Sep & Oct and we should be announcing those very soon!
Playing tunes in the month of June....
We have a couple of great shows lined up for June.
First, we'll be performing on Wed 6/7 at Waterhouse Pavilion in downtown Chattanooga as part of Noon Tunes concert series. This is the 2nd year of Noon Tunes and we are honored to be selected to the lineup this year. And yes, the show is at noon....as in the middle of the day....so take your lunch break with us!
Next, we will be performing at Puckett's on Fri 6/16 for the first time, which we are very excited about. This will be right toward the end of the Riverbend stretch. If Riverbend isn't your thing, then come hang out with us. If you are at Riverbend, but tired and hungry, then come hang out with us. Either way, we'll be taking the stage at 9pm!
For more details about our upcoming dates, visit our shows page....and we hope to see you in the crowd!
April showers of shows!
Ok....maybe only 3, but that is a lot for us in 1 month, and they are 3 shows that we are very excited about!
First, we are opening for Aaron Lee Tasjan at JJ's Bohemia on Friday 4/7. If you haven't heard of him yet, you should check him out. His new album Silver Tears on New West Records is really good. Here's one of our favorites; Memphis Rain.
Then on Sat 4/22, we will be at Clyde's on Main for the first time, sharing the stage with our SC buddies, Josh Roberts & The Hinges. This band knows how to rock-n-roll....and they are some really good people too. Scott and Josh go way back, so expect some late night collaborations of some sort!
And finally, we are honored that we were asked to return to the National Cornbread Festival for a 2nd straight year. We are playing on Sat 4/29, so come hang out with us and do the cornbread sampling....it will all be worth it, trust us!
We hope to see you out at a show or 2...or 3!
Check out all of our upcoming shows here.
First, we are opening for Aaron Lee Tasjan at JJ's Bohemia on Friday 4/7. If you haven't heard of him yet, you should check him out. His new album Silver Tears on New West Records is really good. Here's one of our favorites; Memphis Rain.
Then on Sat 4/22, we will be at Clyde's on Main for the first time, sharing the stage with our SC buddies, Josh Roberts & The Hinges. This band knows how to rock-n-roll....and they are some really good people too. Scott and Josh go way back, so expect some late night collaborations of some sort!
And finally, we are honored that we were asked to return to the National Cornbread Festival for a 2nd straight year. We are playing on Sat 4/29, so come hang out with us and do the cornbread sampling....it will all be worth it, trust us!
We hope to see you out at a show or 2...or 3!
Check out all of our upcoming shows here.
2017 update....
Yeah, we know...we've been a little quiet since the end of 2016. Well, we took a little time off during the winter months, but now we are back in the studio working on a new record, this time with our good buddy, the talented Mr. Nick Lutsko. We are excited for you to hear what we are creating together and we hope to have a teaser for you very soon!
In the meantime, we have another exciting installment of our Scenic City Showcase coming back to Barking Legs Theater on Saturday 3/4. This is gonna be another great one, featuring more very talented songwriters from Chattanooga, and our first one on a Saturday night! Also, look for another show announcement soon for April....one we are very excited about as well....you'll know soon!
We hope to see you out and about!
In the meantime, we have another exciting installment of our Scenic City Showcase coming back to Barking Legs Theater on Saturday 3/4. This is gonna be another great one, featuring more very talented songwriters from Chattanooga, and our first one on a Saturday night! Also, look for another show announcement soon for April....one we are very excited about as well....you'll know soon!
We hope to see you out and about!
Previous events
We will be back at MAINx24 this year, performing again at the official OCI MAINX24 World Championship Chili Cookoff. This event will take place in the OCI parking lot and benefits green|spaces. The music kicks off around 11:30am, just as soon as the big parade down Main Street ends. Magic Birds will be playing 2 sets this year, so come hang out with us and enjoy the chili tasting and good times!
That's right--we are headed back to Scott's hometown of Anderson, SC for another show! Last time was a blast, and we will be back in downtown again--this time at a new speakeasy-style establishment called #Somewhere. We will share more details with you if they allow, but for now, we can give you this hint: Somewhere under the bear, seven blocks from where the man checks his watch.
Embracing Hope Chattanooga - Blues, Bluegrass, & BBQ
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We are proud to be a part of a Blues, Bluegrass & BBQ event that will shine a light on Mental Health Awareness Month. Taking place in the gardens at the historic Chattanooga Choo Choo, this family-friendly event features local live music, local breweries and tons of BBQ! The event begins at 1pm, and Magic Birds will take the stage at 2:40pm.
We are excited to be a part of the 12th Annual SERFA Conference, their first year in Chattanooga. We will perform during the Guerrilla Showcases, which will take place in a hotel room between 11pm-2am. We go on first at 11pm!
We are excited to be a part of the MAINX24 festivities this year! We'll be performing during the official OCI MAINX24 World Championship Chili Cookoff, which is a benefit event for green|spaces. The event kicks off around 11am, directly after the big parade down Main Street, and Magic Birds will be the 2nd band to take the stage during the event. This should be a lot of fun, so come hang out with us!
Edley's just recently started having live music out on their patio and we cannot wait to get out there and and play some music for you! Come by for dinner or a drink and hang out with us....and you must try their banana pudding!!
We are excited to be playing at Slick's for the first time. Here's hoping the weather is great so we can play on the outdoor stage and take advantage of their awesome patio experience. Did we mention how delicious their burgers are? Come grab dinner and let us serenade you into the night!
We'll be back in Ocoee for a performance at The BUS Bar with our good buddy Randy Steele! Randy just released an excellent EP called Moccasin Bender, so come prepared to hear some new tunes, along with some old Slim Pickins favorites. We cannot wait to share the stage with him, back in his old stomping grounds. Magic Birds will get this night started with music kicking off at 9pm. Come have some fun with us!
We are headed up to Ocoee, TN for our first performance in the area and we could not be more excited that it will be at the Ocoee River Jam! Besides providing a full weekend of excellent live music, this annual signature music festival has a dedicated purpose of raising overall awareness of the many unique features found within the region, encouraging community participation, increasing tourism revenues, and supporting local artisans of diverse genres, with proceeds from the event distributed to local area youth organizations and youth related programs. The festival kicks off on Friday night, so go ahead and make a full weekend of it. Magic Birds will be a part of the Saturday festivities, but check out the entire lineup at ocoeeriverjam.com. We hope to see you there!
We are exciting to be performing at The 9th Annual Jefferson Heights 4th of July Spectacular! Our talented friend Amber Fults will get things started around 5:30pm and we will go on at about 7pm. It should be an awesome day of celebration with some great friends and fireworks!
This will be Magic Birds' first performance at the iconic Chattanooga music festival and we are pumped! We'll be playing at the TVFCU Stage under the bridge at 6:15pm on Thu 6/14, right before Chattanooga legends Overland Express!
We are excited to be opening the show for our friends in Nick Lutsko & The Gimmix at JJ's Bohemia, Chattanooga's best venue for late night live music! It's a Friday night so there is really no reason to miss this extravaganza!!
Live music at Lula Lake Land Trust with our friends from River City Sessions...say no more! The gates open at 4:30pm and Magic Birds goes on at 6:30pm.
Magic Birds is excited to be headed back to The National Cornbread Festival for the 3rd straight year! We'll be performing on Sunday morning at 10am Eastern at the Gazebo Stage.
Scenic City Showcase presents Songwriters in the Round, featuring:
Mark "Porkchop" Holder & MPH - www.markporkchopholdermph.com
Rye Baby - www.ryebaby.bandcamp.com
Ashley Hicks & Matt Shigekawa (from Ashley and the X's) - www.ashleyandthexs.net
hosted by: Magic Birds www.wearemagicbirds.com
Scenic City Showcase returns for another installment of the Songwriters in the Round showcase, featuring some of the Chattanooga area's finest songwriters. With a stacked and diverse lineup for Saturday, February 3rd, come enjoy all of these artists on stage together, as they take turns sharing stories about their songs and performing them live in a stripped-down fashion....all of this in the intimate setting of Barking Legs Theater.
Doors at 7:30pm, Show at 8pm, $10 at the door
We are pumped to be headed back to the Revelry Room for another show, this time opening for the Colorado-based post-modern bluegrass outfit Head for the Hills. Tickets are $10 advance, $12 day of show. The doors are at 8pm, and the show starts at 9pm!
Music Wednesdays w/ the Chattanooga Times Free Press
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Chattanooga Public Library, 1001 Broad Street, Chattanooga, TN
We are excited to be playing on Facebook live via the Chattanooga Times Free Press and their Music Wednesdays music series. It will air live on their Facebook page (facebook.com/timesfreepress) at noon Eastern, but it will be available to view afterwards in case you miss the live version.
We are honored to be asked to perform this year at one of Chattanooga's best outdoor events, and we cannot wait for the festivities!
Wine Over Water is Tennessee's premier wine-tasting festival. You can sample wines from over 100 world wineries while you stroll the historic Walnut Street Bridge, enjoying food from local restaurants and music from talented regional musicians.
Learn more about the event on their website: www.wineoverwater.org
We are returning to The Rooftop Hop and we are very excited to be back! Magic Birds will be performing on the rooftop of the CitiPark Garage.
This is a special downtown Chattanooga event that benefits green|spaces, who promotes sustainable living, working & building in the Chattanooga area, The Rooftop Hop celebrates their accomplishments while showcasing why it is important for us to continue to preserve our natural resources!
Tickets to this year's event include:
- Access to 5 Exclusive Rooftop Parties
- All inclusive food, beverages & entertainment!
Also, only 300 tickets will be sold, and the event sold out last year. Visit the event website to find out more about the event and the cause: www.therooftophop.com
Scenic City Showcase presents Songwriters in the Round, featuring:
Nathan Bell - www.nathanbellmusic.com
Drakeford - www.drakefordmusic.com
Sweet G.A. Brown - www.sweetgabrown.bandcamp.com
Christopher Gehrke - www.facebook.com/BrokeDownHound
hosted by Magic Birds - www.wearemagicbirds.com
with art on display by Morgan Koch - www.instagram.com/shut_eye_
Scenic City Showcase returns for another installment of the Songwriters in the Round showcase, featuring some of the Chattanooga area's finest songwriters. With a stacked and diverse lineup for Saturday, August 5th, come enjoy all of these artists on stage together, as they take turns telling stories about their songs and performing them live in a stripped-down fashion....all of this in the intimate setting of Barking Legs Theater.
Doors at 7:30pm, Show at 8pm, $10 at the door