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!

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.

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!

New Merchandise for the Holidays! 

We are happy to release our brand new t-shirts, just in time for the holidays. Head over to our STORE and see the awesome, new design that we have available in multiple colors!

Songwriters in the Round returns! 

We've had a blast hosting the Songwriters in the Round series this year from Scenic City Showcase, sharing the stage with some incredible Chattanooga musicians. We are excited to do this one more time before the year ends on Thursday, December 1, and this lineup is just as special as the others. Come see Magic Birds, along with Lon Eldridge, Marty & Matt Bohannon, Charles Allison and Courtney Holder in a stripped down setting, sharing stories behind some of our songs and performing in the intimate setting of Barking Legs Theater. See our SHOWS page for more details.

Back to the Mill! 

We had the pleasure of performing at Ketner’s Mill Country Arts Fair last year and we are proud that we have been asked to come back this year. If you haven't been before, you should check out this festival. It is a lot of fun for the entire family and the setting is one of a kind. See their website at www.ketnersmill.org.

We are performing at 2pm Eastern on Saturday, Oct 15th. We will be at the tent stage inside the fair, near the big food barn. Get there earlier in the day for our buddy Ryan Oyer, and stay after us to see our friends in Caney Creek Company. Should be a fun day!

Putting on your hopping shoes! 

The Rooftop Hop is happening in Chattanooga this Saturday 9/24 and Magic Birds will be performing all night long on the roof of our good friends from RootsRated. This is the 5th annual Hop, put on by the fine folks at green | spaces. There is still time to snatch a ticket, so go do that and then hop on over to RootsRated and hang out with us!

Thu 8/4 @ the Hunter Museum 

We are honored to be performing live at the Hunter Museum on Thu 8/4 as part of their All American Summer Concert Series. This is an early 'happy hour' show that starts at 6pm, so make sure you head straight over from work. The Hunter folks were also kind enough to work with us on this promotional video for the show...hope you enjoy Feeling Low!

Previous events

Aug11

Magic Birds Album Release Show

Cherry Street Tavern, 719 Cherry Street, Chattanooga, TN

We are finally releasing our sophomore album, "Twenty-Three", and we are celebrating with an album release show ay Cherry Street Tavern! Doors at 8:30pm, $10 cover and the night will kick off at 9:30pm with a full set from our wonderfully talented friend, Amber Fults. After that, Magic Birds will perform 2 full sets. In the first set, we will perform the new album in full, which will include many guest appearances from our friends that helped make this album happen--Amber Fults, Matt Shigekawa, Randy Steele, Nick Lutsko and possibly some others. We will finish the night with a final set with old Magic Birds songs, new songs that haven't been recorded yet and some of our favorite covers! Go ahead and make plans to come hang out with us and celebrate an album release that has been a very LONG time coming! We will have CDs, vinyl and other new merch to go along with the good times--can't wait to see you there!!

Jul28

We are very excited to make it back on the lineup for the 2023 Nightfall Concert Series. On Fri 7/28, we will be taking the stage at 7pm, warming it up Joshua Hedley! If you are not familiar with his music, you should definitely check him out--he is one of the ones that is carrying the torch for real country music and we could not be more excited about sharing the stage with him. This is free event and we go on at 7pm and will play for about 45 minutes. Don't miss our set because we have some special tricks up our sleeve for this one!!

Jun23

Magic Birds @ Dalton Brewing Company

 —  —

Dalton Brewing Company, 112 W King Street, Dalton, GA 30720

We are heading down the road to Dalton for the first time! We've had friends and family from Dalton come to see us perform in Chattanooga before so we are so excited to bring the tunes to them this time. Right in the heart of downtown Dalton, we will be serving up the sounds from 7-9pm while the fine folks from Dalton Brewing Company serve up the cold ones! Mark your calendar and come hang out with us!

May20

Magic Birds @ Doc Holidays

Doc Holidays Bar & Grill, 742 Ashland Terrace, Chattanooga, TN

We had so much fun back in late February at Doc Holidays that we all decided to run in back!! If you did not make it last time, or if you have never been to Docs before, put this one on your calendar. We'll be providing the entertainment, but the fine folks at Docs will be slinging out the drinks and the delicious food. Don't believe us? Come out for yourself and find out! This is a free show and we'll be playing from 8-11pm. Bring it!

Apr15

Clayton is one of our favorite towns, with mountains, lakes and rivers all surrounding the area. But once you stop exploring the outdoors, you need a place to meet up with others, eat, drink and shop--and downtown Clayton has it all! We were lucky enough to perform on the outdoor stage at Universal Joint in downtown Clayton back in July, and we are making a return visit in April. If you haven't been to downtown Clayton, or if it has been a while, this will be a great time to visit!!

Apr13

It has been a few years, but we made the decision to jump back into the Road to Nightfall competition this year. We will be competing with 29 other great musical acts from the Chattanooga area to win a headlining spot at the upcoming Nightfall Summer Concert Series. The Road to Nightfall competition is held over a 5-night showdown at The Granfalloon, beginning on Thursday, April 6th. We will be competing on Thursday, April 13th and we are currently scheduled to be the 2nd act to perform that night. One of the best ways to move onto the next round is to have a lot of people there to support you, so we need all of our Chattanooga friends to come out and cheer us on on Thu 4/13. Let's have some fun with this!!

Apr8

This will be a very special night and Magic Birds is beyond thrilled to be a part of it. Ryan Monroe has been a major part of Band of Horses for 16 years, and since Band of Horses are not playing out live as much in 2023, he has teamed up with his old buddy Josh Roberts (Josh Roberts & The Hinges, Delta Circus) to go out on tour together. To know how special this is, you would have to go back to the early 2000s when Scott from Magic Birds booked bands at a venue in Clemson, SC called The Joint. One of the most successful bands to grace the stage at The Joint was Captain Easy, a rock band out of Columbia, SC that included co-frontmen Ryan Monroe and Josh Roberts. After Captain Easy parted ways, the 2 continued to make music separately while remaining very close friends. This tour should be a lot of fun, and will be a treat for all of their fans. Magic Birds will get the night started! Doors @ 6pm / Show @ 7pm, Seated Show.

$20 Advanced / $25 Day of Show

Mar23

Magic Birds & Bearhound @ The Woodshop

The Woodshop, 5500 St Elmo Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37409

We are excited to finally be performing at The Woodshop, one of Chattanooga's premiere listening rooms nestled within the historic St. Elmo neighborhood. What's even cooler about this show is that this will be their first installment of LOCALS ONLY, a monthly concert series that celebrates all of the diverse talent in Chattanooga. We will be sharing the night with indie folk band Bearhound. The show starts at 8pm and tickets are $10 in advance and $15 the day of the show. So, go ahead and save some money by making your plans to join us for this one!!

$10 Advance / $15 Day of Show

Feb25

Magic Birds @ Doc Holidays

Doc Holidays Bar & Grill, 742 Ashland Terrace, Chattanooga, TN

We are making our debut performance at Doc Holidays Bar & Grill on Sat 2/25 and we are very excited! This one is a little north of downtown Chattanooga, but not too far, and totally worth making the visit. The owners and staff and all great people, the food is excellent, the drinks are cold and their inside stage is calling our name! If you are in Chattanooga and never been to Doc Holidays, this is a great opportunity to check it out while you hang out with the Birds!! FREE SHOW from 8-11pm.

Jan14

Magic Birds @ Mars Theatre Brewing Company - CANCELLED DUE TO SNOW

 —  —

Mars Theatre Brewing Company, 70 N Main Street, Mars Hill, NC 28754

For some reason we cannot explain, we waited years to visit Ben's neck of the woods in NC and perform for his family and friends. Well, we finally made the trek this past summer and had a blast--so much so that we have already planned multiple return visits in 2023. This is the first one and it will be our first visit to Mars Hill. We cannot wait to perform in this beautiful venue. This is a free show and we begin at 6pm. If you are in the area, some hang out with us!!

Jan13

Magic Birds @ Lookout Wild Film Festival

Walker Theatre, 399 McCallie Avenue, Chattanooga, TN

For over ten years, the Lookout Wild Film Festival has brought the best outdoor adventure and conservation films from around the world to Chattanooga for one awesome weekend. This year, the festival will take place at the Walker Theatre (located downtown inside the Memorial Auditorium) from Thursday, January 12th through Sunday, January 15th. Magic Birds is proud to announce that we will be part of the festivities on Friday, January 13th. Doors open at 6pm and the festival begins at 7pm. While entering the theatre to find your seats, we will be performing on the Walker Theatre stage from 6:30pm until the film festival begins at 7pm. Then, we will come back on stage for another 15-20 minutes during the festival intermission. To say we are honored to be a part of this Chattanooga staple event would be an understatement. We cannot wait to see your smiling faces from the Walker stage!

Dec16

Magic Birds @ Cherry Street Tavern

Cherry Street Tavern, 719 Cherry Street, Chattanooga, TN

We had a blast as Cherry Street's Artist in Residency back in July and cannot wait to get back on that stage. What a great place--the stage, the sound, the food, the drinks and especially the people! This will be sure to be a great time, so come hang out with us as this will most likely be our last show of 2022. We will take the stage at 10pm, opening the night for The Prescriptions (the-prescriptions.com). This one should be a blast!!

Dec3

MAINx24 - Magic Birds @ Slick's

 —  —

Slick's Burgers, 309 E Main Street, Chattanooga, TN

Just when we thought we were finished playing on the patio of Slick's for the year, MAINx24 is coming up and we will be out there entertaining whoever will stop by and hang out with us for a while! MAINx24 is an amazing annual event, with 24 hours worth of various events happening all down Main Street in the Southside district of downtown Chattanooga (www.mainx24.com). Magic Birds has performed at MAINx24 in the past, but this will be our first time performing at Slick's and our first evening show, and we are so proud to be part of the festivities again this year. We will take the stage at 6pm, so if you feel like taking a break, grabbing a burger and a drink, stop by Slick's and hang out with us on the patio--we'll do our best to keep you entertained, the only way we know how!!

Oct15

Magic Birds @ Ketner's Mill Country Arts Fair

(EDT, UTC-04) (EDT, UTC-04)

Ketner's Mill, 658 Ketner Mill Ln, Whitwell, TN 37397

We are excited to announce that we will be back at Ketner's Mill this year! It has been a few years since we have performed at this annual event and we are so glad they are bringing us back. This is one of our favorite events in the Chattanooga area--live music, delicious food and tons of craft vendors, all on a beautiful property along the Sequatchie River. Whitwell is on Central time, but just know that we will take the stage at 1pm Eastern.

Oct13

49 Winchester w/ Magic Birds @ Songbirds

Songbirds, 35 Station Street, Chattanooga, TN 37408

This will be our debut performance at Songbirds and we are excited to be getting this opportunity to open the show for 49 Winchester, a Virginia-based band that is on the brink of breaking onto the national scene with their unique brand of tear-in-your-beer alt-country, sticky barroom floor rock-n-roll and high-octane Appalachian folk. We will start the night off with a set of our blend of Americana music and will gladly hand the mic over to 49 Winchester to finish off the night. Come out early to see us perform and then be prepared to experience 49 Winchester in a small, intimate setting while you can! Doors @ 7pm, Show @ 8pm

$15 Advanced / $20 Day of Show

Sep24

Magic Birds @ Mad Co. Brew House

 —  —

Mad Co. Brew House, 45 N Main Street, Marshall, NC

We are headed to NC for the first time and are even more excited because Marshall is Ben's hometown! We'll be performing at Mad Co. Brew House on Sat 9/24 from 5-8pm, right after the Art on the Island Arts Festival in downtown. So, after you enjoy your time at the art festival, come join us for Ben's homecoming. We hope to see some old friends and cannot wait to make some new ones!

Join our mailing list for the latest news