Let’s give a round of applause for friendship and support and all that jazz. It’s a worthy endeavor. Good things become of it. Case in point – It was Friday afternoon and I got an email from Timothy Showalter, also known as Strand of Oaks, saying “Would you mind if i was a pitch guy for some of my friends? I think it would be good for both of you.” I replied to Tim (who is an awesome human being) and said “Sure. Tell me what you’re thinking”. I didn’t hear back from him for a while and started wondering what he was getting at. Later on, we get tagged onto a tweet about a band called Juniper Tar . Basically an electronic introduction with handshakes and friendly hellos. Fast forward to now and I’ve listened to their newest EP ten times in a row. They were definitely new to us and probably new to you too. Thanks Tim. Let’s do this.

Juniper Tar / Innerstates
Juniper Tar / Birds In Trees

Juniper Tar is a five piece band out of Milwaukee, WI that channel bright winter afternoons. Not a cloud in the sky and the sun is burning halos into your eyes as it reflects off the snow. Counter melody guitar work, beautiful harmonies, strong percussion. No frills, emotional grass roots music. I don’t know much about the band other than their names, they started this adventure in 2005, they have a full length debut and an EP, and release number three on the way. Here’s where my head is at – the debut album, In The Trees, is solid. They sound a little green around the edges on this recording but it’s all there. Maybe the pieces hadn’t been fully formed and don’t fit in their places as snug as they should. The songs are good, they are great musicians, I like their sound. I was definitely interested and enjoying it as I walked my way though it. Later on in the evening I got an email from one of the guys saying,”Hey, here’s a free download of our newest EP. Take a listen”….Woooo. I can’t get enough of it. In the two years between these releases, I’d say it’s safe to assume that the band found their sound, developed some road tested earnest confidence, and this is the Juniper Tar they want you to know and love.

The Howl Street EP begins with a crash of piano chords and heartfelt melodies from Jason Mohr. What struck me immediately was the gravely sound and delivery of Mohr’s vocals. It’s hard for me to not compare them with Will Johnson (of Centro-matic, South San Gabriel, Molina & Johnson), one of my personal favorite when it comes to music, lyrics, delivery and basically existence. Terrific. Beautiful harmonies surround Mohr’s melodies and they already have me hooked about two minutes in. The EP is super strong, with interesting guitar work, emotional musical passages and outros, and just damn good delivery. Dynamics are not spared and there’s definitely a post-rock feeling to the two middle songs, “Birds In Trees” and “Old Mystery”, that I appreciate greatly and find myself rocking back and forth to in this coffee shop.

Now don’t get me wrong, In the Trees is good and I could find myself loving it, but the EP is immediate, strong, and gorgeous.

Other fun fact facts: Juniper Tar are friends with Strand of Oaks (as you know already) and have made a lot of noise on our favorite blog Muzzle of Bees (Check out their review of The Howl Street EP. We are like the grasshopper and Ryan Matteson and crew are like the kung fu master. What a blog.) Anyway, they’ve recently played at SXSW music festival in March and did a really great tour documentary with High Frequency Media (also out of Milwaukee. Damnit they are doin’ everything right up there). Check out the songs above, which are two of my favorites form The Howl Street EP. Wikipedia says the new album is due out in August. This is me electronically crossing my fingers on that one (don’t fail me now, Wiki). Also, definitely spend a few minutes watching an excerpt song from their tour documentary. Great stuff. Can’t wait to hear more from these guys. Follow the links below, kids.

Juniper Tar – “Black Pain Tea” from High Frequency Media on Vimeo.

Good tunes on their myspace, a tumblr page, official home, and facebook page. You can get a free download of their first album in exchange for your email address. Do it.

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