me like bees Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

Me Like Bees “The Ides”

sfilzen — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 20:32:04 +0000

Me Like Bees “The Ides” 2013/2023, self-released, special 2-LP limited edition on grey vinyl. Shimmery, jangly indie rock from Joplin, Missouri, their debut album re-released for its 10th anniversary. We’ve been big Bees fans since seeing them at Mile of Music about 10 years ago, outdoors on one of those perfect Midwest summer evenings that is pure magic, and many times since, most recently about a week ago at X-Ray Arcade. They’ve been compared to Modest Mouse, Franz Ferdinand and The Strokes – I like those bands ok but Me Like Bees just hits better: their music is danceable, sweet but with an edge (which has gotten harder as they’ve gone through a few rhythm section changes over the years). Despite this being a relative recently acquisition, I know almost all of the tracks from seeing them so many times: The Ides is pure Bees, with all the shimmer, jangle and dancey beats I expect. A perennial crowd favorite – and one of mine, too – is “Ra Ra Etc.” It’s joyously infectious with a bit of stomp-and-holler attitude that the audience always embraces with a singalong. Other top tracks include the title track “The Ides” which has a killer two-stroke rhythm and another sing-along chorus. Fortunately this special 2-LP edition has live versions of both tracks, both recorded in their hometown of Joplin. Also great on The Ides is “Naked Trees,” the slow funk of “Fox Hole Down,” and both “Kids in the Kitchen” and “Joseph Jones” which have Jack White-inspired nuggets of stomping weirdness. (“Joseph Jones” also appears live on this version of The Ides).

Here’s a video of the show we saw them at in Appleton in 2016 when the Bees won my heart (not my video but we were there):

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Me Like Bees “Disco Two Step”

sfilzen — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 18:51:49 +0000

Me Like Bees “Disco Two Step” 2022 (self-released). We got to see one of our favorite indie rock bands this past weekend up in Appleton at Mile of Music. Me Like Bees (from Joplin, Missouri) was a last-minute festival addition, jumping in for another Mile fave (Wild Adriatic – we missed seeing them!) and, as always, they put on a hell of a performance to about 2,000 of their “closest friends” (their words, and it’s true. Appleton LOVES Me Like Bees). We first saw them at what I think was their first Mile performance 8 or so years ago (at Emmett’s outdoor stage on a perfect August late afternoon) with their original lineup, including singer/guitarist Luke Sheafer and guitarist Pete Burton, and I completely fell in love with them. We’ve caught them several times since, at Mile as well as at shows in the Milwaukee area. Like many bands, they’ve gone through a few drummers over the years (currently Ben Davis is in that role) but the “new” bassist, Jake Bennet, stuck when he joined in 2017 after serving as their merch guy. They still have it: shimmering, stomping, energetic and ass-shaking indie pop, MLB are just so fun and great guys.

MLB played several of my top picks from Disco Two Step, the band’s 2nd full-length album, including “Animal,” the anthemic “Radio” and the strummy “The Man,” I’m not sure if they played “Square Jaw Pt. 1 & II” but it’s a really great track, a bit epic with lots of rhythm and melodic changes and while I’m not really a fan of the “stomp and holler” genre, the track “Disco is Dead” is pretty great.

I have no proof but I’m guessing MLB plays their best shows in the Fox Valley – I truly hope they continue to show up at Mile and I know as long as they stick together that they will continue to perform in Wisconsin, particularly in the Appleton area. Their fans are wildly loyal and will show up for the Bees.

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Me Like Bees “There Will Be Time”

sfilzen — Tue, 09 Aug 2016 17:41:55 +0000

Me Like Bees “There Will Be Time” 2016. Four song 10″ EP on white vinyl. Me Like Bees was another fantastic band we saw (twice!) at Appleton, WI’s Mile of Music this past weekend. An indie-rock band from Joplin, MO (the MoM bio says “Four-piece alternative indie-rockers. The band states that their live show is as delicious as the beer that flows from Wisconsin’s finest tap rooms; their jokes cheesier than the sharpest cheddar”), their performances were filled with upbeat, happy melodies that paired perfectly with the gorgeous August summer outdoor shows at Emmett’s Bar & Grill (Friday) and Houdini Plaza (Saturday) in downtown Appleton. (I haven’t spent so much time in Houdini Plaza – a kinda town square behind the main street – since high school when my friends and I would hang out between bus transfers, usually because we had just gotten booted from Tom’s, a local fast food joint).

Me Like Bees on the Emmett’s parking lot stage, Mile of Music

There Will Be Time, which they self-released, is Me Like Bee’s only other recording besides their full-length The Ides from 2013 (Loveaway Records). There Will Be Time includes one of the highlights of their performances “Tundraland,” a soaring feel-good anthemic stomper that is just as good (or better!) as anything Modest Mouse (one of their stated influences) or Mumford & Sons (another current band they kinda remind me of) has produced. Another track is “Hymns and Blues” and I was able to find a live performance from Mill Creek in Appleton, part of the MoM venue line-up, though this particular video is from this past February (hence the sweater on lead singer/guitarist Luke Sheafer).

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