Eric Elmer : harmonica, mandolin, guitar, vocals
Eric Jensen : drums, congas, percussion
Matt Pederson : keyboards, guitar, vocals
Matt Perlberg : bass, percussion, vocals
Mike Perlberg : guitar, vocals
Mike "The Roast" Shust : guitar, drums, vocals
Gary "Thunderballz" Shust : drums
The Cowbirds formed in October, 2005 when members of two Palatine-based bands (The Bridgeburners and Shot O' Cutty) fell in together around a local open mic scene. The musicians quickly realized how many times their paths had almost crossed over the years at numerous concerts and such: two of them even lived on the same street. Early rehearsals demonstrated that this group of players were on a very similar wavelength in terms of taste and material. By the end of 2005 they'd performed publicly several times and made plans to record a debut CD.
Up In Your Nest was recorded between February and April, 2006. It was a 10-song project consisting primarily of "deep cut" cover tunes, with a few originals added for good measure. The band continued to rehearse, perform at various open mic nights, and play occasional weekend shows for a sizable and enthusiastic audience. The fact that everyone in the band can play multiple instruments allowed them to weather some personnel changes which saw the lineup fluctuate between five and eight players. Ultimately, the band settled around a 7-man lineup which includes alternating drummers and percussion. Other flavors that one might find at a typical show include keyboards, harmonica, mandolin, and most notably a deep well of guitar stylings.
One year to the day from the recording of Up In Your Nest, the band began work on an all-original CD. When that project is complete, they look forward to frequent gigging. Click the "e-mail" link below to contact the band, or sample some material on the "mp3" page.
