Monday, December 21, 2015

Ep 23 - Song 1: "My Song About Why I Don't Do Christmas Songs" by John Burns



In the fall of 1972, during my junior year of high school, I sat down at the Cable-Nelson piano in the basement of my parents' house and laboriously penned my first song, "Last Airport Home." A few days later, I wrote another, and then another -- and then another. . .

I never stopped.

Then, in January, 1976 I played a borrowed Wurlitzer electric piano at the Wakonda Country Club on Des Moines' South Side with a band called Now and Then. That was my first professional gig. On Halloween Night of that year, I got a call from the legendary Baby Lester in Omaha, beckoning me to join him on the road as a member of Baby Lester and the Buggybumpers. I followed him to Odebolt, Iowa, Independence, Missouri (twice), Fayetteville, Arkansas, Worthington, Minnesota, Albuquerque, Abilene, Atchison, Kansas, Buffalo, Wyoming, Tiffin, Ohio, Pierre, South Dakota, Indianapolis, Wilkesboro, North Carolina, Green Lake, Wisconsin, Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, Humboldt, Iowa and, yes, Kokomo. I'd like to say I never stopped playing.

Okay, there were a few stops and starts from time to time -- but I'm playing NOW!!

And, yes, I am the brother of marathon champion Mary Burns-Prine, owner of the Women Runners Website and author of The 2008 Women Runners' DAILY JOURNAL & CALENDAR. But I'm determined to make it on the quality of my songwriting, rather than my sister's celebrity, so I pretty much try to keep it a secret. How's that, Mary?

BUY MY CD!!
- from his home page


Home page:
http://www.bjohnburns.com/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/b.john.burns

IMSC Ep 23 - Song 2: "I Hate Christmas" by Lesbian Poetry




"my feelings about these songs are best summed up by 1000 multi-colored heart emojis" -katie b. (free cake for every creature)
- from their Facebook page

Rice-a-roni. Butts. Kissing. Lesbian Poetry is hard to define because Lesbian Poetry means a little something different to everyone.

I’ve seen Elliot play more times than I can probably count. The first time I ever listened to Elliot’s music was on his couch in 2009, and he offered me some cereal and we didn’t talk at all. Later, I watched Elliot sing songs a cappella in his backyard with hunnies and fellas floating in the pool behind him. I’ve seen Elliot on a 625-acre farm in Eastern Iowa, unblinkingly rejecting the stage and sound system. With his voice out-loud and arms tied awkwardly behind his back, he stopped hearts with his even-paced drawl against the Iowa countryside. Aided by bare instrumentation, Elliot’s songs read as poems or folk tales. His songs have an amazing sense of humor and life that the listener feels like they’re chatting with an old friend or maybe even someone they kissed at a party once. And sometimes they’re profoundly sad. And that’s okay.

Many of us know and love Elliot Burke, the main brains behind the operation that is Lesbian Poetry, but he’s very earnest about involving other Iowa musicians in his musical efforts. He’s currently playing with Luke and Wesley Belknap, who are both involved in their own musical pursuits in Iowa. He toured last summer with Little Ruckus, playing solo stuff but always excited to strum along to Dom’s tunes with his acoustic guitar and sweat-power grin. In the past, he’s been so down for whatever that he picked up his trumpet and toured the country with Mumford’s. Something about Elliot’s spirit makes him a natural third or twelfth member to any band.

Please please please, listen to Elliot’s stories. There’s nothing but hits in his discography. From the oldies but goodies like “You Want to Fuck Her Again” and “Wine and Cheese” to literally any song on Lo-Fi Country for the Whole Family, you will find something – a single line or a chorus – that will resonate with you as entirely true. And if you drop him a line, Elliot will definitely play a show in your backyard or local pizza parlor or jungle gym. That’s what Lesbian Poetry is to me.
- from The Des Moines Music Coalition piece by Zoey Miller

Ep 23 - Song 3: "Merry Christmas" by Nuclear Rodeo



By the Powers of Greyskull, Nuclear Rodeo formed, toured, released albums, EPs, and love to party and treat people nice.
- from their Facebook page

Lineup:
David "Bobby Thunder H-Bomb" Olson: Drums, Hollering
Campbell "Candy Corn" DeSousa: Lead Vocals, Guitar, Gut Bustin'
Jordan "Finger Party Pompom" Mayland: Bass Guitar, Background Vocal Lovehammer, Sound Wizard
Phillip "Stun Baton Technology" Young: Guitar, Party Brigade
Steven "Mcgillicuddly" Rood: Drums, Life/Band Saving
Dustin "Bad to the Bone/Nice in the Heart" Harmsen: Guitar, Aux Percussion, Keys, Vox, moves


Facebook:

Bandcamp:

Ep 23 - Song 4: "Red Light Christmas" by Tuff Jerks



Steve Squires and I made this back in 2005. Christmas album for jerk teenagers.
- from their Bandcamp site

Lineup:
Steve Squires
Jason Hennesy


Bandcamp:

IMSC Ep 23 - Song 5: "What Did Santa Claus Bring You for Xmas" by The Law




Tim Johnson and Charlie Chesterman were in a 50s cover band know as the Flashbacks that didn't really go anywhere. They discovered this "new" British music called punk and decided to form a punk band. After going through a few member changes and a few name changes they became White Lunch. (Tim Johnson-Guitar/vocals, Charlie Chesterman-Guitar/vocals, Aaron Johnson-guitar/vocals, Eric Coleman - Drums) Played out a bit had member problems and broke up. Then became the Law. From what little information I could find this was around 79/80.

They put out a single and moved to Boston to hit the big time. Boston didn't work out and they moved back to Des Moines and split up shortly after that. Charlie Chesterman and Mac Stanfield went back to Boston and formed Scuffy the Cat. Tad Hutchinson headed off to college and on to play with the Fastbacks, Young Fresh Fellows and a number of other Seattle bands.
- from their Underground Archives page

IMSC Ep 23 - Song 6: "Hatin' on Christmas" by Lipstick Homicide



This song is from a punk rock benefit album, Punk the Hall, where 100% of the proceeds go to the Starlight Children's Foundation. You can order the album at https://punkthehalls.bandcamp.com/.

Lipstick Homicide emerged from the womb when 15 year old Rachel Feldmann met 16 year old Kate Kane and decided to form a band with 2 other ladies from their high school . When “The Whoopsie Daisies” didn’t work out as planned, they decided to join forces with Luke Ferguson from the extremely popular Iowa City band the Sequels. Feldmann and Kane share the songwriting duties, with a heavy focus on writing the catchiest songs possible, whether or not the lyrics make any sense. At least they’re good at pretending to make sense. We’re just 3 bff’s having fun, being as loud as we want, talking in 3rd person for biographical purposes, and not cleaning up our spilt pop.
- from their Last.fm page

Lineup:
Rachel Feldmann - vocals, guitars
Kate Kane - bass, backing vocals
Luke Ferguson - drums


Home page:
http://lipstickhomicide.com/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/lipstickhomicide/

Bandcamp:
https://lipstickhomicide.bandcamp.com/

IMSC Ep 23 - Song 7: "I Still Believe" by North of Grand

Thanks to North of Grand for letting me play this unreleased demo.




A Farewell To Rockets, the fifth album from Iowa’s North of Grand, marks the end of an era and the beginning of another. The band’s Brolester Records debut is a tribute of sorts to the Rocket Transfer Warehouse, the brick building NOG called home for a decade before being booted - so the structure in downtown Des Moines could be converted into condos. Rockets is also NOG’s first recording as a quartet. The addition of lead guitarist Matt Wellendorf has transformed the band from a somewhat simple, punk-pop trio into a fully-realized rock n roll machine...

Rockets displays North of Grand's knack for writing catchy, guitar-driven rock n roll, littered with powerful hooks and memorable lyrics. The nine songs, clocking in under 28 minutes, feature fist-in-the-air choruses, blistering solos and Thin Lizzyesque dualing guitars backed by a straight forward, hard-hitting rhythm section.
- from their Facebook page

Sunday, December 20, 2015

IMSC Ep 22 - Song 1: "It's Christmas" by Enny Owl




Hello! My name is Enny Owl and I'm a British indie pop/folk singer songwriter living in the U.S.
- from her Facebook page

Hi, I'm Enny Owl, an indie pop/folk artist based in Sioux City, Iowa. I'm balancing studying mass communications during the day and gigging by night. It's hard to pinpoint that defining moment when I decided to pursue a career in music, it's like it's been embedded forever. My music combines cute and quirky lyrics with acoustics and occasional whistling. I imagine my songs one day playing for a cereal or orange juice advert.
- from her home page

IMSC Ep 22 - Song 2: "Christmas with Keith" by Jason Hennesy



In a perfect alternative universe, Jason Hennesy is the King of Pop, only without the jesus juice, unattended minor boys, pet chimp and hyperbaric chamber.
- from a Little Village album review by Kent Williams

Lineup:
Jason Hennesy - vocals, guitar


Jason Hennesy's band, Miracles of God, on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MIRACLES-OF-GOD-101557999762/

Jason Hennesy's band, Tuff Jerks, on Bandcamp:
https://tuffjerks.bandcamp.com/

IMSC Ep 22 - Song 3: "Kiki Xmas Song" by Kate Kane




Well, I could gush on about Kate again like I have before. But she's a part of the Iowa City music scene. Currently running Bloated Kat Records. Until recently, she hosted and organized Underground Open Mic at the Iowa City Yacht Club. Plus, she's the guitarist and a singer, as well as occasional songwriter, for Lipstick Homicide. And she still keeps a solo career going, featuring songs about witches, cats, as well as nerdy stuff like Buffy and Xena!

Ep 22 - Song 4: "Better than Santa Claus" by Tina Haase Findlay

Thanks to Tina for getting me this tune before the album came out!



Blues, rock and soul meets jazz, jam and gospel- with theatre, jingles, ragtime and whatever the heck we feel like throwing in!
- from "Tina, fearless leader" on Facebook

Lineup:
Tina Haase Findlay - vocals
Bryan Martens - piano


Diva and the Deacons Facebook page:

Tina Haase Findlay on ReverbNation:

Bella Soul on ReverbNation:

IMSC Ep 22 - Song 5: "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" by Bryan Baker (Kaklick Martin)



Bryan Baker (Kaklick Martin) is a metaverse musician: A singer/songwriter performing in, and writing songs about, the virtual world known as Second Life®. Bryan’s avatar Kaklick took the stage in Second Life® for the first time back in late 2005, so he is among the longest running performers in Second Life® and was an early evangelist for the live music scene there.

Since that time he’s written several songs about or inspired by some aspect of his virtual existence with subjects ranging from virtual relationships to bugs that plague this tech dependent world. Two of these songs made it on to “Roadhouse Ranch and Saloon”; where honkey-tonk meets the metaverse. “Big Bad World” takes on more real life social commentary. Both albums were released in 2007. 2009 saw the release of Mr. Lincoln a more eclectic mix of rock idioms and themes. 2010 brought the zombiepocalypse or at least the new single "Zombie Love Song (If Anyone Eats My Brains)" a tender love song about brains. In 2012 he followed the single up with an album of his nerdiest material, including an album version of "Zombie Love Song" called "Yeah, I'm a Geek".

Bryan has been writing music since his childhood, but got serious in high school. Originally intending on a path that would have taken him to Berklee School of Music in the early 80s as a bassist, he was offered the chance to try out a musician's life straight out of high school and he hired on as a bass player in a lounge outfit of no consequence in the twin cities area. When this came to an end a few months later he returned to Iowa and joined a new-wave outfit called "The Keyz" based in Ames. They played some great shows to appreciative fans, but this didn't last either. By this time he'd started studying at Iowa State, initially in music, then migrating to theatre and eventually graduating in that field.

In 1987 he moved to California and started a full ride to the prestigious California Institute of the Arts as a composer/sound designer for theatre. He was the first MFA to graduate in that specialty in 1989. He did some freelancing in LA, at one time garnering a comparison to Brian Eno in the LA Times for his work on a play he did with the writer of the TV show "Life Goes On".

For several years he concentrated on other aspects of his life, and his career path led him to work on show control for many high profile entertainment venues, but he kept writing and playing music. In 2004 he started seriously recording and writing again and has been going full steam since.
- from his home page

Lineup:
Bryan Baker - vocals, guitar


Home page:
http://ka-klick.com/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Bryan-Baker-54790471441/

ReverbNation:
https://www.reverbnation.com/bryanbaker

IMSC Ep 22 - Song 6: "Winter Blues" by Jinnouchi Power

This isn't really a holiday song, but it is about winter, sorta. And somebody - I forgot to write their name down, being the professional that I am - but somebody requested it. so here it is!



Jinnouchi Power is the brainchild of Patrick MacCready, and a musical interpretation of his soul. The spectrum of sound travels from Folk and Blues to Rock and Psychedelic.

This whole thing started in High School, during the summer of my Freshman year. The world was in turmoil as Hell had risen upward and consumed most of the of the town I called home. My dear friend Gage Fisk had decided to quit playing in metal bands and began to experiment with acoustic guitars. It was then, as I was watching him play simple chord progressions that I decided it was time for me to learn simple chord progressions, and before I knew it I was practicing almost 5 hours a day, the other 19 hours spent chivalrously saving damsels from demon sacrifices and ritualistic murders. Several Memorial Building shows later, we had a few good jams under our belt and destroyed the music underworld as the dynamic folk duo We're Just Humans. Soon afterwards, at the height of our screaming success, we both fell in love with the same woman. In a world controlled by chaos we were so used to, we had finally found something strong enough to tear us apart. It was then, when I sat down on the worn out couch in the living room next to Gage, and told him that I had kissed his girl, that the entire fabric of reality split.

It was then that we fought to the death.

After flying through parallel universes much different than our own, beating each other with all the power and knowledge that we had so carefully gained up to that point, we had finally reached the end. In a universe that I still to this day can not quite describe, filled only with hatred and a feeling in your gut like all your dreams had been stolen from you, and surrounded by the screams of 1000 helpless cries, Gage Fisk had his sword aimed at my throat. This was certainly the end. I could not bear to think that this had all been the result of my lust, and the pain of losing my best friend in the process was to much to even conceive.

It was then I let out what I thought to be my final words. I said, "Gage, I know what I have done, and I know how much I hurt you, but I did it out of love, not jealousy or hatred, but love. I know this will not right the wrongs that I did but know this, I am sorry, and it is truly you that I love. Thank you." A long pause came over him after this, followed only by, "I forgive you. But you can't be in the band anymore." The power of his forgiveness was enough not only to bring us back to Earth, but also close the portal behind us, also, trapping within the Hellfires that had ravaged our small Iowa town that previous year.

Peace had finally come back to Pella, Iowa.

After that, everything was good again, and best friends remained best friends through thick and thin crust. I was on my own, so after meeting a great man who appeared to me as a "saint," and changed my life for the better, I dubbed the name of my solo music project "St. George."

Gage still lives in Pella, and still makes music under the title We're Just Humans. The whole story is true. Look it up.
- from their Facebook page

Lineup:
Carolyn Thorn - Backup Vocals, Thundertube, Designated Papers-haver
Sean Bremhorst - Lead Guitar, Noodles, Harmonica
Reed Iverson - Drums, Positive Vibes, Regular Vibes, Vibes
Forest Cochran - Bass Guitar, Childlike Karate Noises, Beard
Patrick MacCready - Never Knowing What's Going On, Rhythm Baby Making
Cameron Van Berkum of Noremac McCarth - Drums


Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/jinnouchipower/

Bandcamp:
http://jinnouchipower.bandcamp.com/

Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/jinnouchipower

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