FESTER RAGE VIDEOS - Buick McSnake (Brad Roth and Troy Ulrich) on Halloween 2008

Buick McSnake was a 90s and 00s band featuring Brad Roth and Lonnie Ulrich, both staples of the Des Moines music scene, having worked together since the 80s, most notably in ATOY/A  Testament of Youth.

FESTER RAGE VIDEOS: Mike Sangster and Sinister Sons at a house show in 2008

Though the video says "Tres Siniestro Hombres", the band was basically Sinister Sons, a three piece outfit of lead singer/guitarist, Mike Sangster. Most Iowans would probably know him best as "the other singer and guitarist" in The Hollowmen. He also had a band named Head Candy in the 90s.

In this version of Sinister Sons, or Tres Siniestro Hombres, Mike is joined by Greg Honnold, probably best known for Drednex, on bass and Troy Urich, probably best known for The Delstars, on drums.

Ep 61 - Song 1: "The Punchline" by Chad O'Neall

"Chad O'Neall (Left Is West/Radio Caroline) released this, his first solo, album in 2001. The album contains 2 programs of tracks. The first 9 songs recorded w/band to 8 track analog tape. The remaining 12 recorded by Chad solo onto 4 track cassette tape. These 21 well crafted songs are definitely worthy of your attention."
- from his page on the Sump Pump Records website

Credits:
Chad O'Neall - vocals, guitar

Recorded by Chad solo onto 4 track cassette tape

Chad O'Neal on Sump Pump Records:
http://sumppumprecords.com/albums/vinyl/chad-oneall-evolution-no-9

Left is West on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/leftiswest/

Left is West on ReverbNation:
https://www.reverbnation.com/leftiswest

To download the whole podcast, right click on the link below and hit "Save as...":
https://archive.org/download/IowaMusicShowcaseEpisode61/Iowa%20Music%20Showcase%20-%20Episode%2061_.mp3

Labels: 2000s, 2001, acoustic, Chad O'Neall, Des Moines, Des Moines area, Ep 061, Punchline (song),singer/songwriter, Sump Pump Records

FESTER RAGE VIDEOS - House of Large Sizes at People's in Des Moines on Dec 30, 2007

"A succinct dadaist approach to contemporary power trio dynamics"
- from Joe Carducci from "Rock and the Pop Narcotic"

"House of Large Sizes is by far the most successful, prolific, and well-known band in the history of the Cedar Valley. Began in September of 1986 by core members Dave Deibler and Barb Schilf, the band released 8 full length albums and a smattering of EPs and singles. They have toured the country extensively, most notably with ex-Pixies front man Frank Black.

"They were signed to Columbia Records in 1994 and released their major label debut, My Ass-Kicking Life, on that label. Due to internal mismanagement at the label, they did not receive the support and attention for their record, and they left the label as a result. Undetered, they continued to play music and make records with What Are Records? and The Tyros Label until 2003.

"The band broke up due for unknown reasons in late 2003. Barb and Dave currently own and operate Mohair Pear, a vintage/retro clothing store on College Hill in Cedar Falls."
- from their page on the Secret History of the Cedar Valley website

"House of Large Sizes was an alternative rock band from Cedar Falls, Iowa, in the United States. The band's lineup was primarily Dave Deibler and Barb Schilf, and featured a number of drummers throughout the group's run...

"House of Large Sizes, often abbreviated HOLS, played a unique style of rock with a driving beat, lots of rhythmic changes, unexpected rests and false endings. Although the group's music was unusual, it drew on common influences--punk rock, funk and heavy metal. Punk shows itself in the short duration of many HOLS songs. The gut-level emotional energy of the music (largely attributable to Deibler's voice and guitar style) and the band's DIY ethic also show their punk roots. Deviating from the DIY standard, HOLS released one album, 'My Ass Kicking Life,' on Red Decibel/Columbia in 1993. They worked primarily with small labels like WAR (What Are Records?) and Toxic Shock or released recordings on their own.

"Funk can be heard in Schilf 's bass playing and the throbbing, danceable rhythms of the music. Heavy metal elements are present in Deibler's powerful guitar technique and the short musical phrases from which the songs are constructed."
- from their Wikipedia page

FESTER RAGE VIDEOS: A Testament of Youth (ATOY) in Des Moines at The House of Bricks on July 20, 2007 and at The Vaudeville Mews on Sep 23, 2007

"Formed in 1981 by Factory Records aficionados Paul Standard and Dave Edwards, A Testament of Youth or ATOY (pronounced AE-TOI) were Iowa's first Post-Punk band. ATOY were Paul and Dave's response to the bland Styx and Journey-inspired rock that was prevalent throughout the midwest during the late 70s and early 80s. Looking to do something darker and more arty, guitarist Paul and producer Dave set out to forge a new midwest sound. Brad Roth, who was then singing in and playing bass for the power-pop trio The Blue Cruisers was recruited as a front man. With the addition of newcomers Mark Penner on bass and Lonnie Urich on drums, ATOY was set to play the now legendary 1981 2 day Iowa punk/new wave festival, Music For No-Man's Land. A surprise hit at the festival, ATOY contributed two songs to the 'Music For No-Man's Land' release, Roth's Television-inspired "Chemical Boys" and Standard's epic dirge "Requiem for a Priest". ATOY were soon playing gigs throughout Iowa. Due to differences in vision, Dave Edwards soon left the group. ATOY's music at the time was thin, brittle and experimental using rhythm machines, tape loops and incorporating short-wave radio broadcasts into their live shows. Brad's onstage antics were legendary, often getting the group banned from some of the more mainstream rock clubs. Paul decided to return to college late in 1981, leaving the band looking for a new guitarist. Greg Owen, who had played with Brad Roth previously in the Blue Cruisers joined in early 1982. Owen brought a tough, shredding guitar style to ATOY which propelled their sound into a more aggressive stance. Penner and Urich similarly toughened up their sound and Roth's wild stage persona evolved into a dadaist Iggy Pop. Brad's lyrics began to take a darkly poetic turn and led to him being called 'the Baudelaire of the heartland'. Over the next year and a half, the band began touring around the midwest to ever increasing crowds. During that period, many of ATOY's most popular songs, such as 'Stickmen', 'Creeps with Forks' and 'Cut and Restored' were written. The group gained in popularity and the now defuct nightclub So's Your Mothers, opened another venue, Mother's Underground, to regularly showcase ATOY and other Iowa underground bands. The volatile mix of personalities in the band began to take it's toll and in the Spring of 1983 ATOY decided to call it quits. Their final show was recorded and release on CD many years later. A videotape of that last show called "The Final Plunge" was aired on Des Moines TV... In 2005 ATOY were asked to do a reunion show. The success of that show surprised them as much as their fans. This led to the band resuming playing again. The volatile mix of personalities did lead to a couple of false starts, but ATOY is officially back together, writing new material and playing to new fans as well as old. Since ATOY never really sounded like anyone else, the band's music doesn't sound dated to new fans. New material has been written as well as a number of Buick McSnake songs being reworked into ATOY's sound...and then after a dozen or so gigs it all came crashing down. The volatile chemistry of the band once again blew up. As a longtime fan of the band remarked 'If everyone were mature and responsible, it wouldn't be ATOY. You guys have broken up for good before. Hopefully you'll do it again.' Here's to hoping that it'll happen again."
- from their Underground Archives entry



Fester Rage's YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/unclefesterrage

A Testament of Youth/ATOY on Underground Archives:
http://01.iowaunder.com/content/testement-youth

Fester Rage was an amateur videographer who from August, 2007, to September, 2015, recorded various live shows here in Des Moines, both from local acts and national. On this website, we will be only featuring the Iowa artists. But you can watch all his videos on his YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/unclefesterrage.


PREVIOUSLY ON IOWA MUSIC SHOWCASE:

JAZZMAN JOE VIDEOS: Drumline at Ankeny High School on October 23, 2012
http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2018/01/jazzman-joe-videos-drumline-at-ankeny.html

PLAYLIST: Net Neutrality (and Information on How to Continue the Fight)
http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2018/01/playlist-net-neutrality-and-information.html

JAZZMAN JOE VIDEOS - Ankeny Community Chorus performs for The Epiphany at Our Lady's Immaculate Heart Church in Ankeny on Jan 6, 2018
http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2018/01/jazzman-joe-videos-ankeny-community.html

CULTURE MYTH - Day 1: Des Moines
http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2018/01/culture-myth-day-1-des-moines.html

YOUR OWN PRIVATE IOWA - Episode 16: Sisko Diq
https://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2018/01/your-own-private-iowa-episode-16-sisko.html

Two weeks ago...
YOUR OWN PRIVATE IOWA - Episode 15: Morning Sex and The Good Weed -
http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2018/01/your-own-private-iowa-episode-15.html

Three weeks ago...
YOUR OWN PRIVATE IOWA - Episode 11: Patrick Tape Fleming -
http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2017/12/your-own-private-iowa-episode-11_30.html


One month ago...
YOUR OWN PRIVATE IOWA - Episode 9: Courtney Krause -
http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2017/12/your-own-private-iowa-episode-9.html>br/>
Three months ago...
EPISODE 54: Happy Hawkeye Halloween 2017, Part 3 of 4 - The Van Meter Visitor and Other Iowa Dragons -
http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2017/10/episode-54-happy-hawkeye-halloween-2017.html

Six months ago...
EPISODE 49: Iowa Rock Music -
http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2017/07/episode-49-iowa-rock-music.html

One year ago...
PLAYLISTS: Random Iowa Music YouTube Playlist 1 -
http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2017/01/playlists-random-iowa-music-youtube.html

Two years ago...
Episode 25 - Caucus! The Musical -
http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2016/01/episode-25-caucus-musical.html

Three years ago...
Episode 2: My Board of Trustees -
http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2015/01/episode-2-my-board-of-trustees.html


OTHER IMSC WEBSITES AND LINKS:
Feed:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/IowaMusicShowcase
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Iowa-Music-Showcase/364796883703114
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/iamusicshowcase
Instagram:
https://instagram.com/iowamusicshowcase

Labels: 1980s, 2000s, 2007, A Testament of Youth (band), ATOY (band), Brad Roth, FESTER RAGE VIDEOS, live performance, Lonnie Urich, Mark Penner, Paul Standard. Greg Owen, punk rock, Vaudeville Mews, videos,YouTube

Ep 58 - Song 1: "A Collage of Impressions" by The Poison Control Center

"The band's indie rock sound is strongly influenced by bands of the 1960s, such as The Beatles and The Beach Boys, but they have also touched upon more unrelated genres since their inception. Their earlier recordings show influence of the lo-fi sound and pop sensibilities of indie rock bands of the 1990s, such as Guided by Voices and Pavement, although recent albums have featured more polished production."
- from their Wikipedia entry

"The Poison Control Center have long been considered one of Iowa's personal favorite local bands. The creation of Patrick Tape Fleming and many of his friends, the band's inspiration has stood as one of Iowa's music scene's key ideals: community and friendship. Though the numbers and band members have changed throughout the years, the band has continued to release music in a more condensed version... The band is best known nowadays to consist of Patrick Tape Fleming on guitar and vocals as well as Devin Frank, who also plays guitar and sings, Joe Terry, who plays bass and sings (and does a cool thing with a trumpet and some swingin' hips), and Dave Olson, who plays drums (... and he sings, too). Though some of the members have moved away, the band still likes to get together to entertain the masses, doing cartwheels, standing on their heads while shredding through guitar solos, dancing in the crowd, and leading many a sing-a-long with the crowd (basically, putting on legendary rock shows)."
- from their DMMC music directory entry

"From the Ames/Des Moines/Iowa state capital corridor, there's been a rattling for what seems to be decades, a great disturbance that became a lesser disturbance, that became a puzzlement, that was fleshed out, that was refined, that was commandeered by four principal songwriters all of distinguishably different persuasions, that was made into an operable quartet that has come to this day embracing all of its idiosyncrasies in a more controlled environment. The Poison Control Center, if it's appropriate in its syntax to claim the multi-headed project as a single being, was a madman in its earlier days of playing in green jump suits a la the yellow ones Dignan wore in 'Bottle Rocket.'

"It was an unhinged variation on the simple pop structure that spawned all of the Beatles crazies who made all of the fuzzed out, drugged up psychedelic indie rock for The Elephant Six Collective and Kindercore Records. They were and still are a group that bows to hermetic Jeff Mangum, hyper-kinetic Robert Schneider of The Apples in Stereo (lead singer Patrick Fleming would probably list being an invited guest to the Apples front man's wedding as a life highlight), Elf Power, Masters of the Hemisphere and all of the other various off-shoots and denominations of these incestuous bands. They've helmed in their more reckless leanings and stand before us with the tassel flipped over to the left side of their caps, signifying a graduation of sorts into the kind of rock and roll world that they always knew was out there waiting for them if they could just get there - surviving personal losses and creative differences and growing up (the biggest detriment to a band that lives and dines on doing things the hard and ambitious way).

"The PCC now - with its forthcoming new record A Collage of Impressions -- is going after legitimacy. It already has legacy and relative longevity, as well as experience playing ice cream parlors and Patrick Fleming and Devin Frank staging live battles with their bodies and guitars, like two feral bighorns clacking their bones together for the appealing hand of the lady bighorn. The record makes the most of their multi-dimensions and individual voices and egos. All four voices get their crack and the barnburning, waylaying is an attractive version of the closest this band will get to giving us a straight answer. It's still pop, via the weirder, non-cerebral form of the word, but it's an expansion of on the many years of trying and a testament to what plugging away at a sound burning a hole in your head can lead to. Poison Control Center sings that love is the answer, but the reason they're even able to repeat what was just said is by way of supreme companionship - which gets a lot of face time on the new album. It's a full developed friendship of mostly brothers that has taken their love of weird but simple music courting."
- from their entry on Daytrotter

Lineup:
Patrick Tape Fleming - vocals, guitar
Devin Frank - vocals, guitar
Joey Terry - bass, vocals
David Olson - drums, vocals

Home page:
http://thepoisoncontrolcenter.com/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/The-Poison-Control-Center-98639736292

BandCamp:
https://thepoisoncontrolcenter.bandcamp.com

To download the whole podcast, right click on the link below and hit "Save as...":
https://archive.org/download/IowaMusicShowcaseEpisode58/Iowa%20Music%20Showcase%20-%20Episode%2058_.mp3

Labels: 2000s, 2007, A Collage of Impressions (song), Ames, Ames area, Christmas, Christmas 2017, Collage of Impressions (song), Ep 058, Holidays, Holidays 2017, Indie Rock, Poison Control Center (band)

IMSC Ep 58 - Song 6: "Christmas Makes Pants Happy" by Keepers of the Carpet

"Active 1996-2008 Originated in Buffalo Center, Iowa. Later involved in Bi-Fi Records in Ames, Iowa. Later self-released "Just Set Fire To The Prize." Members: Jordan Mayland, Jason Holland, Zack Smith, Pete Smith, Tyler Smith, Eric Moffitt, Rano LoVan, Paul Friemel, Dan Shea, Jacob Tyler Wolfgang."
- from their BandCamp page

"Iowa Rock Music. Hailing originally from Buffalo Center, Iowa, Keepers were well known for their exciting live shows & poppy rock music.

"Started in 1997 practicing in barns. We came to Ames and met Bi-Fi Records. We recorded an album. We got on the radio. We played shows. We went on tour. We broke up. We got back together. We changed members a lot. We put out another album. We got on the radio again. We have awesome fans."
- from their Facebook page

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

BandCamp:
https://keepersofthecarpet.bandcamp.com/

To download the whole podcast, right click on the link below and hit "Save as...":
https://archive.org/download/IowaMusicShowcaseEpisode58/Iowa%20Music%20Showcase%20-%20Episode%2058_.mp3

Labels: 2000s, 2006, Ames, Ames area, Christmas, Christmas Makes Pants Happy (song), Ep 058, Eric Moffitt. Christmas music, Holiday music, Holidays, indie music, Indie Rock, Jordan Mayland, Keepers of the Carpet (band)

IMSC Ep 55 - Song 1: "Zombie Girls from Outer Space" by Horrorshow Hoods

"Horrorshow Hoods was a psyco-billy band from Des Moines that was founded during the late 1990s."
- from their entry in The Underground Archives

"Horrorshow Hoods (the EP) was issued as a 4-song 7-inch on transparent green vinyl. These were basically the first songs we wrote and were our core rockabilly/psychobilly songs at all of our shows. We recorded up in Ames with one of the guys from Grubby Ernie. This has our full 6-piece band including keys and sax. I don't know if you are familiar with our live shows, but we always switched to a more horror-punk sound at the end and closed out with B.R.A.I.N.S.

"Screams from the Basement was issued to capture those songs separately from our other stuff. We recorded it in DSM at Scott/Billy's basement. I think we were down to a 4-piece at that time and Clint/Eddie took over on bass. It's a little bit of a concept album with some movie clips worked in and bleeding between tracks."
- from an email by Brendan "Jimmy Kill" Sapienza sent to us

"They were good & nice guys to boot."
- from Nate on the 515 Crew Forum

"Yeah they were always really nice..."
- from Davo Wilkins on the 515 Crew Forum

"i had a 60-something year old lady bring her granddaughter into the ED. she (the grandmother) was wearing a Horrorshow Hoods shirt. i got excited and she was like, 'i got this shirt at Goodwill. what is Horrorshow Hoods?'

that's all i got."
- from ilikehorses on the 515 Crew Forum

Lineup:
Austin "Richie Gore" Sapienza - vocals
Brendan "Jimmy Kill" Sapienza - guitar
Tanner Strutzenberg - upright bass (1999-2001)
Clint Knox - upright bass (2001-2002)
Scott "Billy Bloodbath" O'Gara - drums
Adam Horning - sax

From their MySpace page
https://myspace.com/horrorshowhoods/photos

An extremely short clip from Davo Wilkins...,


MySpace:
https://myspace.com/horrorshowhoods

Underground Archives:
http://underground-archives.com/content/horrorshow-hoods

Discussion on the 515 Crew Forum:
http://www.515crew.com/msgbrd/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5763

To download the whole podcast, right click on the link below and hit "Save as...":
https://archive.org/download/IowaMusicShowcaseEpisode55/Iowa+Music+Showcase+-+Episode+55_.mp3

Labels: 2000s, 2002, Austin Sapienza, Brendan Sapienza, Clint Knox, Des Moines, Des Moines area, Ep 055,Halloween, Halloween 2017, Horrorshow Hoods (band), punk rock, Scoot O'Gara, Zombie Girls from Outer Space (song)

Ep 55 - Song 2: "Satan's Floor" by Raw Mojo

"Nikki, Adam, & Dan are exploring dark, moody, angry, revolutional, good time, fuzzed out, skitzoprenic, no rules rock and roll! You get it or you dont. Do you?"
- from their Twitter page

"Iowa City trio Raw Mojo are yet another rising band from the Midwest, the trio fusing a gritty and powerful blend of rock, blues, punk, and garage rock into a quick listen of infectious riffage and charged basement rock."
- from a review by Tom Haugen on the Daily Vault website

"I really don’t know where to place Raw Mojo as simply, their style encompasses so many different styles and approaches that it would be unfair to put them in one particular category or genre."
- from Dave Nichols on the Loud Stuff website

“Raw Mojo riff like their lives depend on it”
- from Kent Williams on the Little Village website

"Raw Mojo is a rock band, full stop. Not to be reductive about what Raw Mojo does, but there’s something really basic and elemental about what they do. Hard hitting drums, loud fuzz guitars fused tightly to a deep bass into 10 strings of fury. Lyrics that don’t try very hard for profundity. To go looking for precursors try the 1970s; there’s a Grand Funk, Joan Jett, Spirit, Jo Jo Gunne and an insouciant soupçon of Black Sabbath.
- from a review by Kent Williams in Little Village Magazine

"Raw Mojo is a 3 piece rock band you may have seen at shows around Iowa City. Their M.O. is to deliver short, concise stabs of pure rock and roll, without frills, pretension or irony... each song comprises the same ingredients — raw-throated singing, overdriven guitar, bass, and heavy drumming... And yet the songs don’t all run together — perhaps relentless brevity pays off. And besides, Angus Young of AC/DC has never done anything but plug a Gibson SG into a Marshall Stack, so there’s a strong precedent for Raw Mojo’s willingness to pick a formula and stick to it.

"As for the songwriting, well here’s the curious thing. I like the songs fine, but there’s nothing stellar about them in and of themselves. The personality, attitude, and execution is the thing with Raw Mojo; it’s as though they don’t want to waste time on song-writing that could be spent on rocking. And on the whole it works... Nikki fully commits to the persona of Rock&Roll Mama, and has the pipes to back it up.

"I’ve only got MP3s of the album so it’s hard to comment definitively on the production, but the choices Raw Mojo made during recording seems to be stripped down and, err, raw. I can hear Miss Nikki’s bass and the kick drum, but the sound is almost all midrange, which emphasizes the sharp edges of their live sound. There’s so little studio trickery on this CD that the few songs on which the vocals get treated with a wet reverb it stands out as a surprising texture. What comes through most of all is how tight the band is, as though they’ve been practicing these songs in their basement forever. And that’s Raw Mojo’s secret: they’ve focused on the pure joy of playing rock music so completely that virtuosity or ‘originality’ or sophisticated song writing would be an unnecessary distraction."
- from another review by Kent Williams for Little Village Magazine

"Independently rocking through your veins since 2006. Sometimes hard n' heavy, sometimes dark and scary, at times slow and heartfelt, always fun. You either 'get' Raw Mojo or you don't...

"Imagine what happens when you mix elements of rock, blues, punk, grunge, and a touch of shoegaze together in a meat grinder. What you end up with is Raw Mojo. Sure, it sounds tasty...but wait until you hear it!

"Hailing from the Midwest, Raw Mojo's music comes straight from their gut - or as they like to call it, 'the basement.' Unlike some bands, Raw Mojo is never afraid to embrace and flaunt their influences. The weird thing is that the band probably shouldn't work when you take each member's individual traits, tastes, and influences. But yet somehow, everything falls into place to create much more than just a sum of its parts. This is a group that writes and plays what they feel: no guidelines, no certain genres need to be met, just pure music. With Raw Mojo it's always music first, bullshit second.

"Raw Mojo is like a family. They stick tight together and support their fans as much as their fans support them. What this family of Mojomongers provides is music for the young at heart (though probably not your grandparents' music). Mainly, the band has a 'take what you will from us' punk like attitude as well as that 'let's leave the stage in burning embers' feeling once they have rawked it. It's this kind of attitude that has many listeners saying, 'I want to hear that again!' song after song. If the band has one bad habit, it’s to leave the stage leaving the audience wanting more...

"There is only ONE band around that brings that genuine, no-bullshit, genre-bending music experience that strives to rock your face! And that band is RAW MOJO!!"
- from their Facebook page

"Mojo is defined as many things. The one definition that I thought fit this piece was one I found on Urban Dictionary. Their definition of Mojo is 'The word originally means a charm or a spell. But now it’s more commonly said meaning sex appeal or talent.' That definition is exactly how I would describe the band Raw Mojo. Their music is charming, full of sex appeal and talent...

"'Adam (drums) and I have been friends since 5th grade and playing music on and off together since 95. We worked together at a small town fast food joint that year and he was always beating the tables in rhythm so I did what I could to convince him to buy a drum kit and the day he bought them we set up in his bedroom and started an original band with 2 other guys we knew. Flash forward to 2006 after we both had been in several bands, we got together on a recording project I had going with a local songwriter. We did a whole album and started to tour when out of nowhere our bass player met someone online and decided to move to be with her. The project was falling apart but Adam and I were determined to play these songs after putting half a years work into them. One song we had was called “Goosetown” and it just so happened to be the Myspace handle of a woman who came up on our page looking to play bass. This is where we met Nikki Lee. By the time she officially joined the band the old project had fizzled out and we encouraged Nikki to step up and be the musician she wanted. At this point it was clear we were an entirely new band, it felt very back to the garage raw and there was a feeling of magic about playing music again, hence the name Raw Mojo.'...

"'The writing can happen in a number of ways. Sometimes Nikki will have a words and melody she is humming and we figure out what sounds good behind that. There are times we just need to break the repetition of rehearsal so we start jamming on riffs and if it strikes us as fun or interesting we explore what we can do with that. Other times one of us will flat out write something and show it to the band and they "mojoize” it. In the end it has to pass for good by all 3 members or we lose interest and eventually we never come back to it. It’s a good way to filter out what works and what doesn’t.'"
- from the article, "Raw Mojo - Brickbat Theory", by Chris Axe on the Word Krapht website

Lineup:
Nikki Lee - Vocals/Bass
Dan Bee - Vocals/Guitar
Adam Calyton - Drums

Home page:
http://rawmojo.blogspot.com/

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

BandCamp:
https://rawmojo.bandcamp.com/

To download the whole podcast, right click on the link below and hit "Save as...":
https://archive.org/download/IowaMusicShowcaseEpisode55/Iowa+Music+Showcase+-+Episode+55_.mp3

IMSC Ep 53 - Song 6: "Electric Skull" by The Surf Zombies

"Surf zombies are those apparently undead standing motionless on a beach watching the waves break. They often are surfers, and can be recognized by the glassy stare."
- from The Urban Dictionary

"Instrumental, all original, hot-rod surf rock and roll 4-piece out of the middle of Iowa."
- from their BandCamp page

"The Surf Zombies raise surf rock from the dead with fast, crazy surf originals that straddle alternative, underground, retro and kid-friendly fun. A Surf Zombies show is some combination of Saturday morning cartoon, beach party and hot rod convention. The jungle rhythms, swirling tremolo of dueling guitars and authentic growl of vintage tube amps make for a truly weird Midwestern wonder."
- from their decription for 2016 Halloween show at The Legion Arts

"Come feel The Surf Zombies. They are all about fun fast melodic surf instrumentals. They sprang forth from the fertile loins of eastern Iowa and have released 4 albums since forming in 2006 according to local legend. At first not everyone understood they meant no harm with these songs with no words, but slowly the people have accepted them as an efficient source of entertainment and now fans from across the globe have discovered The Surf Zombies."
- from their Facebook page

"'We just can’t resist doing it. We have to do it,' insists Brook Hoover as he describes his band’s desire to create original music and take their songs on the road...

“'Quite a few people were saying you ought to put a surf band together and I thought about it, you know, people mentioned it for maybe ten years before we finally did it in about 2006.'

"As the band’s lineup evolved, Hoover invited Tyler Russell, 27, to join the Surf Zombies and the drummer quickly learned it would be fun but a lot of hard work...

"Adds Russell, 'It’s something you have to experience live. As great as our albums are, it’s a different animal live.'”
- from a profile in the Iowa's Creative Corridor website

"Meet The Surf Zombies: We play fast crazy fun surf instrumentals...

"I am the guy who generates hype for the band and plays guitar. They call me Brook Hoover. I spend my days plotting my agenda in a dark dungeon. Someone has to do it. I also write a lot of tunes... Surf Zombies shows make me nervous, but we have stuck with it for about 8 years and it's getting easier and more fun all the time...

"I played instrumentals from a young age and always had a soft spot for the surf sound. My buddies and I were rehearsing when we were about 14 a weird uncle tested one of our guitars and played the slide down and EGBGEGBGEGBGEGBG riff of "Pipeline" over and over then he wandered off with a crazed look in his eye and were were hooked for life.

"Something about surf instrumentals seemed very distant, exotic and alluring to us. It's a happy sounds, but can be pretty heavy and menacing. We also learned "Wipe Out" and played it for our 9th grade talent assembly the whole school screamed like Beatlemania and it's been downhill ever since. I have been out punk rockin in the Midwest since the 70's. We re-discovered our landlocked surf roots a few years back and it's been a thrilling hellride ever since...

"Surf instrumentals can be light and happy, medium tempo, slow and creepy or super fast and heavy. We take a lot of time when writing and arranging our songs, but once we get the sound the way we like it, it's well worth the work. It's the most challenging band we've ever been in... We'd like to thank everyone for coming to our shows and sharing the fun of this exciting form of music!'"
- from their ReverbNation page

Lineup:
Brook Hoover - guitar
Kyle Oyloe - guitar
Joel McDowell - bass
Ryan Hoagland - drums

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

BandCamp:
http://surfzombies.bandcamp.com/

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

To download the whole podcast, right click on the link below and hit "Save as...":
https://archive.org/download/IowaMusicShowcaseEpisode53/Iowa%20Music%20Showcase%20-%20Episode%2053_.mp3

Labels: 2000s, 2009, Brook Hoover, Cedar Rapids, Cedar Rapids area, Electric Skull (band), Ep 053, garage rock, Halloween, Halloween 2017, Joel McDowell, Kyle Oyloe, Ryan Hoagland, surf music, Surf Zombies (band)

IMSC Ep 52 - Song 8: "The Door" by Old Scratch Revival Singers

"The music is not far from its Iowa roots, it contains elements of bluegrass, ragtime, and gospel. With a propensity for darkness, superstition and old time religion, The Old Scratch Revival Singers provide themes of damnation in this world, and salvation in the next."
- from their Bandcamp page

"When you first see them on stage, the main thing that stands out is the size of the band. They fill the stage, each musician trying to stay out of the other’s way. The second thing you noticed is the abundance of acoustic instruments. This is not your regular rock and roll band. You see a fiddle, a banjo, a mandolin, an accordion, a ukulele, an upright bass, and various brass instruments.

Then the music starts. It’s definitely folk. Old-timey folk music at that. Bluegrass as well. And you can hear the gospel influence as well. But this is the old-timey folk music you’d hear coming out of an empty haunted house in a deep, dark, scary forest. What Alice Cooper did to hard rock, and Marilyn Manson to modern rock, these guys do to old-timey music. And the person who is singing the most, makes it sound like it’s coming out of the bottom of his tortured soul. The others back him up with eerie harmonies.

And their songs tell stories, sad stories, creepy stories. Stories of men who have lost their way and know what’s coming. Others who have just been dealt misfortune, and are fighting through it. Or have accepted their fate.

Although this band has been together for over 10 years, they sadly only have one album, Oh, Didn’t He Ramble from 2005. But the album, and this unique band, is unlike many others, folk or rock, that you will hear in Iowa, or elsewhere. Unfortunately, you can’t hear them live often these days, as members are busy with other projects. So if you want something different and interesting that will touch you deep in your gut, go see this Iowa legend while you have a chance."
- from an article by Dan Wren on the Des Moines Music Coalition (DMMC) website

Lineup:
eerie whittaker - guitar, vocal
noah doely - clarinet, flute, trombone, vocal
nicholas beard - drums, percussion, vocal
rebecca frankenstein - accordion, ukelele, organ, vocal
samuel anderson - violin, viola, vocal
brooks strause - banjo, mandolin, cornet, vocal
matthew nevins - upright bass, vocal

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Old-Scratch-Revival-Singers-1955619774576754/

BandCamp:
https://oldscratchrevivalsingers.bandcamp.com/

To download the podcast, right click on the link below and hit "Save as...":
https://archive.org/download/IowaMusicShowcaseEpisode52/Iowa%20Music%20Showcase%20-%20Episode%2052_.mp3

Labels: 2000s, 2004, Brooks Strause, Door (song), Ep 052, Erik Whittaker, folk music, Halloween, Halloween 2017, Iowa City, Iowa City area, Noah Doely, Old Scratch Revival Singers (band), Rebecca Frankenstein

Ep 48 - Song 6: "Polymetric Phrygian Plainchant" written and performed by Paul Hertz

Many people, who know of Paul Hertz, usually know him from his horn playing in various Ames bands, best known probably being Mumford's. Or they may know him from hosting the local music program, "Ready, Ames, Fire" and his classical music program, "Morning Masterpieces" on Ames community station, KHOI.

But what some may not know, is that Paul Hertz, is a composer and performer of classical music. He has done some performances in Ames playing his material and having a choir perform it.

"Among Hertz’s many projects are playing bass trombone for the Ames folk rock dance band Mumford’s, playing keyboards for Jordan Mayland and the Thermal Detonators, and being involved in the Ames Choral Society. (He will be singing in an upcoming cabaret show called 'Down the Hobbit Hole'). He is also a composer and serves as the organist at Northminster Presbyterian Church in Ames."
- from an article on the Snap Twig website

"Paul Hertz is a composer, improviser, organist, trombonist, and pianist who lives in Ames, Iowa."
- from an email Paul Hertz sent to Iowa Music Showcase

Lineup:
Paul Hertz - all instruments and programming

Painting by Kara Hedge
https://www.flickr.com/people/poseidonsimage/

MySpace page;

https://myspace.com/paulhertz

To download the podcast, right click on the link below and hit "Save as...":
https://archive.org/download/Episode48IowaClassicalMusic/Episode%2048_%20Iowa%20Classical%20Music.mp3

Labels: 2000s, 2009, Ames, Ames area, classical, classical music, electronic, electronic music, Ep 048,modern classical, modern classical music, Paul Hertz, Polymetric Phrygian Plainchant (song)