IMSC Ep 56 - Song 4: "Vancouver Winter" by Sharon Bousquet

"Write. Record. Perform. Repeat. Soulful Folk, A Capella, Instrumentals..."

"Philadelphia-born singer-songwriter Sharon Bousquet lives and works in Fairfield, IA where she is the lead vocalist and co-writer for All Souls on Deck, a 6-piece Indie-Acoustic band. Sharon is a mother and composer ofilm scores with 6 independent CD releases to her credit."
- from her Facebook page

"Born in Philadelphia and raised in Wilmington DE, Sharon Bousquet left the East Coast in her early 20's following love and music. Seven albums of original music later, Sharon has recently returned to her East Coast roots with a strong collection of new songs in hand. Sharon Bousquet was a top 10 finalist in the 2016 Philly Songwriter's Contest. As a finalist in the 2017 Musicarmageddon Solo songwriter competition at the Grand Opera House in Wilmington DE, Sharon continues to gain recognition for strong songwriting, powerful vocals and deep skills on acoustic guitar."
- from her ReverbNation page

IMSC Ep 40 - Song 2: "Candy Cane" by Tuff Jerks

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

Lineup:
Jason Hennesy
Steve Squires

Bandcamp:

https://tuffjerks.bandcamp.com/

To download the podcast, right click on the link below and hit "Save as...":
https://archive.org/download/IowaMusicShowcaseEpisode40/Iowa%20Music%20Showcase%20Episode%2040.mp3

Labels: 2000s, 2005, Candy Cane (song), Christmas, Christmas 2016, Christmas music, Ep 040, Fairfield,Fairfield area, Holiday music, Holidays, Holidays 2016, Jason Hennesy, rock, rock music, Steve Squires, Tuff Jerks (band)

Ep 38 - Song 3: "O Come O Come Emanuel" by Dagmar

"Dagmar is an indie classical, harmony driven band recently relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area from their prairie homeland of Iowa. A new music project with history, Gemma Cohen (vocals, bass) and Miranda Mallard (vocals, keyboard, guitar) are Dagmar's core. They have attained sister status after having sung together for over 8 years in the trio Rock Paper Scissors, and now as Dagmar since 2014.

"Gemma and Miranda create original music while rocking their curly manes and singing from the depths of their souls. Harmonies continue to be a staple for this duo along with influences ranging from Phillip Glass to the Fleet Foxes. Dagmar's sound is raw, challenging, a vulnerable vocal driven exposition of Medieval harmonies and uncrumpled diaries."
- from their Facebook page

"Dagmar is Gemma Cohen and Miranda Mallard. We have been singing for over 8 years together as 2/3 of the trio Rock Paper Scissors. We started with covers, anything with harmonies. Slowly we began to write our own music with a diverse and eclectic mix of styles and genres. Over the last five years when Rock Paper Scissors was long distance (spanning 9 time zones from CA to France), we began to hone our original sound.

"One year ago, Scissors became Ciseaux, said "Adieu" and now resides in France. RIP sweet RPS. You have been so good to us. We have grown so much.

"Thus the birth of Dagmar. Now a duo. Through it all we have found our voice. In the past year we have had some challenging personal experiences, and thanks to the power of art, we have turned intense moments into songs that hold great meaning and depth for us. These songs are raw and emotion driven, evidence of our own growth and newfound personal strength. They have been cathartic and transformational, and we hope they will be the same for our listeners. Harmonies continue to be a staple for us along with influences ranging from Philip Glass to the Fleet Foxes."
- from their Indiegogo page

"When Iowa musicians Gemma Cohen and Miranda Mallard were looking for the right name for their band, they were struck by the Scandinavian word dagmar. The old Norse word means 'lightness of day' and is the name of many woman of power throughout European history. The word matched the harsh and raw but positive quality of their music."
- from a Sarah Mirk article in Bitch Media

Lineup:
Gemma Rose - vocals
Miranda Lee - vocals
Taylor Ross - guitar

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

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

BandCamp:
https://dagmarsound.bandcamp.com/

To download the podcast, right click and hit "Save as...":
https://archive.org/download/IowaMusicShowcaseEpisode39/Iowa%20Music%20Showcase%20-%20Episode%2039_.mp3

Labels: 2010s, 2015, Christmas, Christmas 2016, classical, Dagmar (band), Ep 038, Fairfield, Fairfield area,Gemma Rose, Holidays, Holidays 2016, Miranda Lee, O Come O Come Emanuel (song), San Francisco (California)

Ep 32 - Song 2: "Safe with Me" by Trouble Lights

"Trouble Lights have proven that all you need for a stellar pop record is talent and a willingness to branch out: huge budgets, glitzy studios, and celebrity producers are irrelevant. Having a random college freshman from upstate New York fall in love with your band at first listen (in a loud dorm in North Carolina, no less) says that just about any fan of pop music can love your work.

"This is a record everyone can listen to, drive to, party to, be alive to. This is pop music done right. Quite simply, Trouble Lights have given popular music back to the people, and it feels damn good."
- from Ezgi Ustundag on the Ames Progressive website

"If the masses saw Adrien Daller and Phil Rabalais’ group Trouble Lights’ live show, they would grok that there is something freaky awesome happening with both this feisty dancepop group and the overall music scene in Iowa. Trouble Lights smashes your father’s disco balls and trashes your mother’s synthpop paradigm with an indie attitude that more accurately defines the mid-fi musical tastes of their generation, especially the smarty kids of Iowa.

"'Trouble Lights’ new Maximum Ames Records album, The Endless Prom, actually ends too quickly for this writer, because it’s addictive fun and I want more right now. Their pop songwriting gestates easily, and they deconstruct the obvious as quickly as they Mac their lyrics, making their hooks that much more potent."
- from Mike Ragogna on the Huffington Post website

"Producer Philip Rabalais’ looming synthesizers and pounding beats can glisten with an unabashed ’80s-tinged shine at points, but at other times, with its neon-showered dancefloor evocations, it can feel downright cinematic. And Adrien Daller’s alluring vocals are sturdy and soulful enough to fill out the rest of the otherwise minimalist soundscape."
- from Jeff Milo on the Paste magazine website

"Phil and I met through mutual friends when I moved back here from England a couple years ago. It’s a pretty small town so if you have something in common with someone, you’re gonna hang out. He’s like family now.

"We decided to form a band together because of our mutual deep love of really banging electronic dance music with a bad ass female vocalist. We had many long drunken conversations in the corners of parties talking about our dreams and what kind of music we wanted to make. It was inevitable that we would work together.

"We had our first show about a year ago at the Sondheim Center in Fairfield. It was the first time I (Adrien) felt like I wasn’t thinking while I was performing — I felt like I was an 8-foot animal warrior queen badass. Which I obviously am."
- from Adrien Daller Logsdon in a DMMC (Des Moines Music Coalition) interview

Lineup:
Adrien Daller Logsdon - vocals
Philip Rabalais - synths, programming

Photo by Ace Boothby

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

BandCamp:
https://troublelights.bandcamp.com/

To download the podcast (right click and hit "Save as..."):
https://archive.org/download/IowaMusicShowcaseEpisode32/Iowa%20Music%20Showcase%20-%20Episode%2032_.mp3

Labels: 2010s, 2012, Adrien Daller, Adrien Daller Logsdon, Ames, Ames area, electropop, Electropop and Electronic Music, Ep 032, Fairfield, Fairfield area, Philip Rabalais, Safe with Me (song), Trouble Lights (band)

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:

https://tuffjerks.bandcamp.com/

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/

Ep 19 - Song 3: "Space Demon Theme" by Mr Nasti

"Dear Stranger,

"I’m writing to tell you about my friend Nicholas, sometimes known as MR NASTI... you may see pictures around of him making weird faces, or a music video of him pouring out his tender heart, etc...

"In a time when “hating” is an intransitive verb many people might as well list among their hobbies online, a MR NASTI show can seem almost alien in its sincerity. I’m writing to tell you this is not an affectation put on to sell you something. MR NASTI has been around just a few years now, but in a way, Nicholas has been preparing for it... his whole life.

"Besides studying music at Missouri State and getting an audio science degree in Florida at Full Sail, Nicholas (born Nicholas Sebastian Naioti) has been in a ton of bands. Some were goofy, some were noisy, and one or two you might call twee. For awhile after he moved to Nashville he wore quite a bit of face-paint on stage, and got on national television a couple times doing it, too. And that’s to say nothing of the DIY music venue he also ran for years when he wasn’t on tour...

"(He) (if you happen to slip off your dancing shoes and ponder the lyrics) daily renews a considered choice to believe in humanity. What’s not to like?"
- Daniel Potter from Mr Nasti's home page

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

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

Bandcamp:
https://mrnasti.bandcamp.com/

IMSC Ep 6 - Song 3: "The Wounded Hussar/Silieve Russell/The Humours of Ballyloughlin" by Chulrua

"Chulrua (pronounced cool-ROO-ah), translates from the Irish as "red back," and was the name and distinguishing feature of the favorite wolfhound belonging to ancient Irish hero Fionn MacCumhaill.

"Our concerts are in keeping with the old tradition—music in a relaxed, intimate atmosphere, and tunes offered as they were handed down from generation to generation in Ireland.

"The heart of Irish music is the session, where tunes are played and traded, and conversation about music is the central theme. Sessions can be held anywhere, but are usually the best—and most relaxed—in a small, intimate place like the kitchen of a house or a small pub. The music we present onstage comes from that tradition."
- from their Facebook page

Lineup:
Pat Egan - guitars, vocals
Paddy O'Brien - acordion
Timothy Britton - whistles, pipes, flutes

Home page:
http://paddyobrien.net/chulrua/

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

IMSC Ep 1 - Song 3: "Fairfield" by Jefferson County Green Band

The JCGB is one of the most authentic, versatile and compelling bands in the Midwest. Their music is roots rock, infused with an outlaw flair. Whether cutting loose at an all-day outdoor music festival, a college, a bike rally, a main stage or a tavern-this is a band guaranteed to lift your spirits and get your feet moving with their irrepressibly tight musicianship and down-home esprit de corps. - from jeffersoncountygreenband.com/

Lineup:
lead vocals/acoustic guitar - Steve MacLain
harmonica - Kevin Riley
bass - Tim Duffy
drums - David Hurlin

Home page: http://jeffersoncountygreenband.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1greenband

ReverbNation: http://www.reverbnation.com/jeffersoncountygreenband

Labels: 2010, 2010s, blues, David Hurlin, Ep 001, Fairfield, Fairfield (song), Fairfield area, folk (genre), Greg Brown, Iowa Pride, Jefferson County Green Band, Kevin Riley, rock, roots rock, Steve MacLain, Tim Duffy