IOWA MUSIC SHOWCASE PODCAST - Episode 61: Music of Sump Pump Records, Part 1 of 2

This month on the Iowa Music Showcase podcast, we present to you a sampling of some of the offerings you can find from Des Moines record label, Sump Pump Records.


This actually started with Chuck Hoffman of Sump Pump sending me a few submissions. So I suggested he send a few more and we could do an episode. He and one of his partners in crime at Sump Pump, Tom Reelitz, ended up sending me enough material for two episodes!

So, if any of you are involved in a record label based somewhere in our fair state, feel free to get a hold of me here at iowamusicshowcase@gmail.com! I'll be happy to promote any of your Iowa (or Omaha, Quad Cities, and Sioux Falls) artists!

Cover by Stutterin Jimmy

But back to Sump Pump Records!

"The story of Sump Pump Records officially begins in 1998 when Dan Hutchison and Bill Heard formed the label to release the debut 7" EP of Why Make Clocks, then a duo of Hutchison and Brian Wiksell. A second release, Chad O'Neal's Evolution No. 9 CD, followed in 2001 before the label went dormant as its proprietors focused on their bands.

"In 2013, Hutchison embarked on a project of his own devising to release a compilation of music from artists based in Des Moines recorded entirely on 4-track cassette. Recording the majority of the tracks himself in his own basement, Hutchison enlisted Wiksell and a few other trusted former members of Why Make Clocks to re-launch Sump Pump Records for its release.

"Since then, Sump Pump Records has produced an eclectic selection of vinyl releases, and amassed a distribution inventory of other releases, largely by artists based in, rooted in, or connected in some way with the label's home state of Iowa, all available through their online store at sumppumprecords.com."
- from an email sent to us

IMSC Ep 61 - Song 8: "I Made You a Card" by Karen Meat & The Computer

"Karen Meat is a pop rock project of Arin Eaton based between Des Moines and Iowa City. The band itself is a moody character, a sequined oversized sweater, crooning melodies and lyrics of a bored generation. She's Drunk Like The Rest Of Us, Karen Meat’s recent November 2016 tape release, steers away from her DSM band (Brad Turk, John Huffman) as Eaton collaborates with her business partner Dana Telsrow. Karen Meat glitters with memorable beats, 60s-girl-pop inspired vocals, guitar solos by Dana, and coordinated outfits. Full band Karen Meat includes releases such as On The Couch (2016), and self-titled Karen Meat & The Computer (2015) - grumpy rock n’ roll songs with a tinge of partying and omnicord, with titles like 'Who Cares?' and 'Pizza and Beer'. Realistically, pop songs should be fun AND sad. Karen Meat embraces the power of rejection and depression as themes for her music, and her upbeat tunes are gems of sarcasm and truth."
- from her home page

IOWA MUSIC SHOWCASE PODCAST - Episode 58: Happy Hawkeye Holidays 2017, Part 3 of 3 - Scrooge

Ho ho ho! We bring the last of this year's Holidays episodes.

And as in previous years, this episode features some situations and language that some of you may not want to hear. So you have been warned.

The rest of you I hope enjoy this last collection of festive musical frivolities.

And be back next week as we present a whole bunch of playlists featuring Iowa's own songs of the season!

Art by John Leech
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Leech_(caricaturist)

IMSC Ep 58 - Song 8: "Part of the Party" by Karen Meat

"Karen Meat is a pop rock project of Arin Eaton based between Des Moines and Iowa City. The band itself is a moody character, a sequined oversized sweater, crooning melodies and lyrics of a bored generation. She’s Drunk Like The Rest Of Us, Karen Meat’s recent November 2016 tape release, steers away from her DSM band (Brad Turk, John Huffman) as Eaton collaborates with her business partner Dana Telsrow. Karen Meat glitters with memorable beats, 60s-girl-pop inspired vocals, guitar solos by Dana, and coordinated outfits. Full band Karen Meat includes releases such as On The Couch (2016), and self-titled Karen Meat & The Computer (2015) – grumpy rock n’ roll songs with a tinge of partying and omnicord, with titles like “Who Cares?” and “Pizza and Beer”. Realistically, pop songs should be fun AND sad. Karen Meat embraces the power of rejection and depression as themes for her music, and her upbeat tunes are gems of sarcasm and truth. Follow Karen Meat on Twitter at @K_Meat for more declarations on how weird the world can seem."
- from their Facebook pag

PLAYLISTS: A Playlist for Street Heat and the Eclipse

Sorry, again, running late. Seems trying to get my house ready to sell and going to see the eclipse didn't leave me time to do the podcast this week. So instead of the podcast, you get yet another playlist!

But you get two actually!

The first one one actually comes from another Spotify user, Zoey Miller, who put together a playlist for the Street Heat music festival going on the Sunday before Labor Day, Sept 3, on 4th Street in Des Moines.

I have to admit though, about half of these bands are from Minneapolis and one from Chicago. But I guess I can show some neighbourly love.

Street Heat website:
https://streetheatdsm.com/

IMSC posts with playlists:
http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/search/label/playlists

IMSC posts using Spotify:
http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/search/label/Spotify

IMSC posts that discuss music festivals:
http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/search/label/music%20festivals

The second playlist is just one I put together on Spotify to honor the eclipse. This one is all Iowa artists!

One year ago...
Episode 32: Iowa Electropop and Electronic Music -
http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2016/08/episode-32-iowa-electropop-and_20.html

Two years ago...
Episode 15 - Iowa Metal and Hard Rock -
http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2015/09/episode-15-iowa-metal-and-hard-rock.htmll

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

IMSC Ep 44 - Song 6: "The Falling" by Karen Meats The Vahnevants

"Karen Meat and the Vahnevants, two great Des Moines sounds that taste oh so great together. On this release, we find local singer/songwriter/musically schizophrenic pop-star Karen Meat getting dissolved into the acid-drenched “Back from the Grave” stylings of the Vahnevants. Just like taking too much of too much of Hoffman’s Olde Original, It’s nearly impossible to tell where the Id and Ego of each entity begins and ends."
- from Ed Bignar's Pop Occulture website

"Karen Meat and The Vahnevants hail from Des Moines, Iowa, where the musicians are a tightknit bunch with a penchant for collaboration. Given their shared interests and buddy status, It’s only right and natural that Karen Meat (Arin Eaton) and the Vahnevants would make a record together. The resulting EP,“Karen Meats the Vahnevants,” will not disappoint fans of either act.

"On first listen, the four songs on this EP might sound like the Vahnevants with a different frontperson. Closer inspection, however, reveals Eaton’s songwriting assuming an equal role. The creative signatures of the two acts blend well, with melodies teased out by guitars as much as vocals...

"Throughout the proceedings, them Vahnevant boys whip out lil’ lassos of C&W licks and strangle vibrato-laden leads out of their guitfiddles. 'Karen Meats the Vahnevants' is the musical equivalent of falling off a barstool. Morricone banshee wails blow by like tumbleweeds, and the overall effect is something akin to Joe Meek scoring a western.

For all the obvious points of aural reference, “Karen Meats the Vahnevants” never wanders into pastiche. The lyrics hit on the age-old concerns of rock ‘n’ roll (falling in love, falling out of love, getting soused) but framed in modern terms (they use the word ‘thot’ in a song title, fer fuck’s sake). The bleached-out recording–captured by Des Moines’ busiest taper, Phil Young–benefits the songs, the vocals at once present and distant, a thick film covering the lens.

So here ya go: rock ‘n’ roll chocolate and peanut butter. Eat y’self fitter and grab the tape, out now on the recently revived RULE_OG_Y label."
- from a review by Bob Bucko on the Your Record Collection Sucks website

Lineup:
Arin Eaton - vocals
James Brittenson - bass guitar
bRyan Meier - cello/drums
Micah Sturdevant - guitar/piano
Jared Vaughn - guitar/drums

BandCamp:
https://ruleogy.bandcamp.com/releases

Karen Meat's home page:
http://karenmeat.com/

Karen Meat's Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/KARENMEAT/

Karen Meat's BandCamp page:
https://karenmeat.bandcamp.com/

The Vahnevants' home page, maybe?
http://thevahnevants.tumblr.com/

The Vahnevants' Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/TheVahnevants

The Vahnevants' SoundCloud page:
https://soundcloud.com/thevahnevants

To download the whole podcast, right click the link below and hit "Save as...":
https://archive.org/download/IowaMusicShowcaseEpisode44/Iowa%20Music%20Showcase%20-%20Episode%2044_.mp3

Labels: 2010s, 2017, alternative music, Des Moines, Des Moines area, Ep 044, Falling (song), Indie and Alternative Music, Karen Meat (artist), Karen Meats The Vahnevants (band), Micah Sturdevant, Vahnevants (band)