DES MOINES IS NOT BORING - The Vahnevants: Bum Out!

Starting today, we have a new irregular series we will feature from time to time. We will present some old articles from Dave Murphy's music column, Beats for the Soul, from the old website, Des Moines is not Boring. This particular piece is taken from Mar 19, 2015.

The last album I reviewed was the heartbreaking, ethereal, expertly-produced, full length debut from Annalibera, Nevermind I Love You. All those adjectives I used to describe it are absolutely correct and also will not be used to describe The Vahnevants’ Bum Out! That’s not a bad thing, but whereas Annalibera have floated out of the ether on a chariot made of dreams and driven by unicorns, The Vahnevants have sort of plowed their way onto the scene piloting a ’57 Chevy with mismatched doors and engine troubles. Both certainly make for memorable experiences.

The Vahnevants are veterans of the scene, maybe most notably with Deep Sleep Waltzing and Beati Paoli years back. But those familiar wouldn’t see a ton of similarities. The Vahnevants are a 50’s-early 60’s inspired garage band. They are a warbly, surf rock band that would also fit into rockabilly and even some old-fashioned country-western, only, I dunno, less clean. Not like, language or content, but they just feel like they’re covered in muck. They’re like The Everly Brothers if Phil had just completed a 12 hour shift as a bus driver then headed straight to the studio and Don got hit in the head with a rubber mallet just prior to recording.

Thing is, it works. “Motorcycle” is an excellent surf rock mostly instrumental (there is one word shouted occasionally; I will leave it up to you to figure out what the word is) that would do Dick Dale proud. “Amuck” and “Nobody” hit the right spots for those looking for a spot of blues mixed in their grime and I could totally see Marvin Berry singing “Whistling Tackle” instead of “Earth Angel” at the “Enchantment Under the Sea Dance”. The instrumentals are certainly there but the recording kinds of dulls their effect. While certainly lo-fi, the bare bones aesthetic is obviously very intentional and brings about this Bart Simpson playing “Polly Wolly Doodle” vibe to a group of obviously talented musicians. It is a unique take and yet, they pull it off.

Why I think it works is the same reason why I think Nevermind I Love You works: Sincerity. Sincerity doesn’t always mean taking yourself seriously, but it does mean believing in what you are doing. No, I don’t think The Vahnevants are some emotional powerhouse and we need to take everything they do to heart and really think about their art and what it all means. But they aren’t just screwing around either. They mean this and they believe this and whether it is high art or just super sincere shtick, it works.

Des Moines is Not Boring website:
http://desmoinesisnotboring.com/wordpress/

Beats for the Soul archives:
http://desmoinesisnotboring.com/wordpress/category/beats-for-the-soul/

Des Moines is Not Boring on IMSC:


The Vahnevants on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TheVahnevants/

The Vahnevants on Bandcamp:
https://thevahnevants.bandcamp.com/



PREVIOUSLY ON IOWA MUSIC SHOWCASE:

DSM UNPLUGGED - Chris Ranallo on Jan 6, 2016
http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2018/06/dsm-unplugged-chris-ranallo-on-jan-6.html

IHEARIC PODCAST - Episode 26: Feed Me Weird Things (06/03/2018)
http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2018/06/ihearic-podcast-episode-26-feed-me.html

YOUR OWN PRIVATE IOWA - Episode 30: Andersen Coates
http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2018/06/your-own-private-iowa-episode-30.html

IOWA BLUES SHOWCASE PODCAST - IBSC 106 Saylorhill Sliders featuring Jon East, and Jono Smith
https://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2018/06/iowa-blues-showcase-podcast-ibsc-106.html

LISTEN UP IOWA - 5 Iowa Music Festivals You Need To Visit
http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2018/06/listen-up-iowa-5-iowa-music-festivals.html


THREE RANDOMLY PICKED PREVIOUS POSTS....

PLAYLISTS: Artists who Submitted (But I Still Haven't Put on a Podcast Yet!)
https://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2016/04/playlists-artists-who-submitted-but-i.html

IOWA MUSIC SHOWCASE PODCAST - Episode 36: Happy Hawkeye Halloween 2016, Part 3 of 4 - The Lightning Strikes
https://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2016/10/episode-36-happy-hawkeye-halloween-part.html

IOWA MUSIC SHOWCASE PODCAST - Episode 61: Music of Sump Pump Records, Part 1 of 2
https://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2018/03/episode-61-music-of-sump-pump-records.html


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