By Chad Taylor
soundcheck@dmcityview.com

We’re not gonna lie, SoundNotes likes Pride Weekend almost as much as the State Fair. Sure, you can’t buy deep fried Twinkies at Pride, but the people are generally much nicer to look at, and there’s free parking. House of Bricks is helping kick Pride Weekend off right by hosting a charity show on Friday, June 8 at 9 p.m. Go check out The Olsen Twinns, Shady At Best, Vill and the ever entertaining VaJ of Courage. A $5 donation gets you in, with proceeds going to OneIowa.

Speaking of benefit concerts, Austin, Texas transplant Lightning Red performs at the Friends Meeting House in Des Moines on June 9 from 8-10:30 p.m. with donations going to Occupy Des Moines.

Band news! Brolester Records has recently added North of Grand to its stable of artists. The Des Moines-based label was already home to acts like Superchief and The White Elephant, and continues to do its part to make Iowa music flourish. Brolester’s Jeremiah Tuhn says that they’re planning the release of North of Grand’s first album under the label for later this summer. Stay tuned.

More band news! Hath No Fury and lead guitarist Jayson Kempf have parted ways. Everyone’s still on speaking terms, but Kempf has left in order to take a spot with Madam Jules, where he’ll be reunited with his former Mindrite band mate, Blake Brennan. Julia Mahlstadt confirmed the addition, and Kempf’s first show with the band was June 2 at the House of Bricks. On the flip side, Hath No Fury’s Jen Allen says that there are no immediate plans to replace Kempf, and the band will play their next show as a four piece.

Nitefall on the River has added another show to the lineup. Umphrey’s McGee plays the Simon Estes Amphitheater on Sept 12. The all-ages show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 and $25 and go on sale June 8 at ticketfly.com

Christopher the Conquered and his Black and Gold Brass Band bring their show to Gaslamp on Thursday, June 7. Show starts at 9 p.m. and tickets are $5. Seedlings, Howard D. Harmsen and Sean Huston open.

“Deliverance” actor/troubadour Ronny Cox kicks off this year’s Lighthouse Concert Series at West Des Moines Christian Church on Friday, June 8 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10.

Also on June 8, get your arena rock on with Styx at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino. Tickets range from $30 - $68, and the show kicks off at 8 p.m.

SoundNotes’ Pick o’ the Week: Hip Hop takes over the Vaudeville Mews on June 9. Prettygirlhatemachine plays with Toby Dilegent, D Average and Aeon Grey, with the show kicking off at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $5.

Monday, June 11 has Barcelona playing an all-ages show at Wooly’s. Tickets are $12 in advance/$14 at the door, and the show starts at 6 p.m. Churchill opens.

Merchants of Moonshine play Gaslamp on Tuesday, June 12 at 9 p.m. Tickets are $5 and Brother Trucker opens. Mahalo. CV