By Chad Taylor
soundcheck@dmcityview.com

He ain’t heavy… The Maw’s Erik Brown had some interesting things to say about the band’s June 14 show at the Gas Lamp.

“I’m sorry to all the people that came out to see (us),” Brown posted on Facebook over the weekend. “We did take it as a compliment that we were too heavy for the venue!”

When asked directly, Brown told Sound Notes “We were originally booked to play two one-hour sets. When we finished our first set, the booking agent there asked me if he could ‘buy us out,’ because we were too heavy.”

For his part, Frankie at the Gas Lamp says the decision was more about dollars and cents than any artistic hang-ups. “I don’t have a problem with those guys. They’re in a couple other bands that are Gas Lamp regulars. They just weren’t a good pairing with (closing act) Molly Gene, and we had people walking out the door, so I decided to go with three sets instead of four. But I’ll definitely have (The Maw) back again with a different line-up.”

If you want to judge for yourself, you can catch The Maw at House of Bricks and 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 21 along with the Mad Monks and Acoustic Guillotine for $5. As for Gas Lamp, I’ve personally attended Superchief shows there and the world didn’t end, so I don’t think we need to worry about the venue switching to easy listening anytime soon…

Pick o’ the Week: Papa Roach, originally slated to play the Val Air Ballroom, has been moved downtown to Wooly’s. The show is Thursday, July 19 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 through www.ticketfly.com and $27 at the door. In This Moment and Mindrite open.

Friday, June 20, the Vaudeville Mews plays host to local battle rapper and Neon Current member Ryan Nixon. The show kicks off at 10 p.m. and also features Bumrap. $5.

If rap isn’t your thing for June 20, you can go get your indie vibe filled over at Wooly’s, where Christopher the Conquered, The Poison Control Center, Derek Lambert and the Prairie Fires and Mumford’s are playing a free show, starting at 10 p.m.

People’s welcomes Iowa City roots ska act Public Property on Saturday, July 21. Show starts at 9 p.m. and tickets are $10 at the door.

Speaking of the Gas Lamp, head on down there on Sunday, July 22 and catch a free show featuring Minnesota rockers The Jelly Project. Show starts at 9 p.m.

Or, if you find yourself on the opposite end of the downtown corridor on July 22, you could just go to House of Bricks for The Phantom Blues Band and Monophonics, playing starting at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased through www.bigreddogmusic.com.

This is kind of a rap week down at the Vaudeville Mews. Catch more rhymes on Monday, July 23, starting at 6:30 p.m. J-Flo performs with Christian Manzo and Midwest Fresh in an all-ages show. $5. Mahalo. CV