By Michael Swanger michael@dmcityview.com

Innovative and eclectic rock artists often have been art students who channeled their creativity through music, and Michael Moskowitz, an 18-year-old senior at Valley High School in West Des Moines, is one of them.

"I don't really consider myself a musician as much as an artist or a poet who learned how to play guitar," he says. "Most of it is poetry I've molded into something that rhymes as a song."

Moskowitz released his independent debut album, "Dull Roots, Dull Canal" under the group name Marbles and Piracies, though he did everything himself - from playing all the instruments and writing the songs to creating the artwork and paying to have the album pressed. It's an artful collection of 11 original songs inspired by his interest in abnormal psychology, a variety of artists (the Decemberists, Moby, Dr. Dre) and "normal teenage stuff," mainly relationships. Moskowitz's simple instrumentation, minor-key orchestration and seamless blend of programmed drumbeats and organic folk-rock is wise beyond its creator's tender years, and, of course, the album's artwork is equally impressive. It features one of Moskowitz's computer-generated collages.

"I have a wide range of interests that I bring together on the record," he says. "And people like it for different reasons."

Moskowitz says Marbles and Piracies is miles apart from the Nirvana cover bands he started playing with as a freshman before graduating to more melody-driven material. He says he is at his creative best when he works alone.

But now that he wants to share his music with the public, he has recruited a bassist and percussionist to join him onstage. The trio's first gig is Saturday at Reggie's Place, and Moskowitz plans to make it a full-scale production with a light show and a camera crew to document it for release through his Web site ww.marblesandpiracies.com.

"I'm putting a lot of resources into this and trying to make it cool," he says.

Winter BluesFest lineup

The Central Iowa Blues Society has lined up 10 local and national blues acts to play five stages at the Hotel Fort Des Moines on Feb. 18 for its annual Winter BluesFest. National artists Johnnie Bassett & the Blues Insurgents from Detroit and Watermelon Slim & the Workers from Oklahoma will perform, as will Joe Price, Lady Blue featuring Tina Haase Findlay, John Resch & the Detroit Blues, Just Bus, Harmonica Red & The New Heard, Ron Teamer & Smokin' Guns, The Mercury Brothers and Jonny & the Rectifiers. Music starts at 7 p.m. Advance tickets are on sale now for $10 at the hotel, Blues on Grand or by calling 225-6638.

Academy, Panic moved to Val Air

Due to overwhelming demand for tickets, the March 16th concert by The Academy Is... and Panic! At the Disco has been moved from the House of Bricks in the East Village to the Val Air Ballroom in West Des Moines. The show's promoter Sam Summers says tickets sold out in fewer than three weeks, prompting him to move the event to a larger venue. All tickets purchased for the House of Bricks concert will be honored at the Val Air and additional tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster and the ballroom's box office.

Scene notes

The Outlaw Family Band's 9 p.m. Friday performance originally scheduled at The Walnut Tap has been moved to Hairy Mary's. 56 Hope will open... Tickets for Gretchen Wilson's March 2nd performance at Wells Fargo Arena go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. through the arena's box office and at Dahl's Foods. They cost $34.50 and $43.50.... A follow up to a feature story from last month, local guitarists Adam Haug and Micah Sturdevant, creators of the free "515 mix tape" entitled "Under the MICroscope: Volume One," are hosting a CD release party Saturday at 9 p.m. at the Vaudeville Mews. The show will feature performances by Dyrekt, Tyborn Jig, Skin of Earth, The Horseshoe Spatulas, Jayvee & Paul Moses and the Flesh Keys. Admission is $5 and includes a free copy of the tape (CD). The two guitarists collected tracks from 29 local bands, spanning a range of genres. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/underthemic... Cultural Advocacy Day, a two-day event, will be held Monday and Friday at the Iowa State Historical Building. A number of workshops and a march to the state capitol to meeet with legislators will be held. Visit www.culturalaffairs.org... The Drake University Community School of Music is offering two 12-week musical experiences for young children beginning next week. Tuneful Tuesdays features "Musical Mice" for children ages 3 - 5 and "Music Explorers for children ages 5 - 7. The age-appropriate activities include vocal exploration, singing, moving, listening, playing percussion instruments, storytelling and pretend play. Classes meet at Drake's Harmon Fine Arts Center. A caregiver must accompany each child for "Musical Mice" and tuition is $138. A caregiver's presence is optional for "Music Explorers" and tuition is $156. Call 271-4011... The Celtic Music Association has booked the Milwaukee-based Leahy's Luck for a return performance Jan. 28 at Holy Trinity Parish Hall. Showtime is 8 p.m. Tickets are $18 in advance. Call 255-3162 or visit www.thecma.org... The Charlie Hunter Trio returns to the Vaudeville Mews to perform two shows Feb. 13 at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 in advance through IowaTix... Veteran musician and activist Buffy Sainte Marie plays the First Christian Church on Feb. 25. General admission tickets, $25, are on sale now at the church and Peoples Music or by calling 274-5566... The Maintenance Shop in Ames has added two shows to its spring lineup. On Feb. 20, The Undertow Orchestra featuring David Bazan, Vic Chesnutt, Mark Eitzel and Will Johnson will perform at 8 p.m. Tickets are $17. And on Feb. 28, Tristan Prettyman with special guest Ben Taylor (son of James Taylor) performs at 8 p.m. Tickets are $14. Call (515) 294-8349... Local jazz-fusion group Multiple Signatures, which includes Nathan Peoples (sax), Rob Ankum (guitar), John Cord (trumpet), Scot Sutherland (bass) and Jamie Cord (drums), have landed a weekly Friday gig at the Continental. Showtime is 10 p.m. and admission is free... CafŽ Diem, the new coffeehouse in Ankeny we told you about two weeks ago, is seeking acoustic musicians to perform Friday and Saturday night shows there for tips. No house sound system is available and its owners do not allow drum kits or electric guitars and ask that performers "keep the lyrics clean." For more information, contact Bill Melton at bmeltonmusic@aol.com or 289-1153... Beginning April 1, all major and mini grant applications for funding from the Iowa Arts Council must be submitted using the new eGrant system. To help artists navigate the system, which goes live March 2, the IAC is offering training courses Feb. 8, 9 and 11. Call 281-3293 or visit www.iowaartscouncil.org for details... The River Music Experience in Davenport has won a 2006 Keep the Blues Alive award from the Blues Foundation in Memphis for its historic preservation of blues music. CV

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