By Michael Swanger michael@dmcityview.com

Prairie City singer-songwriter-guitarist Steve Beyerink says writing songs is therapeutic, but one has to wonder whether there are enough songs in his dark soul to cure his tombstone blues after listening to his one-man band Miss Autopsy's sophomore album, "Sweet Killers."

Filled with dark, bleak tunes about serial killers ("A Quiet Night Tonight"), suicidal crime sprees ("Do Not Hit the Brakes"), failed relationships ("Good is Not Good Enough") and nuclear holocausts ("Premonition"), Beyerink defines "Sweet Killers" as "pop songs in disguise" - in the same way one might call Lou Reed "pop," that is.

"I like darker things," he says. "I grew up listening to Pink Floyd and a lot of things of that nature. Lyrically, I'm more inspired by writers like [Fyodor] Dostoevsky, Hermann Hesse and William S. Burroughs for their grasp of the darker sides of the human experience than any songwriter I can think of. I wouldn't write about things I couldn't relate to in some way."

Beyerink's darkness, by comparison to other rock acts, is interesting in that he keeps the instrumentation simple and groove-oriented. "Sweet Killers" alternates between riff-hard guitars with mono-rhythmic drum loops and solo acoustic guitar ditties. It is devoid of noise effects and over-production. And in both cases the music serves the lyrics and doesn't overshadow Beyerink's utilitarian (sometimes nails-across-the-blackboard) voice that befits his unsettling lyrics.

"One can't go over the top with the weirdness; it seems too easy," says Beyerink. "Slipknot, I can't listen to."

Beyerink credits Paper Chase singer John Congleton, who serves as the album's engineer, for helping him achieve an appropriate sound. The duo worked on "Sweet Killers" last January at Congleton's studio in Dallas.

"I had planned to release it as a home recording, but after opening a show for Paper Chase I asked John if he would help," Beyerink says. "It turned out to be a better quality than if I did it."

Beyerink says he hopes the new album will help him secure more gigs in the Des Moines area. The 24-year-old musician says gigs are hard to come by, noting there aren't many places that welcome his brand of music.

"The way I'm doing it now, with just me and a drum machine, it's hit or miss whenever I play rock clubs," he says. "It does seem to go over well in smaller DIY art spaces, but there aren't any in Des Moines right now.

"With the first album I recorded, if 100 people were to hear it, 95 would turn it off within the first 10 seconds, and I get a certain satisfaction out of that," Beyerink says. "But I also want to make records that make the hair on the listeners' arms stand up and change how they listen to music. Certain records by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Joy Division, Radiohead and others have done that for me. I don't want my music to sound like theirs, but I do want it to have the same effect."

Regardless of whether or not anyone hires Miss Autopsy to perform live, or if anyone buys his records, Beyerink says he will continue to write songs and work on recording his third album

"I can't change people's perceptions of my music," he says. "But I'm probably always going to write songs."

Call it music therapy.

Wilco returns

Seminal roots-rockers Wilco return to the Val Air Ballroom in West Des Moines for a performance Wednesday, March 22, at 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets, $28.50, go on sale Saturday, Feb. 10, at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster (243-1888) and the Val Air's box office (223-6152).

The band's upcoming spring tour follows a series of solo winter shows by lead singer-guitarist Jeff Tweedy, who performs Feb. 19 at the Iowa Memorial Union Ballroom in Iowa City, while fellow band members John Stirratt and Pat Sansone work on a new album for their side project, Autumn Defense. Wilco issued its first live album last fall, "Kicking Television - Live in Chicago," a 23-song collection recorded last spring at the Vic Theatre in Chicago.

Scene notes

Local rockers Lookout Loretta will play its final Des Moines show Friday at Carl's Place, 1620 Woodland Ave. The group's bassist, Jason Villines, is moving to Virginia next month, so the band is calling it quits. They share the bill Friday with North of Grand. Showtime is 9 p.m. and admission is free... World Port, which blends musical styles from the Caribbean to Celtic, plays Arts After Hours on Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Des Moines Art Center Downtown. Admission is $5... Kat Darling will record a live album on Friday at the Ritual CafŽ. Showtime is 8 p.m. Admission is free... On Saturday, a group of high school musicians, singers and dancers from Beijing will perform at 7 p.m. at the State of Iowa Historical Building. Admission is $5. Call 281-4132... Cirque Du Soleil plays Wells Fargo Arena on May 20 at 8 p.m. Tickets, which range in price from $69.50 - $99.50, go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. at the box office and at Dahl's Foods. Visit www.dahlstickets.com or call 1-866-55DAHLS... Speaking of the new arena, rumors are circulating among Polk County officials that legendary piano man Elton John will play there sometime this year... The Summerset Inn & Winery will host its annual Valentine's Ball Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. The event includes music by the Soul Searchers, a reception and dinner. Tickets are $45. Call (515) 961-3545 for reservations... Speaking of Valentine's Day, if you're looking for a musical gift with Iowa flavor you might want to check out www.buyiowaart.com. The Web site sells independent albums by Iowa musicians... Country artists Lee Greenwood (March 10) and Sawyer Brown (March 11) will perform at Wells Fargo Arena during the state girls' basketball tournament. Speaking of mainstream country shows, Pollstar lists Martina McBride as playing the arena May 13, though we don't think it coincides with any sporting activities. And country-rocker Shooter Jennings, son of the late Waylon Jennings, is scheduled to play the Iowa State Fair Aug. 11-12. Stay tuned for show confirmations and ticket information... Rapper Afroman of "Because I Got High" fame plays the House of Bricks March 23 at 7 p.m. Johnny Reeferseed and the High Rollers open. Tickets are $13 in advance through IowaTix.com... Rob Zombie plays the Val Air Ballroom April 13. Tickets, $31, go on sale Friday... The Des Moines Metro Opera recently met its two-year fund-raising goal of $3 million by completing the Salsbury Challenge in which Doris and John Salsbury matched dollar-for-dollar all cash gifts to the group... The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry reported last week that global music retail revenues dropped about 2 percent last year after they remained flat in 2004 at $33.6 billion. Though overall sales lagged, digital music revenues more than tripled from $380 million to $1.1 billion. The federation says illegal file-sharing volumes changed little and they see total sales for 2006 remaining virtually unchanged from 2005. CV