By Michael Swanger michael@dmcityview.com

JuneJam hopes to tap faith-full market

To organize a month-long series of concerts featuring 50 bands at 25 events in 30 days you must have faith: Faith in the artists, faith in the audiences, faith in the venues. And in the case of Lee Towe, organizer of the first-ever JuneJam Christian Concert Series, faith in your ability to carry forward the message of God and deliver it in an entertaining way to believers and non-believers alike.

“Our goal is to help people make a connection with faith in a non-judgmental, non-preachy way,” says Towe, who steers a group of volunteers organizing the month-long event that starts Friday in the East Village with performances by Remnant Blues Band and Lady Blue. “Music is a great way to do that because it is so powerful and popular. It speaks a universal language.”

That much is evident judging by the diversity of JuneJam. From gospel, folk and blues to rock, hip-hop and metal, there’s a local, regional or national band [secular or sacred] that caters to just about everybody’s musical taste. And from coffeehouses and community festivals, to the Des Moines Menace and Des Moines Arts Festival, there are a number of popular events and venues partnering with JuneJam.

“The idea is to go where the people are,” says Towe, who works for a project management firm. He calls it a “win-win” situation for everyone because it helps promoters tap into a fan base that they don’t normally cater to and it gives Christian acts a new forum.

“There are so many talented church musicians who get stuck behind church walls,” says Towe, who plays keyboards in the band at Meredith Drive Reformed Church. “Hopefully this will open some doors for them. We’ve had venues tell us they wanted to book Christian acts but they didn’t know who to talk to.”

Convincing those who are cynical of the artistic value and economic viability of contemporary Christian music is an age-old battle of debunking stereotypes, Towe says. But as the market for Christian radio and television stations grows, so too does the exposure for Christian music, which Towe says is quietly gaining a foothold in Des Moines, adding the music has come a long way from the days of acts like Pat Boone or Petra. JuneJam has even teamed up with the Iowa Speedway in Newton to bring some star power to the series by booking Christian rock acts like Third Day, Jars of Clay and Superchick.

“I tell people that contemporary Christian music is music of the day,” Towe says. “The only difference is that it introduces positive lyrics to a culture that has a high percentage of songs that are filled with anger, depression and examples of destructive behavior. JuneJam allows more people to be exposed to such music so that listeners are aware of the positive options available to them.”

To help spread the word, JuneJam has recruited more than 40 local churches and their volunteer members to help man the events, market them and distribute more than 1,000 copies of free CD samplers of songs by participating JuneJam artists. A Web site, www.JuneJam.org, is also available. Towe says it’s important that churches interact with the public through events like JuneJam.

“Part of it is removing barriers like not using language that people who don’t go to church don’t understand and making yourself more approachable,” he says. “We live in a society where there are a lot of beliefs and ideas but we need to allow room for Christian messages to be in the mix, too.”

Towe says initial reaction to the festival has been positive, adding that he plans to make JuneJam an annual affair.

“I want JuneJam to reach out to people and help get rid of the trappings and say ‘we’re just like you,’” he says. “So far, people have been really excited about it.”

The following is a schedule of June Jam concerts. All shows are free unless noted otherwise:

• June 1 — Remnant Blues Band, Lady Blue with Tina Haase Findlay; East Village Blooms ‘n’ Blues, 7:30 p.m.
• June 2 — Restoration and Prayze, mass choir directed by Jimmie Thomas; Simon Estes Amphitheater, 6 p.m.
• June 3 — Chosen, Everyday Dying; Raccoon River Beach, West Des Moines, 2 p.m.
• June 5 — Michelle Hoy and Ordinary People, Not Home Yet; Gray’s Lake, 7 p.m.
• June 7 — Rely On Christ; Being There Coffeehouse, Altoona, 7 p.m.
• June 8 — Piercing the Darkness, Keep and Confess; University Park Amphitheater, Oskaloosa, 7 p.m.
• June 9 — Joyful Noise Band, Will Herron; Jefferson Bell Tower Festival, 2 p.m.
• June 9 — Jessica Borgnis; Café Diem, Ames, 7 p.m.
• June 10 — Third Day, Jars of Clay, Superchick, Starlit Platoon, Searching For North; Iowa Speedway, Newton, 2 p.m. $20-$40.
• June 12 — Divine Intervention, Ankeny Aquatic Center, 6:30 p.m.
• June 12 — TBA, Adel Public Pool, 7 p.m.
• June 14 — Josh Drummond, Gary Sobbing; Café Diem, Ankeny, 5:30 p.m.
• June 15 — Rachaneee, On This Rock; Freedom for Youth, 5 p.m.
• June 16 — Brooke Emily, Eden Street, Praise Band, Will Herron, Vance Lambert; Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market, 8 a.m.
• June 16 — Just the Two of Us; Wellspring, 7 p.m.
• June 17 — Thomas Mitchell Singers; Living History Farms, 1:30 p.m.
• June 19 — Tim Cooper and Friends; Indianola memorial Aquatic Center, 7 p.m.
• June 21 — Greenhill, Fraught; Pella Street Dance, 9 p.m.
• June 22 — GUMP Band, Colonial PA, Soli Deo, Beside Nothing; Adventureland Festival Stage, 1 p.m. $20.
• June 23 — Tempest Rose; Des Moines Menace pre-game show, 6:30 p.m.
• June 24 — 8th Street Praise Band, Heidi Quist and Friends; Blank Park Zoo, 2 p.m.
• June 26 — SoulFire; Norwalk Aquatic Center, 7 p.m.
• June 28 — Moonspell Beach by Justin; Java Joes Coffeehouse, 10 p.m.
• June 29 — DiJohn, Inner Rain, Stallions vs. Unicorns; Des Moines Arts Festival, 4 p.m.
• June 30 — 316, Chosen, Crossed, Greenhill, SoulFire; Battle of the Bands, Earlham, 7 p.m. $5.

Scene notes
The Del McCoury Band, The BoDeans, Don McLean and Loverboy are among the acts slated to play the free stages at the Iowa State Fair, Aug. 9-19. See this week’s Summer A&E Guide for the newly released lineup. … Also newly released, the entertainment lineup for the Des Moines Arts Festival can be found in this week’s cover story. … The Belin String Quartet, in association with the Civic Music Association, hosts its eighth season of free downtown Des Moines concerts each Friday at 12:15 p.m. at Nollen Plaza starting this week through July 6. Additional shows will be held July 13-27 at the downtown library. Each week a pair of tickets to the Civic Music’s Moveable Feast will be given away. Visit www.civicmusic.org. … The East Village hosts its 6th Annual Blooms ‘n’ Blues festival on Friday, 6 to 10:30 p.m. The Soapbox Prophets and Rude Mood will perform on the main stage starting at 6 p.m. A second stage of Christian music, tying in with the JuneJam series, will include performances by the Remnant Blues Band and Tina Haase Findlay starting at 7:30 p.m. Also, Blues Before Sunset kicks off its summer series that day, featuring a free performance by Hot Tamale & The Red Hots in front of the State Historical Building from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. CV

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