By Michael Swanger michael@dmcityview.com

Val Air continues renovations, buys radio station

Between concerts the buzz at the Val Air Ballroom in West Des Moines has been construction crews operating heavy machinery to complete a series of renovations at the historic venue.

In the past two weeks crews have been grading the ballroom’s parking lot, preparing it to be paved, and installing air conditioning units — two of the many anticipated changes coming to the Val Air this summer and the years ahead at a tune of about $1.5 million.

“It’s going to look gorgeous when it’s done,” says Val Air general manager Chris Cardani. “We’re working on things in portions so we can stay open for business during the work.”

With new siding already in place, the Val Air’s exterior is taking on a new look. In addition to paving the parking lot, crews will plant more than 270 trees and bushes, erect a new neon sign, replace the roof, build new loading docks to accommodate up to five tour buses backstage and install a handicap ramp and elevator. Cardani is also in the process of requesting that the City of West Des Moines repeal its law banning the use of digital marquees so that he can replace the Val Air’s current sign with one. He says such signs are common in other cities and at other major concert venues like the Civic Center, Wells Fargo Arena and Prairie Meadows.

“I’m only asking for a four-by-six-foot sign,” he says. “It’s something I could control from my computer instead of having to manually change it all the time.”

Concertgoers will also notice significant changes to the ballroom’s interior — the biggest being the addition of air conditioning for the first time. Cardani says two 15-ton units have been installed and the remaining four will be placed one at a time every three to four months, adding they should help cool capacity crowds of 2,700 people. Other inside work includes the addition of oak wood trimming throughout the ballroom and oak wood finishing in the restrooms.

“We’re already getting compliments on things that haven’t been done,” Cardani says. “It’s expensive stuff, so it’s slow going. But we’ll get there.”

While the Val Air’s three owners are sprucing up the venue, they’ve also branched out in the marketing arena. Cardani says they recently purchased the Des Moines Spanish-language radio station La Ley, 105.5 FM. La Ley was the first radio station in Iowa to broadcast Spanish-language music and news 24 hours a day and will serve as a valuable tool to promote the Val Air’s successful lineup of Latin music concerts. Crews are installing two 25,000-watt towers in Dallas County to bolster the station’s signal at a cost of $3 million. The station currently has towers in Perry, but the new ones will help them reach more Des Moines listeners, Cardani says.

“When complete it will have the third strongest signal in Des Moines,” he says.

In addition to all the changes, Cardani says he’s working on booking several bands at the Val Air including the Smashing Pumpkins, Chevelle, Queens of the Stone Age, Motion City Soundtrack, Finger Eleven and Staind frontman Aaron Lewis’s acoustic tour.

The following shows are confirmed:
• Kottonmouth Kings — July 26, with Tech N9ne, Hed(pe), Blaze, Subnoize Souljaz and Critical Bill. 6:30 p.m. $23.50
• 311 — Aug. 13, with Matisyahu. 8 p.m. $33.50.
• Tower of Power — Aug. 22, 7:30 p.m. $35
• The Academy Is — Sept. 6, with Armor For Sleep. 7 p.m. $19.99.
• Toby Mac — Oct. 21. Tickets TBA.

Scene notes

The Des Moines City Council will pay $50,000 for the headlining band of the Greater Des Moines Music Coalition’s “80/35 Summer Music Festival” to be held in the Western Gateway in late August or early September. Reportedly, the festival’s projected cost is $171,700 and the city would receive the first $50,000 of its net profits. Additional profits, if any, would be split between the city, the coalition and a fund to pay for the 2008 festival. The DMMC says it will postpone the event until 2008 if a headliner can’t be secured for this year’s fest. …. Tickets are on sale now for the University of Northern Iowa’s 2007-08 Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center series of concerts and theater. Music acts include Clint Black (Sept. 7), The Neville Brothers (March 8, 2008) and The Spinners (April 4, 2008). Visit www.gbpac.com. … Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson hosts a free clinic Thursday at 8 p.m. at Rieman Music in Urbandale. …. Ames indie rockers The Poison Control Center have signed with Afternoon Records in Minneapolis. Poison Control Center, formerly of Bi-Fi Records in Ames, plans to release its Afternoon Records debut “A Collage of Impressions” this fall. A limited edition EP (500 copies), including the album’s first single, “Glory, Us,” will be released July 10 to coincide with the band’s three-week tour that month. But on Friday and Saturday, fans can catch them at the Vaudeville Mews and the Bali Satay, respectively. … Singer-songwriter Michael Johnson of “Bluer than Blue” fame plays The Lighthouse Coffeehouse in West Des Moines on Friday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance through IowaTix. … Free live music by the Swing Crew (Friday), as well as the Tony Valdez Large Band and Towncrier (both on Saturday) is part of the Johnston Green Days celebration this weekend. Visit www.johnstongreendays.org for details. … Waukee native Brandon McHose, an Austin-based blues-rock singer-guitarist inspired by Jonny Lang and Dave Matthews, plays Jimmy’s American Café in West Des Moines on Saturday from 8 to 11 p.m. The show is a CD release party to celebrate his new album, “Life Eclipse.” McHose also plays Monday’s pre-show party at Wells Fargo Arena/Hy-Vee Hall from 5 to 7 p.m. for the John Mayer concert. … Hotel California: A Salute to the Eagles plays the next Zoo Brew held at Blank Park Zoo on Wednesday from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Admission is $10. … The Windsor Heights Youth Council will host the Metro Wide Battle of the Bands July 3 at Colby Park from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Organizers are looking for six bands or solo acts, ages 13-18, to compete. Musicians have until June 22 to register and submit their demo tapes to Windsor Heights City Hall or call 279-3662 or email cfichter@windsorheights.org. … Tower of Power plays the Val Air Ballroom Aug. 22. Reserved and general admission tickets, $35, go on sale June 22 through Ticketmaster, the ballroom’s box office and the Central Iowa Blues Society. … Though not confirmed, Pollstar reports the Squirrel Nut Zippers July 20 and Robert Cray July 25 at Hoyt Sherman Theater and Clint Black Sept. 22 at the Civic Center. … It hasn’t hit Iowa yet, but don’t be surprised if you hear the name World Access in the future. Pollstar reports that the travel insurance business has carved a niche in the music industry by creating “Event Ticket Protector,” a concert ticket insurance program. With the increasing cost of concert tickets and unforeseen circumstances preventing fans from attending shows, ticket insurance has become a reality. The insurance is calculated based on 5 percent of the total ticket cost and service fees with a minimum of $6.25 and a maximum charge of $150. Last year, World Access insured $5 million worth of tickets in the U.S. … Last month marked the 30th anniversary of the release of “Star Wars.” To commemorate the event the Chicago band Beatnik Turtle wrote a humorous tribute set to traditional Irish music “Star Wars (A Film Like No Other).” Fellow Gen Xers who remember how grueling it was to wait for years between movies to see what happened to Luke, Han and Darth will appreciate it. Download the free song/video at www.thesongoftheday.com. CV

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