By Michael Swanger michael@dmcityview.com

O say, how many concerts can you see?

You don’t have to stay up until the dawn’s early light — unless you want — to see plenty of great live music this weekend. The Fourth of July holiday typically is a busy one for music lovers and this year is no exception as several festivals and special events featuring live music can be found this weekend throughout the metro. With all the choices available, it’s enough to make even the most organized and ardent music fan’s head explode like a fireworks show. So we’re here to help you plan your weekend with the hope that you’ll get to as many of the following recommended shows as possible. Check our calendar for a complete listing of events.

• Benefit for Natalie Borgan — If you get to one show this week at the House of Bricks, make it the all-ages benefit concert for Natalie Borgan on Friday at 5 p.m. by local rockers Reality’s Flaw, Killpact, Speedfinger and Prevail in the Hail of Gunfire. Five-year-old Borgan is the cousin of Dan Hemann, guitarist for Reality’s Flaw, and she has a large inoperable tumor and is undergoing chemotherapy. All proceeds from the show, including money collected from a raffle that night (CDs, hats, T-shirts, posters, etc.) will be donated to Borgan’s family to help pay for medical bills. Admission is $6. Borgan’s parents are also accepting donations. They can be mailed to Community State Bank, 1025 N. Hickory Blvd., Pleasant Hill, Iowa, 50327 and can be made out to the Natalie Borgan Charity.

• Blues on Grand — If there’s one music club in Des Moines that stands to gain the most from the Des Moines Arts Festival moving to Western Gateway Park, it’s Blues on Grand, 1501 Grand Ave. Thousands of people are expected to walk by the club en route to the fest and its manager Jeff Wagner hopes more than a few of them will stop in to enjoy free shows by Eddie Shaw & the Wolfgang on Friday at 9:30 p.m. and the Damon Fowler Group on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. — both of which are sponsored by the Des Moines Arts Festival and the Central Iowa Blues Society. A free, pre-fest concert by Watermelon Slim & the Workers will be held Thursday at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live by WOI Radio (640 AM). Slim’s show is sponsored by the arts festival and WOI. [A review of Slim’s CD is on page 24.] Visit www.bluesongrand.com or call 244-3092.

• Des Moines Arts Festival — Art is the main draw, but you can hear plenty of local bands, too, Friday through Sunday when the Des Moines Arts Festival is held at Western Gateway Park in downtown Des Moines. Hot Club of Des Moines, Bob Hillman, The Tyler Thompson Band, Randy Burk and the Prisoners, Little Mojo, Lady Blue, World Port and the Central Iowa Blues Society’s Blues in the Schools program featuring Dartanyan Brown, Kevin Burt and students from Scavo Campus are among the acts slated to play. Admission is free. Hours are Friday, 4-10 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Visit www.desmoinesartsfestival.org.

• Iowa Blues Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony — The Iowa Blues Hall of Fame Class of 2006 includes Iowa blues guitarists Bo Ramsey and Craig Erickson, bassist Rick Cicalo and drummer Steve Hayes. They will be inducted during a ceremony Sunday at 7 p.m. at Blues on Grand. Doors at 5 p.m. Music by the IBOF Band starts at 6 p.m. Admission is $15 for the public, $12 for blues society members and includes dinner. The event is co-sponsored by Cityview.

• Jazz in July — One of the coolest ways to beat summer heat, Jazz in July showcases hundreds of local musicians playing a range of jazz styles including traditional, New Orleans/Dixieland, fusion/funk, swing/Big Band, Bebop and Latin. Organized by the Des Moines Metro Arts Alliance, the series features free concerts throughout the metro. It starts this week with performances by the Java Jews and One Nite Stand at Beaverdale Park (4 and 6 p.m.) on Sunday; the Scott Davis Quintet and The Mooncats at Lion’s Park (5 and 7 p.m.) on Monday; and Peoples Connection at the State Capitol Grounds on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. “Jazz in Full Bloom,” an annual picnic fundraiser, will be held July 21. Visit www.metroarts.org for a complete schedule. Call 280-3222. The series is co-sponsored by Cityview.

• Summer Heat — A celebration of the ’80s wouldn’t be complete without a nod to the television show “Miami Vice,” so Des Moines rapper $trick9 — founder of other satirical concert events like the Des Moines Winter Formal and Spring Hootenanny — is encouraging attendees of his third seasonal show to “grab a pastel shirt, some neon shades and a thin tie” and party like you’re Don Johnson at Summer Heat on Saturday at the Vaudeville Mews. $trick9 & The Truth share the bill with rapper GaiDen Gadema and turntable stylist Chester P. starting at 10 p.m. Tickets are $10.

• Wild West Music Fest — Billed as a two-day family-oriented country music event, the Wild West Music Fest also appeals to the alt-country sect thanks to the inclusion of real-deal country music acts like The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash and Back Porch Mary. Gates open Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. at Festival Park adjacent to Sleepy Hollow Sports Park, 4051 Dean Ave. Saturday’s lineup includes Rushlow Harris, The Wayward Sons, Boggy Depot and The Moonshine Runners and concludes with fireworks at dusk. Sunday’s bill includes The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, Back Porch Mary, She Swings She Sways, John Anderson of The Moonshine Runners, the Billy Buffalo Band and Shadric Smith, wrapping up at 6 p.m. In addition to music there will be games, rides, food and clothing vendors and Wild West scenes and shootouts acted out by local performers like the Battle of the OK Corral and skits by professional jouster Kevin Coble. Tickets are $15 for Saturday, $10 for Sunday and $20 for a two-day pass. Children 10 and under and anyone with a valid police, firefighter or military ID are admitted free. Discount tickets are available at Hy-Vee. Visit www.wildwestmusicfest.com or www.myspace.com/dmwwmf or call 331-8211.

Scene notes: The Iowa City Jazz and Mississippi Valley Blues festivals are also playing this weekend. The free jazz fest starts Friday in downtown Iowa City and runs through Sunday. Performers include Airto Moreira and Eyedinity, Krewe Osgood, Corey Christiansen Trio, Cuong Vu Trio, Stanton Moore Trio and The Diplomats of Solid Sound. Visit www.icjazzfest.org or call (319) 358-9346. The MVBF, one of the best blues festivals in the country, plays Friday through Sunday at LeClaire Park in downtown Davenport. Performers include Robert Randolph, Robert Belfour, Watermelon Slim, Jason Ricci, Henry Gray and Trudy Lynn. Tickets are $15. Visit www.mvbs.org or call (563) 322-5837. … A review and photos from the John Mayer June 18 concert appear online at www.dmcityview.com. CV

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