By Michael Swanger michael@dmcityview.com

An Iowa band is taking aim at Michael Jackson with its music, but it isn't the first time they've been mentioned in the same breath as the King of Pop.

Two weeks ago, The Jason Eaves Band, a rock trio from Fort Madison, released "The MJ Song," an original tune that pokes fun at Jackson and the pending charges against him that he allegedly sexually abused children. The song includes lyrics like "(Neverland) It's hard to find, cuz it's in the boonies, and he made out with the kid from the 'Goonies,'" and "He loves his pet monkey, he calls him Bubbles, and he only needs two balls to juggle."

Singer-guitarist Eaves says the song is a satirical jab at Jackson, though he realizes it might offend some people. "The song is meant to be funny, it wasn't meant to cut on anyone except you know who," he says.

This isn't the first time Eaves and drummer Kenny Foster and bassist Jeff Jones have chastised Jackson. On March 30, the trio drove more than 55 hours to Jackson's child molestation trial in Santa Maria, Calif., in an attempt to perform outside the courthouse with Eaves dressed as Jackson and the rhythm section donning diapers. But as the band began to play, Santa Maria police pulled the plug and issued Eaves a citation.

During the band's six-month tenure, it has orchestrated other outlandish publicity stunts, many of which have drawn national attention. The group launched its own pirate radio station before the Federal Communications Commission shut it down; its members posed as reporters for FOX News in an attempt to sneak into auditions for the hit television show "American Idols" with the intention of performing one of its songs before being kicked off the premises; and it showed up uninvited to the 2004 Country Music Awards in Nashville where it set up its gear and played for about two minutes before police stopped the show.

In addition to its guerilla-like performances, the trio verbally attacked rap star Eminem in a hip-hop song that includes a performance by Eaves' 7-year-old son and it holds the world record for the world's fastest rock 'n' roll tour.

"The MJ Song," by the way, can be downloaded for free on the band's Web site at www.JasonEavesBand.com.

Stones to roll through Midwest
Though no dates have been announced for Iowa (including Wells Fargo Arena), rock legends The Rolling Stones are slated to play a handful of Midwest dates on their newly announced 2005-2006 world tour, which kicks off Aug. 21 at Fenway Park in Boston. The group will play Comerica Park in Detroit (Aug. 31), the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. (Sept. 6), the Bradley Center in Milwaukee (Sept. 8) and Soldier Field Stadium in Chicago (Sept. 10).

Tickets for the shows in Detroit and St. Paul range from $60 to $350 and go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. while tickets for the concert in Chicago range from $60 to $450 and go on sale Saturday at noon. Ticket prices have yet to be determined for the Milwaukee show, but they will go on sale June 11. A limited number of Gold Circle seats, chairs built directly into the stadium set, will offer fans an up-close view of the band. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

Officials with Wells Fargo Arena say the new downtown Des Moines venue is capable of hosting the Stones, but no plans have been made. "Anything is always a possibility," says Holly Kjeldgaard, assistant general manager and director of marketing for the arena. "But nothing is confirmed."

The Stones are hitting the road to support their forthcoming album for Virgin Records, their first release since 1997's "Bridges to Babylon," which also included a tour.

Clay cuts new EP

Iowa singer-songwriter Matthew Clay recently collaborated with Grammy Award-winning producer Tommy Sims (Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Kelly Clarkson) to produce a four-song EP, and he's selling it online.

Sims invited Clay to record in Nashville after hearing the Iowa singer's indie release, "Crown Yourself King," which includes the XM Radio hit "I Killed Superman." Together, the duo produced three new tunes, "American Jesus," "Hollywood Blvd." and "Broken Angels." The EP also includes a live version of "I Killed Superman," which was recently recorded at a concert in Albia. The new CD sells for $5 on Clay's Web site, www.matthewclay.com.

Scene notes

The final round of competition for the 2005 Iowa Blues Challenge will be held Friday at 9 p.m. at the Hotel Fort Des Moines. The Mercury Brothers, followed by The Bob Pace Band featuring Effie Burt and The Soul Searchers will compete for the crown and more than $5,000 in prizes. Admission is $8... There's been a change in the schedule for Clive After Five. Toaster will play Friday and Town Crier will perform May 27... Little Texas plays two shows Saturday at Meskwaki Bingo and Casino in Tama at 7 and 9 p.m. Tickets are $20. Call (515) 484-2108... Etcetera, a performance event that includes poetry, art, music, theater and other creative media, will be held Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Vaudeville Mews. Admission is $3... Thursdays in the Park, a weekly series of free shows held in downtown Grinnell's Central Park, kicks off May 26 with a performance by Too Many Strings Band from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The series runs through Aug. 25 and includes performances by the Java Jews (June 2), the Mad River Band (June 9), Harvest Home (June 16), The Blue Band (July 21), Brother Trucker (Aug. 11) and Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials (Aug. 25)... The 2004-05 Westminster Fine Arts Series will conclude with free performances of "To Kill a Mockingbird" May 27-29 at 7:30 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Call 274-1534... The Des Moines Art Center will host its "Big Hair Ball," an evening of wild hair, go-go dancers, music, art and food on June 3 from 8 p.m. to midnight. The event will include a runway show featuring models and local celebrities donning wild hairdos. Tickets are $30 in advance and can be purchased at IowaTix or the Art Center... The folks at the Summerset Inn & Winery in Indianola are sponsoring another guided tour of Italy this year and will host an informative meeting about the trip June 5 at 1 p.m. for those interested in participating. The tour is scheduled for Oct. 6-17... Two popular Americana acts will play Iowa City on June 9. Neko Case performs at 8 p.m. at the newly renovated downtown Englert Theater. Tickets are $16 in advance. Call 319-688-2653. Also, Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys play Gabe's Oasis at 9 p.m. Admission TBA... Singer-songwriter Luke Zimmerman, Bob Dylan's nephew, plays the Vaudeville Mews June 10... Rowdy New York City rockers Supagroup, which will release its new album, "Rules," on May 31, will play June 10 at Hairy Mary's in Des Moines... Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Altoona will host a handful of free rock and country music concerts this summer including The Doobie Brothers (June 15), Sarah Darling (July 3), Air Supply (July 20), Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo (Aug. 3) and Billy Currington (Sept. 7). All shows start at 7 p.m. and fans must be 21 years of age or older to attend, except for Darling's all-ages performance, which starts at 7:30 p.m. CV

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