Sound Notes Pick o’ the Week

Des Moines said goodbye to another local music great this past week. Iowa Rock-n-Roll Music Association Hall of Fame bassist Joe Hernandez passed away on Jan. 29 at the age of 62. Hernandez was a longtime member of Hall of Fame group The Cavaliers and had most recently played with Tony Valdez and The Rockets.                

Bands that are interested in performing in the Des Moines Music Coalition’s Gross Domestic Product 2013 should submit applications this week. The festival is scheduled for April 13 and is to be held at the Vaudeville Mews and the 4th Street Theater. Band submissions are being accepted until Feb. 11, and submission guidelines can be found at http://desmoinesmc.com/.                

Speaking of the DMMC, its fourth annual Backstage Ball fundraiser is scheduled to be held on Friday, Feb. 22 at the Val Air Ballroom. The fundraiser will include a silent auction for tickets to events throughout the city, as well as live music provided by Bob Tyler and The Reckless Hearts, Uproar Jazz Quintet, and DJ Tone Zone. In addition, the DMMC will be recognizing several people for their contributions to the local music scene, including Mumfords’ guitarist Chris Lyng, Dark Mirror bassist Marco Battaglia, DMMC volunteer Becky Migas and music writers Joe Lawler, Dave Murphy and, well, me. Tickets to the event are $75 each, or $400 for a table of six, with proceeds going to fund 80/35, GDP, Little BIG Fest and the DMMC’s Music University program. For more information, go to www.desmoinesmc.com.                

The Civic Music Association is taking applications for the Belin Quartet Internship program. The internship is a paid, two-year commitment that includes managing the 2014 Quartet, public relations for and coordination of concert dates, as well as marketing. Anyone interested in applying should contact executive director Carrie Clogg by sending a cover letter and resume to 1620 Pleasant St., Suite 244, Des Moines, Iowa 50314 or by email via info@civicmusic.org.               

Sound Notes Pick o’ the Week: Thursday, Feb. 7 has Jason Bogland and The Stragglers playing an all-ages show at Wooly’s, starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance through www.ticketfly.com or $20 at the door. Bright Giant opens.                

On Friday, Feb. 8, Joe and Vicki Price play at The Grapevine. The event is RSVP only, and tickets are $10 each. Attendees can bring their own food, with wines available by the bottle at the venue. For more info, or to RSVP, contact Bonita Crowe at afinetime4wine@aol.com.                

On Saturday, Feb. 9, First Unitarian Church welcomes in Illinois-based Dan Hubbard and The Humidors, starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance — available through www.brownpapertickets.com — or $20 at the door.                

Then, on Sunday, Feb. 10, Mingo Fishtrap plays at House of Bricks. Advance tickets are $12 through www.bigreddogmusic.com, or you can pay $15 at the door. Show starts at 7 p.m.                

Finally, on Tuesday, Feb. 12, The Val Air Ballroom plays host to Coheed and Cambria. Doors open at 6 p.m., and tickets are $25 in advance through www.ticketweb.com or $28 day of show. Between The Buried And Me and Russian Circles open. Mahalo. CV