Sound Advice

The holiday season is all about merrymaking and celebrating, so we’ve featured musical events to jingle your bells and ring (or rock) in the New Year. And since New Year’s Eve falls on a weekday, you can actually look forward to a Monday.

Holiday Music Events
• Dec. 14-15: Tonic Sol-fa Holiday Show is at Hoyt Sherman. $35.50-$46.50; kids 12 and younger, $22-$28.
• Dec. 15: Seven Flags Christmas Bash, featuring Cody Hicks, Jesse Allen and more. 7 Flags Events Center. $16.
• Dec. 16: Home Free Country Christmas, a country a capella group, performs at Stephens Auditorium in Ames; tickets start at $19.50.
• Dec. 18-19: Mannheim Steamroller brings its 2018 Christmas Tour to the Civic Center, $51-$91.
• Dec. 20: King and Country with Cory Asbury perform the Little Drummer Boy – Christmas Tour. Catch the popular country stars at Wells Fargo. Tickets range from $28.50-$78.50.
• Dec. 21: Jimmy the Weasel performs its fourth annual Christmas party at the Gas Lamp, $5.
Free New Year’s Eve Concerts
• The Dick Danger Band entertains at the Wicked Rabbit starting at 9 p.m.
• Sister Sara plays at Mickey’s in Waukee.
• Prairie Meadows Finish Line Show Lounge hosts a free double-header. The Sheet performs from 5-8 p.m., and Aftershock takes the stage at 9 p.m.
• Doc’s Lounge in Johnston features a classic rock and pop band, Suede.
• Black Hat Heroes performs at Kenny’s Garage in Waukee.
• Jimmy the Weasel plays at the Whiskey House and Bourbon Grill in Ankeny starting at 9 p.m.
• Of the Monks and John See Band both play at Gene’s Place in Des Moines across from the AE cow on University.
• John Beere plays at Boggs’ Hull Ave. Tavern.

More NYE events
• The Des Moines Social Club hosts “Bash on Another Planet.” The outer-space theme encourages party-goers to wear space gear or cosmic-inspired outfits. In the Kum and Go Theater, three acts perform: Jack Lion, Dana T, LVVMAKING presents: Infinite Bowie. In the Basement, three DJs spin tunes for the Silent Disco. Tickets start at $35.
• CTRL-C, a rock party band, performs at the Down Under Lounge. $10 cover includes a midnight champagne toast.
• The new Sherwood Forest Events Center in Windsor Heights features the Bob Pace Blues Band. $20.
• A Doors tribute band, No One Here Gets Out Alive, plays at Lefty’s Live Music. Patrons encouraged to wear 1960s or 1970s attire. $10 in advance; $15 day of show.
• Noce offers up two parties in one venue for its 4th Annual Wild Party. The front of the club features Scott Smith Trio, Max Wellman with Rose Colella and the Des Moines Big Band. Backstage, find Ancient Posse. Dress up and don your prohibition-era costumes. Tickets cost from $50-$125.
• Vaudeville Mews is the place for Grateful Dead music, with Winterland, along with the Muckrockers. $10.
• The Des Moines Symphony hosts the Callaway Sisters in performing Broadway show tunes, “From West Side Story to Wicked.” Tickets $35-$90.
• Pianopalooza with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels performs at Wooly’s. Tickets $25-$150.
Stocking stuffers for 2019

Blake Shelton, country musician and “The Voice” star, performs at Wells Fargo Arena on March 14. Tickets start at $49. A classic rock band formed 50 years ago, Chicago is coming to Des Moines Civic Center on May 22. Shawn Mendes, winner of the MTV Europe’s Best Male Singer in 2016, performs June 22 at Wells Fargo Arena. KISS recently announced the second lap of its End of the Road World Tour. The rock band will play Wells Fargo Arena Sept. 3. Tickets sales begin Dec. 3 at hy-veetix.com. ♦