Sad news for local music coming out of Ames this past week, as 105.1, Channel Q’s “Iowa Unsigned” host Benny Black announced that he was leaving the station after the Feb. 10 broadcast. Black, who’s taking a position with a radio station in Chicago, has been a tireless champion of
Read More →
Posted February 06, 2013in Recent Posts, Sound Notes
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
Read More →
Posted January 30, 2013in Recent Posts, Sound Notes
Hearts are heavy in Iowa this week, as thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and loved ones of Brad Engeldinger who died in a car accident over the weekend. A consummate drummer, Engeldinger had played with the likes of High and Lonesome, David Zollo, The Pines and Brother
Read More →
Posted January 23, 2013in Recent Posts, Sound Notes
You know who’s had a busy January? Brolester Records, that’s who. The Des Moines-based label — already home to albums from North of Grand, Superchief and Patrick’s Beard and The Rusty Razors — continues to expand its (now global) network of bands. In the past couple weeks, Brolester’s Jeremiah Tuhn
Read More →
Posted January 16, 2013in Recent Posts, Sound Notes
Want to see some shows on the cheap? Got a little time to trade? Head down to Wooly’s on Mondays. That’s when you can get free tickets to shows in exchange for volunteering a couple hours to hang fliers around the metro area. Just stroll on in to Wooly’s between
Read More →
Posted January 09, 2013in Recent Posts, Sound Notes
The Des Moines Symphony has received $1.5 million in corporate pledges to its 75th anniversary campaign. The corporate support, which comes in from businesses including Principal Financial, Meredith Corp., Aviva, The Iowa Clinic and Kemin Industries, will go toward funding the Symphony, covering the expenses of outreach programs and site
Read More →
Posted January 02, 2013in Recent Posts, Sound Notes
To drink or not to drink: On Dec. 17, KCCI and the Des Moines Register both reported that The Marquee — the former Ingersoll Dinner Theater — was losing its liquor license after a unanimous vote by the city council. The theater space is a landmark and one of the
Read More →
Posted December 26, 2012in Recent Posts, Sound Notes
By the time everyone reads this — no doubt from the comfort of your new smoking jacket or Trans Am, or whatever people give one another as gifts nowadays — the city will have probably dug itself out from underneath Thundersnowpocalypse 2013. The storm wreaked havoc on the previous week’s
Read More →
Posted December 19, 2012in Recent Posts, Sound Notes
Ravi Shankar — the finest sitar player of his generation, inspiration to everyone from The Beatles to Philip Glass and father to Norah Jones — passed away last week. It’s been a tough December for fans of non-top-40 niche musicians, with the passing of progressive jazz legend Dave Brubeck on
Read More →
Posted December 12, 2012in Recent Posts, Sound Notes
The world is a slightly less groovy place now that jazz legend Dave Brubeck shuffled off this mortal coil on Dec. 5. Whether you stick to standards like “Take Five” and “The Duke,” or you choose to go deeper into this catalogue, I’d encourage everyone to hop on iTunes or
Read More →
