Posted February 20, 2013in Sound Stage
“We had a private show cancel this week,” Bright Giant frontman Josh Davis said before his show at Gas Lamp. “They said we sounded ‘too goth.’ ” There’s possibly no faster way to identify oneself as a mouth-breathing member of the musical ragtag and bobtail than to classify Bright Giant
Read More →Mews played host to a plethora of metal acts on Sunday, Feb. 10, headed up by Colorado’s Asylum and Wisconsin-based Micawber. Opening the event were central Iowa acts Shadow of Indra and They Will Repent, which combined to kick off the show with a study in contrasts. Shadow of Indra’s
Read More →Des Munks mark the capital city’s latest entry into the funk/jam band category. While the band’s normal lineup consists of guitarist Spencer Brown, bassist AJ Simon and drummer George McCutchen, the latter of whom was out of town this past week performing in Memphis with the Rock Island Rollers. Filling
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Posted January 30, 2013in Sound Stage
In the 2003 film “Lost In Translation” Bill Murray’s character is in Japan to shoot a commercial wherein his only line is: “For relaxing times, make it Santori Time.” Well, Des Moines, for relaxing times, make it Thankful Dirt time. The band is anchored by the duo of Darren and
Read More →In a town that prides itself on the quality of the blues music it produces, it can take quite a lot to make an impression. Even judging solely by the performance Saturday night — to say nothing of the quality of its lineup — the Rock Island Rollers should have
Read More →“Thank you for coming. You. Specifically.” The Snacks — Mike Pfaff and Jeff Karnowski — are talking directly to me because, at the moment, I’m the only person in the bar. It’s a slow night for Des Moines’ hardest working novelty act. Any city worth its salt has a show
Read More →When you’ve got a band with the pedigree of The Queers coming in to town to perform, you can always expect two things: a heavy turnout and a killer performance. Neither Gas Lamp nor the boys from New Hampshire disappointed in those regards, as The Queers unleashed a blistering, break-neck
Read More →As some of you might be aware, I had a birthday over the weekend. It was actually Dec. 30, but since nobody likes to party on a Sunday, I threw together a show at Gas Lamp on Dec. 29. The White Elephant, Viva Montesa, Christopher the Conquered and Mumfords all
Read More →We’re just about ready to put a bow on another 365. The only piece of advice I’d give you for the year ahead is: Don’t buy a new calendar until after the New Year. They always go, like, half off. Buying them before then is just throwing your money away.
Read More →Whether you went to The Longest Yard last weekend specifically for the show or just wandered in because the Valley Junction pub is your usual Saturday hangout is immaterial. Because as soon as you walked through the door, you became a fan of Matt Woods and The Thunderbolts. The longtime
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