80/35 Musical Festival

This is my first July in Des Moines without the 80/35 Musical Festival (excluding the two pandemic years). I know it was not just one factor that ended this nearly 20-year run in Des Moines. When I am having an emotionally charged discussion about this, I often put the blame on the move from downtown to Water Works Park., but that’s an unfair statement to make.

From 2012-2014, I ran a music blog called “Iowa Music Buzz” (RIP). This was six years before “Iowa Basement Tapes” hit the airwaves and five years before my first column in CITYVIEW. “Iowa Music Buzz” had interviews, reviews and photography that was 100% contributed by volunteers.

In 2013, we covered our first 80/35 Music Festival. Over the years, the festival has had some amazing acts, but 2013 had to be the best lineup with main-stage headliners David Byrne and St. Vincent on Friday and Wu-Tang Clan on Saturday. It’s also worth mentioning that my future business partner opened the Saturday main stage with the early incarnation of Dylan Sires and Neighbors (later simply called Sires).

On the Hy-Vee stage, we had Iowa City’s Emperor’s Club, Mumford’s from Ames and Troubled Lights from Fairfield. These three bands from Iowa no longer exist. The Kum & Go stage had Annalibera and a performance from the legendary Cedar Falls outfit, House of Large Sizes, who back in the spring, had played Gross Domestic Product at The Vaudeville Mews.

The “Iowa Music Buzz” team had people at every stage around the clock. It was the peak of the blog’s existence and, for me, personally, it was first time being plugged back into the Iowa music scene since I had been in high school going to basement shows and seeing punk lineups at the Hiawatha Community Center. Des Moines had a glow to it. Maybe it was because David Byrne rented a bicycle and road around town while he was here and then turned to his website to tell the world what he found in Des Moines.

Dylan Sires and I have often talked about this era of music because it seemed like there was so much going on and that bands were working hard to pierce the veil to the next level. As a resident, you knew that for three months in the summer, this city was alive with the Des Moines Arts Festival, 80/35 and then 515 Alive. Plus, for you soft-time listeners, there was Jazz in July and Yankee Doodle Pops. It was a great time to be a music fan.

Sadly, of the first three I mentioned, the Des Moines Arts Festival is the last one standing. Des Moines had four or five festivals that were produced by the Des Moines Music Coalition alone, and now that is all done. Sure, there were complaints that there was a giant music festival with hundreds of thousands of people walking around, spending their money and, above all, having a great time. Businesses still complain that there is a three-day giant art festival once a year, but that is part of what makes this place great.

I made an earlier statement about 80/35’s move to Water Works Park. Let me be clear. This is not a knock on Water Works Park by any means. The place is beautiful. I even shot a scene for a Google Fiber commercial there in May. But our festivals thrive downtown. People want to take to the streets and embrace them. For a moment, residents and visitors alike want to pretend Des Moines is a big city. They want to pretend there are people in the Midwest who feel something. I am not talking about young people or old people. I am talking about everyone who wants, for a moment in time, to escape from their boring day-to-day life working at an insurance company or serving overpriced craft beer to suburban dads.

When one thing goes away, something new needs to appear.

Kristian Day is a filmmaker and writer based in Des Moines. He also hosts the syndicated Iowa Basement Tapes radio program on 98.9 FM KFMG. Instagram: @kristianday | Twitter: @kristianmday