Let’s jam
Jamie Grimm does his best to please. “Let’s play ‘Fat Bottomed Girls,’ ” says a fellow named Mike, tuning up his guitar. Grimm shakes his head affably. “I don’t know [...]
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Posted September 25, 2013in Sound Stage
Posted September 18, 2013in Sound Stage
Bushwak’d
The inaugural Bushwak Music Festival took place this past Saturday and Sunday in the barely charted wilds of St. Charles, just south of Des Moines. A hundred or so music [...]
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Posted September 11, 2013in Sound Stage
Polar opposites
Gas Lamp was home this past Friday to two of the scene’s strongest female personalities who teamed up for a show that had its share of bright spots, even in [...]
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Posted September 04, 2013in Sound Stage
Playing for no one
Mid-week music is a tough sell in this town. I don’t understand why, because people still go to late movies and to bars and to baseball games, but stick a [...]
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Posted August 28, 2013in Sound Stage
A tale of two shows
This past Saturday, downtown Des Moines was witness to two big shows at different ends of the downtown corridor, and attending both was an exercise in contrasts, to be sure. [...]
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Posted August 21, 2013in Sound Stage
Downhill from the start
To the heart of things: Last week at Gas Lamp, Rumble Seat Riot — Des Moines’ own three-piece purveyors of Rockabilly — wound up opening for a couple of New [...]
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Posted August 14, 2013in Sound Stage
Young acts leave rockin’ first-impressions
Vaudeville Mews played host to three young acts this past Sunday. Originally part of a larger event with seven bands slated to perform, various difficulties cut the lineup down to [...]
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Posted August 07, 2013in Sound Stage
Weirdly entertained
There’s something about Weird Al Yankovic’s work that’s always struck me as kind of manic. Maybe it’s because most of us became acquainted with his work when we were kids [...]
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Posted July 31, 2013in Sound Stage
Single Ladies and Walking Sluts
Gathering together for the third time in Des Moines, a group of forward-thinking ladies and gentlemen (but mostly ladies) marched downtown to the State Capitol as a part of the [...]
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Posted July 24, 2013in Sound Stage
Jazz in Johnston
Jazz in July is one of those classic rites of summer. Highlighting communities and artists around central Iowa all month long, and doing so in beautiful public spaces, with shows [...]
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