Crystal City‘s transition’s complete. Former acoustic duo Dave Helmer and Sam Drella have added a band and released Change, their second record, following an eponymous EP. Brock Muench adds bass and Blake Oleson (since replaced by Dan Peterson) drums. Dave, a gifted writer, also sings and plays guitar. The lovely and talented Sam sings (she could…read more
Good Night Pete: Tribute to Pete Seeger Uptown Bill’s Coffee House Saturday, February 22. 7-9 Featuring Mary Adams, Joe Brisben, Jp Claussen, Combined Efforts Choir, Gwendolyn Countryman, Jennifer Danielson, Erin Ebnet, Bob Engeman, Marvin Hain Jr., Bill Hook, Matt & Jamie Kearney, Karla Miller,Nick Stika, Greg & Jean Thompson.
Given the recombinant nature of Iowa City bands and the general talent level, it’s probably nuts to label any new band a super-group. However . . . Scott Cochran has been writing great songs for a long time now, polishing his craft with two excellent bands, Slew Grass and Flannel. He’s given a lot of…read more
Jon Eric Soul Phlegm The Sapwoods Item 9 & the Mad Hatters 5 in a Hand
Don’t miss our very first local music showcase!! Pictures and video to come. See you January 18th in Iowa City at Gabes and Yacht Club!!
If you haven’t seen heard Catfish Keith play, odds are good you haven’t seen anyone like him. The shorthand for what he plays is acoustic blues, but you’ll hear hokum, Caribbean and Hawaiian influences as well. He’s toured overseas 41 times, and is just back from 2 1/2 months in Denmark, Ireland, N. Ireland, and the…read more
Bands come and bands go in a college town. Crystal City moved here about 15 months ago from Marshalltown and set about transforming themselves from an acoustic duo to and electric band, rehearsing, recording, woodshedding. Sam Drella and Dave Helmer got together about four years ago, developing a following in central Iowa and restoring Dave’s…read more
Das Thunderfoot Debut album: Pudding Popper – 13 songs ahellofalotta Rock. Release Date: November 23rd Who is in Das Thunderfoot? Alfred Mannix, Nate Soukup, and Me (AJ Wessling). Not Wesley. There was a family of Wesleys back in my hometown and people always got me confused. Damnit I’m not a Wesley. When did you start…read more
Das Thunderfoot’s soon-to-be-released debut, Pudding Popper consists of 13 high energy tracks, full of creative (and often comical) lyrical content, dynamic shifts, layers of heavy rock riffs phasing in and out of rhythmically tight, percussive bass lines and drum beats. Overall I found Pudding Popper to be highly entertaining with tons of replay value….read more
Stretch your comfort zone Saturday at Uptown Bill’s 7-9 with Harmony Holler. Mountain music is one of the styles Bill Monroe synthesized into bluegrass 70 years ago. You’ll hear high energy, four part harmonies, and songs about food, animals and drugs. Check them out on Facebook. –John Hiett