FALL CONCERT PREVIEW

The Eagles are set to play Wells Fargo Arena.

So last weekend after we got home from Kansas City, there on the doormat was our Sunday issue of The New York Times, which I tried canceling a little while ago because we read it mostly online anyway and I was thinking about cutting costs, but you have to call (you can't do it on the website) and the telephone operator was really persuasive, so-- well, now you know how you can get a discount on your Times subscription.

Anyway, the Arts & Leisure section this week was like a million pages, and I noticed there was a New York fall music preview. Which reminded me, along with college football starting again and Mrs. Des Noise going back to school, that it was almost fall. And that, hey-- I usually try to write seasonal music previews! Now, I realize I already missed Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and local indie celebs the Envy Corps at Vaudeville Mews earlier this week, and the farewell roast to bartending legend Dirty Dan at the Mews on Sunday before he moves to Hawaii. Also: Hot Hot Heat got canceled, huh?

But there's a whole bunch of interesting stuff coming up the next few months. Probable highlights include, in approximate order of likeliness you might've heard of 'em: Band of Horses, Passion Pit, Tokyo Police Club, Best Coast with Male Bonding, The Books, Electric Six, Atmosphere, Candy Claws, Bear in Heaven, Scout Niblett, David Dondero, Retribution Gospel Choir, Tim Kasher (Cursive), Deakin (Animal Collective), Maps & Atlases, Strange Boys and, for the name alone, maybe +Blissed Out+.

As always, please don't hesitate to let me know what I'm forgetting. Thank you for reading!


September

Best Coast and Male Bonding. One person's simple truths can make another person uncomfortable. Accept Best Coast's dreamy, lovelorn indie pop, though, and you might find yourself happily suffering couch lock. This Los Angeles-based trio led by Beth Cosentino, formerly of noisy psych band Pocahunted, has a distinctive voice-- literally but also lyrically-- that makes its fuzzy, reverbed take on Phil Spector pop some of the most beautifully plaintive listening all year. Male Bonding, a London-based trio with a big deal album out on Sub Pop, have a certain doomed-youth buzzsaw energy akin to Vancouver's Japandroids. They're both introducing themselves to the student body at Grinnell College tonight. All Ages & Free

All Tiny Creatures. Madison, Wisc.-based multi-instrumentalist Thomas Wincek, also of bands Collections of Colonies of Bees and Volcano Choir, brings his cerebral instrumental sprawl to Vaudeville Mews. Forthcoming debut album Harbors, due on Hometapes, features fellow Wisconsian and VC member Justin Vernon, of Bon Iver.  An opening set from local post-rock titans the Autumn Project should make for a good-- and loud-- bill. (with the Autumn Project, Aquarelle and Blutiger Fuss). Tonight. 21+ $5

Cleo's Apartment. This soulful, genre-blending Des Moines band started as a keyboard-DJ duo but for the past four years has also included horns, percussion and a singer. The're playing the ZZZ Records 10-Year Anniversary Party at Vaudeville Mews, as the now-Ingersoll Ave.-based store celebrates its first decade selling new and used CDs, records and cassettes (with Dresden Style and the Jerkles). Sept. 18. 21+ $5

Deakin. Panda Bear gets the most attention for the psychedelic pop he creates away from Animal Collective, but fellow band member Deakin  has made a name for himself with woozily expansive remixes for artists like Phoenix and Ratatat. Grinnell College (with Prince Rama). Sept. 18. All Ages & Free

Dax Riggs. Formerly the head of Louisiana sludge-metal band Acid Bath, Riggs now applies his Bowie croon to gothic rock 'n' roll.  He recorded 2007's We Sing of Only Blood or Love with Superwolf/Chavez guitarist Matt Sweeney, Endless Boogie (is it Freudian that I originally typed that as "Endless Boobie"?) drummer Andy MacLeod and other Brooklyn musicians. He comes to Vaudeville Mews in support of his second Fat Possum record, Say Goodnight to the World (with Tyborn Jig and Sad Fuck's). Sept. 21. 21+ $10

Martin Sexton. This product of the early 1990s folk scene in Harvard Square put out two albums on Atlantic Records around the turn of the millennium, but he brings his jam-positive singer-songwriter show to People's in support of independent release Sugarcoating. Sept. 22. 21+ $20/$25/$30

Maxilla Blue. This local hip-hop trio comes to Vaudeville Mews to play its last Des Moines gig before producer/member Aeon Grey packs up for San Francisco (with Soulcrate). Sept. 24. 21+ $7

Maps & Atlases. Dave Davison and the rest of this Chicago band leave behind the muso flourishes of their math-rock roots on their debut album for Barsuk (Death Cab for Cutie, Nada Surf), the lively and unpredictable Perch Patwork, which they're supporting at Grinnell College (with Capillary Action and Little Teeth). Sept. 24. All Ages & Free

Mindrite. Local metal band celebrates the release of new album Good Times/Bad Times at People's. (with Destrophy, Index Case, East Eighteen and Shoot the Moon). All Ages $10/$15

Scout Niblett. Hailing from Nottingham, England, but now residing in Portland, Ore., this singer-songwriter first drew attention to her raw, bare-bones Americana-rock on releases for Indiana-based label Secretly Canadian. Her set at Vaudeville Mews with a solid local bill should draw heavily from latest album The Calcination of Scout Niblett, out on Drag City (with the Land of Blood and Sunshine, Pennyhawk and Statocyst). Sept. 26. 21+ $10

Tim Kasher (of Cursive/The Good Life). The frontman for Omaha indie-rock legends Cursive also sometimes plays with the Good Life, but his latest trip to Vaudeville Mews is under his own name (with Cashes Rivers and Parlours). Sept. 27. All Ages $12

David Dondero. The next time someone wonders if Patrick Stickles of fantastic New Jersey rockers Titus Andronicus sings too much like erstwhile Omaha wunderkind Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, ask them if they've heard of Dondero. The Duluth, Minn.-based godfather of quavering, personal-sounding songwriting comes to Vaudeville Mews backed by an underrated Aussie singer-songwriter and a folky Fourth Street mainstay (with Darren Hanlon and Derek Lambert). Sept. 28. All Ages $7

Bone Thugs N Harmony. See the "Crossroads" rappers at Val Air Ballroom in support of their first new album since 2007, Warner Bros.-distributed Uni-5: The World's Enemy. Sept. 28. All Ages $25

Trampled by Turtles. What is "thrashgrass"? Find out when this band from Duluth, Minn., plays People's. Sept. 29. 21+ $10

Retribution Gospel Choir. Alan Sparhawk and Steve Garrington of Duluth, Minn.-based slowcore giants Low recently joined drummer Eric Pollard for their second album as Retribution Gospel Choir, the Zeppelin-ishly titled 2, which they bring to Vaudeville Mews. They should get good local support from the noisily rocking opening bill (with Why Make Clocks and Wolves in the Attic). Sept. 30. All Ages $10


October

The Strange Boys. This Austin, Texas-based band plays scraggly but tuneful, 1960s-style garage rock that should sit well with anyone who grooved to recent Des Moines shows by Wheels on Fire, Harlem, the Beets, or local rock'n'roll reliables the Jitz. Also at Vaudeville Mews are Atlanta-based Gentlemen Jesse & His Men, who lean slightly more toward 1970s power pop (with Gentlemen Jesse & His Men, Natural Child, the Jitz). Oct. 1. $21+ $10

Band of Horses. From jammy Seattle origins six years ago, Band of Horses have continued to polished their outdoorsy, My Morning Jacket-descended roots-rock as they've been called up first to Sub Pop and then to a major label. Now they're playing Val Air Ballroom. Oct. 1. $22.50

Passion Pit. Cambridge., Mass., synth-poppers bring elastic, dance-friendly semi-hits like "Sleepyhead" and "Moth's Wings" to Val Air Ballroom. Oct. 4. $25

Atmosphere. Backed by DJ/producer Ant, Minnesota rapper Slug brought his emotive storytelling to Simon Estes Amphitheatre in summer 2009. The duo returns to Des Moines with a show at People's (with Blueprint, Grives & Budo and DJ Rare Groove). Oct. 6. All Ages $20/$22

Les Nubians. Grammy-nominated Afro-Euro jazz-pop/R&B duo comes to People's more than a decade after single "Makeda" became a Billboard R&B Top 10 hit. Oct. 7. 21+ ($20/$25)

+Blissed Out+. The Village Voice's Zach Baron called this Brooklyn outfit "damaged beat-rousers" when they played a Williamsburg after-party, and that's good enough for me. Look for a significant chance of the merch table offering tapes (which, being my own biggest cliché, I'll probably buy) when they play Vaudeville Mews (with Statocyst and Human Satan). Oct. 10. 21+ $5

Hosannas. Portland, Ore.-based brothers Brandon and Richard Laws and their bandmates used to perform as Church. Their fractured, synth-laden art-pop, which shares a certain droney reverence with the Animal Collective's Panda Bear, is headed for Vaudeville Mews (with Canyons and Seedlings). Oct. 12. 21+ $5

Tokyo Police Club. These Canadians sounded like a brainy, youthful answer to the Strokes when they released a string of startlingly catchy EPs leading up to 2008 debut album Elephant Shell. Follow-up Champ has so far earned less buzz, but maintains an equally high caliber of songcraft as the band comes to People's joined by a couple of the local scene's biggest bands (with the Envy Corps and Cashes Rivers). Oct. 13. All Ages $13/$15

Bad Cop. Young, raucous Nashville rockers headline a similarly heavy local bill at Vaudeville Mews (with Land of Blood and Sunshine, Rebel Creek and the Seed of Something). Oct. 15. All Ages $5

The Verve Pipe. Remember when these Michigan post-grunge rockers were merely "Freshmen"? Now they're playing Vaudeville Mews. Oct. 15. 21+ $15

Cashes Rivers. Led by singer/songwriter Matthew Garcia, this local indie-folk outfit drew raves from some of my friends for their free-stage set at this summer's 80/35 Festival. Now the band celebrates the release of its self-titled debut at Vaudeville Mews (with the Brave Youth and La Strange). Oct. 16. 21+ $5

Mike Posner. "Cooler Than Me" rapper taps the fratboy-rhyme keg at Val Air Ballroom (with Stephen Jerzak, Bad Rabbit, 2AM Club and XV). Oct. 18. $25

The Nadas. Local pop/rock institution plays People's. Oct. 23. 21+ $15/$20

The Eagles. Hell froze over. Then the men responsible for getting Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski tossed from a cab decided to visit Wells Fargo Arena. Oct. 24. All Ages $195/$135/$95/$65/$42.50

Umphrey's McGee. Chicago jam band brings "progressive improvisation" to People's. Oct. 27. 21+ $20/$25

Joan of Arc. After reuniting Cap'n Jazz for a tour that had my friend Allison-- who sells awesome vegan cupcakes under the even awesomer business name Minor Treat-- seeing them all along the East Coast, Chicago indie scene stalwart Tim Kinsella has reconvened his post-Cap'n Jazz band, Joan of Arc. With a  limited-edition cassette box set for sale, the band plays Vaudeville Mews supported by one local group I like pretty well and another I haven't seen yet (with Love Songs for Lonely Monsters and Noremac McCarthy). Oct. 28. 21+ $10

Max Weinberg Big Band. The E Street Band member and longtime Conan O'Brien band leader plays Hoyt Sherman Plaza. Oct. 29

Bear in Heaven. Proggy Brooklyn psych-rockers play Grinnell College on the strength of well-received 2009 sophomore album Bear Rest Forth Mouth (with TBA). Oct. 30. All Ages & Free

The Books. Formed in New York, this duo has a knack for folksy, verdant sound collages and should make for a memorable Halloween night at Grinnell College. Fourth album The Way Out arrived in July (with the Blackheart Procession). Oct. 31. All Ages & Free


November

Electric Six. Six-piece Detroit band brings "high voltage" dance-rock sound back to Vaudeville Mews (with the Constellations and the Jitz; Kinky Kyro will spin records). Nov. 2. 21+ $15

Mayday Parade. Florida punk-poppers return to People's after second album Anywhere But Here scratched the Top 10 of the Billboard albums chart (with Breathe Carolina, Every Avenue, Artist vs. Poet, Go Radio). Nov. 2. All Ages $15/$17

Candy Claws. Colorado atmospheric synth-pop group comes back to Vaudeville Mews, another psych-damaged Denver band in tow (with the Chain Gang of 1974, the Autumn Project, Love Songs for Lonely Monsters). Nov. 6. 21+ $7

Cannibal Corpse. Long-running Buffalo, N.Y., death metal band plays People's (with Devourment, Vital Remains, Dying Fetus). Nov. 12. All Ages $17/$20

Lifehouse. Los Angeles alt-rockers hang on their "Moment" at Val Air Ballroom, right after a set by the "American Idol" Season 8 winner (with Kris Allen). Nov. 12. $30

J-FLo. Des Moines rapper performs smoothly swaggering, horn-bolstered material like "Live My Life" and "Like What" at Vaudeville Mews. Nov. 26. All Ages $8

December

Carrie Underwood. The "American Idol" Season 4 winner released third album Play On in November 2009 and takes her country-pop to Wells Fargo Arena. Dec. 4. All Ages. $55.50/$45.50/$35.50