UNTIL THE BIRDS RETURN FOR SPRING CLEANING

Ciroc and Sprite on a private flight.

A bunch of shows have been added-- Bangladesh! E-40! The Blow! The triumphant debut of massively hyped local supergroup Mantis Pincers! Wheels on Fire! The Poison Control Center's record release party! Lovers! Wiz Khalifa! All Tiny Creatures! Bright Eyes, people!-- and I've been to a few shows I haven't covered here yet. Let's recap and look forward all at once.

As Bill Murray says in a movie I thought I'd never seen but once we got halfway through watching it last night I realized I'd totally seen it before: The past is done, the future isn't here yet, so I guess all we have is the present.

PAST

German band Blue Angel Lounge, whose 2010 album was produced by the Brian Jonestown Massacre's Anton Newcombe, were able to conjure up a chilly gloom redolent of the Velvet Underground, Joy Division, and Spacemen 3-- despite having to borrow local band the Chatty Cathys' amplifiers and drums. Note the full-time tambourine player.

Devin Frank of the Poison Control Center sat in with Human Satan's Nate Logsdon (Mumford's, Christopher the Conquered) and Matthew Crowe for a totally unrehearsed set of free jazz that still wound up spellbinding the few of us in attendance.

Derek Lambert & the Prairie Fires put on such a killer set of folk-tinged rock opening for Christopher the Conquered that I was never able to come close enough to the stage again to get usable photos of Christopher the Conquered (that's CtC's Chris Ford pounding away on the drums, though).

Anni Rossi played flighty, pitch-perfect folk-pop with a violin she can wail away on like a guitar.

Secret Cities put on a promising set of engaging indie rock.

PRESENT

typing

FUTURE

April

Midwest All Star Swag Fest: Bangladesh featuring E-40. 504 Club. April 29. 21 $20

The Blow. Grinnell College (Grinnell). April 29. All Ages & Free

Mantis Pincers (Wolves in the Attic's Eric Moffitt, the Autumn Project's John Huffman, Nuclear Rodeo's Jordan Mayland, the Poison Control Center's Devin Frank and David Olson) opening for Shipbuilding Co., with Dresden Style, Dustin Harmsen. Vaudeville Mews. April 29 (late). 21+ $5

Pieta Brown with Eric Kennedy. Vaudeville Mews. April 29 (early). All Ages $10

John Vanderslice with Damien Jurado. Vaudeville Mews. April 30. 21+ $15

May

The Des Moines debut of Party! Party! (live band karaoke). Hessen Haus. May 1 $5 litres 8 p.m. to close

Bob Schneider. Vaudeville Mews. May 6. 21+ $15/$18

Mark Mallman with Volcano Boys. Ames Progressive (Ames). May 7. All Ages $5

Wheels on Fire with the Seed of Something, the Chatty Cathys and Pocket Aristotle. Vaudeville Mews. May 9. All Ages $5

Bon Jovi. Wells Fargo Arena. May 12. All Ages $19.50-$129.50

Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash with Randy Burk & the Prisoners. 504 Club. May 12. 21+ $5

La Strange with the Brave Youth, Nathan Kalish & the Wildfire, Scattered Trees. Vaudeville Mews. May 13. 21+ $7

The Other T Party: A Benefit Show for Transformations Iowa: Patrick Tape Fleming of locals the Poison Control Center with LadySoul, Peace Love and Stuff, North of Grand, Lipstick Homicide. House of Bricks. May 14. All Ages $5

All Tiny Creatures with Land of Blood and Sunshine. Vaudeville Mews. May 19. 21+ $5

Locals the Chatty Cathys and Pocket Aristotle. House of Bricks. May 20. All Ages price TBA

Ira Glass. Hoyt Sherman Place. May 21. $45-$125.

Why Make Clocks with Noah's Ark Was a Spaceship and the Answer Team. Vaudeville Mews. May 27. 21+ $5

Taylor Swift. Wells Fargo Arena. May 29. All Ages $27-$71.50

Derek Lambert & the Prairie Fires, opening for Growlers, with January Rabbit. Vaudeville Mews. May 31. 21+ $7

June

The Poison Control Center Record Release Party with Love Songs for Lonely Monsters (late show), the Seed of Something, the Chatty Cathys (early show). Vaudeville Mews (early and late!). June 3. Early show all-ages, late show 21+, both $7

Iron & Wine with the Head and the Heart. Peoples Court. June 9. All Ages $25

Rebel Creek with the Go-Getters, Reservoir Dogs. Vaudeville Mews. June 10. All Ages $5

PrettyGirlHateMachine, opening for Mercies May. Vaudeville Mews. June 11. 21+ $5

Wiz Khalifa. Val Air Ballroom. June 15. Sold Out

Quintron and Miss Pussycat with CAVE. Vaudeville Mews. June 16. $21+ $10

Love Songs for Lonely Monsters, opening for Nash Smith & Ganges. Vaudeville Mews. June 17. 21+ $5

Lovers, with Pink Kodiak. Vaudeville Mews. June 18 (early). All Ages $5

Joe Jack Talcum (of the Dead Milkmen), with the Bassturd, Coolzey, Samuel Locke Ward. Vaudeville Mews. June 18 (late). 21+ $8

Fitz & the Tantrums. Peoples Court. June 19. $16/$18

Cashes Rivers and La Strange, opening for We Are the Willows. Vaudeville Mews. June 20. All Ages $5

Yo La Tengo with Jonny. Englert Theatre (Iowa City). June 21. $25

July/August

Bright Eyes. Val Air Ballroom. Aug. 8. All Ages $27.50