RALLY AROUND THE FLAG, GLORY, GLORY, HALLELUJAH

Let's have bizarre celebrations.

So the fourth annual 80/35 Music Festival looks to have been a resounding success. You can read Joe Lawler's reports on Saturday and Sunday's activities over at the Des Moines Register. Looks like the fest handily passed its break-even point, helped this year by gorgeous weather on Saturday, and organizer Amedeo Rossi is already planning a sequel next July. My friends Andy and Ryan over at We Hate Music also have photos from days one and two, and I imagine Josh or Jessie will probably post something over at Nothing Gets Crossed Out.

A little-known highlight was probably the after-shows at the back bar outside the Vaudeville Mews; if you didn't go this year, definitely try to check them out in 2012. Set up against weathered-brick downtown buildings, the space looked great, and it sounded surprisingly good, too, giving the music some more room to breathe than in the Mews itself. Plus, on Saturday, the place was basically packed. Wolves in the Attic, who'd had equipment problems earlier in the day, got their chance at anthemic noise-rock redemption, while Mantis Pincers were able to whip up some of their cosmic cooking for an audience that somehow still had energy to keep on dancing. On Sunday night, festival headliners Of Montreal's own Kevin Barnes was out there DJing.

Happy Independence Day! I don't have much else to write at the moment, but some of my trademark fan's-view blurry phone pics are below. As Titus Andronicus's Patrick Stickles remarked from the main stage, "It's hard to be humble when you're on the Jumbotron." As Des Noise pal Travis said to a bearded guy who wasn't Patrick Stickles at the after-show (because Titus totally had to drive 20 hours to New Jersey immediately after playing), "Nice set!"

AND WHEN YOU BELIEVE THEY CALL IT ROCK AND ROLL

Photo by Mrs. Des Noise, on a vintage mid-2000s phone.

This was early Sunday, before most people (or the rain)

had shown up.

An announced 34,000 attended Des Moines' third annual 80/35 Music Festival over two days this July 4 weekend. That's nothing like the 120,000 who reportedly showed up to the five days of Denmark's Roskilde Festival. But that's still something for an indie, hip-hop, and jam-oriented festival in central Iowa, an area where even some of the festival's most veteran acts acknowledged they'd never played before. And it's particularly remarkable if you spend even a couple minutes suffering through the comments on 80/35-related newspaper coverage or the festival's own Facebook page, in which neighbors of the people I've found so friendly and welcoming over this past year make Brooklyn Vegan commenters look like Rhodes Scholar Eagle Scout Good Samaritans. Music fans who wanted to go to Sioux City for the time-tested sounds of Santana and Spearhead had that option, and that's cool; 80/35 is about something different, about pushing things forward, and by that measure (full disclosure: I volunteered a few ideas on the booking committee, so please feel free to take my observations as skeptically as you'd like) I thought it was an unqualified success. If we want Des Moines to compete as a world-class city for creative young professionals, we need more events like this.

You could divide 2010's festival experience pretty seamlessly between the two days. Between T-shirts soaked with sweat and T-shirts soaked from torrential downpours. Between sets where I was able to take notes and snap photographs and sets where I was keeping my phone in a plastic bag while my supposedly "water-resistant" watch stopped due to the rainfall. My friend Chuck aka Chet aka Chef aka Check lives in an apartment overlooking the festival grounds, so that was our home base, and also home to at least one 32 oz. incident of bros icing bros. Music took place on three stages, one paid and two free, with one of the free stages devoted to electronic and hip-hop artists. The rest of the acts broke down pretty cleanly between the critically acclaimed indie-geek bands and jam/roots/reggae bands. The atmosphere was appropriately relaxed and positive most of the time, with enough security to ensure people's safety but never so much that it felt oppressive. Water was freely availabe from faucets hooked up to fire hydrants, with free water bottles provided-- a great touch. It was clear at times that many people in the audience were unfamiliar with the bands performing, but there was still plenty of spontaneous clapping along. Heck, it almost made me think of Roskilde. Maybe we can get there someday, but for now 80/35 was a fantastic experience in and of itself.

 A ribbon in the sky for our love.

A few personal highlights after the jump:

ALL I SEE IS FIREWORKS

So Cow: "To Do List" (live in Brooklyn last summer)

It's a lot easier to write a summer concert preview when summer has already started, right? June has already seen some fine sets from the Beets, Coyote Slingshot, Wheels on Fire, and Damien Jurado, among others (still kicking myself for missing Pocahaunted). Interpol unfortunately canceled their June 28 gig at People's and failed to include Des Moines on their rescheduled tour-- all together now, let's shake our fists at Bono-- but there are still plenty of exciting live gigs coming up in Des Moines this summer. Off the top of my head, I'm very, very amped about So Cow, Woodsman, the Autumn Project, Maid Marian, 80/35 (of course!), the Poison Control Center's 80/35 after parties, Candy Claws, Devo, Phoenix, and Best Coast, for starters.

What follows is an incomplete, completely subjective lineup of shows I thought somebody reading this blog might be curious about. I tried to get a mix of local and national acts, but at this point I still only know so many local acts, so there's definitely nothing intentional if I forgot anyone. I put an asterisk next to shows I'm almost definitely gonna attend. (Unfortunately, I won't be at So Cow because I'll be out of town, but you should still totally go.)

Check the venue websites for times; Vaudeville Mews often has both an early show and a late show, due to liquor laws. Anyway, here goes nothing again:

June (what little is left of it)

Summer Jam: Night Ranger, LA Guns, Skid Row, Warrant, Winger, Dokken and Sweet. Saturday, June 26. Blank Park Zoo.

** Tyvek, with So Cow, Wolves in the Attic. Sunday, June 27, Vaudeville Mews. I was just regaining consciousness after a nap when Tyvek opened for Love Is All here in April. So I wasn't at all prepared for the Detroit lo-fi rockers' high-energy assault, and I don't have anything smart to say about it. Apparently I missed new Des Noise faves Coyote Slingshot, too. But Tyvek sounded pretty good, and they're on respected label Siltbreeze, so they're a strong bet for your Sunday night. The band it really kills me I'll have to miss this weekend is Dublin's So Cow. They're here all the way from Ireland, and lead singer Brian Kelly writes the kind of clever, sweet, endearing songs I can imagine anyone in town loving-- the edges are a bit ragged, yeah, but in a ramshackle, you-can-do-this-too way rather than to repel the uncool. I reviewed So Cow's wonderful self-titled album here; see some really intelligent things my Pitchfork colleague Nitsuh Abebe says about them here. Wolves in the Attic are one of my favorite local bands (and were before, full disclosure, I got to know basically all the members); expect really loud, Sonic Youth-inspired indie rock. Anyway, So Cow are the closest thing for most of the summer to the surefire awesome of past Mews bookings like Love Is All, Japandroids, Jonathan Richman, Josh Ritter, Jens Lekman, etc., so I really recommend going if you can; I've seen them live before, and they're for real.

The Melvins. Sunday, June 27. House of Bricks. These avant-garde California metalheads are legendary in their circles.

Big Country Bash: Gretchen Wilson, Rodney Atkins, Jason Michael Carroll, Trailer Choir, Jerrod Niemann, Sarah Darling and Jason Brown. Sunday, June 27. Blank Park Zoo.

Why Make Clocks, with Pink Kodiak. Monday, June 28. Vaudeville Mews. Solid local lineup. I mentioned Why Make Clocks before here. I'd go if I were going to be around.

** Woodsman, with the Autumn Project, Maid Marian. Wednesday, June 30. Vaudeville Mews. Denver's Woodsman are warm, woozy, electro-psych instrumental band with releases on a couple of the more interesting labels these days, Lefse and Mexican Summer. The Autumn Project are a towering local instrumental post-rock group I haven't seen in a while; anybody who went to the Mono show here last month should check them out (full disclosure: I hear it might be baritone guitarist and bassist John Huffman's birthday?). Ames' own Maid Marian come highly recommended as well, and I'm looking forward to checking out the tape on Sweat Power (Coyote Slingshot)-- so far sounds a bit like Beach House: slow, keyboard-based, elegant female vocals.

Justin Bieber. Wednesday, June 30. Wells Fargo Arena.


July



Spoon: "Is Love Forever?" (Live on "Jimmy Kimmel")

** 80/35 Festival: Modest Mouse, Spoon, Yo La Tengo, Walkmen, the Cool Kids, Holly Golightly, Avi Buffalo, the Heavy, Earl Greyhound, Dawes, William Elliot Whitmore, Christopher the Conquered, Canby, Dar Williams, Slightly Stoopid, Railroad Earth, Particle, Family Groove Company, and more. Saturday, July 3-Sunday, July 4. Downtown Des Moines. (Full disclosure: I volunteered for the booking committee this year. But I don't think I really did anything that felt like work.)

** The Poison Control Center. Saturday, July 3-Sunday, July 4. Vaudeville Mews. (80/35 After Party.) I've said enough about how great these Ames indie rockers are. Check out a little bit of the praise here. (Full disclosure: I've gotten to know these guys, too. Curse all these friendly, nice Midwesterners foiling my attempts to maintain critical distance!)

Waxeater, with Golden Veins, NERV, the Seed of Something. Monday, July 5. Vaudeville Mews. I wrote about Golden Veins (ex-Beati Paoli) previously here.

Ingrid Michaelson. Thursday, July 8. Simon Estes Amphitheater. I don't know much about this New York singer/songwriter, except that she has played 80/35 and friends tell me she's good. Might be one to check out!

Hanwell, with So Much Fun. Saturday, July 10. Vaudeville Mews. Another solid local lineup.

Abstract Rude, with Musab (Sab the Artist), DJ Tramlife, Gaiden Gadema w/ Richie Daggers, Young Tripp. Sunday, July 11. Vaudeville Mews. I met Richie Daggers at the Vaud when he overheard me talking about Nicki Minaj. I was wondering what rap Des Moines residents who really like rap listen to. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm totally down with Aeon Grey and Maxilla Blue, but it always seems like they're billed as rap for people who don't usually listen to rap, you know? Daggers gave me the name of Young Tripp, making comparisons to Nas's Illmatic. So maybe this would be a good one to check out.

The Autumn Project, with Why Make Clocks, others. Friday, July 16. Vaudeville Mews. I'll be out of town; otherwise there would be stars next to this local show. See June 30.

Samantha Crain, with Canby. Sunday, July 18. Vaudeville Mews. Same as above. I've seen and enjoyed Canby, one of the best local indie rock groups, a number of times, and I've liked what I've heard from Oklahoma roots-rocker Crain. I keep thinking I particularly love a song from her that the dude from Bon Iver covered, but I just spent the last 20 minutes searching Google and my computer for any trace of such a thing and I must've dreamed it. Should be a good show, though.

** YellowFever, with the Land of Blood and Sunshine, Deep Sleep Waltzing, the Seed of Something. Monday, July 19. Vaudeville Mews. (Early show.) Austin's YellowFever play skewed guitar pop with 1960s-style melodies and alluringly aloof female vocals recalling post-punk groups like the Slits. With local groups, including Marshalltown's Land of Blood and Sunshine, whom I've seen a couple of times now and am still trying to figure otu. If I can still stand after a weekend at the Pitchfork festival, I'll definitely be at this.

** Candy Claws, with Maid Marian. Monday, July 19. Vaudeville Mews. (Late show.) This Fort Collins, Colo. duo are very much a part of whatever the heck we're calling "chillwave" these days. Right bros? I wrote about them here.

Old 97's. Thursday, July 22. Simon Estes Amphitheater.

** Devo. Saturday, July 24. Simon Estes Amphitheater. New-wave legends within walking distance vs. $50 ticket price. I'd like to be there, so we'll see. In the meantime, here's New York rap duo Das Racist icing these bros backstage at The Colbert Report.

** Black Mountain. Monday, July 26. Vaudeville Mews. Sludgy Canadian psych-rockers on Bloomington, Indiana's excellent Jagjaguwar label should please Led Zeppelin fans for blocks around.

** June Panic. Tuesday, July 27. Vaudeville Mews. North Dakota's June Panic is one of those guys who can't stop writing songs regardless of the recording quality, in the mold of Capstan Shafts, Guided By Voices, etc.

Poppets. Tuesday, July 27. Vaudeville Mews. This Swedish punk duo played here last summer, but I don't think I gave them a fair shake. It'd be cool to see them again.

The All-Girl Boys Choir, with Squidboy. Sunday, Aug. 1. Vaudeville Mews. Not too familiar with the All-Girl Boys Choir, but longtime local indie-rockers Squidboy are always worth stopping by the Vaude.

Electric Leaves, with Why Make Clocks. Tuesday, Aug. 3. Vaudeville Mews.

Jamey Johnson. Thursday, Aug. 5. Val Air Ballroom. Here's what I said about this country outlaw's performance at last summer's state fair.

** The Delta Mirror, with Golden Veins. Friday, Aug. 6. Vaudeville Mews. Here's what I wrote for Pitchfork about the Delta Mirror; for Golden Veins, see July 5.

Black Keys, with Morning Benders. Sunday, Aug. 8. Val Air Ballroom. Morning Benders played here not too long ago, but I'd be curious to see them again.

Rooney. Monday, Aug. 9. Vaudeville Mews.


Toro Y Moi: "Blessa"


** Phoenix, with Toro Y Moi. Tuesday, Aug. 10. 7 Flags Event Center. French band Phoenix had one of the best records of last year, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, and it still blows my mind that they'll be playing in Clive. I once overheard somebody around town saying they're kind of weird, but they're really not at all, except for occasionally fanciful lyrics-- you've heard these guys in car commercials for a reason. With Toro Y Moi, who have one of my favorite albums of this year. Here's what I wrote about them for SPIN.

Keith Urban. Friday, Aug. 13. Iowa State Fair.

The Battle Royale. Saturday, Aug. 14. Vaudeville Mews.

** Vanilla Ice, with Tone Loc. Sunday, Aug. 15. Iowa State Fair. Hey, it's free! And I probably still know more of the words to "Ice Ice Baby" than I'd like to admit.

Tegan and Sara. Tuesday, Aug. 17. Hoyt Sherman Place.

Pat Benatar, with REO Speedwagon. Tuesday, Aug. 17. Iowa State Fair.

Broken Spindles. Wednesday, Aug. 18. Vaudeville Mews.

Darius Rucker. Thursday, Aug. 19. Iowa State Fair.

Sugarland. Saturday, Aug. 21. Iowa State Fair.

Sheryl Crow. Sunday, Aug. 22. Iowa State Fair.

American Idol Live Tour. Tuesday, Aug. 31. Wells Fargo Arena.


September


Best Coast: "When I'm With You"

** Best Coast, with Male Bonding. Friday, Sept. 17. Grinnell College.


November (OK, not even arguably summer, but just looking ahead here)

Electric Six, with the Constellations, the Jitz. Tuesday, Nov. 2. Vaudeville Mews.


All right, what did I miss? See you out there.

THE COUGH, THE WIND, THE RAIN WAS RIGHT

 I'm so 3008. You so 2000 and late.

I was going to try to list a top 15 or 20 albums or something, but then I realized I was only 100% sure of my top five, so I decided I'd just go ahead and rip off Tom Breihan all the way. I tried to stick to stuff that came out between January 1 and March 31; if we're lucky, I'll post some of my favorite individual tracks of the first quarter before the next one comes around. Apologies to Zola Jesus, Surfer Blood, These New Puritans, Lindstrom & Christabelle, Dum Dum Girls, Gorillaz, Cloud Nothings, Akira Kosemura, Sonny and the Sunsets, Yelawolf, Race Horses, Tanlines, Ted Leo, Broken Bells, Active Child, Gil Scott-Heron, Field Music, Fabolous, etc. etc. (Oh, and I have some photos from the Black Eyed Peas show at Wells Fargo Arena, not sure if I'm going to end up using them with a possible essay so I figured I'd throw those up just for something pretty to look at.... There's more where these came from, too.)

Let's get it started in here.

1. Spoon - Transference. OK, I know they're playing 80/35. I know there's not an obvious hit on Transference like "The Underdog." And I know that after my first few listens, I was telling people Spoon probably shouldn't play a festival like 80/35 this year, because the new album was just too much in its own little world-- should've grabbed 'em after Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (of course, they'd go and name the accessible one Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga). But Transference is the album I've probably listened to most this year-- I went out and bought it on vinyl, and for some reason I haven't felt the need yet to pick up the new Titus Andronicus on vinyl, so I guess I must like this better, huh?-- and you know what, I think I was just being paranoid. Because once people spend more time with this album, I feel like it's going to move up a whole lot of year-end lists: It's just one of those albums that is totally its own, unified experience, from its The Graduate-goes-record-geek cover art (a 1970 image by William Eggleston; I picture the kid from the cover hiding out in his bedroom, trying his best to escape for a little while by making music that sounds like the records he thinks are cool) to its weird, off-center production and unexpected audio interference-- plus it happens to have another great batch of songs, from a band with no shortage of them. Spoon's own Britt Daniel and Jim Eno produce, so when "The Mystery Zone" cuts off suddenly or "Before Destruction" starts to sound like your cell phone is too close to the speaker (or when you notice how "Who Makes Your Money" has no question mark but "Is Love Forever?" does), you gotta figure it's intentional; there are auteur films, and this is an auteurs' album. And I have no clue what it all has to do with the psychological concept of transference, but I get that they're singing about communication here, communication breakdowns really-- and I can't think of a more important subject now that we're all connected to each other but struggling to express ourselves in a meaningful way between "likes" and "pokes" and Farmville. Nor can I imagine a rock album expressing that struggle with as much smoldering gorgeousness. There's the White Album-style cut-loose rocker to showcase Daniel's fantastic howl ("Written in Reverse"), the taut post-punk groover that reminds you how most of Transference was recorded at the same studio as tourmates Deerhunter's Microcastle ("Got Nuffin'")-- there's even a piano lullaby ("Goodnight Laura"). My favorite is probably "Out Go the Lights," which you can hear here. Spoon already had their day in the major-label sun, such as it is, so they knew there was no point trying to duplicate the success of "The Underdog." This is the sound of a band with nothing to lose. And nothing to gain except an album its members might like, whether it gets through to other people or not. Here's betting it does.

2. Beach House - Teen Dream. Beach House have been coming up with new ways to be sure they'd get described as "languid" for three albums now. I wasn't sure they'd top Devotion, an intimate slow-burn dream-pop album I'd recommend to anyone who liked either Mazzy Star's So Tonight That I Might See or Britney Spears' Blackout. But they did. And how: You're still going to remember a haze of impressions more than the individual songs, at least until you've listened as many times as I have, but "Norway" broadens the Baltimore duo's scope to include 1980s Fleetwood Mac-style choruses, "Used to Be" is a marvelously restrained piano-based song about a couple growing apart (the lyrics suggest one ending, the warmth in the music makes me hope for another), "Silver Soul" is just a bigger, more impassioned version of the kind of thing they've been doing since their debut's outstanding "Apple Orchard." You may have read that Victoria Legrand has a classically trained voice, but compared with that earlier stuff, it now sounds rock-trained, honed by a few years of touring; Alex Scally's guitar lines have new arrangements to snake through. "Zebra" motif aside, there's nothing black-or-white about this album-- the lipstick-smeared pink on the inner cover (I picked this one up, too, double-vinyl with DVD of kinda lame videos) suits it just fine.

3. Love Is All - Two Thousand and Ten Injuries. I won't even pretend this would've been this high if not for the Swedish five-piece's great show at the Vaudeville Mews a couple of weeks ago. Love Is All have been one of my favorite bands since debut 9 Times That Same Song, and I was a big fan of sophomore album A Hundred Things Keep Me Up at Night, too, so don't get me wrong; there are few bands I'd rather turn to for punk-spiked indie-pop with braying saxophones and painfully accurate reflections on single life. But the first track I heard from the album was the uncharacteristic "Take Your Time," which had my expectations low-- borrowing from the Clean's "Tally Ho" was one thing, but what, they're doing Pachelbel's "Canon in D" now? Then I listened like 10 times to get ready for the show and another 2,000 times since picking up the physical record, and it doesn't hurt a bit.

4. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor. I have a feeling a lot of people are going to rally around this one just because it's great to hear something so ambitious in an indie-rock scene flooded with too-cool-to-try lo-fi and too-commercially-savvy-to-try licensing bait. But I think there's a lot more going on here than just an overblown Civil War concept album with a multiplatinum rap record's worth of (indie-famous) guest stars. I liked Titus Andronicus's previous album OK, and I enjoyed them when I saw them live, especially when the New Jersey dudes were jumping off of speakers and cussing about politics and stuff, but I had a hard time hearing past the Bright Eyes-ish quaver in Patrick Stickle's voice. Then again, Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst wasn't the first to sing that way-- I wonder how fans of David Dondero felt when Fevers & Mirrors came out-- and there's no way a vocal style could cause me to dismiss an album that makes me pump my fists and sing along so many times (as Tom says, great driving album). So, let's see, the Civil War: Our side won, right?

5. White Hinterland - Kairos. A review in UK magazine The Wire says this isn't an r&b album as much as something "to inspire wistful gazing onto snow-covered landscapes." I respectfully disagree.

6-10. Los Campesinos!, Romance Is Boring; Four Tet, There Is Love in You; Liars, Sisterworld; Toro Y Moi, Causers of This; Erykah Badu, New Amerykah Part Two (Return Of The Ankh) 

 Mazel Tov. (L'chaim!)

80/35 WRAP-UP: LET US BE FREE LET US SING

It finally feels like summer today. Too bad it's the day after not only Independence Day, but also Des Moines' biggest independent-minded music festival: the 2nd annual 80/35. I left Brooklyn to move to Des Moines exactly one week ago, so I missed Iowa's heat waves earlier this season-- I was too busy enjoying gray day after gray day en route to what meteorologists at Penn. State have called New York City's second-wettest June on record. Nobody I've met is more weather-minded than Iowans, however: Just ask my wife to read the Doppler radar for you sometime. Despite two unseasonably damp, chilly days this Fourth of July weekend, Des Moines music lovers joined with national acts ranging from Public Enemy and Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks to Broken Social Scene and Ben Harper to help make what I managed to see of 80/35 a success in almost every way.

Every way, I'm nervous we'll find out, except one. The Des Moines Music Coalition estimated Friday night's attendance at 4,500, Juice writer Joe Lawler reports in the Des Moines Register. The festival needs paid attendance of no fewer than 12,000 for both days to avoid losing money, Lawler notes. I haven't seen definitive totals yet, but organizers estimated Saturday's paid and unpaid attendance (there were two free stages) at 12,000, as Kyle Munson reports in this morning's Register. Does that mean Friday night's figure included unpaid attendees, too? I don't know yet whether the festival hit the magic number it needed to break even, but it will have been sort of miraculous even if it did-- this is only the second installment of an indie-oriented music festival, after all, in a recession year and on a rain-soaked weekend. UPDATE: Lawler reports total estimated paid attendance of 12,000, apparently meeting the break-even point, although beer sales declined.

Already, one Register commenter is complaining, "Am I the only one peeved that the city that is supposed to be in a budget crisis has putting money towards this event?" Probably not. But let me be the first to argue-- loudly, repeatedly, from every rooftop from the Ruan Building to Principal Park-- that a festival of this kind is worth it for Des Moines. I'm new here, and I realize it's up to you to decide whether more young opinionated dudes like me are even what you want in Des Moines, but I gotta say I would've been a lot less likely to up and buy a place here-- my wife's roots in the area (and my own ties) notwithstanding-- if not for 80/35 and the resurgence of downtown culture, dining, and nightlife it represents. I can't imagine I'll be the only person who feels that way. That's good for real estate prices and for local businesses. If Iowa wants to fight "brain drain," fun and well-run events like 80/35 are a great step toward doing it.

80/35 can be good for Des Moines' image in a different way, as well. Here's Public Enemy's Chuck D talking to Cityview's Michael Swanger: "I tell people all the time Iowa has always been one of the progressive states." Lest you think he's just kissing up to the hometown crowd, D adds: “When you tell the other 49 states, they’re like ‘huh?’ But they took notice last year [with President Barack Obama winning the Iowa Caucus].” The rap legend gave the city another sort of boost upon his arrival, delivering inspirational messages to local youths at Des Moines social-service agency Urban Dreams: "Y'all don't know how good you've got it here," the Register's Daniel P. Finney quotes him saying. Sure, D also still seems to think people are listening to "gangsta rap," and there's the whole confusing story of Flavor Flav's non-appearance. But the point remains: Des Moines doesn't have the major-league sports franchises of a Kansas City or a St. Louis. What it does have is a remarkable history on civil rights, from the landmark 1948 civil rights victory at Katz Drug Store that presaged the broader Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s, to the mind-blowing heroics of shoulda-been first African-American Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Bright in 1951, right on through to being the first state to establish an African-American as a valid presidential candidate and one of only a few states to recognize the right of homosexual couples to be legally wed. In other words, Iowa gets it. A music festival is one way to showcase the state's open and accepting culture for the rest of the nation.

Last year I spent the Fourth of July in Denmark. I was lucky enough to get to cover the Roskilde music festival for Pitchfork. Roskilde is the biggest festival in Northern Europe, and the third-biggest in all of Europe; last year the performers included the likes of Radiohead, Jay-Z, My Bloody Valentine, the Chemical Brothers, the Streets, Band of Horses, Girl Talk, Cat Power, No Age, Judas Priest, Robyn, Lykke Li, Santigold, Slayer, and many many more. The festival was an amazing experience I'll never forget, characterized by a very Midwestern slogan: "Take care of each other." Of course, some differences between Scandinavia and the Midwest can never be bridged-- the drinking age, for example. But if a dedicated arts-focused community can bring so much talent such a great distance, transforming a historic little town of about 46,000 into a musical hub, then with time and hard work, there's no reason 80/35 can't go on to see its own large-scale successes. All it takes is time and hard work: Look at Bonnaroo. I'm not sure Des Moines is the right place for an event exactly like that one, but if Manchester, Tenn., can do it, I have no doubt Iowa can come up with a musical tradition of its own, in its own way.

So, 80/35. I can only really write about what I saw: For our first weekend back in Mrs. Des Noise's hometown, we had family priorities, too, as I hope you'll understand. Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks were laconic but commanding on Friday night, shouting-out local boy Bob Nastanovich and alternating woolly guitar solos from latest album Real Emotional Trash with taut indie-rock crowd pleasers like Face the Truth's "Pencil Rot".... Great drumming from Janet Weiss, formerly of Sleater-Kinney and Quasi.... And on a personal note, it was just fun finally to see Malkmus play live... Still not Pavement, but what is? Philly's Man Man were another highlight-- this is the second time I've just barely not actually seen them, but their carnie-rock freakouts caused dancing even outside the pay gates (Metromix Des Moines tweeted that lead singer Honus Honus was wearing "near daisy dukes"). On one of the free stages, New York up-and-comers Cymbals Eat Guitars made their retro 1990s indie-rock sound more gnarled and aggressive than I expected, which should be a good sign for this month's Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago. Omaha-based Tilly and the Wall's multicolored indie-pop performance was another favorite, inciting plenty of crowd participation despite an early set time, their powerfully cavernous drum sounds almost making up for their heavy reverb's tendency to muffle the songs. I was into Hasidic reggae guy Matisyahu when he was settling into heavy sci-fi dub grooves; less so when he was parroting "No Woman No Cry" for a song from his forthcoming album. A previously unheard discovery was Athens, Ga.-based Modern Skirts, who opened with three drummers and went on to sketch out rhythmically uptight rock terrain that reminded me of times of Spoon, Pavement (from whom their name derives), and even the harmony-laden keyboard-pop of the Zombies. As with bigger music festivals like CMJ or South by Southwest, 80/35 also sparked concerts outside the official grounds, though try as I might I couldn't catch the name of my favorite among the handful of bands I heard playing at Des Moines Social Club's Sideshow Lounge-- think it sounded like "Robert Allen Hawg"? UPDATE: It's Adam Robert Haug, notes helpful commenter Chris Ford, whose precariously perched keyboard-pop with Christopher the Conquered I also enjoyed.

I was bummed enough by the lateness of Public Enemy's rain-marred appearance (um, Heet Mob? Not on the schedule) that, having seen them last year and not wanting to be responsible for everybody else there with me getting drenched on my account, I left early. (I hate that one of my favorite Iowans can now say he's been to two hip-hop shows, and yet because of performer tardiness he still hasn't actually seen one. You expect that from Mike Jones, but Chuck D?) Either way, by all accounts on Twitter it sounds like Public Enemy put on as good a show as I caught last year at Pitchfork, despite the absence of Flavor Flav. I'm not too into G. Love or Ben Harper, so I used the fact that I'm just writing about this for fun as an excuse to skip out on them. (Excuse for missing Broken Social Scene: I was hungry! Plus, if I really wanted to see them, I would have seen them before.) And I probably shouldn't write about Poison Control Center anymore, but if their noon Saturday set was anything like their free Thursday night show, it was among the festival's highlights-- like 'em live better than Cymbals Eat Guitars, that's for sure.

Final thought: Why should Omaha have a better music scene than Des Moines? (...Zoo, maybe, even airport, but actual culture? They're Cornhuskers fans, for crying out loud!!!) At this rate, pretty soon, maybe they won't.

(Photos, from top to bottom: Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Adam Robert Haug, waiting for Public Enemy.)

You can read/watch plenty more (probably much more informative) 80/35 coverage over at the official website.

DES MOINES SUMMER CONCERT PREVIEW: IS THERE EVEN A 2009 SUMMER JAM I CAN QUOTE HERE YET?

OK, so I realize it has already felt like summer in Des Moines for a little while now, but there are still a few days until the official first day of the season, so technically this post isn't ridiculously overdue. Technically.

Mrs. Des Noise and I arrive in town June 29. I imagine we will have a lot of unpacking to do. I don't know when the first show is that we'll be able to check out, and I'm sure there are local artists (including recs from the Poison Control Center's Patrick Fleming and Vaudeville Mews booker Ladd Askland) who I will end up seeing but haven't had time to visit on MySpace yet. But in the meantime, here's an extreeeeemely provisional round-up of shows that I'll be trying to check out around town this summer.

One example of what I'm hoping to do here: Jonathan Richman played in town the other night. Not everybody would love him, but anybody could-- he's a warm, giving, funny entertainer, not some kind of "difficult" listen, and he has a big catalogue of great songs. If you didn't already know that, though, there doesn't seem to be a publication yet in town to tell you. The Register's writeup just says, "Modern Lovers frontman, perhaps best known for his role in 'There's Something About Mary'"-- not exactly a ringing endorsement, especially if you've never heard of the Modern Lovers (in which case, please check out their first album right now-- it's one of my favorites of all time). I'm basically hoping to help identify deserving performers like that and let people know about fun shows to see that might have otherwise slipped under their radar.

Such as, ahem: Josh Ritter on July 8, and Japandroids on July 20.

So, without further ado... and all that good stuff...

JULY

Thursday, July 2-- Toots and the Maytals @ People's Court
I've never seen Toots and the Maytals. They're legendary in ska/reggae circles, with a couple of tracks on the influential soundtrack to 1972 Jimmy Cliff film The Harder They Come. Barring family responsibilities or other move-in related happenings, I'm so there. No idea how good they'll still be, but it's gotta be interesting. Check out: "Pressure Drop"

Friday, July 3-Saturday, July 4-- 80/35 Festival
You probably know all about 80/35, so I'll just list a few of my favorites. You may not even need me to type these next paragraphs:
July 3, Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Main Stage
7:30 PM – Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks -- The former lead singer for Pavement is one of my music heroes. I will not miss this. For an example of Malkmus's wry, slightly offbeat wisdom, here he is performing Pavement's "We Dance" at the 2007 Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago.

9:30 PM – Public Enemy -- With a screeching, urban sound and politics just as hard to ignore, Public Enemy's impact on hip-hop upon arrival in the 1980s can hardly be overstated. I caught them at Pitchfork last year, but I didn't have a really good view. Let's see if clock-wearing emcee Flavor Flav mentions his VH1 reality show again-- he received boos for it when I saw them. Here's "Rebel Without a Pause" from the 2008 p4k festival.

July 4, Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Main Stage
3:15 PM – Man Man -- I'm told I will probably start the day in Urbandale for a parade and beer, so I have no idea if I'll be at the festival by 3:15 p.m. But if I am, I will definitely see these crazy gypsy carnie boho-hobos. Here's something I wrote about them once; here they are acting weird with their song "Hurly Burly" in the background (sorry, not trying to shill for p4k-- these are just the links I know!)

7:00 PM – Broken Social Scene -- Confession: I don't love these dudes the way some of my friends do. But I do love Feist, who was associated with this free-flowing Canadian collective. And Broken Social Scene-ster Dave Newfeld produced the first album by Los Campesinos!, last year's fantastic Hold On Now, Youngster!. All of which will probably be more than enough to have me watching their set. Here's "Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl", from my favorite BSS album, 2002's You Forgot It in People.

Meredith West Stage
5:15 PM – Cymbals Eat Guitars -- Another band I don't love the way my friends do, but still feel like I might come to like. These New Yorkers recently self-released their debut album, Why There Are Mountains, and it draws on a bunch of classic 1990s indie-rock reference points. I'm still not convinced they have the songs that bands like Built to Spill or Modest Mouse had, but I'll gladly check out their live show. Check out: "Wind Phoenix".

So, that's 80/35. I'm sure I'll see some other stuff and write about it here.

Wednesday, July 8 -- The Veronicas @ People's Court
Slick, catchy Australian electro-pop with mall-punk energy-- um, think Avril Lavigne. Color me curious. Especially after this single. But I'll be at the next event instead...

** Wednesday, July 8 -- Josh Ritter @ Vaudeville Mews
Josh Ritter is a folk-tinged, occasionally rockin' singer, guitarist, and songwriter from Moscow, Idaho. He has steadily expanded his songwriting range-- from the rootsy Americana of "Harrisburg" and "The Other Side" to the war-weary allusiveness of "Thin Blue Flame" and "Temptation of Adam"-- and his sound, too... the last time I saw him he was at Central Park with the New York Pops, but I've seen him probably about a half a dozen times since 2002 or so. One of my favorites. Here's something I wrote about him once; here's one of his many, many great songs, "Lillian, Egypt".

Thursday, July 9-- Boys Like Girls @ People's Court
I'm pretty sure I don't really like these guys. Only one way to find out...

Friday, July 10-- Gov't Mule @ Simon Estes Riverfront Amphitheatre
Allman Brothers offshoot rambles on. I might not go to this. But then again, I've never seen 'em, and I like guitars, so.

Thursday, July 16-- American Idol winner David Cook @ Simon Estes Riverfront Amphitheatre
Bigger confession than the one about Broken Social Scene: I have never watched an entire episode of American Idol. So I should definitely write about this.

Thursday, July 16-- Patrick Fleming @ Des Moines Social Club
...Unless I go to this. I probably won't be at 80/35 in time to see the Poison Control Center at noon on July 4 due to family obligations, but tonight their lead singer will be playing solo.

** Monday, July 20-- Japandroids @ Vaudeville Mews
These Canadians have what might be my favorite album of the year so far. When they play Vaudeville Mews, I will have already seen them the previous weekend at the p4k festival. I will go see them again, probably screaming my lungs out along with their scrappy two-man punk songs about girls and growing up. Here's what I already wrote about my favorite song by them. Here's the song, "Young Hearts Spark Fire".

Tuesday, July 21-- Gomez @ People's Court
Never been a huge fan of these anthemic Brits, and I'll probably be too exhausted to go. But I do know of people who like 'em.

Tuesday, July 21-- Steve Earle @ Hoyt Sherman
I would, on the other hand, gladly go see this alt-country legend. He's currently touring behind Townes, an album of Townes Van Zandt covers.

Wednesday, July 22-- Gogol Bordello @ People's Court
If you like Man Man at 80/35, you may want to check out this band led by Ukrainian-born Eugene Hutz. I think Man Man are better, but these dudes will still probably be interesting to check out. Madonna thought so.

Sunday, August 9-- Patrick Fleming @ Ames Progressive Space
Another chance to see Poison Control Center's lead singer play solo.

Friday, August 14-- Gary Allan @ Iowa State Fair
Hey, this is one of the new country guys I kind of like.

Saturday, August 15-- Peter Frampton and Gin Blossoms @ Iowa State Fair
Um, it's an option. I was just ranting rudely at a good friend about how I like Gin Blossoms better than R.E.M. I don't think that was actually true, but I do think they got a bad rap from the critics.

Sunday, August 16-- Big & Rich @ Iowa State Fair
I feel like my buddy Tom in Chicago would want me to go to this one.

Friday, August 21-- Brooks & Dunn and Jamey Johnson @ Iowa State Fair
Oh, hell yeah. I went to high school with Dunn's daughter (for a year-- it was in Nashville, of course). And I like Jamey Johnson, even if I don't think he's as good as other rock critics dabbling in country might say he is.

Saturday, August 22-- Kelly Clarkson @ Iowa State Fair
I think I'm the only human being who wasn't impressed by "Since U Been Gone". (I'd rather listen to that Strokes-Christina Aguilera mash-up, Freelance Hellraiser's "A Stroke of Genius", thanks.) But I will totally try to check this out, if only to do my duty as a music journalist.

Sunday, August 23-- Journey with Heart @ Iowa State Fair
This will probably be my day of rest. Sorry. "Don't Stop Believing" isn't even that great! (Mrs. Des Noise, like the rest of America, disagrees.)

Friday, Sept. 11-- Britney Spears @ Wells Fargo Arena
This is the way I always pay tribute to the victims of September 11.

Saturday, Sept. 26-- The Airborne Toxic Event @ People's Court
When I read the Don Delillo book from which this band got their name, I thought it was overrated, the sort of thing a celebrity might say is great just to feel smart-- the postmodern Old Man and the Sea. OK, I was still just a freshman in college. There's a very good chance I was wrong.

Other picks (I'll probably attend some of these):
Patrick Fleming: Casper and the Cookies Aug. 6 at the Vaudeville Mews, David Dondero July 31 at Ames Progressive Space, and Alexis Gideon in September

Ladd Askland: Soy Un Caballo on June 21, Francis Harold and the Holograms on July 7, Josh Ritter on July 8, Poppets on July 14, Japandroids on July 20, Those Darlins on July 22, Theodore on July 30, Casper and the Cookies on August 6, Red Pony Clock on Aug 21, and It's True on August 28.

OK, I know I'm missing a lot. So what is it?

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH... PATRICK FLEMING

Ask anyone about the current Des Moines music scene, and the first band name that seems to come up is the Poison Control Center. Originally from Ames, the foursome followed a handful of releases for their own Bi-Fi Records with debut LP A Collage of Impressions on Minneapolis-based Afternoon Records in 2007. Now, I'm not necessarily the type to discriminate by genre-- as you'll probably see, I'm just as likely to fall for a Top 40 hit or electronic dance track as a potential Gummy Award winner-- but I gotta say it's exciting to hear a band making such lovingly skewed, Elephant 6-style indie pop in my soon-to-be home city.

Singer/guitarist Patrick Tapes Fleming shares my affection for Welsh weirdos the Super Furry Animals, among other things, and he also does sound at Vaudeville Mews. Our edited e-mail conversation is below. (I repeated a few of the same questions I already asked Ladd Askland, 'cause I still have a lot to learn before I actually know what I'm talking about here. I'll catch up fast, I swear!)

1. What's next for the Poison Control Center?

PF: Well we just spent 10 days on the banks of the Mississippi river recording our 2nd full length record with Pat Stolley of Daytrotter fame. PCC is pretty spread out right now (I live in Ames, [drummer/singer] Ephraim in Iowa City, [guitarist/singer] Devin in Columbia, Mo., and [bassist/singer] Joe just moved to Ashville, N.C.). So for the past 6 months we have been doing this thing called "DEMO OF THE DAY" where we e-mail each other demos we have written, since we all 4 write songs. And we went into the studio NEVER having played any of them together.. so we took 3 days filtered through the 38 songs, practiced them and we ended up recording 12 songs!

We said whatever we get put to tape in this week that is the album, NO IF's, ANDS, or buts about it!

We actually recorded the album on a 1-inch, 24-track tape machine I just sold to Pat Stolley that was once owned by the guy who is now CARROT TOP and Jon Lovitz's manager.. 2009 is the first year in 5 years we haven't toured at all and I'm getting pretty antsy to hit the road again.. last year we went on 4 tours and it was amazing.. The last one we did was with the Apples in Stereo and we got Bill Doss of the Olivia Tremor Control to do "Jumping Fences" (OTC song) with us in Dallas and I need more of those kinda crazy dream come true magical moments in my life that only come with touring! Hopefully when the record gets released we can get back out there in the trenches! But I can't say for sure!

2. How would you describe the Des Moines music scene?

PF: Well it's really vibrant right now and the best it's been in the 10 years that I have lived here. There is a 60-year-old banker who works at US BANK in Ames and he told me today his wife has been getting mad at him since he has been spending so many nights at the Ames Progressive Space watching bands! It's really becoming a place where you can spend every night watching great music if you want. In 1999 when I moved here you had to wait till the weekend to see any music.. Or drive to Chicago, Omaha, or Minneapolis to see the touring bands that you like. I started bringing my favorite bands to Des Moines just 'cause I was sick of driving to Minneapolis and having to use a FAKE ID to see ELF POWER or whatever. Ladd and the Vaudeville Mews has done an amazing job of bringing in great touring bands and giving locals a chance to play with these bands! Also the amount of DIY and house shows has grown as well! It honestly feels like a community. I know that's cliché, but I have toured from coast to coast and I feel like we have something small but special here.

3. Any other local bands we should be watching?

PF: Oh so many to name but I will give you a quick few for your first months in town.. Christopher the Conquered, Wolves in the Attic, Pennyhawk, Derek Lambert, Brad Unit, the Autumn Project, Aeon Grey, Volcano Boys.. just to name a couple! I could give you 5 bands per style of music but I'm already an Allman Brother in this interview-- get it, "Rambling Man"? Got my bad joke in, OK. Next.

4. What shows are you most looking forward to this summer?

PF: Well 80/35 of course. Not too often [Stephen] Malkmus, Broken Social Scene, Chuck D, and Man Man are eating hummus and chips 15 feet from you. And I always get excited when friends are playing in town so Casper and the Cookies in August, David Dondero in July, and Alexis Gideon in September!

5. All right, I'll give... I'm a huge Jonathan Richman fan. Anything you can tell me about his performance at the Vaude last night?

PF: Fantastic crowd that was totally into it and Jonathan and Tommy ruled! We got a bunch of classics and quite a few off the latest album! It was the 2nd time I have seen him this year and I must say he makes me so inspired to play music! ABSOLUTE GENIUS!

You can catch the Poison Control Center this Fourth of July at the 80/35 Festival. Patrick Fleming plays solo at the Des Moines Social Club July 16 and Ames Progressive Space Aug. 9.