FIVE QUESTIONS WITH... FREE ENERGY

We are young and still alive / And now the time is on our side.

My friends Andy and Ryan over at We Hate Music have been counting down to Free Energy's inaugural show in Des Moines for, what, weeks now? Months? And with good reason. When Minnesota native son Paul Sprangers and the rest of his now-Philly-based band-- who kick off a set of dates with Weezer later this month-- descend on Vaudeville Mews this Wednesday night, I don't see how it could fail to be an awesome time. Some people around here may have caught Sprangers when he was fronting Hockey Night, a band that recorded for late, sadly missed Bay Area punk label Lookout!. These days Free Energy have teamed up with another much-loved label, New York's DFA, where they worked with label co-founder and LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy to help craft 2010 debut album Stuck on Nothing: a classic-rock-tinged pop record in that fun, summer barbecue kind of way. It looks like we might not be barbecuing around here for a while, so until Wednesday night, here are five answers (plus an extra one, just in case) Sprangers was kind enough to share with me via e-mail. Also please definitely listen to his interview with the We Hate Music dudes.

1. You're from Red Wing, Minnesota, and when you were with your old band, Hockey Night, I know you played Des Moines at least once. Any standout memories of our fair city? It's OK to be brutally honest.

PS: yes. i love des moines. being brutally honest.

hockey night played the vaudeville mews a couple times. always good.

there was a weird frat/dance bar down the street that had psychedelic stuff on the tvs. that was cool.

2. Any advice for musicians in a smaller city trying to get fans and get noticed?

PS: i would say to all musicians in smaller cities and towns: you are at a huge advantage right now.

you can pay less rent than the kool-aid drinking hipsters in the big cities. your cost of living is lower.

practice your ass off, write tons of songs, and MAYBE, eventually, put some music online. that's only if you're getting SOME Kind of positive feedback. even if it's from your best friend or your mom or whatever. do nothing but write, record, and play live. get some shitty job and don't buy useless shit. get your furniture off the streets and wear the same jeans for years.

this is what i did/do.

i am going to die making art. nothing else is important to me.

actually, girls are a very close second.

3. Along the same lines, I know you've said you guys still consider yourselves as being a Minnesota band. And I think that's pretty significant. I don't know about Minneapolis, but I feel like I've picked up a different vibe when it comes to being a music fan in Des Moines than in NYC, or even a bigger Midwestern city like Chicago. And not just that people come out for different shows than they might on the Lower East Side, either. What do you think is different about being into music and going to shows here in the Midwest versus on the East Coast? Or am I just imagining things?

PS: i don't know. a fan is a fan. i lived in nyc and went to as many shows as i could and loved every second. always.

maybe midwest kids are a bit more desperate for live shows? whereas on the east coast you can throw a rock in any direction and hit a live show.

4. For us music geeks, it's year-end list time. I've seen you raving about Rihanna's "Rude Boy," which is awesome. Any other favorite 2010 albums or tracks we should check out? 

PS: titus andronicus, hollerado, miniature tigers, drink up buttercup, kurt vile, war on drugs, gang, gayngs, sun airway, bear in heaven, kanye, robyn, beach house, EASTBOUND AND DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

also, LOUIE! check this show out. louis c.k. writes and directs.

brilliant. silly. funny. sad.

5. My buddy Travis says if and when he and his better half, Missy, get married, you guys once said you might play their wedding. Uh, no pressure! But I'm curious: What do you imagine a hypothetical Free Energy wedding gig would be like?

PS: kegs. loud p.a. system. confetti explosions. zip line into hot tub filled with champagne.

chutes and ladders (LIFE SIZE!!).

bridesmaids orgy. 

6. People used to compare Hockey Night to Pavement; I saw an interview where you said you didn't listen to Pavement anymore. In the same interview, you (justifiably!) raved about Thin Lizzy; Stuck on Nothing is an album with a lot of classic rock reference points, including, if I'm not mistaken, some Thin Lizzy-style guitar harmonies. So, should we expect another big shift on the next Free Energy album?

PS: yes.

what connects "born in the u.s.a" to inxs' "kick?" synths? clinical production? wet snares and slapback on vocals?

all of these are correct.

the new free energy is gonna be huge, bombastic, clean, gnarly, melodic, dancey, live, and more like the late stones than it probably should.

thank you!

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH... THE MOUNTAIN GOATS

Bill Gates will single-handedly spearhead the Heaven 17 revival.

Here at Des Noise, I don't really do interviews. I already have a bunch of writing I'm assigned to do, some of which I ostensibly do mainly because it's fun, so when I'm writing for this completely unprofessional blog (hmm, that doesn't sound right, does it?) I like to stay as far away from news cycles and PR ridiculousness as possible. Jonathan Richman once said the day being a musician started to feel like work, he'd quit-- he never has-- and I hope I can be that way about music writing, too.

But I made an exception when I heard the Mountain Goats were coming to Iowa City and main man John Darnielle would be available for interviews. If you're not familiar with the longtime singer and songwriter's many albums, some great discoveries await you; from his early days recording with just a boombox, to his increasingly orchestrated recent work, Darnielle excels at highly literary (not in that boring wanna-be-Bob-Dylan way) and emotionally complex songs that will stick with you a lifetime-- or at least about seven years, which is how long they've lasted me since I first got into his music. Darnielle used to live in Ames, and he once described his recording style in those days as not lo-fi but "bi-fi"-- I wonder if that's where Poison Control Center's Patrick Tape Fleming, also of Ames, got the name for his now-defunct record label? (Patrick, let me know in the comments...)

Sounds kind of dumb when I say it but it's true.

Anyway, the Mountain Goats play the Blue Moose Taphouse in Iowa City with New York fuzz-poppers the Beets on June 12. Their 2009 album, The Life of the World to Come, titles its songs after Bible verses, and includes some of my favorite entries in the (by now sprawling) MGs catalogue; also check out John's book on Black Sabbath's Master of Reality for the 33 1/3 series. And his Last Plane to Jakarta blog. Oh, and his message board comments on R. Kelly's "Ignition (Remix)" are legendary, too. So I decided to revive my previously short-lived Five Questions With... feature, and John was kind enough to e-mail me his responses on Iowa, the Beets, CocoRosie, health insurance, and cultivating a strong local music scene. (I asked one extra question just in case, so-- bonus!)

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH... SAM SUMMERS

Sam Summers, of concert promoter First Fleet Concerts, shares some thoughts about what he sees going on musically here in Des Moines. (Neither of us are really fans of the word "scene.") Where he used to compare turnout against Boise or Madison, now the benchmark targets are Minneapolis or Kansas City. He digs not only Ames/DSM overseas sensations the Envy Corps, but also Wolves in the Attic, who I saw play a little while ago. And I curse myself for missing Gogol Bordello... even to see an I-Cubs game. (I'm hoping to check out Silversun Pickups on Sept. 19, also maybe Atmosphere next Tuesday.)

Sorry I've been quieter lately, keeping busy with writing and getting settled and stuff, I guess. Sounds like there are some great things going on over at Des Moines Social Club these days, from a short film screening of local screenwriter Ben Godar's short film Fatherland last night to a Readymade issue release/launch party (the do-it-yourself magazine recently relocated to Des Moines from Berkeley) on Wednesday night. I may hear a Grain Belt calling. Oh, and the 515 Alive Urban Music & Arts Festival hits the East Village this weekend-- I want to check this out, too. [Previous Five Questions: Derek Lambert, Amedeo Rossi, Patrick Tape Fleming, Ladd Askland]

1. I've never been to People's Court... what should I expect?

SS: People’s Court is really Des Moines’ first “venue”. On the small club level you can afford to have “indie”, “metal” and “rock” bars but when you start getting to the mid-sized to large-sized venues your programming really has to feed all the people. People’s is conducive to all genres. No one is going to feel out of place when going to People’s.

2. More generally, what's the Des Moines music scene like?

SS: The music scene here is greater than ever before. I look at it in terms of numbers. When I started doing shows I would base the success of any given show based on how the show did compared to places like Boise, ID or Madison, WI. Now my bar has been raised to.. “how did this show do in Des Moines vs. how it did in Minneapolis or Kansas City”. The great attendances have really made me take chances on things like Gogol Bordello or MGMT or The Kooks. Things I never would have thought about booking when I started. As a whole the good attendances are still heavily influenced by what is played on the radio. Des Moines should look to online music outlets as an alternative so I can start [to] bring more bands I like ;)

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

SS: shit… my favorite show of the summer was Gogol Bordello. You really get your money’s worth on Gogol shows. No bathroom or bar breaks. You have to make sure you catch their whole set. Pretty pumped for Silversun Pickups this fall.

4. Any local bands we should be watching?

SS: I would have to say The Envy Corps. Their hugely energetic set at 80/35 just reminded me why I back this band so much. Wolves in the Attic are great too. I was able to get them on my Faint show last year and I feel like they went over really well. Outside of Des Moines... will whitmore and old panther are a couple of my favs.

5. What would you change or improve about what's going on musically in Des Moines?

SS: I feel like with a lot of bands locally they are trying to create music that they think they are supposed to be making. There are very few bands that I feel have a natural sound. Poison Control Center is really one of the only bands that I get a “real” vibe from. Their energy and passion is so natural. I would love to see more bands writing music that is less predictable and more from the heart.
EDIT: P.S. Don't let me forget, free Why Make Clocks CD release party at Vaudeville Mews on Aug. 14. Sorry to the nice guy who e-mailed me from locals Hanwell for sleeping on their show at House of Bricks the other day-- next time, I hope. Oh, and I also happened to correspond with (I think-- Googled the name) a member of Iowa band the Postulates (a clever Newton pun?).

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH... DEREK LAMBERT

"My suggestion for improving the music scene around here: Go to more shows!!!"

Before I arrived in Des Moines, a little more than a week ago now, I asked a few people involved in the local music scene "five questions" just to find out what I should expect. Derek Lambert makes indie folk music influenced by the likes of Bob Dylan and Elliott Smith, and he has an EP out on Barely Bias Records called The Forest Floor. He's also a sound engineer at the Vaudeville Mews, which is where I managed to catch his set opening for the Poison Control Center. In fact, you just might be able to catch a glimpse of him jumping onstage in this great video of the PCC rocking out with Pavement's Bob Nastanovich to finish the night.



Anyway, I forgot to post my e-mail conversation with Derek until now. A transcript follows. Hope to see you at the Mews tonight for Josh Ritter!

1. I've been listening to your MySpace, and it sounds like you have a nice little lo-fi folk thing going on-- I notice you mention people like Iron & Wine and Leonard Cohen as influences. What have you been up to lately musically? Anything new we should be looking forward to? (Sorry, I guess that's two questions.)

DL: Currently, I've just been playing and recording by myself (I recorded my first 8 song EP on a four-track tape recorder in my basement), but I have plans to possibly get a band together for some shows and maybe some recording, hopefully by the end of the summer/fall. Right now, I've been messing around with a few new songs, so hopefully I can gain some momentum soon and get another album's worth written.

2. More generally, what's the Des Moines music scene like?

DL: The Des Moines music scene... it's all over the place. Working at the Vaudeville Mews, I see a ton of different styles of music every night, and some do better than others, but overall, there is a pretty decent energy building around music in Des Moines. At times in the past, I've definitely thought that the music scene was lacking around here, but there are some really great bands and people contributing a lot right now, in all styles of music.... and since I am the type of person that appreciates good music in any form, I think that Des Moines is a pretty great place for music.

3. What are your favorite shows coming up this summer?

DL: Gogol Bordello, July 22nd @ Peoples
Gaiden Gadema's CD Release, July 24th @ Vaudeville Mews
Theodore, July 30th @ Vaudeville Mews
The Daredevil Christopher Wright, August 13th @ Vaudeville Mews

4. Any other local bands we should be watching?

DL: Oh man, there are a ton of local bands to watch. The Poison Control Center, Tyborn Jig, Druids, Gabe Cordova, Maxilla Blue... just a few favorites that immediately come to mind.

5. What would you change or improve about what's going on musically in Des Moines?

DL: My suggestion for improving the music scene around here: Go to more shows!!! Some of the best bands that I've ever seen have been playing to some of the smallest crowds. If you are a music fan in Des Moines, go to the website of one of the local venues (Vaudeville Mews, Peoples, House of Bricks) and just click around and listen to some of the bands that are coming through in the near future. I GUARANTEE that no matter what kind of music you are into, you will find something good. Then, whatever you find that you like, show up and support it so that these places can continue to bring in quality acts. Okay, one more suggestion, this one is for local bands... promote your shows! A lot of bands around here are great at promoting shows and getting people to come out and have fun, but there are also a large number of bands that are lacking in this area. If you are a local band opening a show for a touring band that doesn't have a huge draw, it is YOUR job to bring out your friends, family, whoever you can convince to show up and shell out 5 bucks to see some music. This will also strengthen the overall music scene around here and keep great music coming back to our city.

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH... AMEDEO ROSSI

I haven't even arrived in Des Moines yet and it seems like all my posts are about Vaudeville Mews. This music venue opened in December 2002 and has put the city on the map as a place for new bands and old eccentrics to play while making their way across the Midwest. Smoke-free before that was the law, with a capacity about on par with an intimate venue like Chicago's Schubas, the Mews has played host to pre-fame Fall Out Boy and just the other night brought the wonderful Jonathan Richman to Des Moines. Joanna Newsom, Bonnie Prince Billy, Jens Lekman, and plenty of other bands worth seeing have also passed through its doors. I already spoke with the guy who books the Vaud's shows, Ladd Askland, and the guy who does the sound, Patrick Fleming-- now managing partner Amedeo Rossi, who also organizes the 80/35 Festival, was kind enough to talk with me via e-mail. An edited transcript of our conversation is below.

[One quick side note: Vaudeville Mews is hosting an event July 2 that I somehow overlooked in putting together my summer music preview: An 80/35 pre-party featuring local spazz-popsters the Poison Control Center with Pavement's Bob Nastanovich (!!). Mrs. Des Noise, can we please go?]

1. How has downtown Des Moines changed since you opened the Vaudeville Mews?

AR: Des Moines has a base of risk management in its blood. We are a center of insurance and banking. In the last few years the arts and youth culture have come more to the forefront. Having a good indie club helps. Other clubs have located in the downtown area as well. The advent of online social media levels the playing field in the spread of info. I believe it's been a time of growth.

2. A lot of memorable performers have come through here.. Which shows have been your favorites and why?

AR: My personal favorite is the Pernice Brothers. They are a gem of a poppy band I could relate to. Someone like Devendra Banhart, with his shirtless/shoeless Christ-esque presence made an impression.

3. What's it like putting together a second annual 80/35 festival as opposed to the first one?

AR: It's been hard to deal with the fallout of the economic collapse. A year ago we were a big idea. Now we are a reality and many think highly of the festival so from that perspective it's easier to get people/sponsors involved. Doing it for the first time is always hardest, but it’s a big undertaking.

4. What are the biggest challenges facing you as the manager and co-owner of a music venue in Des Moines?

AR: Paying the bills. It's an up and down business. Live by the show, die by the show. When it's right, it's great. When it's bad, it's horrible. We stay pretty pure and only open for shows.

5. Where do you see the Des Moines music community going from here-- what's next?

AR: More national acts wanting to stop here and more local acts trying to hit the road with the fan base growing.

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.

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH... LADD ASKLAND

When Mrs. Des Noise was growing up in what she describes as a "one-horse town" that is now a sprawling suburb, the high school kids used to drive around Des Moines' empty downtown after football games in a teenage ritual called "scooping the loop." When we were back in Iowa two years ago for our wedding, a couple of our friends headed downtown one night just to see what was going on. They didn't find much. Now the downtown is a vibrant place, abuzz with restaurants and nightlife. Just ask The New York Times' Adam Nagourney.

One of the downtown spots I'm most looking forward to checking out: Vaudeville Mews. This music venue and bar has played host to Bonnie Prince Billy, Jens Lekman, Joanna Newsom, and plenty of other artists you'd have to take the L train to see in Brooklyn alongside crowds of arms-folded trendwatchers with blogs (um, wait a minute...). Ladd Askland is the booker for the Mews, and he kindly responded to my questions about Des Moines and the venue via e-mail. Our edited conversation is below.

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

LA: At this point, I'd say it's expanding musically. When I first started doing shows eight years ago, there was a heavy emphasis on hardcore, hard rock, and maybe punk. Over the years I've seen increases in folk, pop, noise, rock, and I'm really glad. I always wish there were more local bands floating around and especially styles I enjoy, but right now, I like the folks I work with and people seem excited about music with local festivals, 80/35 Festival, new DIY spots popping up, a nice camaraderie.

2. What are your favorite shows coming up this summer?

LA: Jonathan Richman [tonight] (June 10), 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.

3. I've never been to Vaudeville Mews. What should I expect?

LA: Darkness :) It's a long narrow room with a full bar as you walk in. Usually, a friendly staff at the door and bar service. The clientele change consistently since we do a heavily eclectic mix of music. We have seats and tables lined up in the back and an open room most of the time up front near the stage. The stage is intimate in height, so very personal with an artist. We have a balcony so you can peer down. Additionally a pool table and some booth seating upstairs as well. You have to walk past the stage when entering the restrooms, but not as distracting as maybe imagined. I really love the space. It's a third home :)

4. Any local bands to watch?

LA: My faves: The Poison Control Center www.myspace.com/thepcc Wolves In The Attic www.myspace.com/wolvesintheatticband Pennyhawk www.myspace.com/katekennedymusic

5. What would you change or improve about what's going on musically in Des Moines?

LA: More bands! More folks creating exciting new music. Also, with the general public, giving new music a chance, exploring new terrain. Some open minded experimentalists, I want and love you!