WINTER CONCERT PREVIEW

Winter, as we know, is already here. It's usually a quieter time for live music in central Iowa, or so I found out last year-- my first Des Moines winter (this one has been much better so far, knock on wood, fingers crossed, etc.). But anyway, there's still a fair amount of fun show-going to look forward to in the next couple of months. A few likely highlights are below-- any mistakes or anything I'm forgetting, just shout.

January

Patton Oswalt. Hoyt Sherman Place. Jan. 13 All Ages $25.50-$50

Parlours CD Release Party. Up-and-coming Des Moines folk-poppers who "Dream of Chicago" unveil their new EP for Aqui Estamos. They're joined by labelmate Cashes Rivers and fellow locals the River Monks. That's the late show; locals Hanwell, La Strange and So Much Fun play the early show. Jan. 14 21+ (late show) All Ages (early show) $5

ASKLANDAGANZA 4. High-energy Ames indie-rockers the Poison Control Center, fresh off a quick stint in Chicago recording the follow-up to last year's triumphant double-LP Sad Sour Future, show off what they've learned in their past year on the road next Saturday at Vaudeville Mews. They're joined at this annual birthday extravaganza for Mews booker Ladd Askland by Land of Blood and Sunshine and Derek Lambert & the Prairie Fires, with Bob Nastanovich (of Pavement fame) spinning records. Look for Bob this Jan. 20 on the Food Network. Lineup above is for the late show; talented locals Wolves in the Attic, Canyons, and the Seed of Something play the early show. Jan. 15 21+ (late show) All Ages (early show) $5

Maxilla Blue. It's a night of local hip-hop and it's for a good cause. Maxilla Blue plays Vaudeville Mews with Richie Daggers and Young Tripp along with PrettyGirlHateMachine and Neon Current, in a benefit for Hoodies for Humanity. That follows an early-show bill of local rock, with Why Make Clocks joined by the Chatty Cathys, Pocket Aristotle, the Seed of Something and Longshadowmen. Jan. 22 21+ $5 or free with donation of a clean, wearable hoodie (late show) and All Ages $5 (early show)

Lyrics Born. Bay Area rapper behind good times jams like "Callin' Out" comes to Vaudeville Mews in support of latest album As U Were, joined by Keys N Krates.  Jan. 27 21+ $15

Oberhofer with Night Moves. Grinnell College. Jan. 27 All Ages & Free

Guster with Good Old War. Hoyt Sherman Place. Jan. 27 All Ages $25-$28

February

Resident Artists: It Might Get Loud. Not totally sure what this Vaudeville Mews show is, but the bill features locals Johnny Scum, Golden Veins, Deep Sleep Waltzing and Brutus. Feb. 4 21+ $5

Javelin with Foody Pyramid. Grinnell College. Feb. 5 All Ages & Free

Cleo's Apartment. Local self-described "hip-hop/acid jazz" group plays Vaudeville Mews with Wrestling With Wolves, Diamonds for Eyes, Mother Culture and New Bodies. Feb. 11 21+ $7

Loretta Lynn. Hoyt Sherman Place Feb. 15 All Ages $52.50-$72.50

Canby. The local indie-folk band led by the Envy Corps' Scott Yoshimura plays Vaudeville Mews with Aqui Estamos labelmates Parlours plus Crystal City. Feb. 18 21+ $5

Sleeping in the Aviary. A Madison band that has moved from pop-punk to indie-folk plays Vaudeville Mews with locals Mumfords, Derek Lambert & the Prairie Fires and the Chatty Cathys. All Ages $5

Daymoths. Twin Cities indie two-piece makes the drive to Vaudeville Mews. Golden Veins opens. Feb. 27 21+ $5

March 

Dropkick Murphys with Against Me!. Val Air Ballroom. March 4 All Ages $25

Hunter Valentine. with Vanity Theft, Love Songs for Lonely Monsters, New Member Charles March 4 21+ $7

The River Monks CD Release Party. with the Wandering Bears and Elizabeth Arynn March 5 All Ages $5

April

My Chemical Romance. Val Air Ballroom. April 10 All Ages $30

DON'T NEED A HOME, WE JUST WANT A BED

Once is not enough to know.

"I know it's not cool to like your hometown, but..." Santah singer/guitarist Stan McConnell offered last night at Vaudeville Mews, then asked people to cheer for Des Moines. Ladd, Devin and I wooed. Santah are a uniquely monikered five-piece band-- "Stan ... likes to say he was trying to challenge the creative conventions and concepts for the name Santa," keyboard player Tommy Trafton tells Paste-- formed at the University of Illinois. McConnell has a "soaring" voice, as Ladd pointed out during the set, and he does some nice harmonies with sister Vivian. The basic sound is arty, folk-tinged rock, with pealing organ sounds from the keyboard and dramatic, almost wrenching guitar stabs, where those pretty vocals are at the center of things but not necessarily always comprehensible, though it's all highly proficient, carefully constructed stuff. I guess this puts them somewhere along a continuum from, like, Brooklyn chamber-pop heavyweights Grizzly Bear to L.A.'s Cold War Kids-- you can decide where, but I thought they were pretty solid and I'll be curious to hear how Santah sound after more time on the road. The band recorded self-released debut White Noise Bed at late Wilco member Jay Bennett's Pieholden Studios, just weeks after Bennett's death, which sounds like it was a sad, weird experience, and also suggests that if you're a Wilco fan you might like these dudes. My favorite song of Santah's, "Neighbors & Cousins (Are We Lovers)," has more of a rickety garage-rock quality to it, and chord changes that might put you in mind of David Bowie's "Heroes" or LCD Soundsystem's "All I Want," plus a bit of a "Moulty"-ish spoken-word interlude: "Is anybody out there confused? Oh, me too." Though it's been said, many times, by many bloggers: Happy holidays, Santah.

The future isn't far away.

The big thrill for me was seeing local high school dudes the Seed of Something again last night. They've been playing around town a bunch now, but the last time I saw them was months and months ago, even before the Poison Control Center's show with them at Des Moines Social Club in August. I had gone to, like, three shows in a row before that, so I figured I would sit back for a while and let them progress, and man, it's not that I was surprised last night or anything, but it was just great to see how much they really have come into their own since then. One of the singers, Stone, is Ladd's brother, so I've always been rooting for these guys, but they put on a super rocking set this time, above and beyond what I remember, starting with a raucous like two-chord wonder that could hold its own against a lot of the current garage-rock/lo-fi scene, probably-- it was really loud, too! Also there was a PCC cover and a Guided By Voices cover. It was fun watching a bunch of teenagers freaking out to that stuff. I guess the '90s really are back? Oh and I heard the Chatty Cathys and new band Pocket Aristotle were good earlier in the night. Nice to hear some local talent coming up. The Seed of Something had a new demo CD to give away, but I got to the merch table too late to score one-- next time.

Speaking of what's coming up, I'm not gonna do a whole concert listing right now, though there's an interesting-sounding covers show later this week and CD release party for local band Parlours next month, but here's one event I won't be missing: Asklandaganza, at Vaudeville Mews, January 15, featuring Wolves in the Attic, Canyons, the Seed of Something, the Poison Control Center, Land Of Blood And Sunshine, Derek Lambert & the Prairie Fires.

IN LOVE WITH THE ELECTRIC SOUND

Do you love her? / Do you wonder / Why the starship shines above?

As I was passing one of the guitar players from Free Energy on the way out last night at Vaudeville Mews, I thanked him for a good show, and he thanked Des Moines for everybody freaking out so much. I said something about how that's how I knew going in that it couldn't possibly be a bad night: They're a fun band, and a pretty significant chunk of the people I know in town were gonna be there going wild and dancing and jumping up and down and shouting and hyping up the guys on stage. I guess from their record I expected them to be glamorous like the Strokes. It turns out they're lovable schlubs like Pavement. Give or take a little creative facial hair and exactly one (1) bandana in the style of the E Street Band's Little Steven. The rockstar thing, the larger-than-life talk, it's all part of living out this semi-obsolete fantasy, of a guitar band being absolutely huge, and trying to make the fantasy into reality.