Website for Iowa music of ALL and ANY genres. Showing the wonderful and diverse music our state offers!
We feature music podcasts, interview podcasts, videos, among other media, to present to you what is happening and has happened in the Iowa Music Scene.
To submit a song or website, app, playlist, etc, send audiofile or link to iowamusicshowcase@gmail.com!
This is the first of another weekly feature on Iowa Music Showcase. In case, you missed these bands on We Are Iowa and ABC WOI 5 on Thursday and Friday mornings, you'll be able to catch them here!
Lou Sipolt, Richard Ardnt, and Jackie Smillen on Iowa Live
This week we present a collection of the blues and southern rock of Richard Arndt. We don't stray much farther with the next video, the country rock of Michael Moncada and the Whiskey High Band. And sticking to bluesy, country style, we close with Josh Sinclair.
This week's collection of IHearICvideos from May 2013 features a return of The Combined Efforts Men's Chorus as well as Iowa City staple, Dana T. Plus, former Iowa City rock band, Huge Lewis.
Buick McSnake was a 90s and 00s band featuring Brad Roth and Lonnie Ulrich, both staples of the Des Moines music scene, having worked together since the 80s, most notably in ATOY/A Testament of Youth.
"Singing 1st tenor and playing bass, Tommy grew up in Aurora, Colorado. His musical journey began in the 3rd grade, singing in a children’s chorus, and studying piano and drums. Tommy’s love for music lead him to Phil Mattson’s prestigious School for Music Vocations in Creston, Iowa. He then graduated from the New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts in 2012, where he studied with Dominique Eade and Ran Blake. Boynton continued to share his love and passion for music by returning to SMV where he taught for the three years until he joined the Freshmen. Tommy has shared the stage with several Grammy nominated musicians, including jazz pianist Fred Hersch, and critically acclaimed jazz vocalist Kate McGarry. He is an avid soccer player and cyclist and has toured across the midwest and around the Pacific Northwest on his bicycle, and believes there is no better way to explore an area or the world than on a bicycle. He currently resides in Des Moines, IA. While on the road, he misses his kitties, Alice and Little Brother, more than anything."
- from the Four Freshman website
"Robert Espe currently plays violin full-time with Des Moines Symphony as well as the wcfsymphony. He is a member of the Metro Chamber Ensemble and a regular sub with Quartet 515. He plays with several area ensembles ranging from folk and rock to klezmer and tango and is an experienced pit orchestra musician.
Robert grew up in Independence, IA and began his violin studies at the age of three with the UNI Suzuki School in Cedar Falls, IA. He was briefly concertmaster of the UNI Symphony Orchestra during his undergraduate studies, before earning a B.S. in Bioinformatics, Minor in Music in 2011.
In addition to his work as a violinist, he is also a professional freelance saxophonist, regularly appearing with Turner Center Jazz Ensemble and the Des Moines Big Band, and is an on-call sideman for local and visiting artists at Des Moines’ jazz cabaret, Noce. He is also a semi-regular horn section member of the Colorado-based, modern funk, roots, and vintage soul band Euforquestra. He has also performed with numerous musical icons including pop superstar Katy Perry and Motown legends The Temptations. As a mandolinist, he is a founding member of Choro Moingona, Des Moines’ premier choro ensemble."
- from his entry on the Des Moines Symphony website
Jazzman Joe for the videos' YouTube page: "NOCE JAZZ CABARET PRESENTED A JAZZ ON THE HOUSE EVENT FEATURING TOMMY BOYNTON, PIANO AND VOCALS (MEMBER OF FOUR FRESHMAN GROUP), AND ROBERT ESPE ON TENOR SAXOPHONE IN A VARIED CONCERT OF BALLADS."
"Since 1994 Paul Bridson has played lead and solo jazz trombone with The Des Moines Big Band, and since 2011 he has been the business manager and lead trombonist of the Turner Center Jazz Orchestra. He is a teaching artist with Drake University, and is available for clinics, casuals, commercial and pit orchestra work anywhere within driving distance. He is also the co-founder of Synergy Jazz Foundation, which brings Aebersold clinicians to central Iowa students and provides assistance to students wishing to attend summer jazz camps.
"Paul studied trombone at Truman State University under Dr. Roger Cody and at the University of Iowa under the incredible George Krem. While attending the U of I, he performed at the Montreaux Jazz Festival with the Johnson County Landmark band under direction of Dan Yoder. He spent four years in Austin, TX playing the Jazz chair in the Non-Ego Big Band and playing bass for numerous Texas Swing bands on famous Sixth Street. His credits include Jimmy Dorsey, Sarah Vaughn, Red Skelton, The Lawrence Welk Orchestra, Wayne Newton, The Temptations, Frankie Valli, 10,000 Maniacs and numerous touring productions."
- from Paul Bridson's profile on the Des Moines Musicians Association website
Jazzman Joe for the videos' YouTube page: "TROMBONIST PAUL BRIDSON AND PIANIST JASON DANIELSON COMBINED TO PRESENT A PROGRAM OF BALLADS AND JAZZ STANDARDS TO THE THURSDAY NIGHT JAZZ ON THE HOUSE SERIES AT NOCE JAZZ CABARET 1/3/19. THE VIDEO HERE IS OF THE FIRST SET OF THE EVENING."
As per usual, we have a rather eclectic mix of videos from IHearIC. We had acoustic guitar player, Katie Wedmore, keyboardist Matt Smart, and Tyler Swick, Aaron Ziegler, and Blake Shaw playing electric bass and steel drums.
I fully admit that I know nothing about this show. DSM Unplugged, that took place on Jan 6, 2016. I just found a bunch of the performances on YouTube and am sharing them with you. If anyone has any information on the show, please let me know!
Chris Ranallo is a singer/songwriter whose musical talent, songwriting ability, and vocal prowess have graced a variety of stages and venues spanning the Midwest to the West Coast over the last decade. His sound has been described as a fusion of John Mayer and Maroon 5, with heartfelt ballads and a funky soulful flare.
Chris' passion for music was ignited as a child growing up in a creative, musical family in Iowa. By the time he was 9 he was composing his own material on the piano, and at 12, Chris was playing the guitar and joined his first band. As a developing artist, he was influenced by iconic performers, including the Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Police and the Dave Matthews Band, as well as his musical parents’ artistry. Chris spent countless hours listening to his Dad playing the piano, and recalls being mesmerized by his mother’s “captivating” voice. He performed with rock bands all throughout high school, and went on to hone his musicality and performance skills at the University of Iowa.
After graduation, Chris moved to Chicago in 2001, and began to tour as a solo performer. He continued to pen his own material, and returned to Iowa to form a duo with Scott Kacher, a fellow singer/songwriter. Together they performed in Vail, Colorado in 2005, and collaborated on the album “Velcro Dog.”
Chris continued to light up venues as both a solo and duo performer. In 2009 he joined the band Decoy. The band developed an infectious enthusiasm among its loyal fan base. Their 2010 CD, “Nothing to Lose” has garnered well-deserved kudos for their tight harmonies and overall production in a fine first effort.
Chris recently released his solo album, “Exhale,” which features eight original tracks, and he is planning a tour in the Fall 2013. As Chris continues along his own trajectory as an artist, he will always be the kid that fell in love with acting and performing and will continue captivating audiences by sharing his stories through music and creating unforgettable moments with his fans, in the spotlight in which he truly shines.
- from his Facebook page
Once again, using a random sampling method, we picked out 5 videos featuring Iowa artists.
And diverse lot this is! We start out with the countrified pop of The Nadas, then some experimental music with saxaphone, a polka parody, some more experimental music, and finally close out with some hard rock, showing once again the diversity of Iowa music!
If you're an Iowa (or Omaha, Quad Cities, or Sioux Falls) music act, and you have a YouTube channel, let me know at iowamusicshowcase@gmail.com and I'll follow you!
"Molly Brandt Band is eponymously named for its leader, Molly Brandt. You knew that though... Playing a classic mix of R&B, soul, blues, and jazz. Sources of Inspiration include the likes of Lake Street Dive, Etta James, Nancy Wilson, and Nina Simone...
"Molly Brandt lives and works in Des Moines as a jazz and R&B musician, piano educator, and arts advocate. A recent graduate of Drake University's Music Business program, Molly has found passion and fulfillment through community engagement with the arts and a deep love for the city of Des Moines.
"Since graduating, Molly has primarily worked with the Des Moines Music Coalition as the Advocacy Coordinator, with a goal of changing city ordinances to better serve music venues, musicians, and the overall city. Additionally, she has engaged in research with Drake University to help implement goals of Bravo's Regional Cultural Assessment and gauge challenges and needs for a robust creative economy in Des Moines. She currently teaches piano for all ages and levels. Molly serves on the Board of Directors for Civic Music Association and volunteers time with the 80/35 music festival. Then she sees as much live music as possible and explores the city she loves."
- from their Facebook page
Jazzman Joe for the videos' YouTube pages: "THE MOLLY BRANDT BAND PERFORMED AT NOCE JAZZ CABARET ON 5/24/18 BEFORE A CAPACITY AUDIENCE "ON THE HOUSE NIGHT". THE VERY TALENTED MOLLY ON VOCALS, KEYS & PIANO. SHE WAS SUPPORTED BY CHRIS WALSH ON BASS, JOSH GORMAN ON GUITAR, ANDREW GRJERSVIK ON DRUMS, TIM ZUO ON ALTO SAX, AND ERIC BROWN ON TRUMPET."
GriffleTV was a YouTube show that ran from May 2010 to Mar 2011 featuring local bands in live perfromances. We will feature some of these videos from time to time.
"The Poison Control Center is a band from Ames, Iowa.
"The band's indie rock sound is strongly influenced by bands of the 1960s, such as The Beatles and The Beach Boys, but they have also touched upon more unrelated genres since their inception. Their earlier recordings show influence of the lo-fi sound and pop sensibilities of indie rock bands of the 1990s, such as Guided by Voices and Pavement, although recent albums have featured more polished production."
- from their Wikipedia page
"The Poison Control Center have long been considered one of Iowa's personal favorite local bands. The creation of Patrick Tape Fleming and many of his friends, the band's inspiration has stood as one of Iowa's music scene's key ideals: community and friendship. Though the numbers and band members have changed throughout the years, the band has continued to release music in a more condensed version, having most recently released 2011's Stranger Ballet. The band is best known nowadays to consist of Patrick Tape Fleming on guitar and vocals as well as Devin Frank, who also plays guitar and sings, Joe Terry, who plays bass and sings (and does a cool thing with a trumpet and some swingin' hips), and Dave Olson, who plays drums (... and he sings, too). Though some of the members have moved away, the band still likes to get together to entertain the masses, doing cartwheels, standing on their heads while shredding through guitar solos, dancing in the crowd, and leading many a sing-a-long with the crowd (basically, putting on legendary rock shows). The PCC have spawned many other great bands around Iowa INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: Mantis Pincers, Gloom Balloon, and Histo (technically, not an Iowa band, but we still have love for Don). The PCC have also had special guests perform with them, such as Bob Nastanovich of Pavement, and Paul Shaffer from Late Night with David Letterman."
- from their page in DMMC's Music Directory
Lock N Load was a Sioux City live talk show podcast that ran from Jul 2013 to Jan 2017. As the show progressed, music started playing a bigger role in it. Iowa Music Showcase will feature some of their shows and excerpts that have a strong component of Iowa music or nearby neighbors, like this one featuring Dustin Conaway from Allen, Nebraska, a stone's throw away from Sioux City.
Local Country music Artist Dustin Conaway came in studio with us to talk about his first album coming and and also to debut and play live on our show. This is the clip from the episode which is titled "Dustin Vs. Zombies".
"The Greater Des Moines Community Jazz Center (CJC) was founded in the 1980's with the help of many people, including Scott Davis, Dave Koberdahl, Larry Green, Cecil Stanley, and Phillis Leaverton. As a part of the CJC's outreach efforts, the CJC Big Band was formed in order to travel and perform at the IAJE festival in New Orleans in the late 1980's.
"The CJC Big Band lost a consistent presence until 1993, when Mr. Doug Bown, at the suggestion of Larry Green, worked to start the CJC Big Band up again. Doug Bown was the part time assistant band director at Hoover High School and arranged for the band to rehearse at the school and make use of Hoover High School's music library to get started. Performing a variety of music, notably arrangements of Woody Herman and Count Basie music, the CJC Big Band began rehearsing and performed for a few high school events. Notable pianist Jason Danielson was a Hoover student and with the CJC Big Band during that year or two that Doug Bown led the band.
"Phillis Leaverton, who at the time oversaw the student jam sessions at Java Joes, arranged to have the CJC Big Band play on the third Sundays at the downtown location of Java Joe's. At the time, there was no Fourth Street Theater so the band had to squeeze onto the little stage in the coffee shop. Doug Bown assembled and directed the band for a year or two and then handed it over to Chris Paulson who played drums and directed band at East High School at the time.
"Since the mid 90's the group has been led by a number of musicians, including: Doug Bown, John Kendeigh, Frank IacovazziI, Bob Start, etc."
- from the CJC Big Band home page
Jazzman Joe for the videos' YouTube pages: "THE CJC BIG BAND, WITH VOCALISTS AMBER DUIMSTRA, CRAIG IRVIN, AND BOB SIMMONS, PRESENTED THEIR SPRING FINALE PERFORMANCE TILL NEXT FALL BEFORE AN ENTHUSIASTIC AUDIENCE OF FANS....NINETEEN SONGS WERE ON THE PLAYLIST."
Iowa Music Showcase has added some new features, so we've changed the schedule around a little bit.
We're happy to welcome Iowa BLUES Showcase Podcast (not be confused with our own Iowa Music Showcase Podcast), Listen Up Iowa website, Lock N Load podcast, and the GriffleTV YouTube channel to the IMSC family!
Here is the current schedule of our features:
Monday mornings-
- first Monday of the month - Culture Myth, a column by Des Moines writer on music, Chad Taylor
- second Monday of the month - Fester Rage Video - a video of one of Iowa's alternative acts from the past few yeas
- third Monday of the month - Culture Myth
Monday evenings -
Whichever of the following three I (Dan OlderMusicGeek) feel like putting out that week...
- Iowa Music Showcase Podcast - a half hour of Iowa music based on a theme or genre
- Playlists - Just a playlist I put together, again usually based on a theme
- Other Sources - This is just me (Dan OlderMusicGeek) informing and showing some other source where you can hear more Iowa music. Could be a website, a podcast, compilation album, YouTube channel, or anything.
Tuesday mornings -
Iowa Block Radio Rock podcast - a podcast from Iowa Block Radio featuring Iowa rock music
Tuesday evenings -
IHearIC Videos - a half hour's worth of videos from the IHearIC YouTube channel
Wednesday mornings -
Iowa Blues Showcase Podcast - a weekly podcast put out by Iowa blues stalwart, Tom Gary
Wednesday evenings -
Your Own Private Iowa - an interview podcast by Richard Sutton in Ames
Thursday mornings -
Iowa Block Radio Rap podcast - a podcast from Iowa Block Radio featuring Iowa's hip hop and rap
Thursday evenings -
IHearIC podcasts - a weekly podcast featuring music of various genres from Iowa City and nearby
Friday mornings-
- second Friday of the month - a classic episode of the Iowa Blues Showcase Podcast
- fourth Friday of the month - a classic episode of Iowa Block Radio
Fillers and substitutes -
These will be used when one of our regular features is off at that time...
- a classic episode of the IHearIC podcast
- Listen Up - a column from the website by Cedar Falls music fan, Olivia Novak
- Lock N Load podcast - a music podcast on hiatus from Sioux City
- GriffleTV - a YouTube show from 2009 and 2010 featuring Iowa bands
"The NOLA Jazz Band began playing together for an initial gig at The Basement of The Des Moines Social Club March, 2015. It became so popular it is now an ongoing event. Since then band has taken the midwest by storm in a little over a years time.
"The bands monthly 'New Orleans Jazz Party' occurs every First Friday of the month at 'The Basement' playing to packed and many times sold out shows. Starting in 2017 the band will also be playing regularly at "NOCE" Des Moines new jazz and blues club. All band members have a common love for the sound and 'feel' of both traditional and current New Orleans based music – real, gutsy, raw, heartfelt, and entertaining.
"The NOLA Jazz Band has played alongside a number of well-known traditional jazz and music groups including Davina & The Vagabonds from Minneapolis, Sony recording artist Bria Skonberg from New York City, and Dom Flemons of The Carolina Chocolate Drops.
"Individual band members have shared the stage with Vincent Gardner, Maynard Ferguson, Benny Goodman, Kurt Elling, and many other well know jazz artists. NOLA Jazz Band members have also been inducted into the Iowa Jazz Hall of Fame, and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame."
- from their home page
Jazzman Joe for the videos' YouTube pages: "THE NOLA JAZZ BAND PERFORMED AT NOCE JAZZ CABARET THIS EVENING ON 4/27/18 BEFORE AN ENTHUSIASTIC AUDIENCE. ABBIE SAWYER DELIVERED HER SMOOTH VOCALS TO THE DELIGHT OF EVERYONE IN ATTENDENCE."
This week present the singer/songwriter music of Dana T with accompanying trumpet, plus some classical work with violinst Timothy Hsu, and finally choral pieces with Combined Efforts Men's Chorus.
"More than thirty local and reigonal musicians have joined Tina and Brandon (Findlay) on their musical journey over the last four-plus years, including international award-winning bassist Scot Sutherland, renowed artist-educator Dr. Damani Phillips, percussionist/clinician Paul Thompson, and many more close friends.
"Blues, rock and soul meets jazz, jam and gospel- with theatre, jingles, ragtime and whatever the heck we feel like throwing in!"
- from the Diva and the Deacons Facebook page
Jazzman Joe for the videos' YouTube pages: "TINA HAASE FINDLAY PERFORMED HER TRIBUTE TO ELLA FITZGERALD COMEMORATING ELLA'S 100TH BIRTHDAY AT NOCE JAZZ CABARET BEFORE A NEAR CAPACITY AUDIENCE.SUPPORTED BY HER BAND WHICH INCLUDED HUSBAND BRANDON FINDLAY ON GUITAR."
This week we present just two performances. One is from Iowa City band, The Main Sequence, with some ambient prog music. Then Boris and Natasha present some singer/songwriter music accompanied by violin.
"The Beaver Creek Jazz Ensemble keeps audiences entertained with a variety of swingin' tunes! The ensemble consists of 16 amazing musicians that perform at several venues throughout the year in Central Iowa including coffee shops, farmer's markets, retirement communities, corporate events, fundraisers and more."
- from an old event listed on Tockify.com
Jazzman Joe for the videos' YouTube pages: BEAVER CREEK JAZZ ENSEMBLE PRESENTED THEIR SPRING CONCERT AT UNION PARK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH ON 4/12/18. DENI BASH HOFFMAN WAS THE FEATURED VOCALIST. JAZZ STANDARDS FROM GOODMAN, ELLINGTON, & SHAW WERE HIGHLIGHTED."
