Thank you, Duh Moines, good night
Des Moines sucks. I figure I am probably not the first person to say it.
I don't mean to sound elitist. Not on my own music blog, I can do better than that. Is there such a thing as "ultra-elitist?" If not, well that's a term I just coined for being better than music elitists. Ultra-hoo, I refuse to believe that I am one of less than a dozen people in the greater Des Moines area keeping track of the national indie music scene. Earlier this week I was one of about twelve people treated to the musical stylings of Austin, Texas band Voxtrot at one of Des Moines' premiere venues (wooo) Vaudeville Mews. Just one week earlier they played two sold-out nights in a row in New York City, followed later by a sold-out show in Toronto. These guys are getting a lot of press from their great live shows and two EPs, but apparently I was one of the few in the area to know about this. Indeed, the boys of Voxtrot and their tourmates Irving (check out their video here) put on a hell of a show, but it was no secret they were surprised to play to such a small crowd.
This only couples with my disappointment with a similar turnout to Minneapolis rockers The Plastic Constellations last month. There was a sizeable crowd to begin with, but twenty or so people left after the opener: local S***knot side project To My Surprise. I am ecstatic that support for local music here is so high. The Envy Corps have, to my knowledge, sold out every show in the state so far this tour. But if the people of Des Moines don't get off their duffs and see bands featuring musicians they did not go to high school with, the local music scene will be all that Des Moines has to offer. We are lucky to get acts in the first place due to stereotyping, it would be no surprise to learn how many bands pass us over after a bad experience on the first tour.
I'm disappointed in you, Des Moines. In fact, I'm going to start referring to you as Duh Moines from here on out. Catchy, no?
posted by Thomas @ 2:37 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
the best think about this is the ability to comment anonymously
hell yeah.
You are right in that, the Des Moines scene sucks for touring indie bands. But don't think this is something unique to Iowa. It's true that these indie bands may be selling out places like New York, but in countless cities across the country, unless you have strong local support, you are screwed despite how much college air play you get, or what great indie label you are on. The Envy Corps have actually only sold out two shows, Vaudeville Mews and M-Shop, but June 30th they are playing at the House of Bricks and we're working to sell that one out too. Don't let this trick you into thinking Des Moines doesn't suck though. The Envy Corps are lucky in that, they've had great support from 105.1, and with their third single out since summer (constant rotation, really), they have been blessed with so much exposure. I'm happy for the boys though. They deserve it. Hopefully that recognition can start to be seen outside of just the middle of Iowa. I'm in a band called General Sherman who tours with them, and it's always such a shock to go on tour with them, and see these people who just sit there staring during their set, not really caring or showing any sort of reaction. So, like I said, Des Moines isn't the only place that sucks.
I found this through your xanga, by the way.
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