NOG BLOG (July 4, 2009)
Happy birthday, America!
This photo is from my boating excursion yesterday on Saylorville Lake. After a day on the water, my wife and I went with friends to the 80/35 Music Festival in downtown Des Moines. Around 5,000 people braved the rainy weather to catch acts like Stephen Malkmus (of Pavement fame), The Autumn Project, Public Enemy and House of Large Sizes:
HOLS totally rocked! Loud, fast and tight. We did not stay for Public Enemy, but heard Flavor Flav did not make it to Des Moines. NOG played this festival last year and it was a great time. Hopefully they'll ask us back in 2010. (Pat)
NOG-BLOG 11 (Feb 1, 2009)
What a fun weekend we had - playing House of Bricks in Des Moines Friday night with Superchief and Steve Robinson & The Foundation - and Saturday night at DGs Tap in Ames! Special thanks to our friends who made the trip to Ames and helped us with the load-in / load-out and got us home safe...Roger, Chad and Adam. We would also like to thank all the girls who danced the night away.
We will be spending the month of Febuary in the rehearsal space working on old & new songs with our friend Matt Wellendorf - who is adding some blazin' lead guitar work to our tunes. We are hoping he'll be able to make the trip with us in March to Austin TX.
Time to watch five hours of Super Bowl pregame!
NOG-BLOG 10 (Dec 10, 2008)
Pat here. Okay, so it's been a while. I resolve to write more, here, in 2009. I will. I promise. I've been way too busy lately catching up on TV shows everybody else has been watching for years - namely Mad Men, Dexter and Entourage.
I'm really excited about NOG's upcoming shows this month. All three gigs will be spectacular and will involve some surprises, including a fourth member joining us on stage for a few songs on the 27th:
Thanks to Heather C. for the flyer above! Can you believe that line-up of bands?! Can you imagine how hard that night will rock?! Can you fathom how much booze will be consumed?! We are really excited about playing first and enjoying two of our favorite bands EVER.
New albums I'm enjoying right now: Get It Together by the Supersuckers & Death Magnetic by Metallica.
DK is in Minneapolis tonight catching Oasis in concert. Is it 2008 of 1992? I guess I shouldn't make fun - I'm listening to the Supersuckers and Metallica.
That's all for now...will write again soon!
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NOG-BLOG 9 (year in review, Dec 31, 2006)
Pat here. I quit doing the NOG-BLOG thing on a weekly basis. But I will try submitting more material here at least once a month in the new year, starting now, with my 2006 music year in review! I'll ask Dan and Sean to submit their thoughts too and will add them here if they do so.
My 20 favorite CDs of 2006 (in no particular order)
BUILT TO SPILL You In Reverse
THE ELECTED Sun, Sun, Sun
JENNY LEWIS & THE WATSON TWINS Rabbit Fur Coat
LEFT IS WEST Alive Between the Record Sleeves
DEAD GIRLS RUIN EVERYTHING What a Perfect Ending
THE MITTENS This Carnival Egg
ACTION FIGURE Every Minutes The End
SUPERHOPPER Party Killers
THE HOLD STEADY Boys and Girls in America
MARITIME We, The Vehicles
THE LAWRENCE ARMS Oh! Calcutta!
THE THERMALS The Body, The Blood, The Machine
DANKO JONES Sleep is the Enemy
BAND OF HORSES Everything All the Time
MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO Fading Trails
WHY MAKE CLOCKS Midwestern Film
PERNICE BROTHERS Live a Little
WHAT MADE MILWAUKEE FAMOUS Trying to Never Catch Up
PETE YORN Nightcrawler
THE STROKES First Impressions of Earth
If I had to pick one album that thrilled me more than the others, it would be You in Reverse by BUILT TO SPILL. The opening 8-plus minute track "Going Against Your Mind" is just amazing and "Conventional Wisdom" is one of the catchiest BTS songs yet. NORTH OF GRAND's Cut You Down is a pretty strong effort, but we weren't the only Iowa band that released a kick-ass CD in 2006! LEFT IS WEST, THE MITTENS, and WHY MAKE CLOCKS all spent a lot of time in my CD player this year.
There are a few albums on my top 20 that might not have made the cut if I hadn't seen the songs played live. I liked THE ELECTED release, but their April appearance at the Vaudeville Mews in Des Moines was incredible. I couldn't put the album away after the live experience. Seeing THE HOLD STEADY in Iowa City in December, THE PERNICE BROTHERS in Des Moines in November, and DANKO JONES in Chicago in August all gave me new appreciation for their albums. There are a few artists that just missed making the top 20; including LUCERO, SPARTA, JEREMY ENIGK, CAT POWER, and THE DIXIE CHICKS. I have to admit there are several albums that may have made my list, but I either haven't taken enough time to listen to them or simply haven't heard them yet. I'm excited about spending more time with the 2006 releases from SONIC YOUTH, THE LEMONHEADS, WOLF PARADE, BOB DYLAN, NEKO CASE, COMMUNIQUE, CALIFONE, THE FIGGS, JOAN JETT, and more.
My favorite live shows I saw in 2006:
1. Dinosaur Jr - April, Lawrence KS - North of Grand was lucky enough to see this legendary band the night before we started recording "Cut You Down" in Eudora KS. I drank too much, but from what I remember, it was awesome.
2. The Elected - April, Vaudeville Mews, Des Moines - my beautiful wife & I were two of the few people there, and the intimate show was perfect.
3. Bob Dylan & Merle Haggard - Val-Air Ballroom, Des Moines - I still can't believe this actually happened.
4. Danko Jones - August, Chicago - one of the most straight-up, kick ass live rock shows I've seen
5. Magnolia Electric Co - March, Vaudeville Mews - amazing
6. The Hold Steady - December, The Picador, Iowa City - it's hard not to drink too much while seeing these guys. So very hard.
7. Wilco - March, Val-Air Ballroom - a great show, especially "Shot in the Arm."
8. Pernice Brothers - Novmber, Vaudeville Mews
9. Ted Leo - March, Abbey Pub, Chicago
10. Maritime - September, M-Shop, Ames
11. Drag the River & Cordero - summer, Vaudeville Mews
11. George Jones - July, Iowa State Fair
12. Joan Jett - July, Iowa State Fair
13. Angels and Airwaves - November, Val-Air Ballroom
14. Sparklehorse - September, Nashville TN
15. All of the bands North of Grand was lucky enough to play with in 2006; including Dead Girls Ruin Everything, Action Figure, Squidboy, Left is West, and The High Strung.
That's it for now. Oh, but here are three albums that I'm sure will be awesome in 2007 and I can't wait to hear them:
1. North of Grand's yet to be recorded fourth CD!
2. The new Shins
3. The new Ted Leo & the Pharmacists
Pat
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NOG-BLOG 8
This is a weekly rant about the local music scene from Pat Curtis, drummer for Des Moines rock band North of Grand. NOG has released three CDs; "Cut You Down" (2006), "Attention to Revenge" (2005), and "Wrong Way Home" (2003). The three-piece band plays punk-inspired pop and also includes Sean Wilson (guitar/vocals) and Dan Ketelsen (bass). Pat's views do not necessarily reflect those of his bandmates!
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NOG-BLOG (July 27, 2006):
I'd like to take some time this week to pat my band on the back. I think we created a pretty good blueprint of how a small, independent rock band should make and release a CD. It was a process that involved months of planning, more than a little bit of money, and a lot of incredible help from talented people outside of the band.
We started in January of this year with a visit to Black Lodge Studios in Eudora, Kansas. It's just a place we've always wanted to record because of the albums we love that were documented there. Fast forward four months, and we are actually at Black Lodge, banging out seven songs in four days. It was such a great experience and the recording sounds just as we had hoped it would.
We were very fortunate to have a friend to help us with all things "marketing". Erich Ernst designed our album artwork, posters, t-shirts, and stickers - all incorporating the same general theme of our album title, Cut You Down. Everything looks very sharp and professional. We couldn't have done anything without him.
Organizing the CD release show was a bit of a chore. We were very excited to land the show on a Saturday (July 22) at our favorite club, Hairy Marys. We asked two of our favorite bands to join us and fortunately, they both agreed. That was the easy part. The hard part was all the foot work. I wrote a new band bio, a press release, and other materials to send with the new CD to all the media outlets. The local radio stations, 105.1 and 103.3, both played some of our new songs and promoted the show on their local music programs. Cityview was the only paper to give us any real ink. Michael Swanger wrote a very favorable review of the album, and a nice feature on the band. Datebook and Juice pretty much ignored us. Kyle Munson did write a two-sentence review that gave no real indication that he even listened to the CD. Oh well.
On the afternoon of the show, we had a "warm up gig" at the Taste of Des Moines event. It went off without a hitch. We played our set, made some mistakes, but had a good time. At 9pm, we gathered for our big night at Marys. Months ago, we had asked our favorite sound man, Joey Hollywood, to run the show. When I walked through the door, he was already there chanting "check, yeah...two, two" through the PA. It sounded like God himself was behind the console.
The crowd slowly gathers. Our friends show up. The bar gets a little busy. Everyone seems happy to be there. Left is West plays a great opening set. Chad O'Neall is one of the best songwriters in Des Moines and the rest of the band is tight. They are also selling their debut CD, Alive Between the Record Sleeves, with artwork done by Erich Ernst. The second band, Dead Girls Ruin Everything, made the trip from Lawrence, Kansas. They had cancelled a few days earlier, but then decided they would carry on as a three piece (the bass player couldn't make it, so one guitarist switched to bass). Wow. They rocked hard and basically made me more nervous. We have to follow that!?!?
Once we finally hit the stage, all fears are calmed. I love playing drums, especially with the two guys I'm in a band with now. We had dreamed, practiced, and prepared for this moment for a long time. And playing live on stage is what it's all about. I feel like we are really locked-in to each other and play an energetic, solid show. About 45 minutes and a couple encores later, it's all over. We sold some CDs and t-shirts and retired to the after hours party. I hear it ended at 7am.
It's always fun releasing a new album, but man, it's a lot of work! I'm glad it's over. Now, buy our CD! It's available at ZZZ Records in downtown Des Moines or Borders in West Des Moines and very soon, it'll be available on our website.
Upcoming show I'm looking forward to: Lollapollooza in Chicago, Aug 4-5. I can't miss this!
Feel free to respond! You can send me an email, if you wish, at northofgrand@yahoo.com
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NOG-BLOG (July 14, 2006):
I read last week, with much sadness, about the final show ever at Gabe's Oasis. The Iowa City bar has closed and will reopen with new management as The Picador. Gabes was one of the coolest live music venues in the midwest. Like thousands of people, I saw a ton of great bands there; Archers of Loaf, The Handsome Family, Nada Surf, Son Volt, Spoon, and The Donnas to name just a few. And while the new bar owners say they'll continue to host live music, it certainly won't be the same. Sure, it might be nice to have a decent restroom, but the character of that establishment can't be matched. I'm not sure exactly why Gabes was sold, but it probably wasn't exactly making anybody rich. It's a good reminder about why it's important to get out and support live music. If you don't, your favorite bar could disappear.
The other day, my wife and I were preparing for a garage sale when she found an old t-shirt of mine. It's a shirt from Steb's, my old watering hole in Cedar Falls. I basically lived at that place from 1992-1999. It was the greatest place in the world. If you ever saw House of Large Sizes there, or just hung out on a summer night on the back patio, you'd probably agree. God I miss that bar. Stebs was bulldozed around 7 years ago by it's new owners and for some reason, at least last time I checked, there's still nothing there but a pile of dirt. It's like a best friend was kidnapped or something.
Another classic live music venue that is gone is The Hurricane in Kansas City. North of Grand played there several times and, in my opinion, it often rivaled The 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis for having one of the best sounding rooms. It basically closed for a lack of a crowd. What a shame.
I hope we don't take our great live music venues in Des Moines for granted. My favorites are Hairy Marys, The Vaudeville Mews, and House of Bricks. All three are hosting some incredible shows this summer. Please take the time and money to go support them.
Upcoming show I'm looking forward to: North of Grand, Dead Girls Ruin Everything, and Left is West at Hairy Marys, Saturday July 22. 10pm. This is our CD release show! We have our new 7-song EP "Cut You Down" in hand. It's for sale now at ZZZ Records & we'll obviously have it at this show. Dead Girls are from Lawrence KS and feature former members of Ultimate Fakebook and Podstar. Left is West are our good friends from Des Moines.
Feel free to respond! You can send me an email, if you wish, at northofgrand@yahoo.com
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NOG-BLOG (July 7, 2006):
This week, I've decided to write a little "advice column" for other bands trying to make something of themselves. I don't claim to know everything, but I have been playing in bands for nearly 15 years and have learned a few things along the way. The number one thing I've learned...don't be a dick.
As I write this, I'm listening to The Flaming Lips and am reminded of a story about Wayne Coyne. We played a string of shows with a great band from Detroit called The High Strung earlier this year, and they told us about the time they met Wayne at his home in Oklahoma City. Basically, they were playing a show there and somehow found out where he lived. So, they went to his house at 2am. He answered the door and all their crazy questions. His biggest piece of advice was "be nice to everybody". It sounds so easy, but it's really very hard sometimes when you're dealing with a drunk sound guy, door guy, or the shitty metal band from Mankato that's on the bill.
One of the things that North of Grand tries to do is be overly kind to everyone we meet. We've played over 100 shows in 16 different states in the last two years, and nearly everywhere we go we get asked to come back. I think it's because, number one, we don't suck. But we also don't act like jackasses. We always try to take the time to thank the bartenders, the sound guy, and basically everyone that's there. In addition, there are just things you don't do - like crank your guitar amp to 11 and finger-tap Eruption for sound check.
Maybe it's not very "punk rock" to kill them with kindness, but in the long run, it will get you a lot further. It seems to me that building a good reputation is one of the best ways to make something of your band. Oh, and write good music. And learn how to play your instrument.
Upcoming show I'm looking forward to: The Magnolia Electric Co. in Omaha on July 25. Their tour is skipping Des Moines this time around. I think I know why. Nobody was at their past two shows at the Vaudeville Mews. What a shame - they are amazing. Oh well, they are worth the drive to Omaha.
Feel free to respond! You can send me an email, if you wish, at northofgrand@yahoo.com
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NOG-BLOG 4
This is a weekly rant about the local music scene from Pat Curtis, drummer for Des Moines rock band North of Grand. NOG has release three CDs; "Cut You Down" (2006), "Attention to Revenge" (2005), and "Wrong Way Home" (2003). The three-piece band plays punk-inspired pop and also includes Sean Wilson (guitar/vocals) and Dan Ketelsen (bass). Pat's views do not necessarily reflect those of his bandmates!
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NOG-BLOG (June 16, 2006):
Originally, I was going to write about North of Grand's shows last weekend in Wichita KS, St Joseph MO, and Kansas City MO - but I changed my mind. We had a blast, and it's a good story, but I'd rather write about why we are trying to avoid playing in Des Moines.
I know a lot of people, like myself, have ideas about how Des Moines can improve it's local music scene. Many of the people complaining are musicians. I don't really blame them. It's understandable that bands, and I'm talking about good bands, get upset when they play show after show in Des Moines and don't seem to build much of a following. A lot of musicians simply feel that more people need to take a chance, get away from the TV, and go check out some live music. Once they do, they'll realize how many talented bands there are in Des Moines. And then, they'll keep coming back and bring their friends....that is how the scene will grow.
However, we musicians shouldn't simply point the finger at the audience (or lack there of). In my opinion, one of the reasons local bands aren't drawing is because these bands are playing in Des Moines too much! Why would someone go to a show if they know they can wait a couple weeks and catch that act somewhere else in town? I know it's a difficult situation for bands. My band has struggled with playing too much in Des Moines. Sometimes, however, we have to turn down shows. Number one, it's not fair to the clubs. Why would Jeff at Hairy Marys want us playing his bar just one week after we've played the Vaudeville Mews? Who's going to come see us if they just saw us one week ago? Secondly, it's a good way to see your crowds dwindle. You can't expect the same fans to come to every show, especially with the overkill of playing twice a month in Des Moines.
Here's my suggestion for those bands that love to play live, but don't want to smother their fanbase in Des Moines...get out of town! Yes. Put a promo-pack together, send some emails, book a few shows, load the van, and hit the road to somewhere else. Oddly enough, this will eventually help you build your fanbase at home! I've found that the more North of Grand plays mini-tours around the midwest, the more fun our hometown gigs become. We've slowly built a "buzz" in places like Minneapolis, Lawrence, and Kansas City and that starts to spill back to Des Moines. People read or hear about our success elsewhere, and decide they better come check us out. Oh, and they better do so now! Because who knows when we'll play Des Moines again? It could be a long time.
Upcoming show I'm looking forward to: Squidboy & Moveable Feast at The Vaudeville Mews, Friday June 23! Two bands from Des Moines who everyone should know by now. Unfortunately, they are playing on the night of a big party I'm going to and a lot of their friends are going to as well. So, I hope someone is at the Mews to see 'em. OK, maybe I'll stop down for a little bit. Jeez!
Feel free to respond! You can send me an email, if you wish, at northofgrand@yahoo.com.
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NOG-BLOG 3
This is a weekly rant about the local music scene from Pat Curtis, drummer for Des Moines rock band North of Grand. NOG has release three CDs; "Cut You Down" (2006), "Attention to Revenge" (2005), and "Wrong Way Home" (2003). The three-piece band plays punk-inspired pop and also includes Sean Wilson (guitar/vocals) and Dan Ketelsen (bass). Pat's views do not necessarily reflect those of his bandmates!
NOG-BLOG (June 7, 2006):
My wife and I are planning a trip to Milwaukee in July to see some Brewers games. We'd like to take in a rock show if we can find the time. So, I was checking out venue schedules and noticed that Des Moines' own THE LIFESTYLE will be playing at the Eagle's Club on July 1st. Not only that, but they're sharing the bill with Taking Back Sunday, Angels & Airwaves, The Lawrence Arms, and more. Congratulations to those guys.
I finally went and bought the new ENVY CORPS E-P. It's been selling like gangbusters at ZZZ. I've listened to it a few times and I am very impressed. The production is pretty darn slick and the songs are tremendous. I can understand why these guys are getting local radio airplay.
I've been staying home a lot more lately, so I don't have much more to write about this week in regard to the local music scene. North of Grand has a fun weekend ahead of us. We have shows in Wichita KS on Friday, St Joseph MO Saturday, and Kansas City MO on Sunday. We've also snagged free tickets to Worlds of Fun and a KC Royals baseball game. Check back here next week to hear about our adventures!
Upcoming show I'm looking forward to: NORTH OF GRAND at The Hull Avenue Tavern in Des Moines. Friday, June 16. NO COVER CHARGE!!
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NOG-BLOG 2
This is a weekly rant about the local music scene from Pat Curtis, drummer for Des Moines rock band North of Grand. NOG has release three CDs; "Cut You Down" (2006), "Attention to Revenge" (2005), and "Wrong Way Home" (2003). The three-piece band plays punk-inspired pop and also includes Sean Wilson (guitar/vocals) and Dan Ketelsen (bass). Pat's views do not necessarily reflect those of his bandmates!
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NOG-BLOG (May 31, 2006):
My band recently finished recording, mixing, and mastering our new EP called "Cut You Down". We are currently finishing the artwork and getting ready to send it off for replication. It's our third time down this road and everytime we are reminded that playing in a band is incredibly expensive!
I have been lucky to record at some great studios in the past and this time was no exception. We recorded and mixed seven songs over four days at Black Lodge Studios in Eudora, Kansas. It wasn't cheap and that's why we put ourselves on such a tight schedule. I could check our invoices, but I think the studio time, hotel, and gas money combined cost us nearly $2,000. The mastering session at Studio B in Omaha cost us close to $400. The replication process will cost anywhere from $1,100 to 1,600. That's a lot of money for a band that sometimes gets paid $50 for a show! Since we've been playing for a while now, we have enough material to play all night. When that happens, we might make a few hundred bucks. But, still, we aren't exactly making enough to "pay the bills".
I guess I just want people to know the sacrifices some local bands make to put out a quality product. And it's not just CDs. We spend a lot money to make t-shirts, stickers, and posters - and none of those offer much of a return on investment, except spreading our name around. So, I hope when our new CD comes out - people will buy it. We sell 'em cheap, so it's not like we're getting rich. We just hope to start paying off our credit card debt so we can keep making music.
Upcoming show I'm looking forward to: NORTH OF GRAND at The Hull Avenue Tavern in Des Moines. Friday, June 16. NO COVER CHARGE!!
Feel free to respond! You can send me an email, if you wish, at northofgrand@yahoo.com.
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NOG-BLOG 1 (May 24, 2006)
This is a weekly rant about the local music scene from Pat Curtis, drummer for Des Moines rock band North of Grand. This feature also appears at www.desmoinesmc.com. Pat's views do not necessarily reflect those of his bandmates!
Welcome to my first post! I hope to write about the positive, and sometimes negative things I see and hear in the Des Moines music scene. I'd love to hear anyone's feedback.
I've been playing in rock bands in Iowa for over 15 years, the last 7 in Des Moines. I think the local scene is in the best shape it's been since I've been living in Iowa's largest city. There are a lot of clubs working hard to bring in quality national acts, and the local talent pool is overflowing! There's also reason to be excited about what some of the local radio stations are doing to support Des Moines area bands. Channel Q has been playing The Envy Corps and The Lifestyle for months now and I've heard it's helped those bands sell loads of CD's and sell-out shows. Hopefully, 105.1 will decide to put other local acts in regular rotation (maybe North of Grand?!). It'll probably take more than a few phone calls and emails from people that care to hear local music.
It's obvious that more can be done to improve the Des Moines music scene. Hopefully, with some help from the DMMC, the city will come around and do their part. It bothers me that there aren't many public places for bands and promoters to put up flyers and posters. The city has a ban on stapling or taping posters to light poles. There was talk several years ago from city council members about creating designated areas downtown and elsewhere where those type of materials could be posted, but nothing happened.
I enjoy seeing shows at several venues in town, but mostly go to either The Vaudeville Mews or Hairy Marys. Those two venues seem to book the types of bands I like. Occasionally, I'll catch a show at House of Bricks, The Hull Avenue Tavern, or even Carl's Place. For the most part, all of those venues do a good job of cateering to fans of live music. I hope they continue to do so, but would offer this suggestion - make sure to thank everyone who enters and let them know you appreciate their support. There have been a few times where I have attended a show, and the employees of the venue were less than enthusiastic about being there. I know being a bartender, door guy, or soundguy can suck - but why would I come back if it takes 10 minutes to get a drink and it's served-up like I'm a big pain in the ass? I think I'm more understanding and patient than most, so I imagine there are a lot of people that go to a live show, are treated rudely by somebody in the venue, and decide to never go back there again. That's one sure way to slow the growth of live music in Des Moines. Still, having said that, the employees at the live venues in Des Moines work harder, and seem to care more about "customer service" than other clubs I've been to in the midwest.
Upcoming show I'm looking forward to: THE VIBROLAS at Hairy Marys, Thu May 25. The Vibrolas are from Kentucky and they rock. They are are 3-piece band on a big tour with another KY band called CITY MOUSE. North of Grand played with The Vibrolas the last time they were in town and they were nice enough to come out and see us when we played in Louisville, Kentucky. They are super nice people and deserve an audience!
I think that's enough for my first NOG-BLOG. Feel free to respond! You can send me an email, if you wish, at northofgrand@yahoo.com.
