At 6PM on Thursday you already have a choice to make between American Dust at Public Space 1 and Kimya Dawson at the Blue Moose.
American Dust is dark garage rock straight out of Davenport featuring the former members of Iowa bands Mondo Drag and Quiet Bears along with some current members of White Zephyr and Idpyramid. Their debut EP was released as a cassette, so you know these guys are legit, or at least hipster. What’s more, it’s a free show! Joining them will be Ed Gray.

Recommended Track: “Protector” by American Dust

SHOW DETAILS

• What: American Dust, Ed Gray
• Where: Public Space One
• Time: 6 PM
• Cost: FREE

Battling for your attention during the same time slot is Kimya Dawson at the Blue Moose. You probably have heard of Kimya as part of The Moldy Peaches, the band that did that adorable song (“Anyone Else But You”) on the Juno soundtrack, but she also has had a prolific solo career. Her most recent album “Thunder Thighs” pairs her beautiful light and poignant music with artists like Aesop Rock, the Strokes, and the Mountain Goats.

Joining her at the Blue Moose will be Leslie & the Ly’s (crazy glam pop diva with gem sweaters from Ames), Christopher the Conquered (epic upbeat piano pop that often features a full horn section), and Weed Wolf (the band, not the famous graffiti artist).

Recommended Track: “Walk Like Thunder” by Kimya Dawson

SHOW DETAILS

• What: Kimya Dawson with Leslie & the Ly’s, Christopher the Conquered, and Weed Wolf
• Where: The Blue Moose
• Time: 6 PM
• Cost: $12 advance, $15 doors

Tim Hecker‘s unique brand of ambient electronic music has been described as “cathedral electronic music,” which makes him a fitting musician to headline at First United Methodist Church. He seems to approach his music as one would approach a piece of art, playing with songcraft, installation, and color. His most recent album, “Ravedeath, 1972” uses a set of recordings done at a church in Iceland, so Hecker is going to recreate the album experience on Thursday. Also at First United will be fellow electro artists Nathan Wheeler and Ex-Action Model.

Recommended Track: “The Piano Drop” by Tim Hecker

SHOW DETAILS

• What: Tim Hecker with Nathan Wheeler and Ex-Action Model
• Where: First United Methodist Church
• Time: 8 Pm
• Cost: $10 advance, $12 doors

If ambient electro isn’t quite your thing, check out Oberhofer at The Yacht Club with Mumford’s, Sudden & Subtle, and The Olympics. Oberhofer is Brad Oberhofer, a lo-fi pop musician who went from recording his own stuff to being a big name on music blogs with his single “Away Frm U” in 2010. His first full-length album just released on Tuesday, and I’m looking forward to hearing the glittery, joyful, and youthful stuff he comes up with. The kid isn’t even 21!

Recommended Track: “HEART” by Oberhofer

SHOW DETAILS

• What: Oberhofer with Mumford’s, Sudden & Subtle, and The Olympics
• Where: The Yacht Club
• When: 8 PM
• Cost: $8

Overlapping with Oberhofer and Tim Hecker is Mike Doughty at The Mill. Doughty is the former frontman of Soul Coughing. He left the band in 2000 and has since been a solo indie rock singer-songwriter. Fun fact: he used a capsule of duloxetine as a percussion instrument on some of the tracks on Yes And Also Yes by holding it close to the mic and shaking it.
Opening for Doughty at The Mill will be Death Ships, an indie folk band with roots in Iowa City, and my personal favorite, Caroline Smith & the Goodnight Sleeps. Which I guess makes me a wine-swilling-whooo-girl according to Max Johnson.

Recommended Track: “Looking At The World From The Bottom of a Well” by Mike Doughty

SHOW DETAILS

• What: Mike Doughty with Caroline Smith & the Goodnight Sleeps and Death Ships
• Where: The Mill
• When: 9 PM
• Cost: $12 advance, $15 doors

Capping off this magnificent Thursday night will be Black Milk at Gabe’s. Black Milk is one of the most well-known indie rap and hip hop producers whose solo career has recently taken off with the formation of his live band (drummer Daru Jones and vocalist/keyboardist AB). His most recent album—cheekily titled “Album of the Year”—mixes influences of reggae and afrobeat into his successful hip hop beats. Opening for Black Milk will be Rich Rok and Ion.

Recommended Track: “Welcome (Gotta Go)” by Black Milk

SHOW DETAILS

• What: Black Milk with Rich Rok and Ion
• Where: Gabe’s
• When: 10 PM
• Cost: $10 advance, $12 doors

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Leslie & the LY’s, perhaps the most enigmatic band out of the bunch, features frontwoman Leslie Hall and backup girls Dr. Laura and Classy K. Leslie & the LY’s is theatric and poppy hip hop that skirts the line between obnoxious and fantastic. Her live shows are not to be missed.  Otherwise known as “Mother Gem,” Leslie is always decked out in fantastic shiny leggings and ostentatious blinged-out Goodwill sweaters at her shows, and spends time on stage christening the new sweaters that fans give her. She is, after all, the self-proclaimed “founding father” of gem sweater history.

Pennyhawk was started by singer/songwriter/mulch-instrumentalist Kate Kennedy but has grown to include as many as seven other Ames musicians. Pennyhawk has a quirky, gypsy-folk feel that sounds homegrown and smart, and their latest EP, Another Layer, is a must-listen.

Jordan Mayland has been active in the Ames music scene for years as part of Keepers of the Carpet, Nuclear Rodeo, Electronidoll, Tires, Mantis Pincers, Volcano Boys, and The Thermal Detonators.  Though some of those bands are taking a break, his solo debut, Jordan Mayland and the Thermal Detonators, released a low-key, melodic, and emotional EP in 2009 and played at Maximum Ames Music Festival. Nuclear Rodeo recently released a Christmas EP and the Volcano Boys have been playing shows in central Iowa this winter.

Mumford’s is a crazy folk/punk/dance/rock band that was formed in 2008 after the death of Don Mumford, a jazz musician that helped to revive the Ames music scene. The band is known for their songs that feature elaborate storytelling as well as their shows that feature equally as awesome dancing. Their most recent release, Triple Trinities, is religiously-themed and creates an intriguingly dark drama for the listener to follow. The band occasionally tours with Fairfield’s Utopia Park and always reps their home state—as their blog says, “Seriously, what is life? What isn’t life? Where are we? Oh yeah, I remember now: IOWA.”

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