My day started at North Hall, where me and two other students, Julia and Sierra, were primed for some university transport, provided by MSW Program Director Stephen Cummings and Assistant Professor Aynsley Scheffert. We depart at 8:20, and Julia, Sierra and I get cracking about our plans for the future. Aynsley was loading us with information on her life trajectory and tips for work after graduating as a social worker, and Stephen gave me the lowdown on his experience teaching overseas.

It was 10:20 when we arrived at the Iowa State Historical Society building, or museum, really. The hanging biplanes and enormous mammoth skeleton made it seem that way. The place is packed with students, some I recognized and most I did not. A desk is set for us to check-in, and as we go through we are set up with nametags. There I find Rigby, a good friend I’ve had a couple classes with.

After a half-hour wait and a good deal of chit-chat, we are all ushered into a big lecture room. The smell could only be described as a used litterbox. Many struggle to hold their laughter, especially me, as a speaker tries to pull up their email, with increasingly less success. It’s kind of sad that in a room full of social workers, no one gets up on stage to help, but it was too funny. At one point the app-store was pulled up… Anyways, Dana Wickwire Cheek takes the stage, the Northeast Branch Chair for NASW Iowa, alongside Peggy Trosper, the Southeast Branch Chair, and Denise Rathman, the Executive Director for both the NASW Iowa and NASW Kansas Chapters. We get a good lecture on proper communication with legislators, which in the way they described it seems more like gambling than fruitful communication.

Here comes Ross Wilburn, a social work alumni of the University of Iowa and House Representative for the Story County District, alongside Johnson County Representative Adam Zabner. They’re here to answer questions, and oh boy are there a lot of them. I question Zabner about the progress of Senate File 2293 regarding the abolishment of the Iowa City Historical Society Building, asking “Where are the court proceedings and decisions at, and when can we expect the day for voting,” and though he gives a very descriptive assessment of the bill and what his future plans are, I don’t actually get a direct answer to my question. Should have been an easy one, considering Zabner is on the board supporting the continued funding of the Iowa City location.

I make it out of the lecture hall with a mild headache, courtesy of the litterbox smell, and grab my lunch. From there we set off to the capitol.

Iowa’s capitol is a great reason to be proud of our state. It’s consistently voted the most beautiful state capitol building in the states, and for good reason. Its massive golden dome is reason enough, but getting inside reveals its true beauty. Giant pillars made of scagliola stretch towards the ceiling, with capitals decorated by golden white oak leaves. Enormous murals depict settlers making their way into the west, religious imagery, native plants, and esoteric symbols, such as the roman god Mercury. Inside the senate chamber are four enormous chandeliers, each highly geometrical yet still so intricate I find them hard to describe. The ceiling is covered in more murals depicting flowers and leaves, with a stained glass window at the center.

By 1:15, we’ve made our way into the Senate chamber to watch the debate. We find
good spots in the gallery, and wait for the debate to begin. Senate files 2263 and 2280 are first up for debate. One senator uses hypothetical scenarios to defend his point, which becomes a theme for this senator. This is evident in the next file, which is refuted by another senator with concrete questioning and reasoning, making a very good case against the bill, but then our first senator stands up and goes on a rampage. He’s smacking his desk and practically screaming. I get so annoyed I decide it better to go explore the capitol.

I find the capitol library, a breathtaking space with books going up four floors flanking the walls. Aynsley finds me there and encourages me to write a message to a senator, but I just want to get up another floor, so I find a spiral staircase and ask two girls taking, suggestive pictures, and ask if I can go up. I’m good to go, so I walk through a gate I don’t notice and make my way around the first floor. I notice that I have to pass through an office to continue, until I find a woman in the second office. She immediately chastizes me and escorts me down, along with the two girls.

I figure it’s a sign to fill out a message, but I’ve forgotten my clipboard with all my notes in the senate gallery. I pull out the fastest speedwalk I can manage and make the confusing there and back. I address mine to the senator with the concrete argument. I wait and wait, but I am not offered the chance to go speak with him, cut short possibly by my previous effort to retrieve the clipboard and more probably by the picture scheduled on the main staircase at 3:00.

Just like that, the day is over. We file back into the van and I have a good nap on the way back, reflecting on how amazed I was at the capitol building, and conversely disappointed with the conduct of the senate chamber.

The post First Person POV of NASW “Legislative Day on the Hill,” February 24, 2026 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

At the helm of a storied band, Brendan Brown stands tall carrying the Wheatus through their 30th year. From working at fish markets to playing Wembley Arena, there are few things Brendan hasn’t done. As we explored what molds his music, his guitar history, along with the beauty of playing Adjacent Festival at sunset.

Logan Melia: Hi, this is Logan Melia with KRUI 89.7, Your Sound Alternative. I’m here with Brendan from Wheatus. How are you doing?  

Brendan Brown: Good, how you doing, Logan? 

Logan: I’m doing well. How’s the tour? I mean, you guys are nearing the end right now. 

Brendan: Well, we got about, I think we got about 10 more shows or something like that. Yeah, we’re close to the end, but it doesn’t feel like it. feels kind of more like the middle. 

Logan: The middle. I mean, you know what you’re in the Midwest. So, you know, you still got half the country. You’re playing in Madison or Milwaukee tonight, and then you’ll be hitting up Des Moines, Iowa in a few days. How does it feel to like, you’re traveling a lot, you’re doing things. Does each show kind of blend together a little bit? Or can you tell the difference? 

Brendan: No, the set’s never the same. Night to night, because we do all requests. Obviously, we’re playing the whole first record, and that’s part of the request concept, but it hasn’t been the same set twice. So it’s each venue, each night, each flow of the way that the show goes is really quite unique. So we don’t feel that, we don’t feel that staleness, which is one of the reasons we do it that way. 

Logan: That’s a really cool. You don’t hear artists doing that too much. I mean, you got a nice back catalogue of, you know, what is it, four or five albums you got? So it’s, you know, do you ever get shouted out something where you’re like, oh, we’re going to stumble our way through this one? Or are you pretty confident? 

Brendan: Yeah, 100%. That happened a couple of weeks ago, somebody shouted out “The Story of the Eggs” in Fort Worth. And we did work that song just a little bit for sounds, but that song’s that song’s a wicked pain in the ass and we didn’t we didn’t really work it enough. And we said, okay, well, are you willing to be at one of our rehearsals? And they were like, yeah. So I was like, okay, here we go. 

Logan: A little fan participation there. That’s really cool. 

Brendan: Yeah. 

Logan: Do you have any fan interactions that stick out in your mind? Anything that you’re like, that was so cool. 

Brendan: They all kind of, they all kind of do. People surprise me with the reasons that they get into this band. I’m always kind of stunned by the fact that there are groups of people who show up because they got into like our like really dark, weird progressive EP series on in like 2008, 2009, 2010. Like that stuff, the “The Lightning EP” and “The Jupiter EP”, those two, those two, it’s like that always kind of takes me for a loop a little bit because they’re so kind of, I don’t know, I don’t want to say that they’re hard listens, but they’re dark and sort of meandering. then it’s not “Teenage Dirtbag” let’s just put it that way and that is like, oh, you got into us because of them. Okay. 

Logan: “Teenage Dirtbag” with just, you know, the sprinkles on top after all that. Do you have any time when you were in the studio and you saw a random instrument? How often do you go off the board and be like, I have a wild idea for something? 

Brendan: Oh, every time we record. I could send you pictures of the drum kit for “Lullaby”, but it would be easier just at this point to say that there was a 50-pound ship’s bell hung over a beam dangling down in the middle of the kit, and the kick drum was 38 inches. And I had quarters velcroed to the beater, to the drum kick drum beaters, so that it would, and they were hitting other pieces of metal that I had velcroed to the front of the batterhead. So it was like, it was also like 150 year old snare drum on that kit. It was a weird, it was a weird kit because whenever I want to get drum sounds and I want to make sure that drum sounds I’ve never heard before, I have to build something strange, some like Rube Goldberg shit that no one’s ever seen before. 

Logan: I think this will keep people coming back though. 

Brendan: Yeah, it’s fun. It keeps it interesting. You know my studio feelings are always based on discovery, right? Like you’re always looking for something new. You’re not like, oh, I want to get the kick drum from “Teenage Dirtbag”, you know? No, like never. Like it’s always something very strange and out there. If you listen to “Lullaby”, that one’s on streaming already. That’s one of those examples of like, what is this? 

Logan: Yeah, I feel like it always is, when I kind of dove into your discography, it’s never, you can feel a progression throughout your music on, just creativity and figuring out, that I guess there is no singular sound to Wheatus. Would you agree with that? 

Brendan: Oh, yeah. No, there never will be either. I mean, is that a little bit of the way that I approach guitars might be similar in sort of like the, it’s like a big full mid-rangy sound, like more like a somewhere between like Boston and Metallica or something, Dinosaur Jr. kind of thing. But even those three, those three points of reference, so wouldn’t have anything to do with one another necessarily. So yeah, I think it’s always, it’s always kind of, the only reason I get excited about it is if I’m able to discover something that’s a sound that I haven’t heard. 

Logan: What was your first guitar? 

Brendan: Oh, that’s a good question. I think the first electric guitar I ever had was a Guild Burnside, which I kind of searched for on Reverb from now and again, they’re only like 200 bucks still. But, and the first serious guitar that I had was a, there was a Les Paul Firebrand series that had fallen off the rack at the local at the local Gilbrine store. It had fallen like 8 feet to the ground. 

Logan: You got a little discount on that one? 

Brendan: It had this humongous chip out of the bottom of it, like the size of like a like a tea saucer or something big, big, it was like a huge missing piece of wood on the bottom of it. And they had tried to fill it in with wood filler and repaint it and it looked like shit and I actually wound up getting that with some lawnmower money that I had, which I think that was like 200 bucks. But that was serious because even though it was cosmetically destroyed, it still played like a good Gibson, you know, a halfway decent Gibson. So that was a I guess a serious guitar. I think I was, I think I was probably 12 when I got my hands on that. 

Logan: That’s really cool. Was lawn mowing your preferred profession when you were growing up? 

Brendan: Raking leaves. Prior to being, when I was 13, I started working at a fish market. So I had money at that point. Like I was gainfully employed during the summers anyway. 

Logan: Can you smell the smell of fish now or has it just gone? 

Brendan: Oh God, yeah. They used to make me change outside. 

Logan: Really?  

Brendan: Yeah. 

Logan: How long did you work there?  

Brendan: I worked there for all through high school and then college a little bit as well, the summers and then sort of Christmas time. And then I always had jobs. I always had weird jobs when I was a kid. I was delivering pizzas when I was in college and all that stuff. Yeah, it was all to buy gear. It was always to buy gear. 

Logan: That’s what it is. You know, you got to pay for that bell somehow.  

Brendan: My dad did, my dad stole that bell. It wasn’t paid for. He stole it from a boat he worked on. 

Logan: Good. As he should. You know, the world is your instrument, take what you want. The guitar you’ve been playing recently, I mean, correct me if I’m wrong, it has a little Wheatus logo in it as like a, I’m not sure, like the thing that leads to the hollow part of the guitar. 

Brendan: Yeah, the W holes. Yeah, so it’s a completely hollow guitar. It has no middle block. Yeah, I designed that guitar with a guy named Brian Neville in New Jersey, and he’s the one who made it go from being in my head to being a real thing. It’s a wedge. It’s like 1.8 inches deep on the bass side and it’s almost 5 inches deep on the treble side. So it sits on you like a piece of pie, you know? Yeah. And it’s much more ergonomically, it’s much better. But it’s 36 frets. 

Logan: That was my next question, that’s a ton. 

Brendan: Yeah. It’s a humongous guitar, but it doesn’t feel humongous when you’re wearing it. 

Logan: How often do you travel up? Maybe not to fret 36, but fret 31, something like that. 

Brendan: All the time. All the time, yeah it’s fun to go sliding all the way up there. He really did it, he really did it I don’t know how. And he made like, I think the neck is sort of like, I wanted it to be like an 80s kind of shredder neck on a jazz, classical sort of jazz arched top, So it’s like a Paul Reed Smith from on the neck, but like a late 80s Paul Reed Smith kind of styles, sea form neck on the from just on the neck side. But on the body side, it’s like a Django Reinhardt kind of, you know, Wes Montgomery jazz box kind of thing. 

Logan: That’s a really cool combination. 

Brendan: Yeah, it works. 

Logan: Yeah. What were you listening to growing up? 

Brendan: So much stuff. Mostly AC/DC from when I really got serious about guitar, like, I guess my mom showed me how to play My Girl when I was 8, and I kind of took it from there a little bit. I kind of went and went from there. And I think it was like lots of 80s radio stuff like Cyndi Lauper and Huey Lewis and the News, and a lot of Prince. I loved Prince from an early age. And like I said, tons and tons of AC/DC. I used to just play along with AC/DC records until I knew every note. 

Logan: Really? 

Brendan: Yeah, Just to videotape myself playing along to Angus. Just to see if I was doing it right. 

Logan: Were you doing all the shuffles and kicks and everything he was too. 

Brendan: Oh yeah, I was dancing like him too. That was part of it. If you can’t do that, then you’re not an entertainer you know. You got to be able to do it and make it look easy. 

Logan: Bingo. 

Brendan: Which it is not. 

Logan: You found that out pretty quick, I assume? 

Brendan: Yeah, very much so. 

Logan: Do you have any, I don’t want to say guilty pleasure artists, but you know, artists you either back then or now that, you know, you wouldn’t exactly expect to be listening to on the Wheatus tour bus? 

Brendan: No, guilt associated. We just have a wide range of stuff that we listen to. There’s a lot of 90s hip hop fans in this band. So if Tribe Called Quest or like any of the Roc-A-Fella catalog, anything from Biggie, you know, got some Eminem fans too, getting into later hip hop post. post, I don’t know what you would call that era, but it’s like we listen to a lot of jazz and a lot of pop, like, the umbap will come on. It’s like Matthew’s music. Like we call it Matthew’s music, like the pop music. You know, he loves pop. We just, you know, it’s nothing we don’t really like. It’s really hard for me to not like music. There’s only like a handful of songs I don’t like. 

Logan: Do you have any off the top of your head? 

Brendan: Like fucking “Freebird”. 

Logan: Not A Lynyrd Skynyrd guy, I take it? 

Brendan: Well, no, I don’t mind Lynyrd Skynyrd. I like some of the riffs and stuff, but fuck that fucking song. Shut up. Shut the fuck up. 

Logan: Do you hate it because people call it out? 

Brendan: That, and also because it sucks. It’s like a long, it’s like a long, boring song. 

Logan: It takes them 5 minutes to get to the good part. 

Brendan: Yeah, man. like it’s too long, I mean and I’m a Rush fan. 

Logan: You’re used to the long songs. 

Brendan: I should have tolerance for this, but I don’t. 

Logan: I feel like every time I go to an open mic night, I hear “Teenage Dirtbag”. Did you have any of those go-to songs when you were started out playing that you were just like, and like, is it cool that yours is one of them now? 

Brendan: When there was open mics, I used to do the Black Crows “She Talks to Angels”. I used to play that one sometimes when I was younger. So that was kind of my go-to. But the fact that the fact that Dirtbag has become a karaoke standard, that just blows my mind. I don’t even understand it. 

Logan: It’s incredible. I hear it everywhere. I’m not even looking for it. And it’s just it just bounces down upon me. 

Brendan: Yeah it’s an interesting that it was not a hit in the States in any sense of the word. It like came and went on American radio. 

Logan: It was crazy in like Australia and the UK though, right? 

Brendan: Yeah, it blew up overseas. It did have like pop mainstream pop success overseas, but in America it didn’t do any of that stuff. And it’s weird for me to have it to come back around here in the States again. It’s just like, oh my god. We used to we used to not be able to really tour the whole United States. Yeah, and just keep going but now we could just stay on the road to America. It’s really weird.  

Logan: I was about to say. I did some research, and I was just like, setlist.fm said you’ve done more shows in the UK than the United States. And I was like, wow, like I didn’t realize just how big you guys were over there. It’s awesome. 

Brendan: Oh yeah, we were humongous over there. Yeah, I mean like the biggest thing we ever did over there is 2004, we played the Prince’s Trust Party in the park. It’s like Prince Charles’s, well, he’s a king now, I guess, but his like personal festival in the middle of London. It was a live audience of 250 million and in the park itself. And it was a live television audience of 11 million. And we were between Beyoncé and Meat Loaf. 

Logan: My God, what a combo. 

Brendan: We did some really interesting like crazy pop stuff, overseas. But then we would come home and like, we knew who we were. It was kind of an interesting time. 

Logan: Yeah, it’s a, that’s a weird, what’s, is dichotomy the right word for that? 

Brendan: Yeah. You can call it ironic. 

Logan: Ironic. You guys are playing Wembley with Bowling for Soup in December. I mean, that’s Wembley Arena. That’s insane. 

Brendan: Yeah, man. That’ll be our second time playing that. And I believe it’ll sell out. So that’ll be our second time playing it sold out, I think. 

Logan: That’s so cool. You guys toured with the Bowling for Soup guys a little bit last year, too, right? 

Brendan: Oh, yeah. We love that band. They’re another band that had a strange course that they wound up taking. You know, nobody wanted to fuck with them for a long time and they just develop their own thing. And I swear to God, if you went to a Bowling for Soup show and the PA caught on fire and all of the microphones failed and somebody stole all the guitars, Jaret Reddick could stand there without a microphone and entertain 2,000 people by himself for three hours. He could do it. 

Logan: He seems like a talent. 

Brendan: He’s a genuine, he’s a genuine talent. He’s a genuine entertainer. He’s like fucking Johnny Carson or something. It’s crazy. 

Logan: That’s awesome. And I focus a lot on music festivals in the show and you guys are playing Ocean’s Calling. this coming September. It’s a pretty cool lineup with a bunch of people. Do you have a festival, obviously that King Charles Festival you brought up, but do you have, any other festivals that stuck out to you? 

Brendan: Actually, my favorite festival that we’ve ever played was Adjacent Festival in, I think it was May of 2022. 

Logan: That was like Paramore, right? 

Brendan: Yeah, we were direct support to Paramore and I couldn’t believe it. I was like, what is this? Who made this? You wanted the other “W” band. And it wasn’t, it was real. So many people watched us play. And I thought for sure that, you know, what’s going to happen is it’s like halfway through our set, people are going to walk over to Paramore and get their spots, right? I was like prepared for that. I was like, there’s no way that’s not going to happen, it’s cool it’s cool, don’t worry about it, and they didn’t. They didn’t. They didn’t. They stayed. They stayed until last note. And it was this beautiful beach. We were looking at over the ocean and there’s seagulls flying and like the sun set during our set. So it kind of like turned, we started playing in the daylight and we stopped at nighttime, you know. And it was just, it was just so cool. That’ll always be mine. I always feel like we, we finally arrived that in that moment. 

Logan: That’s really, really cool. Wow. 

Brendan: Yeah, it was super dope. 

Logan: Do you have any favorite, obviously I said teenage dirt bags cover by a ton. I’ve heard, you know, Weezer and Phoebe Bridgers and, you know, Lizzie McAlpine, everyone do. Do you have a favorite cover you’ve ever heard of that? 

Brendan: I think SZA’s cover is really cool. SZA did a live cover of it. Chris Carrabba from Dashboard Confessional has been covering it since like 2003. And his version is really dope. He takes it really slow and really acoustic and it’s awesome. Of course, Phoebe’s is great. Ruston Kelly’s version is really killer. I don’t know if you’ve seen that. 

Logan: I have not, but I’ll have to. 

Brendan: Friends keep sending me live videos of that. He’s so good at that song. It’s crazy. 

Logan: Oh, that’s sick. Well, yeah. I want to thank you so much for spending time with me. You got a show tonight and you got you got three of the last couple are sold out already. You got Des Moines going fast. You got an exciting week ahead of you. 

Brendan: Yeah, it’s going to be great. I’m really excited about all this, just the ability to tour my own country and do it. You know, I’m 51 now, so I can actually like really appreciate this. It’s not it’s not blasting past me, you know, feeling this like odd nostalgic arrival feeling, It’s cool. I’m very grateful. We feel really lucky. 

Logan: Yeah, well, let me tell you, you’d be lucky to see you guys live. You guys are an absolutely great act. I’m very excited that you’re coming around. You can catch them in Des Moines, Iowa on the 14th for you Chicago folk on the 16th that is sold out. Yeah, just thank you so much for spending time with me. This was lovely. Any final thoughts? 

Brendan: No, just come to the show and do a little bit of homework first, decide what you want to hear and yell it at us. That’s how this that’s how the set happens. 

Logan: You can yell at Brendan from Wheatus anytime you want, guys. That’s what we’re taking. 

Brendan: Yes, it’s very interactive. I do what you say. 

Logan: Oh, well, thank you. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me. Really appreciate it. 

Brendan: Thank you, Logan. Take care of yourself. We’ll talk soon. 

With an impressive back catalogue and their latest release, “At Restoration Sound”, there is always something next for Wheatus. Brendan will be leading the band to Wembley Arena with Bowling for Soup on December 13th, and will hit the road once again in the States this spring, playing Wooly’s in Des Moines on March 13th. You can find tickets and the rest of the tour dates here.

The post Interview: Brendan Brown of Wheatus appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Cut Worms

The Ohio-turned-Brooklyn soft rock act Cut Worms had been touring with Father John Misty for the past several weeks, and Des Moines was their second to last show together. I can at best describe Cut Worms as: nice. If you took a dude from Ohio with shaggy hair and threw him into Pueblo, AZ for like 2 years, then chucked him into Brooklyn for another 15, that’s the kind of music Cut Worms makes. It was nice, it sure was soft indie rock! If you could be so bold as to imagine a group of five dudes in t-shirts and jeans, every one of them possessing locks of hair within that so gentle manipulative chin-to-shoulder length range. I think the moment the first strand of hair grows just slightly past the clavicle, there would be in-fighting and perhaps a coup d’état,. I got the chance to talk with a couple of them at their merch table at the show. I asked why they chose to play a cover of The Velvet Underground’s There She Goes Again, the front-man’s words being that “it’s a good song and we like it.” Fair point lad, cheers. One could argue they were too lost in Val Air sponsored beers for an effective interview by that point. I also had nothing more interesting to ask–my bad!

After stepping outside between sets for a doodle break, I reentered Val Air to find a brand new crowd. Even compared to when the Violent Femmes played there, it was the most packed I had ever seen the venue. Only the greatest inhabitants of Iowa showed up for this event: dudes hauling their man bun burdens, antichrists, eunuch sluts, vegans, low-risk anarchists, and maxi-skirt participants all pooled within that hall to celebrate being an individualistic asshole, together!

Father John Misty

This tour follows the release of FJM’s most recent album, the title is sourced from the Sanskrit word Mahāśmaśāna (महाश्मशान) defined as “great cremation ground, all things going thither.” Mahashmashana oozes an Old Hollywood jazz with wild terrors blended into the soft rock. It navigates themes of mental health and death on a jarring rollercoaster of psychedelic jazz, to sweeping strings, to uptempo rock n’ cowbells. It’s genuine and spiritual in a way that (historically) Father John Misty once tended to subvert.

The stage was just as packed as the crowd. Instruments were crammed in together across the stage, two saxophones, a mellotone, four keyboardly contraptions, a full drum kit, at least six or seven guitars, and one flute squished together against the stage borders. Introduced by a Beach Boys song, all eight musicians walked out on stage into their respective places with a casual air. With a distant wave to the crowd from Father John Misty, and barely a glance between each other, the saxophone queued in, blaring.

All jazz, all rhythm, the ensemble left me astounded. From the first crying tones of I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All, the band played smooth with a perfect balance of light and dark tone. I was so distracted by the ensemble it took a few moments to notice Father John Misty was also singing. The group played by jazz rules, solos taking over while FJM moved in an impossibly smooth dance, suave rolling movements so clean that his jacket and microphone cable flicked along like choreography.

They played the eponymous Mr. Tillman, into a slight emotional intermission during Goodbye Mr. Blue. That song is devastating, it’s the one and only song I have completely blocked out from my music streaming. FJM and the band played it with a very sweet gentleness, with a country twang touching the bitter tang of last times that come too soon. I was still recovering between the songs Nancy From Now and Chateau Lobby No. 4. Both are songs that I adore, but neither me nor FJM were terribly invested in the performance of these, though perhaps for separate reasons.

Over the course of the show, there was a noticeable shift in energy between old and new. Songs from Mahashamana were played with a casual liveliness, relaxed but with a jazzy drive powering through it. They had fun, and felt like the loose destructive indie folk people love FJM for, both the band and Tillman playing with vigor and a practiced energy, but almost dragged through the older songs from his discography. I can’t blame him, this show occurred on the tail following 6 full months of touring the same songs from 2012, setlist.fm reports that he has been counted to play I Love You Honeybear a full 604 God Damned times. It was lovely to hear some of these songs live, Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings and Chateau being an iconic backdrop for many of us sad pretentious suckers for a decade, but I can completely understand being sick of playing the same shit over and over. In all, the full ensemble did an excellent job performing the Mahashamana songs, still having fun and energy following their six months of tour (the oddball She Cleans Up leaving everyone dancing with a cool bounce). I’m excited to see what FJM releases next in the coming years, if he will continue in this jazzy Hollywood direction, and if he will perhaps someday be released from these Honeybear shackles.

I appreciate your composure, dear reader, and your patience for my hyperbolic (frankly unethical) use of hyphenation thus far. That night, I felt freed to live as the most pretentious version of myself. With one hand holding together a notebook precariously leveraged against my (9-U.S.-Dollar) beer, I notated illegible scribbling across my notebook pages. Swatched in the crushed velvets of a new nicotine addiction, I was comforted by the vague gaze of the security guy distracted packing his cheeks with Zyns, as if he were the world’s largest hamster. Despite the lack of a ranting monologue, the thing I had been most praying for, it was still a wonderful show. I felt cradled in that Val Air Ballroom corner by FJM’s smoky voice and the jazz surrounding me, and flowing throughout the crowd into all of the worst versions of ourselves, both acceptance and pretentiousness was embraced between everyone on the floor. Wherever you fell under that tender narcissistic ego-death misandrist-slash-nihilist umbrella, you were welcome under the ballroom lights in Father John Misty’s cradle that evening.

Father John Misty’s tour has since drawn to a close, but will perform at festivals coming up in the next few months in Arizona, California, Idaho, and is featured on the recently announced Primavera Sound 2026 lineup. More information on upcoming events at Val Air and throughout the DSM/Davenport area can be found from First Fleet Concerts here.

The post Father John Misty played “I Love You, Honeybear” for the 602nd time in Des Moines at Val Air Ballroom, October 1. appeared first on KRUI Radio.

This prog pop-punk group has only recently stepped onto the stage, but already they’ve been leaving listeners dizzy in the best way possible. With their high-energy hooks, textured guitar layers, and lyrics that swirl between vulnerable and victorious, Spin Art is quickly becoming a band to look out for.

Meet the Band:

Elijha Knox [August Young] on lead guitar: bending strings into bold, electric shapes.
Joseph Vitales on drums: the kinetic force that sets the canvas in motion.
Keygan Fundy on rhythmn guitar: the texture beneath the paint, subtle but essential to the masterpiece.
Korbyn Frerichs on bass: the grounding rhythm that keeps the piece steady.

Much like their name suggests, Spin Art thrives on mixing colors of sound. One track might lean into gritty metal edges, while the next explodes with funky, progressive choruses. “I don’t think we will ever have a consistent type of sound, which I think will separate us from other bands in the future,” Frerichs says. “Honestly, it’s really up to the fans and how they interpret us,” agreed Vitales.

And boy, do their fans love them. Their live shows feel less like concerts and more like participatory exhibits. Fans aren’t just watching; they’re pulled into the whirling momentum. Mosh pits meet dance floors, with choruses that beg to be shouted and bridges that slow things down just long enough for the crowd to catch their breath- before spinning right back into chaos.

The band’s origin story is as fittingly messy as their sound. Spin Art, originally formed by Young, Frerichs, and Vitales as Slow Pitch, found itself in a position where new members were needed ASAP. Young had met Vitales at his place of work and started a conversation by complimenting his Protest The Hero t-shirt. The conversation quickly revealed that Vitales played the drums, which the band needed, and he was promptly introduced to Frerichs. Shortly after, Frerichs received a text from Fundy, who was asking if the band was still looking for another member. The rest is history, and after a quick rebrand, Spin Art was formed.

But beneath the playful branding, Spin Art takes their craft seriously. Each song is meticulously arranged, every lyric painted with intent. “I want people to understand the topics we talk about and have fun listening to groovy music,” Young says. As the band gears up for their upcoming releases, they’re promising fans a gallery’s worth of fresh tracks and unforgettable shows, you can keep up with the band by following their page @spinartband on Instagram.

Their latest sets have featured covers of Dance Gavin Dance, The Fall Of Troy, and Owl City to name a few, as well as a couple of their original songs, titled “Sting” and “Push Away.”

Spin Art has notably opened for Anchoress, a post-metalcore band from Ames, along with Kensett and Formerly Gifted at the Polycastle Venue in Des Moines, IA. Here, Spin Art was able to make some lasting connections for future projects. “Being able to share the stage with so many talents that night was amazing, and I was left star-struck at the end,” said Vitales. Young chimed in, “[we] met so many good people and made so many connections.”

Spin Art may be new to the scene, but they’ve already proven they’re not afraid to make a mess- and make it beautiful. If their trajectory continues, it won’t be long before they’ve spun themselves into the spotlight permanently. After all, in a world where everyone’s chasing the next big thing, Spin Art has found a way to stand still and stand out by moving in circles.

Spin Art’s will be at Lefty’s Live Music featured Fall Heavy Hitters show in Des Moines, IA on October 11, where they will be debuting their brand new song, “Pick Up The Fire.” Tickets on sale now for under $10, all ages are welcome for this show!

The post Concert Preview: Spin Art, painting the scene with sound appeared first on KRUI Radio.

After a decade being born, Josh Tillman is finally busy dying.

Father John Misty returns to Iowa tonight on October 1st at the Val Air Ballroom in Des Moines for the first time since performing at 80/35 festival in 2022, a show I was not only at, but also vaguely remember. He is supported by Cut Worms, a soft rock singer-songwriter from Ohio who’s been accompanying this leg of the tour throughout the central, southern, and midwestern U.S. This current tour celebrating the release of Father John Misty’s most recent album, Mahashmashana, has been going practically non-stop since February traveling across and back from the U.S. and Europe. Tonight’s show will feature most of his hit songs since 2012 woven between tracks from the new Mahashmashana, and yes, he will probably play the Tiktok song. If we’re lucky, he might even hit us with an ego-death-and-cigarette-fueled monologue about something or nothing in particular.

The latest album’s title is sourced from the Sanskrit word Mahāśmaśāna (महाश्मशान) defined as “great cremation ground, all things going thither.” Though not quite as “viral” as his standout singles and Lana Del Rey collaborations, Mahashmashana oozes an Old Hollywood jazz with wild terrors blended into the soft rock. It navigates themes of mental health and death on a jarring rollercoaster of psychedelic jazz, to sweeping strings, to uptempo rock n’ cowbells. It’s genuine and spiritual in a way that (historically) Father John Misty once tended to subvert. His real name is Josh Tillman, and he’s a former member of Fleet Foxes, so not actually a priest. In the past with albums like God’s Favorite Customer and Pure Comedy, his persona developed into something strangely caustic and haughty, using his own self-awareness to poke at fans who lacked the same particular trait. Despite mellowing out since then (nearly a decade ago), he’s still a sort of contentious figure in the music world, words like pretentious, spiteful, and douchebag are often associated with his character.

Mahashmashana, all is silent
And in thе next universal dawn
Won’t have to do thе corpse dance, do the corpse dance
Do the corpse dance with these on

Mahashmashana, by Father John Misty, 2024

The last time I saw Father John Misty in 2022 (newly bald-ed), I had just finished by first year of college and could not imagine what life after my graduation would hold (it was another degree thus more college). But most things aren’t the same, all the loose pieces of my life since that summer have changed and continue to shift as everything in the world starts, ends, and breathes in the dissonance. I’ll be soaking in the haze of Des Moines air and stale marijuana scent on the corpse dance floor tonight. I’m preparing by setting myself in that nauseating heady mood as I get ready to head over to Val Air, packed only with the absolute essentials: a silver cross and loose tobacco.

Tickets for the event are for sale from First Fleet Concerts here.

The post Concert Preview: Father John Misty at Val Air Ballroom DSM on October 1 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The city manager, Peter Zamansky, in January released a proposal to lay out reductions in spending to shrink the deficit this fiscal year. However, policymakers are looking for larger cuts and structural changes to address the city’s long increasing debt burden.

Image via Axios

One of the largest services under scrutiny is Des Moines’ DART bus system. Reimagine Dart is the city’s response to the decision by the communities of Grimes and Pleasant Hills to no longer contribute to funding the municipal bus service. Des Moines, Polk County, and eight suburban communities (Altoona, Ankeny, Bondurant, Clive, Johnston, Urbandale, Windsor Heights, and West Des Moines) have agreed to retain membership in the transit authority and work together over the next 18 months to redesign the system. However, like many services that aren’t turning a profit at the moment, it will likely be reduced to a shell of its current self as it is forced to decide between speed and coverage.

State lawmakers met May 15 without changing tax law. City leaders say lawmakers acknowledge regional public transit’s unique needs, but have prioritized slowing local budget growth over those needs.

(left: current dart coverage, right: after proposed cuts; image via DART)

An earnings tax on those who live outside of Des Moines but commute to the city for work has been advocated by some to address the transit system’s debts, but such a tax remains illegal under Iowa law. Some argue that earnings taxes create negative market distortions and could exacerbate the current budget crisis further. Policymakers fear an earnings tax would decrease population growth and encourage businesses and workers to move and operate outside the city limits to avoid the tax, further lowering the city’s tax base.

Despite rising deficits and debt, in 2023 Republicans passed the homestead tax credit that gave exemption to senior homeowners and limited property tax rate below 3%. As of January 2025, Gov. Reynolds has fully replaced Iowa’s tired progressive income tax system with a flat rate that is estimated to cost the state $600 million in revenue this year. The city has since relied on support from the American Rescue Plan to make up some of that lost revenue; however, in 2025 that support has also ended.

Faced with a need to stay financially solvent and provide essential services, but unable to enact adequate tax reforms, the city has found its solution is rising property values.

In 2018 the city hired consulting firm CBZ to review the city’s development initiatives, which recommended that investing in curb appeal in wealthier neighborhoods and gentrifying the urban downtowns would increase the Des Moines housing market’s competitiveness and raise home prices and tax revenues without high upfront costs associated with providing public services to the poor.

The out-of-state consultant also recommended the city pause the low-income housing tax credit, or LIHTC, and focus on programs like Invest DSM and ION. 

The city is taking public feedback on CBZ’s recommendations until June 15th and plans to vote on the program’s continuation June 30th.

Programs like Invest DSM and Habitat for Humanity have increasingly been directed toward “revitalization” projects that promise both homeowners and city officials that these projects will increase property values and generate tax revenue for the city. ReflectDSM, the city’s historic preservation plan, announced in 2023 these goals:

• Stabilize and improve property values and the equity held by the citizens in their property
• Protect and enhance the city’s attraction to tourists and visitors
• Strengthen the economy of the city

Increasingly, government programs and partnered NGOs have begun to operate not as public services, but with tax revenue and market desirability as a primary goal.

Image via CBZ

This has taken the form of the city increasingly targeting its resources toward specifically middle- and upper-class neighborhoods that have been identified for their market and taxable potential, with less attention given to lower-income communities that, from the city’s perspective, possess a lower return on investment and high costs to service.

At the same time, available land for development is increasingly scarce in the urban center near jobs and opportunities. NIMBYs have used zoning laws and litigation to make it difficult and expensive to construct affordable housing in those areas. 

One resident in the vicinity of a recent housing development for the homeless in East Des Moines told KCCI, “We don’t want it. We have children; this is a little neighborhood, and we don’t want that kind of stuff in our neighborhood. We have kids.” However, there is evidence that neighborhoods with similar homeless housing projects saw reports of crime drop over 30%.

In 2024, another development proposed by Hope Ministries received majority support from the city council and unanimous approval from the city planning commission to construct affordable group homes between two lots of undeveloped woodlands, but the project was slowed down and ultimately abandoned because of challenges from a handful of homeowners.

For the government and developers, this means affordable housing projects have become easier in areas with less friction and more available land, and therefore have been pushed to the suburbs and periphery of the city. Along with the city’s ordinances this year cracking down on the homeless and its increased police budget, the poor are being priced out and intentionally pushed further away from urban opportunities and resources, in order to attract residents with more desirable income brackets. Des Moines is forced to compete with its own suburbs to generate housing solutions similar to those seen in Ankeny or Waukee.

The post Des Moines’ plan to solve its budget crisis: gentrification appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Last Tuesday House Study Bill 158 was introduced and defines a drag show as a performance where the “Performer exhibits a gender identity that is different from the performer’s gender assigned at birth through the use of clothing, makeup, accessories, or other gender signifiers.” This is open to include the performance of singing, dancing, reading, and almost anything “Before an audience for entertainment.” 

This proposal not only directly attacks the lives of queer individuals, but opens the door for the censoring of arts. Venues and artists worry that entertainment like theater, film, along with religious or traditional dress may make them open to liability and persecution from the state. With the wording of this law, it effectively limits trans people from performing in any public matter.

Any parent who knowingly brings a minor to a drag performance can be charged with a Class D felony and charged up to $50,000 for each violation. The owner or manager of an establishment who knowingly allows minors to attend drag shows could also be charged with a Class D felony, and businesses could be fined $10,000 under the bill.

Lawmakers like Representative Helena Hayes, a Republican from New Sharon, have commented that the bill addresses the concerns of their respective constituencies and that it “Will not be the way it is right now,” as it makes its way through the legislature. They both supported the bill’s existing definition and voted to have it be moved to a general house vote.

Representative Elinor Levin, a Democrat from Iowa City, told the Des Moines Register, “This bill creates a penalty that is so disproportionate as to be almost laughable,” and is “Out of whack,” considering the existing laws in Iowa classify bringing children to events with obscene material is only a misdemeanor.

Protesters gathered at the capitol outside the subcommittee to make themselves heard and demonstrate the violence they felt, and the hypocrisy of the legislature proposals.

This bill is being proposed in tandem with Iowa City’s Free Week, a week long private-public cooperation that provides entertainment and public art for free largely in the city’s downtown district. This included drag shows at local LGBTQ bar and venue Studio 13.

In a public statement, an executive of the venue said, “It’s important to voice your opposition to this bill. Though our venues only allow those over 19 or 21 it would eliminate all ages drag performances, drag at Pride, drag brunches in many locations, drag story time and more, and is a clear violation of free speech. Not to mention the chilling effect this would have on the transgender community. Drag is art and has been a part of society for thousands of years. Stand up to the hate coming from the capital and let your representatives know how you feel. We need to push back against extremism where the main goal is to distract voters from the rich and powerful stealing from us all by keeping us fighting each other.”

Despite the environment of fear and -20 degree windchill, locals came out to Studio 13 on Wednesday of Free Week for a night of karaoke, comedy, and drag to voice their support for the scene in their community.

This is as people have grown concerned over the relationship between the state and cities, who often have conflicting goals. The city officials ignore or work around federal and state orders because they don’t fit the wants or need of the constituents, while others fear possible funding cuts or retribution from a particularly punitive Republican controlled government.

On Monday February 24th, an Iowa house sub committee voted to advance House Study Bill 242. The Senate responded with Senate File 418 that contains similar language and aims to remove mentions of queer people in schools.

The bill would be the first time a state has removed civil rights protections for a population of its citizens, and functionally abolishes any protections for transgender and nonbinary people. This allows for trans Iowans to be denied housing, jobs, services, credit, or education based on their gender identity.

In the Iowa State Capitol Building during the subcommittee hearing, hundreds of protesters from across the state came to voice their opposition to the bill. They filled the rotunda and hallway both in physical presence and in noise, chanting their anger and grief, trying to disrupt the hearing. 

State troopers eventually tried to force protesters out of the hallway. This is despite no restrictions on the protest being set in place beforehand, which is a violation of First Amendment protections. State troopers used violent force, pushing people to the ground, and crushing protesters against each other as they tried to move them. Two protesters were arrested. 

The bill is another in a string of anti-LGBT legislation since 2020, and would be the biggest victory for Iowa’s Christian right and Kim Reynolds’ policy goals which includes the systematic removal of the queer community from public life including restricting their access to medicine, public spaces, and athletics.

Christian lobbyist groups like PELLA PAC, The Family Leader, and Inspired Life were present during the sub committees vote and have been drafting and pushing for the removal of gender identity as a legally recognized class since at least last year’s legislative session when they supported House Bill 2082 which had similar language. PELLA PAC states their goals include cleansing America of “Propaganda promoted by Marxist and atheist bureaucracies.” The civil rights protection they removed has stood in the way of other discriminatory policies the house majority is attempting to pass.

The bill makes specific reference to MAGA talking points and is framed under the guise of “protecting woman.” The bill claims that “equal” accommodations do not mean “same” or “identical” and that, “Separate accommodations are not inherently unequal,” upending legal precedent established in the 1950s by Brown v. Board of Education.

The present bill is moving to the House floor for a vote. It also has passed through the Senate subcommittee. Governor Kim Reynolds could sign it into law as early as Thursday afternoon. 

The post Iowa’s First of Its Kind Anti-Trans Legislation appeared first on KRUI Radio.

While the 1,500 acres of open woodland has obvious natural beauty, that doesn’t make it an inherently suitable location for a music festival, especially one renowned for its comfort and convenience. The setting instead was incredibly uncomfortable and inconvenient. While there were elements that did work, such as the Hammock Village and Biergarten, these were overshadowed by an ill-conceived layout and a severe lack of cooler spaces. I appreciate that organizers can’t predict a heatwave, but hosting an Iowa music festival in July in a giant field with minimal shade isn’t ideal. Between the heat, humidity, and ravenous mosquitos, attending the festival became a sweaty, itchy, chore. This was a crushing disappointment considering how smoothly previous years have functioned. 

This challenging spectator experience was reflected in the modest attendance. While casual crowds are expected at the smaller free stages, I was shocked by how few people had bought tickets to the main stage. Friday’s headliner OK Go looked desolate, and I was able to walk up to the second row ten minutes before triple Grammy winning rapper Killer Mike started his headlining set on Saturday. Killer Mike even commented on the sparse numbers, saying his manager had called to let him know this might be a “lighter crowd than usual,” before the show. “Consider this a big tiny desk concert,” he quipped with a smile. 

The low turnout was symptomatic of an unpopular location and deeply underwhelming line-up. While Killer Mike’s headline credentials were well justified with an exceptional performance, OK Go simply don’t have the contemporary relevance to carry a festival in 2024. The rest of the bill was also lacking in bigger names, and felt like the weakest 80/35 lineup in the festival’s history. The 2018 main stage, for example, featured BJ The Chicago Kid, Car Seat Headrest, Courtney Barnett, and Kesha in succession on Saturday. This isn’t purely a post-pandemic issue either. Saturday night in 2022 saw Future Islands followed by electropop icon Charlie XCX on the mainstage. 

The real shame is that a weak top bill impacts how many people come and experience the immensely talented local artists. Halfloves provided an assured show to close the Alchemy Stage on Friday night, running through a quality selection of songs, like the track “Bass Drum“, as the golden sun set behind them. This set offered a tantalizing vision of what the festival could be at Water Works Park: a Biergarten buzzing with people coupled with fantastic indie rock. 

The Silent Stage, which hosted many of the local artists I was most excited to see, was a less gratifying experience. In theory, the stage innovatively combined a silent disco with live music, a hybrid I was certainly curious to try. In practice, however, requiring ungainly headphones to hear the artists simply detracts from the simple joys of live music: the audience participation, the conversations with friends between songs, the sonic richness that only giant speakers can produce. The headphones even sounded crackly at times, meaning it felt like I was listening to a pirated MP3 instead of a dynamic live performance. To compound matters, lines formed straight after sets finished to return the headphones, quickly overwhelming the workers tasked with exchanging the headphones for IDs. 

Nonetheless, the artists on this stage still thrived. With his parents proudly watching on, Iowa City’s Jim Swim was joined by a succession of incredibly talented collaborators, Avery Moss, ALYX RUSH, and ADE, underlined the depth and breadth of his musical vision and output. Considering how central Jim Swim is to the fabric of the Iowa City music scene, it was wonderful to see his commitment to creative partnerships celebrated at 80/35.

Ahzia, another Iowa City based artist, delivered a confident and high energy show, sharing cuts from his fantastic new EP Verb. Despite the unconventional modality, the crowd was fully immersed in Ahzia’s set, captivated by his smooth flow and sharp one liners. Ion Alexakis on the decks galvanized Ahzia’s momentum with a series of quick blends, giving the show a vibrant mixtape feel. With the Silent Stage’s limitations, however, I spent much of these shows wishing I was enjoying the artists on the Alchemy Stage instead. 

Tom Sachs created the Miffy Fountain, and designed the sculpture to circulate water through Miffy’s tears. When asked why he picked such a sorrowful emotion for the artwork, his response was simple: “She is crying because she is sad.” Like Miffy, I was left deeply sad after this year’s 80/35. 

The post Magical Music, Lackluster Location at 80/35 2024 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

No, but seriously. The crowd will be going wild, so why not be a part of it? A $15 ticket gives you access not only to them, but also Psalm One and Jamila Woods, so think about it.

Ancient Posse is a synthetic R&B duo based out of Des Moines. There isn’t a lot of information out there about the pair because they like to keep their personal lives separate from their professional lives, but what we do know is that it’s made up of Kamillah Camp-Bey and Steve Bergeron. They came together about four years ago, and ever since then, it’s been a complete partnership. They both sing, they both write songs, they both produce, and they perform together. Talk about “goals”!

As far as background goes, Steve has had years and years of musical involvement. He has been playing violin since he was a child, and can also play the piano. Comparatively, Kamillah had little experience in the music field. She performed in musicals throughout high school and wrote her own music, but never showed her true talents. Here’s a music video for their single, “Windless”, that’ll show you how truly gifted these two are when creating music together.

I really like the use of Kamillah’s vocals in the intro of this song. She has a mesmerizing voice, that’s for sure. Throughout the video, you can see her just letting loose, getting into the beat and dancing away. I wouldn’t call her moves “cute” or “adorable”, but it gives you that sense, you know? She’s just doing her!

Steve has an awesome range that pairs really well with Kamillah’s. I like how they split the vocals evenly; she has a part, he has a part, then they come together. Sometimes groups aren’t good about that; one person will be over-bearing and you, as the listener, don’t have the opportunity to hear what the other members bring to the table. Good for them!

The lyrics are pretty short (if you didn’t notice) so here they are.

come w me, moony one

have no fear

u can be whoever u want

’cause the water, it moves ur way

don’t let it escalate

take my hand bloodless skin

let it fill u don’t know how to fall

but u will

’cause the water, it moves my way

don’t let it escalate new hearts r windless storms

put ur hand in mine

I like these lyrics! They give good visual-aid if you don’t watch the music video. They’re short and sweet, but I think it’s appropriate for this song. If you did watch the music video, it’s pretty simple, not too intricate. I like the use of lighting and fog, it’s kinda funky.

I think Ancient Posse will put on a really good show, I definitely do not recommend missing this one! If you want to read more about this group or buy tickets, go ahead and get ’em here!

The post Mission Creek Festival Promo: Ancient Posse @ The Englert Theatre appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Escape The Fate started the night off, playing hits like “Just A Memory,” “Ungrateful,” and “This War Is Ours (The Guillotine II).” Fans close to the barricade jammed out, while the rest of the crowd could be seen bobbing their heads. To be completely honest, the crowd kinda disappointed me — they were pretty weak for this being a rock show. I was expecting more mosh pits, more pushing, more sweat — none of which really happened. Nonetheless, Escape The Fate put on a great show, with guitar solos and screams scattered throughout the set.

The Word Alive was up next, a metal core band from Arizona. Earlier on the tour, lead singer Tyler “Telle” Smith broke his leg, and instead of pulling out of the tour, he sang sitting down. I give him mad props for that. It was fun to jam out to a new band that I hadn’t really heard too much from before, and the rest of the band still ran around the stage and got the crowd hyped up for the bands to come. They were pretty good, so I’ll definitely be checking out some more of their stuff.

We Came As Romans was next. I’ve known of them, but never really listened to them, which I’m now kicking myself for. Their musical style is described as post-hardcore and metalcore, with some melodic parts thrown in. Contrary to popular belief, their lyrics contain themes of positivity, like having hope, purpose, and morality — most people judge heavy music and assume the worst. Their stage presence was good, as they all ran around each other and sang along with the crowd. I ended up buying their latest album on CD which has now found its home in my car.

And finally, the moment we were all waiting for. Crew members hung a black curtain above the stage, shielding us from seeing what they were setting up behind it. After waiting for what felt like forever, the curtain finally dropped and I Prevail sailed in singing “Come and Get It.” Clean vocalist Brian Burkheiser sat out the rest of their tour due to a serious vocal chord injury, and guitarist Dylan Bowman stepped in to help with clean vocals.

Their setlist was stacked, with hits like “Stuck In Your Head,” “Chaos,” and “Scars.” A highlight of the night was definitely when the band played a cover of “Get Low” by Lil Jon, and also “Shots” by LMFAO. There was also playful banter between the band members, like Dylan saying unclean vocalist Eric had a “head full of pubes,” and Eric saying Dylan was a “fat Daniel Radcliffe.”

The best part of the night though? Crowd surfing.

The night wrapped up with more confetti raining down on us as we all scavenged the floor to find any remaining guitar picks and other souveniers that band members tossed out at the crowd. The post-concert depression sank in as soon as we left the venue.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr where I upload concert pictures and you can be up-to-date on where I’ll be next.

The post Concert Review: I Prevail – Rage on the Stage Tour @ Clive, IA 12/2/17 appeared first on KRUI Radio.