#8
ZINE - MUSIC & ART
RUIX ZINE explores regional music and the DIY aesthetic through essays and interviews with area musicians, record label proprietors, and venue owners.
IMAGE: Sept of Memnon @ DAAC Music Series VI
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CONTENTS:
Grasping For The LCD Dollar Joel Sires - Interview Music Reviews by Bob Bucko Jr Peter Rohrbough A Brief History of RUI Samuel Locke Ward - Interview Brooks Strause - Interview Music Review by Jon Eagle
1 5 9 13 17 19 23 25
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CONTRIBUTORS:
Editor Layout Design Cover Art Illustrations Photography Other
Bob Bucko Jr Ivonne Simonds Fals Drew Bissell Lucas Berns Dean Wellman Rick Eagle Drew Bissell Mat Hohmann
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SUBMIT:
Includes, but is not limited to, reviews of exhibits, shows, and recordings; promotion of upcoming events; and essays and creative writing (short fiction, poetry)- 2000 word limit.
EMAIL: RUIX ONLINE: RUIX BLOG: RUIX PODCAST: FACEBOOK:
grainruix@gmail.com issuu.com/grain-arts ruixzine.tumblr.com buzzsprout.com/46538/ facebook.com/ruixzine
www.DAartscollective.com Dubuque, IA
Grasping For The LCD Dollar by Shorty Inland
If you’re a musician and you’re reading this, you’ve covered a song by someone else. You were taking guitar/drum/bass lessons and your instructor thought it was important to teach you “Smoke On the Water”, or you were starting your first band and your equally inexperienced friend said, “I know ________, should we play that at the Talent Show?” Extremely rare is the case in which a person learned their instrument, or learned to play that instrument along with other people, without learning a song they didn’t write.
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But why is it called a “cover” song? Where did the term come from? As long as I’ve been aware of the term, it was just how you referred to playing someone else’s tune. If a song that you learned to copy was a particularly difficult one, you could even use the term with confidence. “You need not worry, dear fans, I’ve got that fucker covered.” Okay, full disclosure, I’ve never heard the term used in that way, but there’s got to be someone out there who’s that big of a dickhead.
Not surprisingly, the mentality behind the introduction of “cover” songs for profit was even more dubious and deceitful, and came about as a byproduct of record labels wanting to make a buck. These companies experienced long shipping times over long distances, lack of resources for the buying public, and the growing market of recorded music for personal use, and recognized the situation as exploitable.
________
"Not surprisingly, the mentality
behind the introduction of “cover” songs for profit was even more dubious and deceitful, and came about as a byproduct of record labels wanting to make a buck."
________
The simplest way to describe the situation is this: Record Company A puts out a song by Artist A. Artist A’s song gets played on the radio, but there aren’t very many copies (that radio station may even have the only one in the region), or the copies are still (slowly) making their way to each potential market. So, Record Company B has Artist B record Artist A’s song, and those go out to stores in the hopes that they can hit record stores before, or in place of, Artist A’s record. The fact of the matter is, record companies would have their artists record versions of popular songs as a cash grab when the buying public sought out recordings of said popular songs. In addition to this, with these practices developing in a more-or-less completely segregated society, record companies recognized that “black music” would not get played on white radio or sold in stores refusing to sell “black music”, so they would have their white artists re-record those songs. These “cover” versions were literally meant to take the place of the originals.
Right here is where one could start to make the argument that those were different times, that those practices are gone, and that those points are irrelevant; and yes, the times were certainly different. “Technology” wasn’t even a word, people have been passing other’s music down since time immemorial, and hell, look at how much enjoyment listening to those songs brought the buying public, regardless of who was performing the song. Isn’t that the point, and haven’t we moved on from those times? Well, yes and no. I do believe the point of performing and/ or recording music is to affect people on some level. And yes, that can be done through a “re-working” of a song or the borrowing of a line from a song that is then expounded on. Both concepts are prevalent in most forms of popular American music, particularly older jazz, blues, and rock music. More recently, the practice of covering music in a different, “ironic” genre seems popular. I don’t fucking get it, but try to tell me that people don’t really enjoy bluegrass bands doing metal and rap songs. It’s the musical equivalent of going out of your way to buy funny onesies for your child, but even that’s a market. Anyway, even with, say, the bluegrass Slayer guys, you’d hope the ironic cover or two is peppered between something (read: anything) else.
________
"“Technology” wasn’t even a word,
people have been passing other’s music down since time immemorial, and hell, look at how much enjoyment listening to those songs brought the buying public, regardless of who was performing the song. Isn’t that the point, and haven’t we moved on from those times? Well, yes and no."
________
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And it’s the decision between doing a cover here or there and only doing covers that creates an important divide. In theory, going one way fosters a creative environment that, while borrowing or drawing inspiration from others, still produces original content. Maybe at the end of a record, or as the B-side to a band’s first single, a band grabs someone’s attention by doing their version of a Bob Dylan song. As a means of getting your band noticed, you could do worse. A bait-and-switch, for sure.
________
"Maybe at the end of a record, or as the B-side to a band’s first single, a band grabs someone’s attention by doing their version of a Bob Dylan song. As a means of getting your band noticed, you could do worse. A bait-and-switch, for sure."
________
Deciding to go the other way, and getting paid to do so, either consciously or subconsciously, is completely in line with the original bait-and-switch idea as discussed earlier, wherein the bait and the switch are done by two different parties, and one’s getting fucked over. In a thinly-veiled manner, it preys on the casual music listener who’s satisfied with mild recognition of a song and little else, thereby redirecting the congratulations due to the songwriter squarely toward the cover artist. It’s little surprise, then, that years of this has led to an active distaste by casual music listeners for original work.
________
"As the market for original music continues to shrink, as the number of opportunities for bands that don’t cater to that market disappear, so does original content."
________
And there lies the ultimate rub. Learning to perform these songs does take work, and people do enjoy hearing them. And, it seems those people not only feel comfortable paying to see somebody (anybody) perform them, but actively go out of their way to find an opportunity to do so. In the end, cover artists get the adulation they desire, venue/bar owners cover their bottom line, and everyone goes home happy. No harm, no foul, right? Fucking dead wrong. As the market for original music continues to shrink, as the number of opportunities for bands that don’t cater to that market disappear, so does original content. A fucking wasteland devoid of creativity and passion stands where those ideals should flourish. No longer does time spent creating seem as worthwhile as time spent copying, because the underlying motivation is acceptance and the general populous has learned to not give a flying fuck about anything they don’t already like. And yes, if you’re in the thick of it and you’re having a good time and everyone around you is having a good time, I’m sure all of this just sounds like bitter griping. But remember that when you bitch about no one under 21 giving a fuck who Journey is; remember that when you bitch about everyone under 21 that owns a laptop being a “DJ.” You raised those laptop DJs, you created the indifference that they feed on, and all they did was figure out how to use someone else’s work to cater to the lowest common denominator fan in an even fucking lazier way than you did.
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IMAGE: Sept of Memnon @ DAAC Music Series VI
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JOEL SIRES - INTERVIEW
Guitarist/vocalist for TWINS
I was wondering what some
Ruix of your earliest musical memories are. Considering the amount of Cedar Valley musicians with the surname Sires, I'm assuming music was a big part of your family growing up?
JS
I wish I had a cool stock answer for this, but music has really sort of always been around. I consider myself lucky, as I feel people my age were right at the tail end of radio and MTV playing a big role in shaping our tastes. So pop radio in the late 80’s to the mid 90’s was definitely some of the first stuff I remember. For example, “We Didn’t Start the Fire” playing from my mom’s bedside alarm clock radio and my dad and my uncles singing beer-soaked versions of early Beatles songs are some of my earliest musical memories. But really, probably listening to my uncle Dean Sires play country bluegrass guitar on Iowa Public Radio and at family get togethers really had the biggest impact on me and it’s probably the same for my brother and all our cousins. That’s what sort of got all the Sires boys picking up instruments.
When did you start playing music
Ruix seriously? Was the Teddy Boys your first band?
JS 5
I was a relative late-comer to actually playing music, compared to the rest of the
family. I tinkered around with guitars when I was still a little boy. My brother and I learned the riff to “Smoke on the Water” at the same time - he learned it on the low E and I learned it on the high E. I didn’t come back to guitar until I was about 19 or 20 and didn’t start writing songs for real until I was probably 22. My first band was the Teddy Boys, with my brother Harper, Devin Ferguson from TWINS, Dylan Sires, and Ross Klemz from Dylan Sires & Neighbors. All the other boys had kicked around in high school bands before we started taking it “serious” with the Teddy Boys.
I first met you back in 2008, when
Ruix the Teddy Boys came through
Dubuque with Samuel Locke Ward. How many albums did you release, and when did you call it quits?
JS
As the Teddy Boys we recorded a lot of music, but only officially released one album, in 2006. It was called Love After Dark and I’m pretty sure Ross still has an entire spindle in his basement if anyone is interested! That band was a lot of fun, but towards the end I was sort of responsible for every aspect of the business side of things and felt like I wasn’t able to spend as much time doing the thing I enjoyed and got into it in the first place for writing songs. We didn’t really break up or anything, we sort of just fizzled out after I quit booking shows. We went about as far as a band with no business-
minded people or outside help could go. But I had a lot of fun learning. And I still love about 95% of the music we made together.
The members of the Teddy
Ruix Boys more or less formed two
bands representative of the two main stylistic elements of the Teddy Boys - Dylan Sires & Neighbors and TWINS. Was this an intentional decision?
JS
Well, I mean I can’t speak for Dylan and his band, but for me, yes, it was intentional to keep moving in the direction of some of the last songs I wrote for the band. I recorded a lot on my own after the band dissolved and that was more in the vein of preBeatles Brill Building-type stuff. When we started TWINS in late 2012 and I had a drummer behind me again I fell right back into the power pop stuff.
We are both big fans of Brian
Ruix Cox (mastermind behind the Slats, an Iowa skronk-pop band most active in the early/mid 2000s). What aspects of the Slats resonate most with you, and how do they factor into your songwriting and playing?
JS
Oh yeah, I love the Slats. They blew my mind when I first heard them. I couldn’t believe there was a band that great and unique that was basically from my neighborhood. The effect they had on me was pretty
profound. It was like, after I heard the Slats for the first time I went home, cut my hippie hair, and threw away a good majority of my music collection - it was huge. The songs still hold up. They’re brilliant. Especially Brian’s stuff. The hooks have stayed with me, the absurd lyrics and the brevity with which they operate inside their songs have long been things I have taken away and have tried to put to use in my own work. I still measure every new song I write on “the Slats scale”. I rarely live up to it, but I try. Benchmark group for me and a lot of other Iowa musicians.
TWINS is obviously indebted heavily
Ruix to power pop. Why did this genre
hook you? How do you pay tribute to a past era while putting your own stamp on the form?
JS
Yes, power pop has always been my sweet spot. I Can’t Explain (pun intended) why power pop has always been my thing. I suppose finding one artist has led to another to another that is in a similar vein. It’s just such a cool genre and it’s always seemed real and honest. You get great, clear messages over heartbreaking and sticky sweet vocal hooks, laid overtop muscular, ballsy guitars. Everything is economical and working class. [pull quote:You broke my heart and I’m bummed but not bummed enough to sing a pretty melody and kick your ass with a nice fat guitar sound.] 6
us to work hard for ourselves alongside the support provided by the label. We have learned so much in our time with Maximum Ames and we have made some of our best friends via working with them. It has been a lot of fun and I feel forever grateful to Chris and Pat for all their continued help. I couldn’t be happier being closely associated with the two brightest and best songwriters in Iowa. Love those dudes.
Along with power pop, I hear
Ruix a lot of Thin Lizzy in your newer
songs. Please tell me I am right.
JS
You are correct and yes, I love Thin Lizzy. I have been HUGELY into the late 70’s hard rock sound, which to me is a close relative of power pop, for the last couple years. Mostly via Cheap Trick’s influence on me I was steered towards great shit like Thin Lizzy, the Runaways, Kiss, Sweet, the Move, and AC/DC. Those influences have definitely jumped into the foreground on my new songs for our next record. And I’m excited for people to hear the new LP and dig up some of those great bands.
What's on the horizon? Is there a
Ruix new TWINS record forthcoming?
JS
Your first album was self-released.
Ruix Your second LP, Tomboys on Parade, was released by Maximum Ames, one of the most visible labels in Iowa. How did you come to their attention and what is this relationship like?
JS
I wish I could say that we came to Maximum Ames’ attention because we were the best band in town, but really a lot of it had to do with the online support and word of mouth Patrick Tape Fleming stirred up for us following our first album, Funny Faces. He definitely was our champion in Des Moines, still is. Mostly we work closest with Chris Ford at Max Ames. Chris also really took us under his wing when putting together our LP Tomboys on Parade and really encouraged
2016 will hopefully be a banner year for us! We had a little trouble getting out of the gate with this new set of songs but we are currently at the Sonic Factory Recording Studio in Des Moines, Iowa, recording our new LP with producer Patrick Tape Fleming. The plan is to have a set of songs that is representative of our live sound, with a slightly heavier guitar sound then we have used in the past and a continued emphasis on harmonies and mega hooks. It’s far and away the best set of songs we have ever went into the studio with and I’m itching to share it with people. Plan is to have it wrapped up and to the label by January and then after that it is up to them when it’s released. Hopefully as soon as possible, so we can get back on the road supporting a brand new product, visiting good friends, playing alongside great musicians, and turning some heads and hearts on to rock and roll music. It’s what we do best.
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IMAGE: Lucas Berns
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______________________ MUTILATED BY ZOMBIES Decimation Sentence (self-released)
MUSIC REVIEWS BY BOB BUCKO JR
I don’t know what it’s like to be the only death metal band in my town, but Mutilated By Zombies sure do. Operating in a vacuum, outside of any scene or expectations, Mutilated have spent the past several years developing their own reverent take on the genre. Obviously indebted to the early ‘90s Tampa sound, Decimation Sentence updates the form, but only slightly - and this is not necessarily a negative. The riffs are often in the mold of Cannibal Corpse, complex lines that cycle through the song. The arrangements are consistently compelling and the transitions well-executed, and there is a noticeable lack of extended guitar solos in lieu of showing off, the band’s focus is on the song. The guitar and bass are a bit thin in the mix in places, but the drums, played with great facility, are light years ahead of Morrisound production, and the vocal doubling and overdubs add a lot to the sound. I particularly dig the stereo panning on “Mock the Sun” - makes for a good headphone listen. It’s been cool to see and hear this band develop their skills over the years. Decimation Sentence is the end result of tons of practice and dedication to form, definitely an album the metalheads oughta pick up on. https://mutilatedbyzombies2.bandcamp. com/album/decimation-sentence-2
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______________________ CANCER LAKE - s/t (The Centipede Farm)
This Des Moines duo, composed of Chuck Hoffman (Fetal Pig, Distant Trains, Musician) and Matt Crowe (Sex Funeral), lays down some impressively oppressive doom improvisations across two sides of a 60 minute cassette. A wall of bass blackout churns around active, but never busy, drumming that is as informed by bonkers jazz as heavy metal. Some hoarse yelling in the background intensifies the struggle. Lots of tension with little release. Great album for the impending winter. https://centipedefarm.bandcamp.com/ album/cancer-lake
______________________ SKYSCRAPER - Drums & Hums (Warm Gospel)
The solo project of Kamrar’s Trey Reis, Skyscraper treads similar waters. Samples of old songs intersperse and overlap to create hypnotic sonic collages that are loose and laid back in the best of ways. Drums & Hums is notable for its impetus - according to Reis, he intended to make a mixtape for a friend, but, upon running his turntable through his sampler, was taken by the potential results, and soon set on a different course. As with many of the releases on Des Moines tape label Warm Gospel, electronic sounds form the basis for organic textures. I come back to Autechre as a reference point, but I’m sure there are plenty of millennial touchstones as well (I still have no idea what the fuck vaporwave is!). Either way, when I compare an ambient album to The KLF’s Chill Out, consider it a high compliment. By the time the beats come in, about eight minutes into side 1, I’m already steeped in a meditative haze. The past was the future, and that future is now.
______________________ GOLDBLUMS - Gnat Bones 7” (Sump Pump Records)
Scuzz-rock from Des Moines. Better than the garage revival because the guitars frequently go into Greg Ginn territory. Recorded in a garbage can, presumably for the reverb. I love records like this obviously the ultra lo-fi approach is a conceit, but it’s one that serves the songs well. It’s just as hard to do dirty well as it is to pull off some Steely Dan shit. Anyway, Goldblums is not Steely Dan, they’re snotty as fuck and it sounds like they’re having a blast. The record itself is a hell of a package, as tends to be the case with Sump Pump releases, with a cool silkscreened cover jacket and booklet insert. https://sumppumprecords.bandcamp.com/ album/gnat-bones
______________________ CLOSET WITCH - Black Salt (self-released)
It took playing in Fargo for me to learn of this intense grind/chaotic hardcore band from Muscatine. Mollie Piatetsky’s throat-tearing vocals frequently evoke that midwest-bred screamo sound and are at that perfect point in the mix, kinda buried but crashing through, that gives it even more gravitas. The production overall is quality - the liner notes urge, “don't let the lack of funds or knowledge ruin your dreams to record.” Though there is definition and clarity in everything, nothing is too churched up. Add in some samples, a couple shoegazey breakdowns, and a Nirvana cover that somehow distills an already-three-chord song to it’s ultimate form, and this is everything I dug in the late ‘90s. https://closetwitch.bandcamp.com
https://warmgospel.bandcamp.com/album/ drums-hums-d-h
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______________________ GOSH! - s/t (Guilt Ridden Pop/Athletic Tapes)
GOSH! played in town recently at the DAAC basement, in support of this, their first album. Cool vibes all around, as evidenced by song titles like “Feelin’ Good” and “Hangin’ Out”. Kinda bummed “Not Fade Away” isn’t a Buddy Holly cover, but it sounds a lot like Free Kitten, so it’s still cool. The male/female vocals, often in unison with melodic basslines, conjure a slacker cool, and the overall minimalism creates a nice laconic groove. The more I listen to this, the more I dig it. Available on CD and cassette, so pick your poison. https://gosh1.bandcamp.com/album/gosh
______________________ FOWLMOUTH - “Another Ordinary Day” b/w “An Act of Severance” (self-released)
Real rock ‘n’ roll from real dudes. Earnest and raw performances, captured with appropriate basement-fidelity, elicit the sounds of experience and longlost innocence. Hailing from Kenosha, Wisconsin, a former factory town heavily affected by America’s Roman decline, this quartet epitomizes d. Boon’s “art for the proletariat” ethos. A-side “Another Ordinary Day” chronicles the demise of a junkie in raw, emotional terms. There is no romanticization, just a somber transmission of weariness and loss, punctuated with a question mark. “An Act of Severance” touches on that other great American narcotic, booze. With its stripped-down acoustic approach and subject matter, it’s a crestfallen analogue to the Replacements’ “Treatment Bound”. The band also has a new full-length with eight additional tunes, titled Untitled, that is well worth checking out. https://fowlmouth.bandcamp.com/album/ another-ordinary-day
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______________________ I WATCHED YOU DIE - Untitled (Breaching Static)
Dubuque’s Alex Nowacki is primarily known for his performances as BOAR, his wellregarded harsh noise project. I Watched You Die is Alex’s harsh noise wall alter ego. Admittedly, this subgenre within a subgenre is not for most ears, but if you’re down for abandoning all precepts of what ‘music’ is, there is a lot to unpack here. My main complaint with HNW is that it goes nowhere - which is often the point, but I’m a fan of dynamics and structure, I can’t help it! Untitled, a single 27 minute-long piece, bridges the gap between static walls and compositional sensibilities. These are sounds for deep listening, for total immersion. Making it to the end offers the same satisfaction as running a race (or so I hear) - it’s a marathon listen, created by a master of the form. Available through Alex’s own Breaching Static label, this is advertised as the last I Watched You Die release, and it’s a fitting nail in the coffin. https://breachingstatic.bandcamp.com/ album/i-watched-you-die
IMAGE: I Like You, Go Home @ DAAC Music Series VI
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NOSTALGIC BY PETER ROHRBOUGH NAME-DROPPING RETRO GLORIFYING CRAP So Bob requested that I write a self indulgent rambling nostalgic name dropping retro-glorifying Iowa City piece for his fanzine. I guess I'm qualified to do that as I was born here and have been going to weird shows since the early 80s. I'm trying to divide my retrospective into places and people. This covers until around 1986.
Long before I ever played in a band I was a hanger on and a roadie. I didn't start playing drums until I was 18 or 19. When I was in high school I hung around the Murray's house and watched the bands practice. Stiff Legged Sheep, Soviet Dissonance, Bongfrog (Toadboys), and other bands (Recliners, Gundog, etc.) were present. There was a big half pipe out back and a bunch of kids who liked weird music. The basement had the biggest and coolest record collection I had ever seen. It was the center of my universe. I remember only a couple of shows happening there (Adrenaline O. D. in particular because they were nice fellas and I was impressed with how good that drummer was) - it was mostly a launching pad for all cool things happening locally. *I should mention a number of shows that are legendary in local lore that I didn't see: Crucifucks in City park at the rock against Reagan (c. 1982), Really Red (at the Crow's nest), The Effigies (10 south?), The Circle Jerks (at the Crow's Nest—I couldn't get in because I didn't have a fake ID, my friend Simon and I listened through the back door), and there are probably several more that escape my memory. Bar shows were not as cool as hall shows. Most of the local bars had stale blues bands playing constantly. **A short digression regarding skateboards and the ramp. I am not a skateboarder nor was I ever except for transportation. Thrasher magazine had a MARS (midwest amateur ramp series or something like that) event at the Murray's house. There were
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pro skaters there and stuff. Their names would mean something to somebody more well informed on this subject. I remember watching the good locals (Tom Bender, John Murray, Fred Bailey, Tom Reed) do mind blowing things. I suppose that nowadays people would be so worried about liability such a ramp that kids could show up and skate at on private land could not exist. Many of the cool and creative things (as well as nefarious events) happened due to a lack of adult oversight; I try to remember this as a parent.
________
"I suppose that nowadays people would be so worried about liability such a ramp that kids could show up and skate at on private land could not exist. Many of the cool and creative things (as well as nefarious events) happened due to a lack of adult oversight; I try to remember this as a parent."
________
The first show I ever saw at ten south (10 S. Gilbert st., the basement of the Unitarian-Universalist Society). It was Pink Gravy, The Audiophiles, and The Undesirables (I think?). As amazing as it sounds to present day conditions, it was BYOB and smoking allowed. We never had too many problems with the shows getting shut down, even though it was 50 yards from the police station. The local police obsession with stopping parties and making rock and roll illegal was not yet in force. A lot of now legendary bands passed through 10 south (Die Kreuzen, Husker DĂź, Fang, Vampire Lezbos, 10-96 etc.). I recall being underwhelmed by 7 seconds and Naked Raygun. Every show had local openers. Most shows were 2 or 3 dollars. Neither the circle pit nor stage diving had been practiced locally yet. It was a friendly, neighborly violence that we practiced in the pit. People were
quick to help you up when you went down and also quick to put the outsiders in their place when they dared to go in and break the rules. I remember the jock dudes would sort of squat down and push outwards directly in front of them (some things never change). After I got in a Chicago pit at some huge hardcore show the differences became abundantly clear to me. Near the end of the 10 south era circle pit started.
________
"There was a big half pipe out back and a bunch of kids who liked weird music. The basement had the biggest and coolest record collection I had ever seen. It was the center of my universe."
________
It's hard to realize how good you have it with regards to the availability of local shows until it's gone. After we got kicked out of 10 south (people got over into the church part and fucked things up, and also the wood floor got trashed because somebody threw a sausage and some .22 shells down) there were shows at the VFW. This was the building in the southeast corner at the intersection of Gilbert ct. and Kirkwood ave. Some pretty great touring bands played there (Victim's Family, Beyond Possession, Rebels and Infidels, Unrest, Killdozer, Gang Green, Power of the Spoken Word, Sonic Youth, Reptile House etc.). I thought that the golden age had arrived again. What I didn't realize at the time was that in addition to a venue what makes shows happen is people. The person instrumental in booking and realizing tons of shows was Paul Neff. Paul was the singer in Stiff Legged Sheep and later in Iowa Beef Experience. I did not fully understand how much Paul did to drive the local scene until he got burned out on it. Paul was fair to the local bands. I did not care for some of the locals he booked. 14
I would have been content to see the same local “in” bands over and over again. If you had an area band that played weird music Paul would put you on a bill. Paul realized that bands would get better. He knew that including everyone made the shows better for everyone. Paul was not concerned with coolness nor appearances (or musical proficiency). Looking back on it I'm not surprised he stopped promoting shows. He refereed disputes, broke up fights, talked to the police, dealt with renting the venue as well as booking the bands. There are many tedious aspects to rock shows. I really didn't fully see how much Paul's egalitarian approach nurtured local music until I started trying to book my own shows. Every promoter I dealt with wanted you to draw people in to pay the soundguy and the doorguy and if there was something left over after he took his cut you could split that up among the bands. If you were lucky you would get put on a big bill and they would use you to try and pay someone else's guarantee. There was also a lot of quid pro quo going on; if you can help me I'll help you. Insiders got the good nights and the good slots. Paul wanted to pay the bands and for everyone to have a kickass show. Hey I understand that capitalism happens when you have bar shows but understand how it contaminates everything when you add self interested people to the equation (bar owners, promoters etc.). Besides Paul there seemed to be little interest in putting up guarantees to out of town bands who were not established and played weird music. I'm sure he lost money a number of times as he had to personally back all guarantees. He refused to book the Bad Brains because they wanted 600 bucks (probably equivalent to asking 5000 now). He showed me the rider that Battalion of
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Saints sent him. We laughed and laughed. It had requirements for the PA and stage. It stated that all beverages had to be served in plastic cups. It seemed the most outrageous set of demands I had ever seen. They played even though he refused to sign their ridiculous contract. I remember after 10 south Paul had Rhythm & Noise play upstairs at Gabe's. They threw some large pieces of metal around and knocked some paint off the walls. The crabby owner (one of two at the time) kept all the door money and told everyone to leave. Rumor has it some bottles of liquor were liberated from behind the bar. The next time Stiff Legged Sheep played there somebody smashed several windows in their van. This was the start of an ambivalent relationship between Gabe's and our faction of the local bands that continued for quite some time.
________
"Paul was not concerned with coolness nor appearances (or musical proficiency). Looking back on it I'm not surprised he stopped promoting shows. He refereed disputes, broke up fights, talked to the police, dealt with renting the venue as well as booking the bands. There are many tedious aspects to rock shows. "
________
There were some shows at Robot's studio. This place was upstairs on College St. on the ped mall on the south side. It was not available on a regular basis. Out of town bands Husker Dü, Savage Republic, Live Skull and probably others I do not recall played there. There was a particularly kickass local show consisting of Stiff Legged Sheep, Stickdog, Suburban Death Trip, and Iowa Beef Experience (before I was in it) that was a benefit to try to make a decent Stiff Legged Sheep recording (that didn't happen but that's a whole nother book there). I recall that I was
working at the Mill during one of those shows so I would wash a few dishes and then climb up the fire escape across the alley and watch the bands for as long as I thought I could get away with it. This long winded narrative would not be complete without mention of another person who made things happen: David Murray. In addition to being the drummer in Stiff Legged Sheep and the drummer/ guitarist in Soviet Dissonance, David was essential in the logistical support of all local shows. He owned, repaired, ran, and hauled the PA to most of the hall shows that happened in this era. There is an intangible quality to people that are instigators of fun. David was ready at almost all times to play music, pursue convivial hedonism, and go see shows. I remember being jammed in the back of his Datsun on several occasions to make trips to Chicago to see punk shows. He had nearly endless patience for us losers hanging around his house (I tested it). Cornstalk was the name of our local music showcase in City Park. Memorial day weekend every local weird band would play this free show. It would start early and lots of bands (more than ten sometimes) would be on the bill. There was a zoo in City park until the 1970s and this slab of cement on the side of a hill (the old bear cage) was where the bands played. The parks department denied Paul a permit in the fifth year and he had to circulate a petition to be granted the permit. The parks department was never our ally. When the park flooded in 1993 they used that as an excuse to take out that stage and put in a super expensive outdoor theater that has scarcely been used. Cornstalk RIP. There were some shows at Amelia's. This was on Washington St. east of the Englert theater. Out of towners Die Kreuzen, Husker DĂź, Soul Asylum, The
Dead Milkmen and others played there. There were some local shows there as well. Allegedly the Replacements played there and it was so loud they had to give refunds to the people at the theater (I wasn't at this show). There were also shows at a bookstore called the Free Kultur center (or something like that). I went to a few shows there and I remember it being all local bands.
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"David was essential in the logistical
support of all local shows. He owned, repaired, ran, and hauled the PA to most of the hall shows that happened in this era. There is an intangible quality to people that are instigators of fun. David was ready at almost all times to play music, pursue convivial hedonism, and go see shows."
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So a brief list of the local bands and regional that played in this era: FX, Stiff Legged Sheep, Soviet Dissonance, Stickdog, Suburban Death Trip, 149 Dead Marines, The Preachers (Tipton) Iowa Beef Experience, Burlap Elevated, Bong Frog, Human Error, Jonestown 4, Drednex (Cedar Falls), Pent Up Agression (Des Moines), Horny Genius, the Huns, The Pestilents, Red Throb, Total Fools. I'm sure I've forgotten some, but if I omitted your band it's probably because you sucked and I hated you. All this nostalgiabation is making my hand tired. I wonder who will actually read this far except for old farts who feel the need to tell me I've got it all wrong. I need to go play the drums for a while so I don't become one of those people who only talk about what once was with no hope for future music.
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF RUI
______________________ J
oe Tower and cursed.with.words theater launched Readings Under the Influence in 2006 as a monthly event at the Busted Lift. Tower based the event on Reading Under the Influence, a project he co-created in Chicago with fellow graduate student writers. The basic premise: a night of assorted writers reading both original and famous themebased works, imbibing, and engaging in adult games and trivia. Readings Under the Influence evolved over the course of its three year run in
Dubuque. Originally hosted from 2006 to 2007 by Joe Tower and other members of the cursed.with.words theater company, RUI created a new forum for writers and artists to approach the stage with more irreverence and less brooding. Some original wordsmiths included: Dr. Alice Oleson, Case the Joint, Tyler Farrell, Riley Miller, Atira Banks, Cammie Dean, Candace Eudaley, Art Roche, and Heidi Zull. Featured musical performers included the Diversity Kids (later to become Glimmer Blinkken), Firewood Revival, and Nate Jenkins. When Tower left Dubuque in 2007, he left the innovative and emerging RUI in the hands of Kristina Castaneda, Ellen Goodmann, and Case the Joint. They, along with many other contributors, continued to host the event on the last Tuesday of every month. RUI continued to expand its focus to showcase, alongside spoken word, a diverse range of artistic disciplines, from art to music to dance. Each event featured a thematic concept, with related games and activities that encouraged audience interaction. RUI culminated its three year run at the Busted Lift with an Irish Wake.
_____________________ Seven years later, Readings Under the Influence re-emerges, resurrected to celebrate and cultivate live and local art, the word, and community. Former hosts Ellen & Kristina return, along with Jon Eagle, host of the Ruix Podcast. Each convocation of Readings Under the Influence will double as a release party for Ruix Zine, a quarterly print publication promoting local and regional music and art.
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IMAGE: Arc Numbers @ DAAC Music Series II IMAGE: Lucas Berns
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SAMUEL LOCKE WARD - INTERVIEW 1.
I don't even know where to start. I've known you for nearly half my life, Sammy. First show I played in Iowa City was with a band you were in, back in 1999, in the basement of a Unitarian church. How would you describe the early 2000s in Iowa City? What effect did the Gabe's scene of the time have, if any, on your musical development?
I moved to Iowa City in the fall of 2001, in part because it was one of the few places in Iowa at the time that had a visible music scene, and I was greatly interested in live punk, folk, and noise music. I had seen some amazing shows at Gabe's when I was in high school - Melvins, Frank Black, Wesley Willis, Mr. Bungle, The Frogs, The Bassturd so I held Gabe's in very high regard in my mind and greatly looked up to all the staff there. When I moved to town I cornered Doug Roberson (the long time booker and upstairs bartender at Gabe's) and told him that I had past experience doing live sound, which was an OUT AND OUT LIE - the TRUTH was that I could hardly turn on a P.A. Doug called my bluff and put me to work. In hindsight Doug had to have known that I was lying, because I was an underage, dipshit, know nothing, wasteoid and those early shows I did sounded fucking awful. But I worked really hard and I eventually became adequate and I did sound there up until it became The Picador in the mid 2000's. I went to shows every night, even when I wasn't working. I soaked up as much as humanly possible, and when I wasn't there I was at the house venue, Theta Beta Potata House.
2.
For years you played in Miracles of God, while also performing and releasing material under your own name. How did the two differ, and are there any plans for Miracles of God to play or record again?
I had been playing weird solo sets in Iowa City for a couple years when, in 2003, I was approached by Jason Hennesy. He said he liked my songs and thought they had an off-center Violent Femmes-esque quality to them, and he thought we should start a band. Jason was in the despicable toilet hip-hop group Sucka MC's, which I had seen because they had The Bassturd in the group, and I was a huge fan of The Bassturd. When we started off, we were just recording my solo songs with the two of us. We soon got Brian Boelman and Clayton Schuneman to round it out. We were a really hard working band from about 2004 to 2011. I continued doing solo stuff through all of this. My solo stuff was when I wasn't collaborating with Jason and Brian. Me and Jason are a pretty good song writing team, in my opinion. Miracles of God has a new album in the works. We have been working on it for quite some time and it is our best one. 19
3.
How many Samuel Locke Ward albums are floating around out there? What album would you recommend as fairly representative to a new listener?
There are around 40 albums up on my bandcamp, I think. I always feel like the newest album is the best one. Best Of The Lame Years is a pretty good comp. Start with that if you are new.
4.
You are known for your prolific output. What was the impetus for your album-a-month and single-a-week projects?
I like the idea of art obstructions. Like, write a song about "this subject" or only use "a door as an instrument". I was really inspired by Lars Von Trier's film The Five Obstructions. It really made me think about the nature of art. Making art inspires me and makes me want to make more art. Some people are making commercials for their grand ascension up the ladder. That's not what it's about at all. I can smell that from a mile away, and quickly distance myself from that particular type of rock weiner (a very common type of rock weiner, though there are lots and lots of types of rock weiners, and you should always distance yourself from rock weiners). Lame Years was suppose to be twelve different thematic concepts or obstructions thrown to myself to create new kinds of music that I wouldn't have been able to come to otherwise. The weekly single album was just a fun idea I had. I was correct - it was fun.
5.
I've witnessed you write and record half an album in a day. Is there a formula or secret to your songwriting process?
One of my most freeing epiphanies I ever had about music was the realization that as a songwriter I was never going to be able to fix a bad idea. Some people have a bad idea and they get stuck like a clogged sink, trying to fix some shitty riff they are sitting on. Fuck that - if it doesn't work, move on. If it isn't inspiring you shouldn't be working on it. If a song is a car, it needs four tires, an engine, a seat, and a steering wheel. You can tell really early on in the creation process if you are building The Homer.
6.
You also have a very identifiable recording style, a kind of manic hometaper vibe. What are the benefits to recording at home, and do you prefer it to working in a studio? Are there any specific artists who inspired you to go down the home-taping path?
It is infinitely cheaper to record at home. It was always a financial decision, made of necessity. You do what you have to do to create the noise in your mind.
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7.
I often feel there is a confrontational aspect to your live show, a willingness to make the audience experience some discomfort. How would you describe your onstage persona?
I don't know. I'd hate for anybody to leave indifferent.
8.
Besides having written hundreds of songs, you also often re-imagine certain 'hits' in various divergent styles when performing live. Do you have favorite songs you like to come back to? How does playing live differ from recording in relation to your songs?
When recording I often play all of the instruments myself. Since that's impossible live, things get changed a lot, depending on the instrumentation and the players. The live "solo" show has for years entailed whatever pals I can get to go on an adventure out of town with me.
9.
You've collaborated with a lot of musicians over the years, including some people who are significant influences on you. What is it like to work with people like Joe Jack Talcum (of the Dead Milkmen), artists who have inspired you? Can you talk about some collaborations you are particularly proud of?
It was cool! Joe is an amazing, sweet, human being and I hold him in highest regard. He is an absolute songwriting genius. On the album From The Privilege Of The Grave I really loved working with Darren Brown from Boy Dirt Car and Josh Mead (who has also drawn a lot of my album covers). Pete Balestrieri has played so much great saxophone on my albums. I've been really fortunate.
10.
Rock 'n' roll isn't the young person's game it once was. As we stumble toward middle-age, do you have any advice for balancing a creative outlet with adult responsibilities? What things change, what things stay the same, and what sacrifices are made?
Turn off your TV.
11.
What can we expect from Samuel Locke Ward in 2016?
2016 holds in store a series of secret amazing albums and projects, each more secretive and amazing than the last!
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IMAGE: Sept of Memnon @ DAAC Music Series VI
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BROOKS STRAUSE 1.
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You just wrapped up an east coast tour with Extravision. How was it? Any particularly memorable moments or overall revelations?
It was a really beautiful tour. The best trip I've ever been on. People were more kind and generous than I've ever seen. It all kind of confirmed for me that if you try to make the world better, the world is better. Being good attracts goodness. Ryan is an amazing human being to travel with. We were able to just feed each other's positivity through every little thing that happened and the Universe really took care of us.
2.
You were a member of Old Scratch Revival Singers back in the mid-2000s. Were you writing and/or performing solo at this time as well?
I started working on my first solo album just after the first Old Scratch album came out. I wrote about half of the songs for Old Scratch, but had started writing a lot of stuff that didn't really work for that band. I had actually made a couple solo tapes under my name in high school, but those are long gone and maybe amounted to 20 copies anyway. I had barely played solo between The Heart Attacks (the roots rock band that the Old Scratch Revival Singers came out of ) and the early Old Scratch stuff. I started getting back into recording and knew I wanted to make some solo albums. By the time my first record was done, I had written most of the second and third albums. I think there is a lot of the Old Scratch Revival Singers sound in those records. Some of them were almost Old Scratch songs.
3.
Old Scratch Revival Singers were quite well-received in Iowa, one of those bands locals were proud to call their own. How would you describe that group to a new listener?
I always describe it as dark aggressive folk music. We were into pre-war blues and ragtime stuff and early country and rock and roll. We were obsessed with horror and death and religion and some of the guys lived in a haunted house where we recorded our first record. Our live shows consisted of 6-12 people playing acoustic instruments and screaming in harmony. We took 8 years recording a second album that was finished in 2012, but hasn't been released. I think it's the best record I've ever worked on.
4.
You are originally from Muscatine, right? Did living there influence any aspect of your self, creative or otherwise?
Muscatine had a good music scene when I was in high school. Like most small towns, if we wanted anything interesting to be happening, we had to do it ourselves. There was not a lot of history of original music, so there was little to influence us. Most of us didn't really know how to be in a band. It was fun. I found just enough inspiration to keep me in. I wrote 1000 shitty songs in Muscatine before I wrote one good song. Overall it was a cool place to grow up. There wasn't a lot of culture, but there's a big river right downtown and I knew a lot of smart people.
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- INTERVIEW 5.
How does Iowa and its artists and musicians factor into your work? How would you describe the sense of community in artistic circles in Iowa?
In the last few years, I feel like I've really become a citizen of all of Iowa. Most of the major scenes in the state kind of treat me like a local. I feel like Des Moines, the Quad Cities, Marshalltown, Cedar Falls, and Ames are all hometowns to me. I live in Iowa City and have never felt closer to a community or identified more with a town, but really everywhere I go here feels like home. There is a growing sense of camaraderie in the state, which I think has a lot to do with what a unique place this is and a lot of us realizing that Iowa makes it's own kind of music and that maybe none of our towns are big enough to support scenes like Minneapolis or Chicago, but if we're all together, Iowa is every bit as vital and important as any big music city. I think in Iowa, because it's such an easily overlooked place, there's little drive to look outward for validation. Nobody is really paying attention to us here so we can do whatever we want. And we do it well.
6.
You just released a new LP through Cartouche Records, The Chymical Wedding of Brooks Strause, a collaboration with Pat Stolley (The Multiple Cat, Future Appletree Studios). How did this come about, and in what ways did working with Pat influence the songwriting and recording process?
Pat agreed to record the record, but he really doesn't like the bullshit of trying to make bands happy as an engineer, so he said he would only do it if I gave him the full producer role. I have been a tremendous fan of The Multiple Cat since I was 16, so I figured this was a perfect opportunity to see what happens when I let somebody else make the decisions. I pretty much just played my parts solo to a click or a drum machine and Pat added himself and his buddies later on. I was really happy with the results. It ends up still sounding like the records I usually make in a lot of ways but filtered through a completely differently inclined brain. I'm very proud of my part in the record and grateful to Pat for making it what it is.
7.
2015 has been a busy year for you, with new releases and a reissue. Do you have any albums scheduled for release in 2016? What else are you working on?
I hope to have at least 4 new albums finished and out next year. I have an electronic record called Parenthetical Motherfucker that is about half done. Kind of a continuation of the more synthetic moments on my 6th record, Renaissance Beast. I also have a solo acoustic record that is nearly done called Christ of the Abyss that I'm really excited about. It's full of some of the best words and melodies I've ever put together. I'm hoping to finally get a record made with my backing band, The Gory Details. There's a whole album's worth of rock and roll songs written for that. I also have an opera that I wrote last year that I'm hoping to make into a record next year. I also am producing records for a few talented friends (currently working on recordings for Nora Petran and Extravision) and working on a half a dozen other creative projects (an epic fantasy graphic novel, a surreal comedic cartoon show, a series of paintings, a book of poetry, etc.) It's looking like a busy year from here. 24
MUSIC REVIEW BY JON EAGLE I
t’s full of monolithic riffs and really intricate time changes - some may even call it “math metal” (although I’m not one of those, because duh... that’s dumb). Also, I don’t know if this is a new thing, or if I just never noticed it before, but the dual vocals, courtesy Garrett Mess and Kasey Jansen, complement each other quite nicely. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been using earplugs at shows a lot more lately, but these two boys can actually sing quite well.
I
’m sort of an old school metalhead from way back. I’d say most people know this about me, if they know me at all. And that goes for almost all types of metal - thrash, sludge, black, doom, death and, yes, fuckin’ hair metal. That being said, these days I don’t find myself listening to much metal anymore. I just really have to be in a certain mood for most of it and, for better or worse, I don’t find myself in that mood much lately. However, I can listen to some metal records, like Megadeth’s Rust in Peace or Godflesh’s Streetcleaner, to name a couple, whenever, because they’re that goddamn good. The more I listen to Fossils & Ghosts, the latest full-length from Dubuque’s own Dredge, the more I think it falls into this latter category.
N
ow realize, saying this feels sort of biased, as these three dudes happen to be close friends of mine. I’ve seen how damaging it can be when none of your friends have any criticism, constructive or otherwise, for your creative endeavors. But I’m here to tell you, I am in no way exaggerating when I say this is one of my favorite heavy releases to come out in recent years.
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P
roduction-wise, the band has never sounded better. This is in no small part due to the recording and production of Matt Hohmann, who has become quite the soughtafter commodity by bands seeking decent recordings in the Dubuque area. However, this is not to negate the production value of Dredge’s previous records either. Dredge have a habit of tapping pretty talented people to record their albums. Something about this one, though, puts it head and shoulders above the other two. Maybe it’s because Matt has played in bands with all three of the guys before and knows how they should sound.
W
hatever the reason, it’s an amazing record and I urge you to pick it up. You can buy a digital copy at dredge.bandcamp. com for whatever price you choose, or you can pick up a high quality 180-gram vinyl copy either by ordering it from their Bandcamp page or by paying me a visit at CDs-4-Change in Dubuque and picking it up in person. I’d also like to add it would be my pleasure to sell one to you.
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______________________ www.DAartscollective.com Dubuque, IA
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RUIX ONLINE: issuu.com/grain-arts RUIX BLOG: ruixzine.tumblr.com RUIX PODCAST: buzzsprout.com/46538/ FACEBOOK: facebook.com/ruixzine