THE TALENT: Doug Hartley (drums), Richie Moran (lead guitar), Drew Becker (rhythm guitar), Tyler ‘TyDy’ Dyson (bass), Julian ‘Julez’ Rodriguez (vocals)
THE SOUND: hard core/metal core
THE GIGS: 6 p.m. March 16 @ The Blue Moose,
Iowa City
THE REST OF THE STORY: www.myspace.com/upriseandfall
Six months ago, five guys from Bettendorf, Coggon, Cedar Rapids and Fairfax formed a new band. I asked the drummer, Doug Hartley to talk about how they connected, among other things.

So you perform originals?
We find it more rewarding on all aspects to have our own material, you’ll never see us cover a song.

What inspires you?
Whatever we are going through in life, we just write about it and turn it into music.

The band name?
We were just thinking of cool names, starting with, ‘Uprising Downfall’ but it was misinterpreted as ‘Up! Rise and Fall’ and it stuck.

Where do you play?
A lot of bars, thanks to our sponsor, Neon Dragon. We seem to be getting a following in Iowa City, playing at the Picador (soon be Gabe’s Oasis again). We hold that place on a pedestal, because we’ve seen all of our favorite bands play there, and we love the fact that now it’s us up on that stage.

What can the audience expect to see on stage?
We just let loose. All of our
emotions from the week marinate into our shows and into one big
pool of controlled chaos, and people seem to really dig it.
— PETE

THE TALENT: Jason Evans (guitar); Zane Moenck (guitar); Nate Dolan (drums); Matt Franks (vocals); Seth Thorpe (bass)
THE SOUND: Hard rock
THE REST OF THE STORY: www.myspace.com/tattooedwhitetrashmusic or www.youtube.com/twtmusic4life

Jason Evans is a creative guy.

He designs original artwork and inks flesh at Neon Dragon Tattoo, which he owns and operates in Hiawatha. He also owns AnimosiTees Screen Printing. His side projects include airbrushing vehicles, guitars and skateboards.

And, he finds time to create music. He hooked up with some of his tattoo clients several years back, creating a Sublime cover band called Subliminal.

But the desire to create original music led to a lineup and name change. And so Tattooed White Trash was born.

All from the Cedar Rapids area, Jason, Zane, and Nate have been in T.W.T. for the last few years. After a search for the right vocalist and bass player, Matt and Seth joined the group.

They create a variety of song styles with their songwriting. Their sound is mostly hard rock, with some headbanging involved. Yet alternative might be the best description. They have some heavy songs, some bluesy tunes, some with a southern rock style and even some with a reggae beat.

The band is focused during performances.

“For the most part we don’t jump around all over the place, but we do have a very good, positive energy and interact well with the crowd,” Jason says.

Catch them at Outskirts, where Jason says, “Brian the bartender really takes good care of us, so we have a lot of fun.”

As for the future?

“Our goals are to record what we’ve got for songs now, and write some new material as well,” Jason says. “We’re not trying to get signed or anything like that, we’re just out to have a good time and play a few shows here and there.”
— PETE

The talent: Jason Lankford (vocals/guitars/keyboard), Adam Lankford
(voals/guitars), Jeremy Lee (bass/back-up vocals), Thomas Schneider (drums)
The sound: Alt/Indie/Rock
The gigs: 9 p.m. March 5 @ VIP Lounge, 648 Eighth St., Marion
The rest of the story: www.myspace.com/whiteliesyndicate or
@wlsofficial on Twitter
Where did the band’s name come from?
We describe it as our ‘confession of imperfection.’ So many people like to pretend that they’re perfect, that they have it all figured out. We’re the first to admit that we aren’t and we don’t.

How long have you been together and what brought you together?
This is the original lineup. We’ve been together a little more than three years now. Singer/songwriter brothers Jason and Adam started out playing acoustic shows together, after years of playing in separate bands. They found Thomas through MySpace, and found Jeremy through Thomas.

Do you write your own songs?
We play almost all originals and just a couple of covers.

Describe the energy that the audience will see on stage.
The WLS live show strives to maintain a healthy balance of good musicianship, quality songs, stage performance and entertainment.

What are some of the best places for people to find the band?
You can regularly find us at First Avenue Live, The Picador, Vaudeville Mews, Music @ The Mall and Tornados. Just to name a few.

What’s your favorite gig?
Opening for national acts is always nice. But the packed, high energy shows, and when the crowd is with you — the whole show can’t be beat.   Like at First Avenue Live and Downtown Live. And, Music @ the Mall always takes good care of us, and makes us feel like what we’re doing is worthwhile.

Any interesting stories?
Wouldn’t know where to begin. We’ve run into and overcome so many obstacles in just our first few years as a band, we could already write a book.

What are the band’s goals?
We’re currently recording at Soundfarm Studios,
where Slipknot recorded their latest CD. We plan on releasing ours this spring. To be followed by shameless record label and radio solicitation, and a Midwest tour.

The main goal is to be able to live and breathe what we love doing for a living.
— PETE

The instrument: Drums
The style: Rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, musical theater
The Gigs: Check Steve out in the orchestra pit at Iowa City Community Theatre’s production of “Wonderful Town” at the Englert, Feb. 18 to 21; Super Size Seven and Brian Troester Band.
The Rest of the Story: www.stevejunge.com
He can write. He’s produced. He’s a studio drummer-for-hire. He plays in his church’s jazz band. And that’s only the beginning.

Steve Junge also plays percussion with local rock cover band Super Size Seven. He’s hard to miss, with his wild antics and a sizable stage presence to match the band’s name. He plays the drums, but he also has a heavy vocal load.

“People find it interesting that
(I sing) as a drummer. I see myself as a musician who happens to play the drums,” he says. “I often find drums played alone really boring.
I needed something to do with
my hands while I was singing and the physicality as well as the
action of drumming suited my personality early on. I gravitated toward the drums based on that alone, I think.”

Steve also drums for the Brian Troester Band.

Oh. And add family man to the mix.

Steve, who plays in the orchestra pit for both high school and Iowa City area theater productions, has played percussion for recent shows such as “Grease,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Camelot” and “Hello, Dolly!”
“One of my favorite things about being involved with theater projects is that each show incorporates so many things that I love about music — the stage, singing and dancing, vocal music, orchestral music, the performance, the buzz of opening night. All of it,” he says.

“I am really looking forward to doing “Wonderful Town” with the Iowa City Community Theatre in February. Bernstein’s music is amazing and it is shaping up to be a great show.”

— WINTER

The talent: Toussaint Morrison (vocals), Spencer Austin (drums), Todd Bordewick (guitar), Linden Killam (piano/saxophone) and Alex Bennett (bass)
The sound: Red Hot Chili Peppers in a bar fight with The Roots
The gigs: 10 p.m. Feb. 13  and April 2 @ Volume, 329 Second Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids
The rest of the story: www.myspace.com/theblendminneapolis

An interview with the voice of The Blend, Toussaint Morrison.

PL: So where did The Blend’s name come from?
TM: Way back in the day, I entered a hip-hop band into a teen talent show (when I was still a teen). We had to name the project for the sake of the show, so I called it The Blend, and it stuck.

PL: Do you perform originals or covers?
TM: All of our songs are originals. We spend a lot of time writing our own material, and have been successful because of it.  It takes talent and a creative mind to do what we do, and especially at the level we do it, because a lot of the venues we play are used to cover bands.  I think an audience can appreciate a musician more for getting on stage and speaking from their own heart and experience.

PL: Describe the energy that the audience will see on stage?
TM: Similar to a whiskey-fueled Devastator (Transformer). We definitely bring a five-man riot of insanity, but try to hold back.

PL: And how does the crowd react to the riot?
TM: It depends on the crowd. I’ve seen high schoolers go insane and crowd surf; troops that have returned from Iraq try to get on stage and play our instruments or hold conversations with me while I’m rapping; and then there’s the good ol’ fashioned Cedar Rapids crowd that loves music and dances the night away. We’re fine with all of the above.

PL: Any strange road stories?
TM: Well, last week we played for a crowd in Fond du Lac, Wisc., and the crowd began climbing on stage. One guy got yanked off by his feet and slammed his face against the stage, bled and then jumped back on stage.

PL: Favorite gigs?
TM: We love touring and playing at Volume. It’s one of the few venues that puts an emphasis on their sound system and is musician-friendly. We’re big fans of playing in Austin, Texas, Pittsburgh, Penn., and anywhere in Iowa.

PL: Band goals?
TM: To get to the national level. We love what we do, but it’d be nice to have a label take care of all the busy work. That’s the ideal, but for now, we’re down for the hustle.
— PETE

Iowa City troubadour Ben Schmidt has captured the flavor of love and loss, floods and keepsakes and hummingbirds in “Silt.”

This eclectic collection is fueled by Schmidt’s strong poetic voice and stellar guitar playing, which runs the gamut from rootsy fingerpicking to a Spanish flair on “Virgin.”

The title track showcases Schmidt’s fine, low gravely vocals and nice guitar work with a hook that stays with you long after the song is through: “At the end of the day we are silt and sediment / a dirt line to remind us where we’ve been. … I long to be gone with the water.”

“Cigar Box” turns the mood to a lighter shade with a country flavor and a plucky tempo as he sings of a woman who keeps all her treasures in a see-gar box. You just have to smile.

The tone turns somber again with “Neglect,” an especially poetic song hammering home lyrics about storms in the Heartland. “Ruby Slippers” slips into the wonders of Oz as the music continues drawing rich and vibrant character studies. “Tripwire” tells the most interesting story layered over innovative rhythms, followed by “One Piece Pajamas,” an in-your-face, coming-of-age look at the results of careless, carefree sex. It would be funny if it weren’t so sad and true. “Raccoon Girl” paints such a vivid picture you feel you know this mysterious woman intimately.

“No Explanation” kicks the tempo up a few notches as it skitters over love’s muddy track before “Rain” falls peacefully to bring the journey full circle.

Schmidt’s voice is a powerful, lovely talent in the rich tapestry of Eastern Iowa artists. Hear him Saturday night at CSPS in Cedar Rapids.

– By Diana Nollen

FAST TAKE

Title: “Silt”

Artist: Ben Schmidt

Label: Self-released

Performance: CD release party, 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, CSPS, 1103 Third St. SE, Cedar Rapids

Tickets: $11 in advance at www.iowatix.com or $15 at the door

Information: www.legionarts.org/music/Schmidt.htm

The talent: Billy Hudson (vocals), Josh Sherman (guitar), Kevin Smith (guitar), Tom Cranston (drums), Sara Stitt (keyboard), Gilby (bass)
The sound: Heavy metal
The gigs: 9:30 p.m. Feb. 6 @ Next Door, 1730 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids
The rest of the story: www.Myspace.com/birdybirdytiger,
www.Birdybirdytiger.com or Facebook
So where did your band name come from?
We had already booked our first show and didn’t have a name yet, so we had to come up with something quick. We are all fans of a movie called “Kung Pow: Enter the Fist,” which is a parody of old kung fu movies in which the original movies are voiced over. In one scene, the “bad guy” is reading a scroll and pointing at pictures of birds and tigers saying “Tiger, Tiger, Birdy, Birdy” so we used “Birdy, Birdy, Tiger!” The name ended up generating quite a bit of feedback, including people coming to our first show simply because they saw the name and wondered what type of sound we would have. We decided we liked having a name that was out of the ordinary and ended up keeping it.

Describe the music you play.
We have a heavier sound, although we try to stay dynamic enough to not just be “another metal band.” We are all fans of heavy music, so we do tend to write that way, but we also want people to be able to get one of our songs stuck in their head. Our influences range from Pantera and Metallica all the way to Elvis, Boston and radio pop music. We try to take every type of music and incorporate it somehow.

Any of your songs originals?
If you couldn’t tell by the name Birdy, Birdy, Tiger! we don’t take too much seriously — aside from song writing. All of our songs are originals.

Describe the energy that the audience will see on stage.
Our strong point is our energy on stage. There is nothing more fun than getting to rock on stage. We try and give off that energy to the crowd, because we want them to have as much fun as we are. We try to make each performance unique.

What in store for the future?
Once we get our demo finished up, we hope to play as often as possible in 2010. The most important goal to us is to make music we love, meet as many people as possible, do some traveling, and just have a good time doing it. We also hope to be a part in creating a tighter band scene in the area. We have had the privilege of being around plenty of other bands who have shown us lots of respect and we hope to do the same.
— PETE

The talent: Ken Kemper (bass guitar, banjo); Tim Looney (drums); Vern McShane (pedal steel guitar); Dave Pedersen (lead vocals); Pete Raine (guitar, mandolin); Jeff Schmidt (rhythm guitar, harmonica)
The sound: Homegrown music
The rest of the story: www.the100s.com and at myspace.com/the100srock

Let’s say you started pulling experienced musicians together for a band. (Or in this case, these guys kept running into each other.) And then let’s say that they play a wide variety of music — rock, country, jazz and everything in between. Then let’s have these guys work up songs from Uncle Tupelo, Alejandro Escovedo, Green On Red, The Band, Buck Owens, Johnny Cash, Ryan Adams, Jack Ingram, Old Crow Medicine Show, Bob Dylan and The Volebeats. Name the band The 100’s, for no particular reason, other than it sounds good. Then try to describe the music: Americana, or roots, or gravel road or alternative country.

They did eventually get into the studio, wrote 23 original songs and recorded two CDs. Catch them live in Waubeek, Stone City, Iowa City, Marion, Springville, Monticello, Dubuque and West Branch.

“Summer festival shows are especially fun,” says Pete. “The Springville Fun Days shows have been a blast. We opened for Nashville artists Little Big Town one year, and Bo Ramsey the next. We’ve played at the Iowa Arts Fest, and pretty much all of the summer festival shows on the big outdoor stages. And, of course, Memorial Day in Waubeek.”
— PETE

 Saxophone Artist Ray Blue will perform a special celebratory concert titled “Music of Change” on Monday, February 8 at 7 p.m. in Stello Performance Hall, Warde Hall. The concert is free and open to the public.

“Music of Change” is a historical, educational, and entertaining experience designed to tell the story of the social developments of the African American community through its music, the spoken word, and authentic images. While the developments of America and its African American community are far from over, the “Music of Change” concert takes a moment to understand and celebrate just how far this country and this community have come.

Saxophonist Ray Blue has a sound and style that is energetic, powerful, and sensitive. Blue has played in jazz, blues and R&B bands on the New York scene and learned from veteran musicians in a variety of contexts. He honed his skills as a saxophonist, composer and leader by performing in clubs, concerts, at festivals and while recording with bands for Columbia Records, RCA Records and several independent record labels.

In addition to his work as a musician, Blue is also an educator and clinician, consulting at colleges, universities, schools and communities around the world. He is the founder of Cross-Cultural Connection, Inc. a performance and educational organization that promotes jazz in educational and community institutions.

The “Music of Change” concert is sponsored by Mount Mercy College and the African American Museum of Iowa.

The talent: Billy Heller
The music: Acoustic guitar
The gigs: 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday @ Java Creek Cafe, 588 Boyson Rd. NE, Cedar Rapids
The rest of the story: www.billyheller.com
If you have been a follower of music in Eastern Iowa, you might be familiar with Billy Heller. The first time I heard of this guy was many years ago, when my brother, a drummer, let me listen
to a few songs he said he recorded
with a couple of guys he called “Heller” and “Frank Boyer.” I was blown away.
The music was intense, progressive
fusion rock.

For years Billy was a staple of the local rock band scene with groups like Public Disturbance, Redwing, Tower and Sgt. Rock, just to name a few. Then for several years, he played with the popular Christian rock band, Fighter, performing all over the country. They recorded a couple of CD’s and Zion Guitars selected him as an official “endorser,” making custom-built guitars for him.

After that, Billy continued to stay busy in the local music industry as a studio musician, guitar teacher, member of the band at Living Hope Wesleyan Church, musician with Theatre Cedar Rapids’
band and as a member of the Janelle Lauer Band.

And now, he’s made it to the Music Notes page of Hoopla, for yet an additional reason: his solo acoustic gigs.

Let’s talk to Billy – shall we?

PL: Describe the type of music you play these days in your solo act.
BH: Uber-Folk and Acoustic Muscle.

PL: Who are some of the bands/musicians that you cover?
BH: Pretty much ALL of ‘em – from
James Taylor and Willy Porter, to 70s
TV theme songs.
PL: Where do you like to play,
and what are some of your
favorite gigs?
BH: Java Creek Café and Fireside Winery are my faves. And I absolutely LOVE playing fretless bass every Sunday at my church. Oh and TCR, which I’ve also played for a lot.

PL: You play such a variety of styles.
Who are some of your musical influences?
BH: Ed King and Steve Gaines from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Willy Porter, Peter Mulvey, Warren DeMartini, David Wilcox, Eddie Van Halen, James Taylor, Jeffery Foucault and Shakira.

PL: There’s not enough space here to name them all, but who are some of
the more interesting people you’ve
played with?
BH: Dave Ellefson (bass for Megadeth), Barry Binger (RIP), Tommy Bruner,
Don Timmons, Steve Jennings and
Tim Looney.

PL: Have you ever won any awards
for your talents?
BH: 1993’s “LONGEST BELCH” Champion

PL: Nice. How about other interesting stories – got any?
BH: I got a call from Michael Sweet (now with Boston, but formerly with Stryper) to go on his first solo tour, after he heard my work with Scott Wenzel of Whitecross. I also got a call once from an early musical idol of mine – Kerry Livgren (Kansas’ “Dust in the Wind composer) to thank me for a T-shirt design I did for him. I argued with him at first, because I didn’t believe it
was really him.
— PETE