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 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: 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: 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

The talent: Gabe Chamberlin (vocals/rhythm guitar); Greg Apel (lead guitar); Todd Werling (bass/backup vocals) and Tad Leusch (drums)
The sound: rock
The gigs: 9 p.m. Jan. 15 @ Downtown Live, 616 Second Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids; 9 p.m. Jan. 30 @ Tailgators, 3969 Center Point Rd. NE, Cedar Rapids
The rest of the story: www.myspace.com/artificialgray or www.facebook.com/artificialgray
What the heck is Artificial Gray?

Artificial Gray is the surreal depiction of neurologically endowed prowess artificially accelerated by means of cybernetic implantation — the fusion
of man and machine.

Artificial Gray is political propaganda which deliberately obfuscates morality
to legislate Trojan-Horse policies.

Nope. Actually, Artificial Gray is a Cedar Rapids-based rock band, consisting of Gabe Chamberlin, vocals/rhythm guitar; Greg Apel, lead guitar; Todd Werling, bass/backup vocals and Tad Leusch, drums.

Now in the opinion of this writer, what makes a band “good” is their level of musical talent and their natural ability to please their crowd. But sometimes I find their “other lives” interesting as well. In this band, you will find an investment counselor, a software developer, a physical trainer for the Hawkeyes, and – seriously – a competitive professional wrestler.
But back to the music. Todd and Tad are the founding members of Artificial Gray. The band was less than a year old when the two other original members
suddenly departed.

So last October, with only two months before their next gig, Greg and Gabe stepped in. Previously, Gabe had played primarily acoustic rock music out of Des Moines and Greg was an established jazz guitarist, after playing for years in college and regional jazz bands.
This lineup is magic. They’re tight, aggressive and accurate.

Go see these guys sometime. You can catch them at places such as Downtown Live, Volume, Hot Shots and Dumas’s. But they report that Otis’ Tailgators is their favorite venue to date. It was also the location of their maiden voyage with the new lineup.
— PETE

• The talent: Chris Tuetken (lead vocals/rhythm and bass guitar), Alan Melville (lead guitar/vocals) and Dave Herboldsheimer (drums)
• The music: Rock/pop. Music you can dance to.
• The gigs: 9 p.m. Saturday (1/9) @ Three Fingers Saloon, Lisbon; 9 p.m. Jan. 22 @ Tailgators, Cedar Rapids.
• The rest of the story: www.tricyclicband.com

Tricyclic is a Cedar Rapids-based band that got together in 2001. Hoopla’s Pete Looney sat down with the band’s frontman Chris Tuetken.

PL: Tricyclic is a great band name. Where did it come from?

CT: I started the band with a pharmacy classmate, so we wanted something pharmacy-related. Tricyclic antidepressants came to mind. We like to make people feel good with our music, and the three-ring structure of the drug makes for a good logo.

PL: Who are the band members?

CT: We used to be a four piece, back when we started in 2001. But out of necessity I started playing bass when we became a 3-piece about three years ago. So the band consists of myself on bass and lead vocals, Alan Melville from Anamosa on lead guitar (we switch for a few songs), and Dave Herboldsheimer from Lisbon on drums.

PL: What type of music do you play?

CT: We play a variety with a rock/pop feel, and music you can dance to.

PL: Who are some of the bands you cover?

CT: The Beatles, Steve Miller Band, Pat Benatar, Journey, Violent Femmes, Nickelback, All American Rejects, Garth Brooks. So a little bit of everything.

PL: Where can people catch the band?

CT: We like to play mainly around the Cedar Rapids area. Tailgators is our favorite place. And we play around Anamosa and Lisbon. A couple of favorite gigs are Delhi Days and the Pickle Ride at The Shack.

PL: Tell me about the band’s background.

CT: Well, I picked up the guitar and started singing when I was 25. Al has been playing guitar most of his life as has Dave on the drums. We all happen to work together at Phillip Pharmacies. I’m a pharmacist and the owner; Al is the distribution manager and Dave is the maintenance manager.

PL: Tell me an interesting road story …

CT: While playing the guitar and singing one night, a fight landed on the stage and I stopped one guy from hitting another mid-song and didn’t miss too many beats or notes.

— PETE

The talent: Les Ohlhauser a.k.a. Professor Riffs (guitar/vocals), Troy Harper (bass/vocals) and Jesse Caruthers (drums)
The sound: Rock
The gigs: Tailgators and Next Door
The rest of the story: www.myspace.com/proriff9000
Professor Riffs and the Party Time 9000 like to say they’re “Real men … doing real things.”

What does this mean? Who are these guys? And, most importantly where did they get their name for the band?

It all started with three guys — Les Ohlhauser a.k.a. Professor Riffs (guitar/vocals), Troy Harper (bass/vocals) and Jesse Caruthers (drums) — who have played in other area bands like Sky Pilot, Interfear, Black the Sun, 24/7, The Janeys, Nite Moves, the Meerkats, Sounds of War, Justin Case, Triple Shot, Furious Jebadiah, and of course, that interplanetary favorite, Your Mom.
Just to name a few.

These kings of cool were drawn together by natural forces, to play rock and roll their way, a loud and pounding, yet smooth, sound.

They know their stuff, which is generally other people’s stuff. At a typical show, you will hear songs that you know – hard rock, for sure, but technically-difficult-to-play songs. And you
will hear songs that you will think
you may have heard before, because
the Professor and his crew enjoy bringing obscure stuff to life, too. Regardless, you will be compelled to leave your chair and move your feet. And your body.

Upon first listen, you will notice hot guitar jams, played with confidence and naturalism. That’s Les. And what is that low thunder, rumbling in from stage left? Why, that’s Troy – bent on vibrating the fillings out of your head. And the third guy – the one in the middle, near the back with his hat on somewhat backward – he seems quiet and unassuming, but then you will experience Jesse, feverishly pounding
on those drums, leaving you confused, yet happy.

And they sing good too.
— PETE

The talent: Brook Hoover (guitar), Joel McDowell (bass), Kyle Oyloe (guitar), Erik Marshall (drums)
The sound: Surf Rock
The gigs: 9 p.m. Dec. 23 @ Tailgators, Cedar Rapids
The rest of the story: www.myspace.com/thesurfzombies

I arrived to at the home of Brook Hoover, guitarist for the Cedar Rapids-based band the Surf Zombies, earlier than I was expected by a few minutes. Hoover, judging from the sounds emanating from a side room, was just finishing up a lesson with one of his many guitar students. His home, which doubles, er, triples as a recording studio and practice house, was something to behold.

On his mantel, above a rather stately fireplace adorned with crystals, were photos of family and friends nested between Surf Zombie CD covers and statues of classic horror characters like The Wolf Man and The Mummy. Behind the couch was a bejeweled guitar case and on the coffee table was a pristine copy of “Art of Modern Rock.”

“Sometimes I wonder what I’m doing,” he says. “What am I doing living in this nice house?”

Hoover, and by extension his house, is the embodiment of everything the Surf Zombies do and are. Formed about four years ago, the Zombies are something of a curiosity. Platooned in the Midwest, the band plays nothing but surf and hot-rod music, a heady throwback to the days of Frankie and Val at the Shimmy Surf Shack.

The Zombies take on the genre, most recently with the band’s second CD “Something Weird” is something of a modern take on surf rock. The sound is simple and entertaining, especially for anyone who grew up with bands like the Surfaries. Like Hoover.

“It just seemed so refreshing compared to … all the grunting and groaning of modern metal,” says Hoover, closing his eyes and illustrating the guitar rhythms with his hands. “It just had more of a fresh sound that I liked when I was first learning guitar.”

“When you start something you really believe in, you think it’s the greatest thing in the world,” says Hoover. “But you don’t know if the public will agree.”

With “Something Weird,” they seem to. Hoover says the band gets messages from all over the world, including places that may not have gone through the equivalent of the American 1950s and could be experiencing the genre for the first time.

For Hoover, on the other hand, it’s like reliving his childhood all over again.

“Why grow up?” he asks. “It’s overrated.”
— BLAKE

The talent: Landen Boyer (guitar/vocals), Alex Wiese (bass), and Brandon Haynes (drums)

The sound: Pop Rock

The gigs: Friday (12/4), The Picador, doors open at 6 p.m.

The rest of the story: www.myspace.com/backdropband

As I interviewed two-thirds of the Iowa City-based pop-trio BackDrop, one thing became readily apparent.

These guys have great hair.

Fortunately for their budding musical careers, there’s loads of talent hidden behind their long locks and buoyant bangs. Despite their relative youth (let’s just say not all members of the band can drink in the bars they play in), BackDrop adeptly plays pure and pleasurably polished pop.

Landen Boyer, Alex Wiese and Brandon Haynes are the kind of story that (almost) never actually works out. Coming out of their high school band and choir, the three then-teens took turns playing in garage bands with one another, mostly teaching themselves their instruments along the way.

Then, about two years ago, the three did something high school garage bands rarely do when they move on to college. They kept playing and, last summer, “got serious,” according to Alex.

Since then they’ve landed playing gigs in surrounding towns across the Midwest, all self-booked, largely populated by an extensive Internet campaign.

“After a semester on tour we realized it was all about putting your best foot forward, but most people are going to find you through the Internet,” Alex says.

Fans can follow each of band members on Twitter. Their MySpace page has been professionally designed and developed. The group has shot a number of videos housed online and every track from their first EP is available on iTunes.

That EP, produced by Midwestern musical superhero Chuck Macak of Electrowerks Music Productions, is radio-friendly, catchy, and reminiscent of an energetic style of youthful pop-rock only recently since passed.

Their best song, “Halfway There,” for example, would have been at home on the soundtrack to American Pie. Boyer’s voice is radio-ready, and the lyrics are teen-friendly. “Wish You Were Mine” is the sort of pop-rock ballad that would be perfect over the ending credits of a teen-centered romantic comedy.

The most surprising thing for this
band-on-the-rise has been the fans.
“They’re the kids that I didn’t grow up hanging out with, but now like hanging out with,” Alex says. “They’re fun loving. Really supportive. If you need a place
to stay after a show, you‘ve got
10 kids offering.”

On Friday, they won’t need any place to stay. The guys will headline a hometown show at the Picador a show.

And what can fans can expect for the hometown crowd?

“A good time,” says Landen, with a smile.
— BLAKE

The talent: Jacob “Dr. Nasty” Cowan (guitar), Joe “Papa Darkness” Robertson (bass), Tony “Smokehaus” Johnson (drums)
The sound: Rockabilly
The gigs: 7:30 p.m., Nov. 28 @ Next Door, Cedar Rapids; 7:30 p.m., Dec. 12 @ 1st Ave LIVE! (Fourth of four bands, will start around 11:30 p.m.)
The rest of the story: www.theafterdarks.com

The Afterdarks don’t fool around. There’s no cheeky sensibility, no inside jokes, no gimmicky stage performance. They just rock. And rock hard.

Hailing from the Quad Cities, The Afterdarks are poised for a major breakout in the wild world of rockabilly with no-holds barred tunes like “No Cops, No Stops” pacing a menagerie of songs about drag racing, beer, women, and good times.

Pulled from the ranks of horror punk back in 2005, The Afterdarks (the name came from the days of playing punk shows that uniformly started after dark) took on a new sound with the addition of guitarist Jacob “Dr. Nasty” Cowan and the desire of bassist Joe “Papa Darkness” Robertson to add his upright bass to the arrangement. Tony “Smokehaus” Johnson rounds out the trio on the drums.

Their punk sensibility shows through, both with the pace the songs make you feel – “No Cops, No Stops” fast-paced riffs yank you out of your chair at the opening note and drag you through even its catchy chorus – and the way the band thinks about itself.

“It’s a runaway train with a sober engineer,” says Cowan. “It’s
organized chaos.”

It shows through in the music. “End of the World” is a song about making love in the back of a hot rod as the apocalypse rains down around a couple of Romeo and Juliets. Tracks like “No Good” punch you in the ear and beat you senseless while you move to the rhythm of the concussion.
“King O The Sinners” is the bastard love child of the Charlie Daniels Band and Iron Maiden.

Yet their most successful tune has been “No Cops, No Stops,” paced by a raucous drag racing chorus “Red light, yellow light, green light, GO” that’s as catchy as it is juvenile.

“It’s probably the first time The Afterdarks were successful in writing a — and I hate to say this — a pop song,” says Cowan. “A pop song has a certain formula, and we did it accidentally.”

Accidentally or not, “No Cops, No Stops” has become one of the band’s favorite songs to play, as much for its ubiquity on the road as for the energy it brings to their concerts.

“It’s one of my favorites to play. Anywhere you play it, people know the words. It’s almost deafening at the larger venues,” said Cowan.

To their credit, not all of their songs move at 180 mph. With a catalog of over 50 original tracks, The Afterdarks mix in some bluesy rifts, some country twang, and a little bit of everything
on tour.

“We do believe we have something for everyone,” says Cowan. “If not, we’re going to keep our writing true to The Afterdark sound.”
— BLAKE