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The Diplomats of Solid Sound ready to make a scene NYE

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Sharply dressed musicians layin’ down groovin’ funky upbeat jams, sequined soul vixens synchronized in sweet tones, patrons undulating to the beat. I’m not talking about an old episode of Motown Live. No my friends, I’m talking about The Diplomats of Solid Sound.

 Originally formed as a four piece instrumental group in 1998, these Iowa City veterans have been laying down hip-shaking grooves since their first release “Instrumental Action Soul” in 2001. They carry on the legacy of legendary artists like James Brown, Booker T and The MG’s, The Ikettes and The Impressions. You may wonder why an instrumental group would cite influence from The Ikettes, who were vocalists. That would be a nod to the Diplomats’ summer of 2006 addition of three swingin’ soul sistas known as The Diplomettes.

The Diplomettes had their recording debut in 2008 on the album called simply: “Diplomats of Solid Sound featuring The Diplomettes.” Along with the addition of the Diplomettes, this album includes one of their songs remixed by a UK producer known as Lack of Afro. Their most release release dropped in 2010 with the title “What Goes Around, Comes Around.” 

The recordings are great, but you really must experience the Diplomats live.

  “We try and give as much show as possible,” says guitarist Doug Roberson.

  Their live shows are like an old-school Motown revue. The band comes out and plays a few instrumental songs, and then they introduce The Diplomettes. It’s a kind of showmanship rarely seen these days.

  “We all dress to the nines: suits, ties, etc., a step above most acts, and the girls wear dresses or rather glitzy outfits to ramp up the overall image,” says Doug.

  Success hasn’t come without challenges.

  “Originally, being an instrumental band was not an easy thing. People generally prefer singing,” explains Roberson. “Now the problem is a lack of money to promote the band. If you don’t have a record pusher and an upscale (expensive) publicist, you can’t get your music on commercial radio or in the big glossy magazines.”

 

–Robby Cooper

 

  • The Name: The Diplomats of Solid Sound
  • The Talent: Doug Roberson (electric guitar), Jim Viner (drums), Nate Basinger (Hammond B3 Organ), David Basinger (baritone saxophone), Eddie McKinley (tenor saxophone), Sarah Cram (vocals), Katharine Ruestow (vocals), Abbie Sawyer (vocals).
  •  The Sound: Soul/Funk/Jazz
  •  The Gigs: New Year’s Eve at The Mill, 120 E. Burlington St., Iowa City. With Ben Driscoll of the East Side Motors.
  •  The Album: Their latest is “Diplomats of Solid Sound Featuring The Diplomettes” released in July 2008
  • More music: Facebook

 

Music Notes: The Jodie Foster Connection

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Five years of bringing rock music to the Corridor area has earned The Jodie Foster Connection a loyal following. Hoopla wanted to learn more, and asked the band a few questions:

Tell us about the music you play?

We are an all-encompassing ’80s band. If it’s from the decade, it’s on the table. We do a variety of dance/pop, new wave, alternative, hair metal and straight-up rock. We don’t do slow songs! Every JFC show is high energy. The audience can dance or rock out to each one of our songs. Spider is great at rallying the crowd, and has been known to dance on tables or join the dance floor. And we are in the midst of creating an entirely new show for 2011. We have some songs in our current set that we’ve been playing since we first started. We decided it was time to give our audience something new. We are dropping 60 of our 67 songs and learning all new material. It will still be all ’80s pop and rock that people will want to dance to.

 What’s the story behind the band’s name?

 We wanted to come up with a name that was reminiscent of ’80s pop culture, and Jodie Foster’s name came up. Someone blurted out, “Well, there’s always The Jodie Foster Connection,” and the name stuck. The Jodie Foster Connection was originally coined after the 1981 assassination attempt of President Reagan. John Hinckley Jr. wanted to impress Jodie Foster and apparently thought that shooting a U.S. president was the way to do it.

There aren’t many 6-member bands in the area.

 We think it’s worth noting that over the past five-plus years, we haven’t had any membership changes. This is the original lineup. Even though each band member has a lot going on, we continue to make the JFC a priority. To us, it is more of a hobby and a lot of fun, which is why we don’t play more than a couple of gigs a month. This approach may be a contributor to the longevity of the band, or it could be that our personalities just jive enough to keep it going.

What places are you playing these days?

 This time of year, we play mostly at bars. We like to play at 1st Avenue Live and Hamburger Mary’s in Cedar Rapids; Tailgators in Coralville; and The Mill in Iowa City. In the summertime, we enjoy outdoor shows/festivals. We especially like the small town gigs. It’s fun because we get to see new places and bring our show to all new people. And charity events are particularly rewarding. “Relay for Life” is one that comes to mind. We love entertaining the crowd and the walkers, and the proceeds go toward cancer research.

 — PETE LOONEY

Music Notes: Kantirocks

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Kantirocks

THE TALENT: Nikki D. (vocals, keyboards), Mike Davidson (guitar, vocal), Rick Clay (guitar, vocal), Larry Scott (drums, vocal), John Baughman (bass)
THE SOUND: 80s and 90s pop/rock/metal
THE GIGS:  9 p.m. Oct. 9 at Cedar River Landing, 301 F. Ave NW, Cedar Rapids
THE REST OF THE STORY: www.kantirocks.com, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube

Each member of KantiRocks has been honing their skills for decades. And it shows. KantiRocks formed in 2008 in Cedar Rapids, and has a full, rich sound.

The band features Nikki D on vocals. She brings a wide variety of musical styles to the stage. Her background includes a stint singing standards with talented area pianists Tim Daugherty and Mark Pence. Hoopla sat down with Nikki to learn more about the band.

The band name KantiRocks — where did that come from?

“Kanti” is an American Indian name, meaning “she who sings.” I discovered it in a book, which said that sometimes people can hear a message in a song, as opposed to someone just telling them a message straight out. “Rocks” is obviously the kind of music we do, and the boys really do rock. So, “She who sings — and they ROCK!” KantiRocks.

How did you get together?

Mike and I played in different bands in Cedar Rapids. I moved away, and when we were reunited Mike envisioned a musical direction and I expanded that concept in the presentation of KantiRocks. We searched for the members, interviewing talented musicians that bought in to the various concepts — female lead, clean lyrics, hard driving guitar based music. We also play only twice a month, and members needed to buy into that concept as well.

Describe the music you play?

Nineteen eighties and 90s pop metal. Our song selection sets us apart, and we hear that again and again. Lyrics are carefully screened, the music is guitar based and Marshall-amp driven. The full sound that we work on is the two-guitar format. We have two talented guitar players that can trade off lead and rhythm. Our motto is “All Killer, No Filler” While we do have a few songs that other bands do, the majority of our set list is comprised of songs that are not heard often and are technically more difficult to play.

What places are you playing these days?

KantiRocks plays at a variety of Cedar Rapids and surrounding area clubs — such as the Chrome Horse; the Red Baron, which has style and great sound; and Cedar River Landing, who gave us our first gigs. We also do private parties and family venues. Our style is hard driving but clean. People of all ages enjoy our music and energetic presentation. Your kids can come, your grandma can come, and find out they all like 80s music. The presentation from stage will be a positive environment for all.

– PETE

Music Notes: Full Circle

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musicnotes

THE TALENT: Kenda Hernandez (vocals), Victor Hernandez (harmonica/keys/rhythm guitar/vocals), Larry Oakley (drums/vocals), Joe Cheatham (bass) and Bob Sulzer
(lead guitar)
THE SOUND: Classic rock, blues,
pop and a little funk
THE GIGS: 9 p.m. Saturday (3/27)
at The Wagon Wheel, Washington, Iowa
THE REST OF THE STORY: www.fullcircle-ia.com
In 2001, Vic Hernandez pulled together a group of musicians for his high school reunion. They’d were all experienced and had all played in various area bands. so the name Full Circle was a natural fit. A few players came and went, but the current lineup solidified last year. We caught up with drummer Larry Oakley to learn a little more about the band.

What kind of music will people hear at a Full Circle gig?
Danceable classic rock, from bands such as the Rolling Stones, Pat Benatar,
Tom Petty, Santana, Pink, Marcia Ball, Eric Clapton, Joan Jett, Katy Perry, etc.

Describe the energy that the audience will see on stage?
Kenda always makes a big effort to get the crowd involved, if that’s just dancing or playing along with an extra tambourine.

Tell me a good performance story.
During an outdoor festival a thunderstorm suddenly developed. Stage lights came crashing down on
the me and the smart people running for cover, we continued and played “one more song!” Probably not our brightest moment, but it does make for a good story.

— PETE

Music Notes: Tattooed White Trash

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musicnotestattoo

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

Music Notes: Steve Junge

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junge

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

Music Notes: Birdy Birdy Tiger

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birdybirdytiger

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

Music Notes: Billy Heller

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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

Music Notes: Artificial Gray

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musicnotesThe 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

Music Notes: Tricyclic

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tricyclic

  • 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