Bad Bad Hats Bad Bad Hats is an indie rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The band consists of Kerry Alexander, Chris Hoge, and Connor Davison. Named for a trouble-making character from the Madeline children’s books, Bad Bad Hats is defined by a balance of sweet and sour. Their music honors classic pop songwriting, with nods to nineties rock simplicity and pop-punk frivolity. Through it all, Alexander’s unflinchingly sincere lyrics cut to the emotional heart of things. Alexander and Hoge met while attending Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In 2012, they formed Bad Bad Hats with friend and bassist Noah Boswell, and began performing around the Twin Cities.​ ​That same year, they were signed by Minneapolis label Afternoon Records. Their 2015 debut album ​Psychic Reader​ caught the attention of outlets including The New Yorker, NPR, Pitchfork, and Paste. Since the release of ​Psychic Reader​, Bad Bad Hats has toured the U.S. extensively, supporting artists including Margaret Glaspy, Hippo Campus, and Third Eye Blind. Lightning Round​, the band’s second full-length album, finds Bad Bad Hats more confident and mature than ever. Producer and collaborator Brett Bullion (who also produced ​Psychic Reader​) encouraged the group to record live in the studio, an approach which pushed the band outside of their comfort zone and lends many songs on the record​ a​ loose, organic feel. There is a vulnerability in this (fluttering tape loops, a few wrong notes) and it makes the music on the new album feel as honest and unpredictable as Alexander’s lyrics. In this spontaneous environment, Hoge, who is known to play every instrument in the band, delivers some of his most inspired musical performances yet. As for Alexander, she’s still writing love songs, ones that recount with cinematic swell the subtle joy and pain of the everyday. Her vocals are supported by open, breathing arrangements that feature lush keyboard sounds and woody guitar tones. Davison was recruited to play drums on the album and became a full-time member in the process. His drumming and melodic contributions give the new songs a level of nuance not heard in previous releases. Lightning Round​ marks the final release with contributions from original member Noah Boswell, who will be leaving the group this fall to pursue a master’s degree. Bad Bad Hats continues with Alexander, Hoge, and Davison. They have plans to tour the country this year. Allegra Hernadez Allegra Hernandez is a musician and guitarist from Des Moines, IA. Their music is layered with intricate dynamics and rich, melodic, guitar on top of heartfelt vocals. Allegra lets the music speak for itself on-stage, with an organic and loud performance. Their music draws inspiration from many genres and styles including rock, modern jazz, metal, and folk. Allegra released an EP in the Spring of 2020 entitled Pearl and is working on more music for another release. Aside from being an artist, Allegra also is a music educator and teaches guitar and bass lessons at School of Rock West Des Moines while also being a show director for school’s student bands. They also work with a non-profit, Girls Rock! Des Moines. They are passionate about making music education accessible to everyone. Find Allegra’s music on all major streaming platforms.

The MFK trio is an jazz trio of Des Moines based instrumentalist. With Demario hall (Mario) on drums, Fred Gaddy on organ, and Kyle Gowin on saxophone. The group started in 2019,  heavily influenced by neo- soul and R&B the MFK trio seeks to push the boundaries of soul jazz  with modern interpretations on classic standards and Improvised compositions set to soulful grooves.  The MFK trio features the wonderful vocal talents of Annie Kemble who is a force in her own right.

Dan Bern: Dan Bern has released 25 albums and EPs, and played thousands of shows across North America and Europe. Bern’s songs have appeared in numerous films and TV shows, and he has written original songs for the films Walk Hard — The Dewey Cox Story and Get Him to the Greek, as well as songs for the Amazon Prime kids program, “The Stinky and Dirty Show.” He recently released the album “Ivan’s Barbershop,” following his release of “Regent Street” in 2019. During the 2020 Quarantine, Bern has been doing a series of shows on FB Live, “Hunkered in the Bunker.”

The Backseat Lovers is a rock band from Salt Lake City, UT. The band formed when lead vocalist Joshua Harmon, having heard of local drummer Juice Welch, introduced himself and asked if he wanted to start a band. They immediately started working on arrangements for some of Josh's songs. Later Josh met lead guitarist and vocalist Jonas Swanson while waiting in line for an open mic at the Velour in Provo city. Neither of them got on the list to play that night, so they sat on a park bench outside the venue and played their songs to each other until they ran out of stuff to play. Josh invited Jonas to come down and play with he and Juice. It was that night that Out of Tune, a song Josh had been holding onto since he was 16, came to life when they arranged it as a group. 
 In spring of 2018 the band began recording together. They released their self produced EP Elevator Days on June 3, 2018 and played their first show a few short weeks after. 
They released their first full length LP, When We Were Friends on January 27th, 2019 which features the single "Kilby Girl" with over 35 million streams globally. The band released their newest song "Heavy" in July of 2020. The group is currently writing new material that they say is a product of the co-writing chemistry that has grown between Jonas & Joshua since the band started.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6p2HnfM955TI1bX34dkLnI?si=8-RWTGoWQoGRO6611qK_xQ&dl_branch=1

Church Girls

  Philly four-piece Church Girls write propulsive melodies and achingly vulnerable lyrics wrapped in the throbbing anxiety of post-punk and joyous aggression of pop-punk. Formed in 2014 by Mariel Beaumont, the group has toured extensively across the US, UK, Canada, & Europe and been featured at Audiotree, Paste Magazine, Bandcamp New & Notable and more. Their new record Still Blooms is out Oct 8 2021 on Anchor Eighty Four (US) and Big Scary Monsters (UK).

Jinnouchi Power

  “Jinn” (tactile spirits, demons, or supernatural creatures, soul) “Ouchi” (your home, inside, camp) “Power” (supply, to move or travel with great speed or force.) Jinnouchi Power is the rock band interpretation of Jinnouchi Power Electric Company’s sonic core belief system. The rock band itself is deployed to do several live “product demonstrations” in which this core message is sonically received. “Dad Power Pop with a little bit of Mom up in it.” <iframe src=”https://open.spotify.com/embed/artist/4Lp6hXrpbIv2le9TCGi68F” width=”100%” height=”380″ frameBorder=”0″ allowtransparency=”true” allow=”encrypted-media”></iframe>  

Wiitch Tiit

Wiitch Tiit is a Femme/Queer/Cis band with sounds that range from lullabies to psychedelic rock ‘n roll. Their ritualistic full moon performances are all about creating space for vulnerability and connection. To see them is a powerful magical experience of music, people, and performance art.

Bitter Canyon

Songwriters V Ellsbury and Wally Neal lead this roots, soul and psychedelic rock group, known for deep lyricism and nimble improvisation. Released in July 2021, their self titled debut album is a stunning collection of songcraft and classic production, tied together by two captivating and unique voices.

Druids Des Moines, Iowa-based trio DRUIDS have been around for the better part of a decade and released 2 full length albums and 2 EPs so far. The 2019 EP “Monument“ is noted for its face-melting heavy blues riffs and double picking attacks, sluggish drumming, psychedelic instrumental sections and incredibly powerful, rough yet melodic vocals all conjuring up the muchly cherished vibes of Remission-era Mastodon in a fictitious desert sessions environment… but also with the intriguing story behind: an unnamed protagonist’s journey through mystical worlds of the afterlife, with each song representing a unique spiritual lesson. The band recorded their 3rd studio album and follow-up to “Monument“ in May, for a 2022 release via Pelagic Records.

An Evening With Josh Rouse Doors: October 24, 2021 6:00 PM Online Scheduled Ticket Price: GENERAL ADMISSION: $25.00 Hailed as ‘a talent to outrank Ryan Adams or Conor Oberst’ by Uncut and praised for his ‘spare and easy sounding guitar songs’ by NPR, Rouse first emerged in 1998 with his debut album, ‘Dressed Up Like Nebraska,’ which Billboard called a ‘dark horse gem.’ Over the next two decades, he’d go on to release a steady stream of critically lauded records that would solidify his status as one of the his generation’s most acclaimed songwriters, both in the US and Europe, where he’s lived on and off since 2004. Q called his breakout album, ‘1972,’ ‘the most intimate record of the year,’ while Rolling Stone dubbed his follow up, ‘Nashville,’ ‘a landmark album,’” and EW described 2013’s ‘The Happiness Waltz’ as ‘a big contender for Rouse’s best work.’ In 2014, Rouse won a Goya Award (the Spanish equivalent of an Oscar) for best song for “Do You Really Want To Be In Love,’ from the film ‘La Gran Familia Española.   Doors: 6:30PM // Show:  7:30PM Advance: $25 // D.O.S.: $35

https://open.spotify.com/artist/38euc5ce2q2MMzaoJcPstz?si=UazAimR8QnCiG-yilHZz4A

Katie Pruitt: Katie Pruitt is a Nashville transplant from the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. Pruitt tackles human topics such as religion, mental health, and contemporary love songs with a modern twist. Her passionate delivery and powerful message are the reason her name has graced the bills of festivals such as Americana, 420 Fest, Pilgrimage, and sold out shows across the US and internationally. After the 2018 release of her live Ourvinyl EP, Pruitt was named NPR’s Slingshot Artist for 2019 and was also featured on All Song’s Considered for her song “Grace Has A Gun.” Not long after that she was chosen as the Luck Reunion Artist on the Rise for SXSW 2019. Pruitt has no plans of slowing down and when she isn’t on the road you can find her in the studio writing and recording her debut record. William Prince: William Prince approaches the big questions with humility and curiosity. Prince’s influences, from the gospel of his childhood to the pantheon of classic outlaw country singers, baseball and the great beyond, shape his approach to songcraft, a masterclass in skilful simplicity. Prince’s JUNO Award winning debut Earthly Days introduced the songwriter’s poignant philosophy and rich baritone to the world. His breakout song “Breathless,” found audiences worldwide. Prince followed up with Reliever, released February 2020. For this album, Prince began with a single word, Reliever, which informed a collection that explored how peace is found. Relievers come in all forms; for Prince, it is song. Prince surprised fans with a second new album in 2020. Gospel First Nation, released in October, is a “21st Century Northern Interlake Country Gospel” collection that tells stories of family and faith in the age of grief. The album explores Prince’s own family tree, the places and music that shaped his childhood, and explores the extremely complicated relationship of faith and colonialism with grace and empathy.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1c5w8KrxGwq44fxM5lGB4s?si=T5ZDAo7LS–GMv05h_V-Rw&dl_branch=1

About Prone To Jones

Prone To Jones is a power rock trio out of Des Moines, IA. Since forming in late 2019, Bruce Day, Taylor King and Nick Sinclair have quickly created a covalent bond of rock, passion and chemistry. Hot off the release of their self-titled album, these dudes are motivated to pursue their goal of world domination.

Since his neo-psychedelic Green On Red days, Chuck Prophet has been turning out country, folk, blues, and Brill Building classicism. THE LAND THAT TIME FORGET is something different, a weather vane picking up signals from outer space – or maybe it’s the Heartland. Priced out of his beloved hometown, San Francisco, Prophet found himself re-energized in Upstate NY just a few miles from the Vermont border – and made a record that is much a 21st century exorcism as it is America. The songs inhabit a world where a FAST KID might be on the run from the truant officer or a handsy boss…or the Immigration Service. These are love songs that turn political on a dime (LOVE DOESN’T COME FROM THE BARREL OF A GUN), and melodic hallucinations about kicking back in the Oval Office after hours “talking to my baby, saying baby, let’s not fight.” Where else besides a Chuck Prophet LP are songs going to come at you from both the Tenderloin and an English roundabout, with stopovers in NIXONLAND and a love-struck mirror on a Saturday night while a workingman tries his BEST SHIRT ON? With special appearances by the ghost of Johnny Thunders and Willie Wonka and John the Baptist and the train that brought Abraham Lincoln home one last time. In WAVING GOODBYE, a young girl leaves small town attitudes behind to conquer the world one gig at a time. Then there’s a dance MARATHON, lost in time and reborn as a reality show. According to WOMANKIND, men had their run, but it’s over. (The good news is he can still try to sing his way into her heart.) And it all leads up to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue where a singer has his say, in two and a half loping verses and a middle eight. Here’s Chuck: “Have any of you been to a 24-hour Walmart on the outskirts of Pittsburgh after midnight lately? It was just me and a couple tweakers roaming the auto parts aisles. We got along just fine. Long story short, I fixed that guitar by my lonesome and am playing it right now. I’m kind of proud of that.” “I will say this, though, about Ohio. Some of my truest hard earned fans are in Ohio. Go on and call it a fly-over-state, but not while Chrissie Hynde is in earshot, unless you want a vegan boot up your ass. All I’m saying is that a state is a lot more than which candidate won by how many votes. I mean you gotta feel sorry for the conservatives. The only songs they can play at their rallies without getting hit with a cease and desist order are by Ted Nugent and Charlie Daniels. And those two sure aren’t shy about expressing their opinions.” THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT got off the ground in the Money Belt, only to find its legs in the Borscht Belt. Musically it has deep roots, from the Southern Delta to the discos of Munich. There’s a kind of folkish inevitability to it, lots of acoustic instruments, on top of each other and side by side. But as much as folk music is the soil all music grows from, it never hurts to have a boiler room. So, there’s always a rhythm section shuffling under your feet here. Written mostly with longtime co-conspirator klipschutz, this LP steps out of Chuck Prophet’s comfort zone (“two guitars, bass, and drums”). After nailing three tracks in S.F. with Grammy-winning alchemist Matt Winegar, Prophet confesses, “We hit a wall. Schedules. Money. Towed vehicles: a thousand large to get one van out of lockup.” So he went out on tour, a solo tour. Driving through the Catskills he dropped into Kenny Siegal’s Old Soul Studios, in a “5-bedroom Greek Revival listed on the National Registry,” Chuck and Kenny immediately began to argue. Over anything. Whether it was too hot or too cold (according to WHOM?). At the end of the day – “a very long day, three weeks of them – let’s just say Kenny’s the man. At Old Soul, musicians drop in, sometimes complete blind dates. We did everything live. The drummer gigs with Kevin Morby. The bass player, out of some jazz scene. Piano player, an honorary Bad Seed. A mish mash of personalities and styles. Turns out you can make a lot of noise with acoustic instruments, if there are enough of them.” When asked about his life, Prophet is candid and evasive all at once: “What do you want to know. Death, health issues, financial hijinks, I’ve had them all the past few years. We lost my dad and we lost Stephie’s dad too. The basement flooded. My shoulder went out. I got hives over 80% of my body; was quarantined. The only break I caught was when the ear, eye, nose, and throat doctors were all in the same building. Oh, and I almost got killed about seven times in rented cars in snowstorms, lost on the way to gigs. Hey, maybe we should talk about songs instead.”

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3vidJsiALgVC5ZuweJgeDT?si=gCNQmW8pQEuinoUTY-_4HQ&dl_branch=1

About Keith Harkin: Keith is an Irish singer songwriter from Derry City, Ireland now residing in Los Angeles CA. Over the last 15 years, his musical talents have brought him across the world many times over. Including shows for President Obama at The White House, Sir Richard Branson on Necker Island, Secretary of State at the Pentagon, Mohamed Ali at Celebrity Fight Night and performing National Anthems at The Garden for The Boston Celtics to name but a few. During his time touring the States, he gained recognition from Grammy Award-winning Producer, David Foster, who then went on to sign Keith as the first artists to the new Verve Records. Keith released his first solo debut album with Foster and Verve Records, where they watched it soar to the number 1 spot on the Billboard charts in Canada & the US. Keith was also the lead singer of the massive Irish sensation “Celtic Thunder” which had huge success with over fifteen #1 records world wide and over a millions in CD sales with numerous PBS specials. Over the past 12 years since his first release, Keith has been writing all of his own material for his solo records. All four of Keith’s solo records have been ranked in the top 10 Charts in both Canada & the US. He is currently working on album #5 at his studio in Ireland.” FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/keithharkinofficial/ WEBSITE: https://www.keithharkin.com/ SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5mRROw71EceBbR8KutvmOx VIDEO: https://youtu.be/kZpaB7M_RVk

https://open.spotify.com/artist/73rPcaYEhBd0UuVZBqqyQJ?si=w5DtKFvQRs-vTzioVZSKaA

Dan Tedesco : My story is…..that I have no story, per se. I come from a solid family. It’s a point of pride. I grew up in the far west suburbs of Chicago. My folks weren’t rich, but there wasn’t much that I was left wanting. I’ve never been arrested. Always got good grades. I never developed any major drug addictions (at least, not yet). The only serious addiction in my life, if you’d like to call it that, has been with music. Let me bring you up to speed. Piano at age 5. Violin at age 9. Guitar at age 11 after hearing Eddie Van Halen. And that, as they say, is all she wrote. I’ve been madly in love with it ever since.Growing up my ears were fortunate enough to be treated to a fairly eclectic musical mix: The Beatles, Dylan, Paul Simon, James Taylor, The Band, The Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, CCR, Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty. Even a healthy dose of Mozart, Beethoven and Wagner. A friend in my neighborhood used to make cassette mixes for me: The Who, They Might Be Giants, The Police, The Clash. I missed the grunge period, and it wouldn’t be until nearly a decade later that I’d discover the power of Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. Once I found the guitar, things focused in a touch. It wasn’t unusual for me to fall asleep at night to the sounds of guitar wizards like Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson. And the random Van Halen record was never far away. Then there was the jazz period. Wes Montgomery. Joe Pass. George Benson. Charlie Christian. John Coltrane. Elvin Jones. McCoy Tyner. The things I learned from those guys. Man. It’s everything really. The spirit of jazz. The freedom of it. That’s been it’s great influence on me. But I was always a rock ’n roll kid. Pete Townsend more than Pat Metheny. And, ultimately, I craved power chords over the complex harmonies of jazz. High school was a weird time. I straddled the jock world, playing baseball, and the music world, as a member of the high school jazz band. Most mornings, after being dropped off by the bus, everyone would hang out in the lunchroom before first period. Not me. I’d head straight to a room adjacent to the school’s band rehearsal hall, writing music on the computer. Like I said, it was an addiction. Outside of school, I jammed in a duo with one of my best friend’s, who happened to be a fantastic drummer. We wrote all kinds of stuff. Lots of instrumental music (queue the Satriani). Recorded various demos. But neither of us sang. That made it hard to play out. And most of the other kids were interested in the classics: Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Stones. They weren’t interested in what we had going on. So, like many of my heroes, I was a bit of a social outcast. That, if anything, was and has always been my struggle. Everyone has at least one. And I found my comfort, security and confidence in the world out on the fringe, populated by the misfits. The world of rock ’n roll. Let Me Play My Old Guitar, and sing for you my song Let Me Play My Old Guitar, and sing for you my song I promise you my friend I Will Not Do You Wrong – DT

Come see the latest graduates of FlashForce University as they strut their stuff on stage for the first time ever! They will tease, tantalize and tempt you!

Ryan O’Rien & The Bowling Green Revival:

  Ryan O’Rien (Ryan Morris) has gathered a cadre of like minded local artists to perform material off of the 2019 release Les Déplorables along with additional new, original material. Ryan O’Rien has been described as having a “Nick Cave” vibe, melding driving rhythm with haunting lyrical performances and untraditional instrumentation.    

Jordan Sellergren:

    Jordan Sellergren is a mother, songwriter, artist, and the Art Director at Little Village Magazine in Iowa City. Her second full-length album, “Sweet, Bitter Tears” was released in 2020.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0Qnx1MPnHYt3jJCYrRFVwX?si=CM69QtB4SGimgF5kk-N2tA