Music at the University of Iowa: A Photographic History, 1968 - 1971

Over the weekend, I was flipping through some of my mother's old college year books. She attended the University of Iowa in the late '60s and early '70s.

The pages are filled with some great photos of student life - not merely the organizations, Greek life and athletics, but the anti-war protests and vigils, as well. One such image captures a group of students holding a moment of silence for the Kent State massacre. On another page, there's an article about student experimentation with drugs.

And then, of course, there was the music. Perhaps no other era is as famous for shaping modern music as the late '60s.

At the University of Iowa, student organizations such as the Central Party Committee (CPC) were charged with putting on annual campus concerts. Legendary acts like Jefferson Airplane, Sergio Mendez, The 5th Dimension, Diana Ross & The Supremes and Simon & Garfunkel all performed on campus during these years.

Featured below are several of my favorite music photos from these yearbooks, accompanied by some of my favorite captions.

Neil Diamond (1970)
"At one point during his set, Diamond had all the lights in the Fieldhouse turned off. He then commanded the audience to set off the flashbulbs that were attached to their cameras. They obeyed. It was psychedelic."

Grand Funk Railroad (1970)
"Grand Funk gets a lot of insults from rock critics who contend that their music is tuneless and dependent on feedback and volume. Perhaps the criticism is valid. Even so, the near capacity audience which witnessed the concert gave Grand Funk enthusiastic response."

"...played a sellout concert at Madison Square Garden the night before they played in Iowa City, so they were excusably wasted during most of the evening; nevertheless, they eventually got it on, as the saying goes."

Richie Havens (1970)
"He spent nearly as much time talking politics as singing, but the latter was worth waiting for. His best moment came with the singing of "Freedom" and "Motherless Child," songs that he sang in the film, Woodstock."

John Denver (1969)
"The same night (as comedian Mort Sahl performed), folksinger John Denver was performing in the Union Wheel Room. He drew a larger crowd than Sahl."

Led Zeppelin (1968-69)
Although there is no writeup about this show, it is mentioned that nine members of the CPC executive board resigned shortly thereafter to protest what they called, "centralization of activities and budget restrictions."

These images appear without credit in the original yearbooks. Outside of university archives, most of these photographs are likely lost in your parents' attics somewhere. As such, I have taken the liberty of scanning them myself to preserve and share these moments in music history.

Concert Review: Ozzy Osbourne - November 2nd, 2007

Ozzy Osbourne holds a strange place in my heart. He is by no means my favorite artist of the world, yet I have immense respect for him and his music. It may be true that if one's only exposure to him is via MTV's The Osbournes he understandably comes across as a burned-out, washed-up, ex-drug abuser. Yet, if one scratches below that popular surface it will be discovered that Ozzy is not only a master of stagecraft, but he possesses a nuanced knowledge of the role of frontman as well.

Such skills were in full force during his November 2nd show at Veterans' Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa on November 2nd. After Rob Zombie's under par performance (read my review here) Ozzy was bestowed the duty of ensuring that the thousands of fans in attendance wouldn't go home unsatisfied and angry. Needless to say, the Godfather of Heavy Metal did not disappoint.

Commencing the show with a single off his latest album, Ozzy wasted no time in giving the audience what they wanted. The rabid fans in the first section were not only treated to their favorite newest song, but also to drenches of water and foam as well. To be more specific, Mr. Osbourne began dumping buckets of water and squirting a hose full of crazy foam onto all of them. Needless to say, I was envious of the front row's proximity to such an amazing spectacle of showmanship and gimmick.

But Ozzy did not rely on spectacle alone to prove his place among hard rock's greats. Partnering with guitar legend Zakk Wylde, the two hammered through a diverse cross-section of the infamous Ozzy catalog. 'Shot in the Dark' was played third song in, and 'Fire in the Sky' was a great mid-show treat. Throughout these showings, Ozzy made sure he told everybody how much he appreciated their support by shouting "I fu***ng love you all!!." At about the hour mark, Ozzy took a break to leave the stage and lent the limelight to Wylde, who wisely used the 15 minute segment to display technical perfection via a 'Star Spangled Banner' inspired guitar solo.

When Ozzy re-emerged, he did his best to bestow upon his fans the songs they craved. 'Road to Nowhere' was sung, as was 'I Don't Want to Change the World.' By the time the encore arrived, he had performed 'Mama, I'm Coming Home' and 'Paranoid' from his Black Sabbath days. The two-hour mark reluctantly arrived when Ozzy confered his greatest symbol of gratitude upon the Iowa crowd: he bowed endlessly while screaming, "I love you all!" In typical fashion, the lights then dimmed and the self-proclaimed "madman" slowly disappeared from sight.

It was for that reason I left the Ozzy concert feeling satisfied and grateful...satisfied I saw one of rock's greatest legends live, and grateful I was fortunate to witness one of its most humble.



I've included two of my favorite Ozzy songs that were (unfortunately) not performed at the concert. Enjoy:

Ozzy Osbourne - 'No More Tears'




Ozzy Osbourne - 'You Can't Kill Rock and Roll'

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Concert Review: Rob Zombie - November 2nd, 2007

Take a cliche of a cliche and you get a Rob Zombie show. With loud, industrial guitars, paired with on-screen visuals containing gore and nudity, Zombie's November 2nd show was the manifestation of shock rock schlock. As soon as the curtain began to drop to the Halloween theme song (his recent obliteration of the 70s horror franchise), I knew that his show would emit all things ridiculous. I was right.

The stage was adorned with a giant monster head, upon which the drummer sat. And on each side of this "head" a scantily clad woman stood, dancing in unison with her counterpart on the other side to each of Zombie's very undanceable metal songs (with maybe the exception of 'Living Dead Girl'). At one point a giant Frankenstein robot came onto stage. Above the stage were video loops showing gratuitous images of naked women, as well as unfortunate characters getting sliced and diced up.

Perhaps it was the venue that made Zombie's show seem all too surreal and artificial. Sitting in a small arena, Zombie's similarly sounding songs all seemed to kind of mesh into a buzz of indiscernible crunch and reverb that provided literal pain to the ear drums. Or perhaps it was Mr. Zombie's bumptious attitude that limited any excitement or interactivity he was expecting from the crowd. During the finale of his show he was attempting to force the audience to chant "Zom-Bee, Zom-Bee, Zom-Bee," and thankfully the modest Midwestern crowd didn't buy into such self-serving nonsense. (When you have to force people to scream your name, the state of your irrelevancy should be clear.)

Needless to say, Zombie came across as pompous, and he appeared forgetful that he was only the opening act. The crowd was there to see headliner Ozzy, and they did not want to put up with the self-promotion of his B-movies and songs about monsters---songs, mind you, whose only distinctions are changes in tempo and the insertion of differing sound samples. In all, Zombie's show was one big joke fest. Thankfully, once Ozzy emerged he saved the show (and perhaps the day).

Stay tuned for my review of the Ozzy show soon!

Concert Review: The Bravery - October 5th, 2007

The Bravery's performance at Des Moines' House of Bricks on Friday, October 5th, was an underrated show by an underrated band to say the least. Considering that their self-titled debut was one of my favorite albums of 2005-06, I was in disbelief that admission to their concert was only $15, and that I had to compete for elbow room with maybe only a hundred other people. (In stark contrast to other standing-room only shows I've attended, where a critical mass of 800 people have swelled back and forth against my modest 6 foot frame, it was a refreshing change of pace.)

The band made a thrilling entrance by beginning the concert with the driving, yet danceable, 'Fearless.' The hallmark pipe organ effect that lingers during the beginning of that track provided a great audio backdrop for the band to quietly sneak in before exploding into an unadulterated synth-punk fury that never ceased throughout the hour long show.

For the majority of the show the band tended to hover around the indulgent disco-heavy tunes of their first disc ('Public Service Announcement,' 'Tyrant Mouth') while slowly splicing in tracks from their newest album; 'Believe' and 'Every Word is a Knife In My Ear' proved to be two songs from The Sun and the Moon that garnered the greatest response.

Overall, the band's performance was a solid one. And although their latest album pales in comparison to the melodic mastery of their debut, the band's unstoppably energetic stage performance provided great evidence that they have clear potential to put out an amazing third disc in the near future.

You can listen to 'Fearless,' 'Public Service Announcement' and 'Believe' below:


The Bravery - 'Fearless'

The Bravery - 'Public Service Announcement'

The Bravery - 'Believe'

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Concert Review: Radio Moscow - October 5th, 2007

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when Ames, Iowa's Radio Moscow took the stage as the opener before the recent Bravery show in Des Moines last Friday. But as soon as their drummer Todd took to his drum set and started banging, I was hooked. Sporting a skull cap and flannell, thus bearing striking resemblance to N.W.A.'s Ice Cube, Todd's performance stole the show. The drum set-up was positioned front and center, providing Todd ample opportunity to spin his sticks in the air before striking the skins, as well as other similar visual antics. Certainly, it was his soulful drum playing that provided the driving energy behind each song.

This is not to say, however, that the performances of Radio Moscow's other two members were overshadowed. The guitarist/vocalist played some mean riffs (although his singing was just above mediocre), and the bassist kept great rythym. As a unit, they got the job done and were a great live band with lots of potential.

I would definitely recommend checking Radio Moscow out, and you can do so by visiting their Myspace page. (I recommend streaming 'Frustrating Sound'). In an age of music saturated by the emo kids, it's nice to know that bluesy trad rock still marches on.

(Stay tuned for a review of the October 5th Bravery show soon!)

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Steve's Concert Review: The Killers @ The Val Air Ballroom, West Des Moines, Iowa

*This review is dedicated to number one Lonely Note fan, Rockinjock, whose generousity made my attendance of this show possible.



It's easy to see why Brandon Flowers has made his enemies. Whether it's his slew of criticisms of other bands or his aloof mannerisms, Flowers has a track record of exuding a certain degree of elitism. And such haughtiness was on display last Monday night when The Killers came to a sold-out Val Air Ballroom in West Des Moines. Between donning the typical formal wear and the contrived prancing on stage, the reputation that had preceded the lead singer was quite evident.

But that's showmanship.

After all, The Killers are a synth-rock band who hail from the City of Sin. It is only fitting that a group arising out of that musical context would be expected to perform with spunk and overconfidence. The ladies loved it: whether getting groovy on the ballroom floor or screaming sweet nothings at the stage while straddling the shoulders of their boyfriends of reality.

The band began the first half of their set by exhausting a good portion of the singles off latest album Sam's Town. Under normal conditions, such a choice may have seemed ill conceived, but considering the venue's air temperature was well over 100 degrees, it served as subtle gratitude for the fans' dedication at putting up with the preceeding hour and a half's worth of heat. (Nobody wants to put up with deep-track filler after spending 90 minutes melting away). 'When You Were Young' was belted with almost studio-like precision and 'Read My Mind' was performed with brilliant passion. Local Iowa native Dave Keuning strummed the axe with a stunning presence reminiscent of a 70s stadium rocker and drummer Ronnie Vannucci slammed the skins with an eruption of energy Every. Single. Time.

After taking a 15 minute intermission to cool off, The Killers returned with a renewed stage presence, digging into tracks from debut long player Hot Fuss. 'Mr. Brightside' was met with intense celebration from the crowd, while the defining line from 'All These Things That I've Done:'---"I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier"--held unspoken significance given America's current geopolitical situation. 'Jenny Was a Friend of Mine' retained its dramatic kick. 'Smile Like You Mean It' evoked its signature feelings of emptiness. All in all, the defining qualities that made Hot Fuss a modern classic were effectively brought to the final half of the show.

With a true encore, the band turned the amps up to 11, performing 'When You Were Young' once again, but with more fervor than they had only two hours previously. By this time, having perspired into one lukewarm mass, everybody in the crowd was singing their heart out in unison with Flowers, desperately holding on to every last moment before the show inevitably came to an end:

"We’re burning down the highway skyline on the back of a hurricane that started turning when you were young."

The Killers were in great form on Monday, May 14th, 2007. An Iowa native was welcomed home, and this fan went back to the ranch singing every song.

Now that's showmanship.


The Killers - 'Read My Mind'

The Killers - 'When You Were Young'

Concert Review: Naturally 7 at the University of Iowa's Memorial Union

To call Naturally 7 an impressive live performance would be a huge understatement. The deep thud of the kick drum is met with the thwack of the snare rolling off of the high hat. A funk-infused bassline meanders in smoothly with a cool patience. The keyboard and guitar react, while a turntable begins to scratch through to the surface.

Such a description could easily allude to any number of musical acts on the scene today. The exception is that this particular group doesn't have to haul any of these instruments along when they take the stage. Naturally 7 is an all-vocals band.

Thursday, March 29, the band stopped through for a free concert at the University of Iowa's Memorial Union Hawkeye Lounge. A mostly college-aged crowd of not more than a hundred filed into the venue – a small, but comfortable student lounge with couches, pool tables and a snack bar. The stage took up one third of the room. The performance could have brought down a stadium.

Seven men who formed together in New York City, Naturally 7 is a name which appeals to the nature of their sound – music as presented by the oldest human instrument, the voice. The group adamantly defies characterizations as a'cappella, a term which refers to singing without instruments. Naturally 7, on the other hand, use their voices as instruments – a style they call "vocal play." Not just beat-boxing, but wailing guitar licks, bellowing brass, and vibrant string arrangements. Every nuance is accounted for. The music needs to be seen to be fully appreciated.

Early in the show, the group performed their rendition of Mr. Mister's "Broken Wings," a song which concluded in a winged formation, with one member kneeling at the center. The final note was crushed by a stunning whoosh of feathers.

Between songs, the group acquainted itself with the audience, and reassured the roles played by each of its members. Each of the men took turns stepping forward to solo his instrument of choice.

Brothers Roger "N'English" and Warren Thomas are the backbone, with Roger arranging much of the music, and acting as Master of Ceremonies, tenor, guitar, and brass. Warren T. is positioned in the background like a typical drummer, but his uncanny vocal percussion abilities deserve a stage of their own. As N'English put it, "People come up to me and say, I like your songs but it's not all vocals. I hear real drums on there. And I have to say, No man, that's my brother."

The rhythm section holds strong with the group's newest addition, bass vocalist Armand "Hops" Hutton. The member with slightest frame, Hops also possesses a voice that would make Barry White smile down from heaven. His first words of the night came as a deep "How's everyone doin’ tonight?" which was met by surprise from the crowd, who responded with applause and laughter. "Why don't I get that kind of reaction when I say that?" asked Jamal Reed jokingly.

Reed is a natural entertainer who soars with stage presence and screeching guitar solos. Reed carried a dead-on Stevie Wonder as he fronted one of the night's best songs, "What Is It? (Excuse Me)." One lyric poses, “Is it R&B, gospel, funk or pop?” Perhaps the song should be renamed to answer the ultimate question, "How'd they do that?"

Multi-talented and playful Rod Eldridge rips out turntable scratches, keyboards, guitar, strings and brass, while also pulling lead vocals. With the aid of his favorite gadget, a loop pedal, Eldridge was able to layer his vocals indefinitely into his own one-man band. Garfield "G-Buck" Buckley is equally versatile, sharing leads with a barrage of instrumentation including flute and harmonica.

Certainly not least is baritone lead vocalist, and yes...multi-faceted Dwight Stewart.

Stewart's impassioned lyrics on "Say You Love Me" were one of evening's major highlights.

Stewart's vocal abilities are also showcased in the group's latest single, "Feel it (In the Air Tonight)" A re-structured version of a Phil Collins classic, the song is currently a Top 10 track throughout parts of Europe, and has gained a U.S. underground following thanks to a well-received YouTube.com clip of the band singing on a crowded Paris subway.

Having toured Europe and developed a strong following, the group has yet to make it big in the states. The septet's new album Ready II Fly is already available overseas, but has yet to be picked up for a U.S. appearance. N'English mentioned the group was aiming at a Fall 2007 release date. After the performance, an optimistic Stewart remarked that the biggest factor in finding a release is letting record labels know what separates the group from the rest of the popular R&B music on the radio. As he reiterated, "They have to know up front it's just us they're hearing. All vocals. That's it right there."

The evening’s sound acoustics were presented in fantastic clarity. That night, the group’s sound technician deserved recognition as an 8th member.

After singing their hearts out for more than an hour, Naturally 7 stayed around to sign autographs and talk with the fans who had purchased albums at the front table. The group would be leaving Iowa and heading home to the East Coast briefly before making a trip back across the pond to tour.

For more information about the vocal play of Naturally 7, visit the band's website at www.Naturallyseven.com.