Dick Prall in a Backyard

Last night, we joined about 50 friends in a backyard for a "house concert" from Dick Prall.

After more than a decade of touring, often with a full band, Dick's put together a tour "from Portland, Maine to the Napa Valley" playing in people's homes.  It's an innovative idea, and it makes for a hell of a show.

Dick played without amplification, but his percussive guitar and booming voice didn't need it.   The pop of a beer can or the rattle of a lawn chair sometimes caused a moment of distraction, but it was all in the spirit.  And it sure beat the cracking pool balls and TV sports chatter of even the most intimate club shows.

He build his set entirely on requests, with someone in the crowd occasionally helping remember a lyric for the more obscure numbers.  Brief gusts of wind and other surprises from the natural world highlighted the organic feel.

And after the show: Drinking.

Today we'll be rolling out to Day 1 of 80/35 and hopefully have enough left in the tank for Poison Control Center tonight.

Rock & Roll Weekend

I'm on the verge of an exciting and diverse weekend of music, and it feels like there's only one thing to do about it - blog.  That's right, blog - as a verb.

The four shows/events range from a multi-day festival to a backyard concert.  All are happening in Iowa, three just in Des Moines.

Tonight I'll be at a small, backyard performance by singer/songwriter Dick Prall.  Dick's doing a nationwide tour exclusively of house parties - a cool concept and an exciting, intimate way to see a show.

Saturday and Sunday bring the ever-awesome 80/35 Music Festival back to Des Moines, with a really killer lineup this year.

If I'm not face-down from exhaustion or otherwise Saturday night, I plan to get over to the Vaudeville Mews to catch a free show from Poison Control Center - great guys who just put out an amazing record.

Then Sunday night I'll be rolling across the state to a barn outside Maquoketa for a 4th of July Barn Show being put on by Daytrotter.  Another unbelievable lineup in an unlikely location.   This will be more of a working event, however, as I'm currently producing and directing a documentary film about Daytrotter.  It's an exciting project we've been working on for some time, but keeping mostly under wraps.  We expect to launch a more public face for the film in the coming weeks.

I'll work to post updates on the shows here throughout the weekend, and will absolutely post more on the documentary as soon as I can.