Looking Back @ 80/35

Jul 06 2009

I know some of you guys are like me and can’t get enough 80/35 STUFF!  so Hit up Flickr, youtube, and all local media websites.. All of them are jam packed with 80/35 coverage!  I have enjoyed it and I know you will too!

a little post 80/35 blues… the day after

Jul 05 2009

Well yesterday was about as good as it gets!  I showed up at the festival grounds around 10 am since the Poison Control Center, were going to be playing at noon, and already the amount of Volunteers and workers there amazed me.. A group of 10 dudes unloaded our van for us and brought it all up on the stage!  All while this was going on my wife and friend Sammi were running into  Stephen Malkmas and the Jicks at the farmers market down town.. THose LUCKY BUTTS!  

anyway, I had a great time kicking day two off on the main stage, I broke two strings, spilled a beer on my guitar and brought the microphone out into the crowed and when I came back on stage with it, there was a BOOGER on the mic.  NO Kidding, it was quite gross but I ran with it..  

One of the the highlights for me was right when we were done playing the guys from  MAN MAN were on the side of the stage and they totally dug our show, and told us so, and later in the day even gave me one of the bands BUD Lights!

man after we got done the day chilled out a ton for me, I ran over to catch the end of one of my favorite local bands BEATI PAOLI, which was great, I got to do a meet and greet which ruled and we met some cool kids who did a cover of a PCC song for a battle of the bands and got disqualified because they played a cover which i thought was totally punk rock!  

I really enjoy  Cymbals Eat Guitars, MAN MAN, and Broken Social Scene sets, and I got to meet members of all the bands and they were all as sweet as honey!  Super nice people in super killer bands!! 

I hit up the Des Moines Social Club to see Pennyhawk and Christopher the Conquered, which was also one of the high lights of the fest seeing friends rock out.

By this time in the day, my legs were feeling a little mooshy from OLD MAIN Beers, lack of sleep, playing a show, and standing for two days strait.. But then I started thinking about Mr. A ROSSI, and how tired he and Jill H, must feel.. SO I carried on buying more Old Main Beers and enjoying the rest of the day.  

THIS blog is so random sorry,  im tired and its 7:30 on sunday morning..

OH so I got to talk to DAVE from HOUSE OF LARGE SIZES, and he had nothing but great things to say about the festival and Des Moines so that felt good to me!  One of the coolest things of the fest for me was watching Amedo kinda breaking up on stage when he gave his speach..   YOU CAN TELL HE PUT ALL HIS HEART in to the fest again and when BEN HARPER hit the stage I felt a rush of Sadness because I knew it was almost over…

Not only was the festival over, but all my friends in my band leave to go home, and now I have a little POST 80/35 blues…

I was to say a huge thanks to all the people responsible for the fest.. IT WAS a great event rain or shine, all the Volunteers, media, sound people (who did great), bands, fans, food vendors.. Great job to everyone.. Im so honored to have been a part of this 2 years in a row!  I LOVE YOU DES MOINES!

Interview with Man Man

Jul 05 2009

My son had to help me with this one, it was a lot of fun!!

Video Blog: Conversation with Ben Harper & Closing Thoughts from Amedeo

Jul 05 2009

Vendors surround 80-35’s main stage on Locust and 13th street, some of which are artists.  Jon Palestini is a Des Moines apparel artist who recently launched a Zombie line of clothing including my favorite “ZILF” design.  The only beer to be found in the festival was from Ames Iowa’s Olde Main brewery.  I enjoy their Clone pale ale so I had a couple while walking around today.  Ben Harper spoke with me about an hour before closing down this year’s music festival.  After the fireworks just about everyone cleared out except Amedeo Rossi the man who organized this festival two years in a row.  He was interrupted by work as our interview was wrapping up proving he never stops taking care of the countless details of 80-35.

Beauty of Broken Social Scene before Grand Finale featuring Ben Harper

Jul 04 2009

Broken Social Scene started playing at 7 o’clock and as the sun started to set their ethereal sounds beamed across downtown Des Moines.  It’s the beginning of the grand finale of this year’s 80-35 alternative music festival.  More people are coming through the gate and the bare spots in this area are filling up with hundreds of concert goers. 

The headliner of this festival Ben Harper and Relentless 7 are about to play.  I just met them in the press room while Frank from Capital 106 did a nice interview.  I am about interview Harper with the Des Moines Register’s Joe Lawler.  I appreciate the collaboration between media sources as this fun music festival wraps up.

Alcohol is forbidden in the 80-35 Press Room: 12 Sec Video Blog

Jul 04 2009

I’m covering @8035 for Iowa Public Radio and in the press room alcohol is forbidden (DM Pub Lib rules) A 12 Second Video http://tiny12.tv/T02DC

G. Love, Cleo’s Apartment

Jul 04 2009

With the crowd growing to fill most of the main stage area, G. Love put on a rocking good show to lead into Broken Social Scene, taking the stage in about 15 minutes. Cleo’s Apartment also played pretty well on the East free stage, attracting a crowd of several hundred.

The weather has continued to cooperate today, and hopefully it will hold up for a few more hours through the much-awaited Ben Harper performance. I wonder if he’ll play “Star Spangled Banner” on his lap guitar…?

Gray Skies, Warm Hearts, & Hot Music

Jul 04 2009

Evidently this year’s festival isn’t sheltered with blue skies, fluffy white clouds and a sun beaming gold light on thousands of 80-35 concert goers downtown Des Moines and that doesn’t seem to be a problem. Oh sure some of the photographers have complained that their socks are getting wet from the rain and their feet feel like oversized marshmallows bathed in olive oil but when they shoot pictures of Iowans spreading their warm appreciation for the hot music on the three stages all physical discomfort is forgotten.

Yesterday there were a few breaks in the steady trickle of water from the sky and today it’s left a few puddles on the corners with a chilly breeze but Iowans are still coming to see the music, hang out with the vendors, and throw back a few Olde Main beers. Speaking of booze I bought five beer tickets yesterday and only had ONE of the Clone pale ales. Today I have four beer tickets in my wallet and I will throw down more of the Ames Iowa brewery’s tasty suds. First I have to make sure I get more footage for my fifth video blog and continue to gather audio for my Iowa Public Radio story that we intend to air Monday during our statewide broadcast of Morning Edition & All Things Considered.

I suspect the main stage performance of Broken Social Scene at 5p will be my favorite out of town performer from this festival with their free form musical style and ethereal harmonic jamming music. The first time I heard of Broken Social Scene was this spring when they were announced as one of the bands coming to 80-35 so I purchased a few of their songs from the iTunes music store. When I listened to their “hit” 7/4 Shoreline it added a pleasant warmth and optimism to my mind. It reminded me of the freeness of Polyphonic Spree and the joy of The Flaming Lips. Broken Social Scene’s strength for me is their sonic communal nature that doesn’t allow any one person to emerge as a star. Their style reminds me of this festival which is a collection of many different people all with warm intentions hanging out under the banner of having a good time.

If you see me out there in my Iowa Public Radio shirt, flash recorder with big black boom microphone, and my Flip Video camera tug my shoulder and talk to me. I’d be glad to record you. Even if I don’t use your footage in my final product it helps me produce and write my stories but more importantly it’s always nice to talk to people about the good things happening in Des Moines Iowa during this great summer.

You can see the four video blogs I’ve produced since Wednesday on my site http://johnpemble.com

New Monsoon rocks

Jul 04 2009

The San Francisco jam band played a fantastic and tight hour-long set this afternoon, undoubtedly grabbing some new fans from the Central Iowa area in the process. Hopefully they will make another trip through Des Moines soon.

Man Man is currently wrapping up their block. Although not my cup of tea, the group is definitely one of a kind and doesn’t fail to create a cacophony of uncommon sounds. The next big act is G. Love & Special Sauce, and then headliner Ben Harper & Relentless 7 will round out the two-day festival.

The weather today has been fantastic and seems to have attracted a much larger crowd than yesterday. Hopefully Mother Nature holds up through tonight to make up for Friday’s rude rain showers.