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This is a Tuk Tuk. It will be a key element in the First Annual Des Moines Tuk Tuk Goose Chase going down October 28th at El Bait Shop in Des Moines.

The Tuk Tuk Goose Chase is best explained in recipe form:

Start with a dream. And a small truck (kind of).

Remove two letters and one wheel.

Add a dash of whimsy.

Double it.

=Tuk Tuk

Repeat ten times

= fleet of Tuk Tuks

Mod 'em

Race 'em, mixing in ridiculous tasks for flavor

= Tuk Tuk Goose Chase

Each Tuk Tuk has a team behind it: Goodsmiths, Iowa Beverage Systems, Ruisch Properties, Hatchlings, The Nadas, The Des Moines Maker Space, Goldies Ice Cream Shoppe, Corey Wolf and friends, and The Joy Brace Memorial Fund (whose Tuk Tuk is The Green Machine you see before you). Teams will compete to see which Tuk Tuk will be crowned "Head Tukmeister". And, hey! The Nadas will be shooting footage for a new music video and headlining the concert accompanying the race. They'll be joined by Matt Woods, the Dead Yellow Canaries, and Joe Price

This event has been a long time coming-- surprisingly, these three-wheelers are in short supply in the American midwest. Behold as organizer Matthew Smith wrangles one for a test drive after a multi-state Tuk Tuk hunt:

Yes, this is happening, and it was crazy enough to hit the front page of reddit. Seriously.

Grab your tickets here. And don't forget to pick up some extra drink tickets-- they're cheaper in advance, and you know you'll use them.

#Tuk Tuk Goose Chase #Cool event #The Nadas #Dead Yellow Canaries #Joe Price #Matt Woods

Show Alert: The Menzingers/Lipstick Homicide/Minor Decline/Crater

Epitaph Records punk rockers The Menzingers are coming to The Shop in Davenport on November 5th! The dates posted on The Menzingers website don't include this show-- it's just a free day in their supporting tour with Propagandhi between St. Louis and Chicago-- but rest-assured, it's happening. And we're all over it.

The Shop appears to be a machine shed-esque structure "behind Wells Fargo" on E 53rd St & N Brady St in Davenport. Here is one blurry picture of the interior after what appears to have been a middle school dance.

Make no mistake, it seems like the perfect venue for this show. It's all ages, BYOB for the older crowd, in off the tracks location, and sans annoying support pillars to get stuck behind. It began as a practice venue for local Quad Cities band Crater, and evolved into a DIY performance space-- we love it when that happens, and we're happy to be a part of it.

That said, I would pay to see The Menzingers play in a cubicle at the Davenport DMV. Their third full-length release, On the Impossible Past, dropped this year to much acclaim, prompting calls for "album of the year"-- in February. Here's "The Obituaries" off that album via Soundcloud (NSFW language, pro-tip: headphones):

To dub The Menzingers "punk" might be correct, if you include The Gaslight Anthem in that genre. They're both northeastern reminiscers capable of fantastic acoustic sets. To call them "pop punk" is undeserved and, for many fans, pejorative. So I'll say they transcend genres. Their tour mates support this theory, ranging from Off with Their Heads to Taking Back Sunday, Proproghandi to The Gaslight Anthem.

Iowa City greats Lipstick Homicide, "not-so West Coast" punk rockers Minor Decline, and Quad Cities natives Crater open.

Get advance tickets here and save $.

#The Menzingers #The Shop #Lipstick Homicide #Crater #Show alert #Minor Decline

Show Alert: Gardening, Not Architecture/Yards

Gardening, Not Architecture is the stage name of Sarah Saturday, a native of Wisconsin with music in her veins. She’s spent the last ten years working on projects ranging from one-off collaborations to full-blown bands and everything in between. From starting her own consulting group to working full-time for a production company to promoting her EIY (“Earn-It-Yourself”) philosophy, she’s seen the music industry from the inside out and the outside in.

At its heart it seems Sarah’s EIY battle cry is a well thought-out homage to the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) roots of the punk scene with an important difference: it stipulates that being successful doesn’t mean a band has “sold out”. She explains success and the EIY philosophy:

So long as you achieve that success by working hard, being honest, doing what is right, resisting the temptation to take the easy way out, acting on your values even in the face of temptation to cut corners, never cheating or buying your way into the spotlight, earning the respect of your peers, supporting the community to which you belong, choosing your goals for the right reasons, applying the do-it-yourself approach to build your career, working your way up, and never compromising your integrity.

Check out her second full-length release, Saboteur, It’s piano-driven pop that’s accessible yet memorable, catchy and heartfelt:

<a href="http://gardeningnotarchitecture.bandcamp.com/album/saboteur" data-mce-href="http://gardeningnotarchitecture.bandcamp.com/album/saboteur">Saboteur by Gardening, Not Architecture</a>

Fellow musician Krist Krueger comes out of Portland, Oregon and plays under the pseudonym Yards for this, his side-project. It’s also piano-driven, but with an experimental feel accentuated by cymbal crashes and sparse lyrics. Also playing with the band Southerly, he calls the point of Yards “complete personal satisfaction, a complete outlet, no verbal communication with the crowd, no crowd necessary.” To me this is one of the great things about side-projects—seeing musicians express themselves as though there is no crowd and no image to be beholden to. It’s usually quite a sight.

Watch Yards track “6” here:

Their joint tour stops at the ARK (Alexander Recording Kompany) in Ames, Iowa on October 28th. All ages are welcome.

Get pre-sale tickets for the Ames show here.

#Gardening Not Architecture #Yards #Alexander Recording Kompany

This week's Cityview Magazine crossword-- the clue wasn't "a super fun, low fee ticketing company" but we still thought this was cute.

Monday music: The Menzingers On The Impossible Past-- see them live November 5th in Davenport, IA at The Shop with Lipstick Homicide. Advance tickets here.

#Lipstick Homicide #The Menzingers #The Shop #On the table

Show Alert: Charlie Hunter w/Jonah Smith

When asked about his latest release, Not Getting Behind Is The New Getting Ahead, seven- (sometimes eight-) string guitarist Charlie Hunter comments, "I love the nooks and crannies of the U.S., and this album is for the people living in these places." He and Jonah Smith will be visiting our little nook, specifically Bombay Bicycle Club in Clive, IA on November 3rd.

Hunter is coming off a successful Pledge Music campaign to release his latest album, Not Getting Behind is the New Getting Ahead on vinyl, in addition to the planned CD and digital version. He and his album collaborator, drummer Scott Amendola, recorded the tracks in old school fashion-- playing in the same room (at the same time!) sans headphones, with no overdubs or mixing. The result is instrumental jazz as it should be: smooth without being too polished, rehearsed but not routine, and a fantastic listen on vinyl or otherwise.

Here's a rough (albeit awesome) video of Charlie Hunter playing guitar along side Simon Lott on drumkit at Vaudeville Mews on April 29th 2009:

Fellow veteran musician Jonah Smith will be joining Hunter, following performances at The Flying Mango on October 26th and Iowa City Yacht Club November 1st. His latest album, Little Known Cure, was released in August of this year on Voluptuary Records. His rootsy ound, fantastic vocals, and heartfelt songwriting have earned him worldwide acclaim after ten years of touring the US, Europe, and Asia.

His wanderlust is palatable as he laments the rise of Big Box towns, speaks of hotel rooms and waiting for love in "The Land of Long Reds", and yearns for escape in "This House Ain't No Fun Anymore". Smith recently moved from New York to Los Angeles-- listening to this album feels like he drove the whole way with the windows down. It shifts from blues to folk, politics to soul and back again, yet arrives at its destination with this passenger wanting more.

Get advance tickets here: https://tikly.co/-/913

Pssst....this show is put on by Live@ Enterprises, a new kid on the block doing production, live sound, booking, recording, artist management, and promotion in the Des Moines area. We can’t wait to see what they do next!

Sources: charliehunter.com, jonahsmith.com, pledgemusic.com/projects/charliehunter

#Bombay Bicycle Club #Charlie Hunter w/Jonah Smith #Show alert #Pledge Music

The Colossus at Exile Brewing Company--wow! And what a great weekend of festivities!

#Exile Brewing Company #Bags tournament

The Lighthouse and the Whaler at Vaudeville Mews 10/13.

#The Lighthouse and the Whaler #Vaudeville Mews #Seen live

Exile Brewing Company Grand Opening and Bags Tournament

Though it’s been open for a couple of months now, Exile Brewing Company is still the new kid on the block in the downtown/Western Gateway area of Des Moines. Since my first visit to their lovely patio about a month ago, two new brews have been released to the thirsty masses. So far there’s Hannah-Weiss, Betty-Blonde, and Ruthie-Munich Gold Lager—here’s hoping the next beer girl is a redhead! And here’s a cool thing I did not know: On Sundays the fine folks there give free tours to the public at 1:00 pm, provided you call in advance to make a reservation.

To celebrate these achievements and take a breather after a successful settling-in stage, it’s high time Exile Brewing Company had an official grand opening, no? In short, they’re having a bags tournament— dare we say a GRAND bags tournament? An equally grand prize awaits the winners: a weeklong stay at a beautiful condo in Costa Rica for team and 4 friends (airfare not included) or $500 to spend at Exile! Other grand opening festivities include a dunk tank, free live music TBA, and the raising of the "Gateway Colossus", a full-size replica of the Statue of Liberty crown that will adorn the roof of the Exile building.

So! Enough lollygagging! Grab your partner and register here.

Be sure to check out the rules so you can practice your toss ahead of time. The bags tournament goes down Saturday, October 13th, but the fun lasts all weekend. See you there, baggers!

#Exile Brewing Company #Cool event

Show Alert: Army Navy, Noisetrade.com

At Tikly we love the idea of Noisetrade.com, a site for artists to upload their music for fans to download for free—legally and safely. For everyone who downloads their music, bands get e-mail addresses and zip codes (and a lot of new listeners!). Fans, meanwhile, have the chance to “tip” the artist or promote them via Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail, while discovering amazing free music.

Via Noisetrade:

A great record is its own best marketing tool. Thousands of dollars in promotion can’t accomplish what one great record can, especially if it’s set free to roam around and connect with the right people.

In short, it’s a direct-to-fan experience that just makes sense. And we support that. In fact, it’s pretty much what Tikly is all about. Well, that and tickets. And merch.

So! If you’re looking for a great inaugural band to check out on Noisetrade, try Army Navy:

Their 2011 sophomore album ‘The Last Place” is available for download. In it you’ll find eleven tracks of Los Angeles power-pop in its best form. With lyrics like “grief subsides/turn your back on it/just put it under your skin/where it’s left alone”, there's a wistfulness beneath the hooks, reminiscent of legends of the genre The Posies. The beautifully layered harmonies and strong vocals throughout make “The Last Place” an ear-pleaser perfect for end of summer mix-tapes and beyond.

Conveniently, Army Navy is on tour this fall, stopping at Vaudeville Mews in Des Moines, IA 10/18 with openers InAeona and Shades.

Edit: Mark Mallman has been added to the bill! Now you MUST go.

Get advance tickets at here.

#Army Navy #Noisetrade #Show alert #Mark Mallman

Tonight's listening: The Gaslight Anthem ("we only write by the moon/every word handwritten").

#The Gaslight Anthem #On the table

Show Alert: Ewert and the Two Dragons and The Lighthouse and the Whaler

Three things I discovered while fleshing out my show schedule for the coming months:

1. There are more amazing bands than I can mention coming to Des Moines and the surrounding areas this fall. In this post I’ll profess my love for two of them.

2. There is a bar/venue in Atlanta called The Drunken Unicorn, and I want to go there badly.

3. The Lighthouse and the Whaler and Ewert and the Two Dragons are two amazing indie-folk bands whose names sound like equally amazing children’s stories. Their twenty-stop co-headlining fall tour begins in Cleveland September 15th. I’m happy to say they’ll be in Des Moines at Vaudeville Mews for an early show October 12th (and The Drunken Unicorn 10/19).

Formed in 2008, The Lighthouse and the Whaler hails from Cleveland, Ohio. They offer soaring vocals and frequent glockenspiel, along with an earnestness best described by Sean Moeller of Daytrotter for their July 2011 session:

The Lighthouse and the Whaler makes us think of when we were happily untethered, unweathered, just getting broken in, putting mileage on our joints and feet. They remind us of what it's like to have an eyelash poking at us and not being able to do a thing about it.

Behold "White Days" from their self-titled album:

Touring the US in a mini-van called Rihanna, they search for “open ears and loyal hearts”. Their new album, “This is an Adventure,” drops Sept. 18.

Ewert and the Two Dragons is an established Estonian band with two full-length albums and five Estonian Music Awards under their belts. "Good Man Down" earned them the award for "Hit of the Year":

I gather the story behind the band’s name has to do with funny dialogue from a movie-- unfortunately most of it is lost in GoogleTranslation from Estonian to English….you understand. Apart from the often prominent (and always fantastic) bass lines, their songs are laced with unique acoustic layers and harmonies and grounded with heartfelt lyrics. Occasionally punctuated by bells and synchronized claps, what comes off as Nordic at first listen is, after a few times through, a fantastic sound unto itself. Indie Balkan folk, where have you been all my life?

Get your advance tickets for the Des Moines show here.

Psssst, this show (and only Tikly stop) has the lowest advance ticket fees of the whole tour, so get ‘em early! Des Moines darlings Seedlings open.

#Ewert and the Two Dragons #The Lighthouse and the Whaler #Vaudeville Mews #Show alert

Dispatch at The Orpheum in Minneapolis as viewed from the balcony.

It's funny because I've seen each member of the band play live via their post-Dispatch projects (this being a reunion tour), but I had never experienced the full band live until this show. After years of listening to their music, it made for a memorable experience. I would have liked to hear more songs from their August release (and first studio album in twelve years) Circles Around the Sun, but Chetro, Braddigan, and Pete played the old stuff like twelve years hadn't passed. Even though I'm feeling the pinch from Ticketmaster fees and lack of sleep this morning, I'm glad I went. I feel like I've captured one of my most elusive music white buffalos. It's time to seek out more.

Set list: * indicates song from Circles Around the Sun

Bang Bang

Two Coins

Circles Around the Sun*

Passerby

Time Served

Open Up

Flag*

Carry You

Flying Horses

Feels So Good*

Outloud

Get Ready Boy*

The General

Bats in the Belfry

Mission

Encore: Josaphine*

Here We Go

Elias

#Dispatch #Setlist

Good Old War opening for Dispatch at The Orpheum in Minneapolis Oct. 1.

#Good Old War #Dispatch

Show Alert: Alameda/Joe Sampson, Mountain to Sound

Based in Denver, CO, Twin brothers Greg and Garrett Hilpipre have built Mountain to Sound, a community-driven music promotion endeavor. It’s best described in their own words:

We see Mountain to Sound as a music movement; working with local Colorado and traveling bands so that their stories and melodies can be heard in a welcoming, intimate environment.

In addition to booking shows, they record and post video of traditional venue sessions as well as those in atypical settings, including in a bus whose name, I gather, is Pink Rocket. Our dear friends, The Nadas, got to hang out and play in it-- oh yes, we're jealous:

Mountain to Sound presents: The Nadas - "Hurricane Party" from Mountain to Sound on Vimeo.

Though most Mountain to Sound artists are of the folk/Americana/singer-songwriter persuasion, many are genre-crossing, delving into classical, ragtime, and blues. Their beautifully simple recordings left me wanting more-- so much so that I was tempted to see them as a western, video version of midwest darling Daytrotter.

Clumsy comparisons aside, the root of Mountain to Sound comes down to connection--connection to a unique place, to fans, to a belief that musical tradition and musical discovery can be reached from the same trailhead.

Connect with them here.

Or, for you lucky Colorado friends, on October 4 they’ll be presenting a show at the Ubisububi Room (below Thin Man Tavern) featuring ALAMEDA and Joe Sampson.

Five-piece ALAMEDA is based out of Portland, Oregon, but has members with Denver beginnings. Formed in 2010, they’ve released two full-lengths into the wild and have a cross-country tour underway, cello in tow. Woven with transitions from acoustic guitar-picking to rich sounds of the clarinet, violin, and aforementioned cello, their songs meld indie folk with chamber, to beautiful effect. The vocal harmonies of guitarist Stirling Myles and cellist Jessie Dettwiler remind us “we all need something to sing/when we all call out/and cling”. Check out "Silver Hands":

Joe Sampson is well known in Denver as one of the city’s best songwriters. He’s also been called the legend, yeti, and/or unicorn of the same music community-- with the single, grainy, black-and-white photo to prove it.

He’s said to write songs in seclusion, operate under pseudonyms and rarely play live shows.* These claims are exaggerated (true, he doesn’t have a Facebook page), but his music lives up to the legend. His 17-track solo album Kill Our Friends was released in May of this year. It’s goose-bump-inducing and fantastic, even by unicorn standards. I recommend a first listen at 3 a.m. on a chilly night in Fall. Or go ahead and listen now:

&lt;a href="http://joesampson.bandcamp.com/album/kill-our-friends" data-mce-href="http://joesampson.bandcamp.com/album/kill-our-friends"&gt;Kill Our Friends by Joe Sampson&lt;/a&gt;

Get advance tickets for the show here.

Note that seating is very limited in this intimate space, so get tickets early and lean on a rug.

*http://www.heyreverb.com/blog/2010/03/23/steal-this-track-wentworth-kersey/13578/

#ALAMEDA #Mountain to Sound #Joe Sampson #Show alert #The Ubisububi Room

Waiting for the show to start-- Bloc Party at The Riviera, Chicago.

We arrived about a half hour before the opener started and chose a place not on the floor but just behind the first rail. I was glad we had time to take in The Riviera—it’s one of those classic old-timey theater venues, with opera box seating to the sides of the stage, in-laid ceilings, and faded paint. The show didn't sell out, but the Friday night Chicago crowd filled out very nicely by the time opener Ceremony finished.

In true support-tour style, Bloc Party played all but four tracks off the standard edition of their new album Four, released in August on Frenchkiss Records. Frontman Kele dubbed the rendition of "The Prayer" as a "seldom heard 2012 remix of The Prayer, seldom heard for a reason". Other than that slight hiccup (which was actually not so bad), they were dead on.

Set list (* indicates track from Four):

So He Begins to Lie*

Octopus*

Hunting for Witches

Positive Tension

Real Talk*

Kettling*

Song for Clay (Disappear Here)

Banquet

Day Four

Team A*

The Prayer

We Are Not Good People*

Encore: Signs

Ares

This Modern Love

Flux ("We Found Love" intro)

Encore 2: V.A.L.I.S.* (Live debut)

Helicopter

#Bloc Party #The Riviera #Seen live

Eye Empire at House of Bricks in Des Moines, IA September 11th.

#Eye Empire #House of Bricks #Seen live

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