Gabe Cordova’s hushed voice and gentle guitar washed over us and our grillin corn on the cob. Enjoy!

Chicago’s Raise High The Roof Beam played Smoking Science as we walked through Grays Lake Park. Their acoustic set was tremendous with a whole choir of voices and pop-rock tunes. Live their sound is ferious and infectious. They were the musical component to RockIowa’s first Indie Potluck.

• RHTRB Myspace

Just a few days away from their extensive European tour, Pysch blues rockers, Radio Moscow record a few tunes and talk about their latest release, Brain Cycles. More Psychedelic sounds, longer songs, and more hair. This is a band you need to keep an ear on.

• Radio Moscow Myspace

Buy their new album, Brain Cycles, on

Punk revivalists, Tyborn Jig, stop by to chat on GDP, their new album and Ultimate Warrior.

• Tyborn Jig Myspace

Indie rockers Beati Paoli get us to date with how their next record is coming along and hwo excited they are about their gig with David Matthews Band!

• Beati Paoli Myspace
• Noising Machine Records

Get to know local rapper/producer/record label owner Aeon Grey. While recording and mixing albums for Gaiden Gadema, Tyborn Jig, and Maxilla Blue, Aeon is making his next solo album Lead Breakfast. Also pushing a 7″ split with beati Paoli. Check this video for all the info.

• Aeon Grey Myspace
• Aeon Grey Website
• Central Standard Records

A Midwestern Sound

A Mini-documentary starring She Swings She Sways

In the humble town of Ottuwma, IA, a small but loyal music community thrives. In the thick of it, we caught country-fried pop band She Swings, She Sways as they practice their craft in their band house. As cameras rolled, the musicians open up to their position of a small town band doing something a little different, working hard at it, having some fun, and ultimately playing music cause that’s what they do.

Growing up within 30 miles of each, they didn’t meet each early on before first traveling the world. All returning to Ottumwa, an post-industrial suburb without a city, their tight creative community only allowed so much time before they would start practicing together in the basement of a bar. Seven tours, a stellar album, and a record label later, the boys from SSSS play finely tuned folky pop rock that anyone could enjoy!

• Find their album Wasted Love Songs on
• She Swings She Sways Website
• She Swings She Sways Myspace

New Hampshire’s Wildlight has made a big splash opening for Arcade Fire’s european tour and now a a continental tour with Tapes N Tapes. Now with a full length coming on March 3rd, Wildlight talks with us about getting signed, making an album and their big secret.

Wildlight Myspace

Buy their EP Adult Nights on

Longtime friends of Rock Iowa The Horseshoe Spatulas (they appeared on Rock Iowa the college access show) have recently debuted a new music video for Room 108, a tune off of their upcoming album. Incredibly sharp production and something for other local bands to aspire to in their video projects.

Myspace: The Horseshoe Spatulas

80/35 vets Colourmusic returned to the capital city for a show at the Mews, but not before having cookies and coffee with the rockiowa crew. Among the many things we tlaked about, the experience of an outsider band coming to Des Moines and playing 80/35 was a strongly poignant topic. So grab a cookie and a coffee. Sit back and relax. And take in Colourmusic talking about 80/35.