A band called Subtronics brings the energy to Wooly’s, a local hot spot for live music. Photo: Cody Osen Writer: Jay Byers Jay Byers. Photo: Duane Tinkey Henry Rollins once said, “Live music is the cure for what ails ya.” I couldn’t agree more. I am a super-fan of live music. The first big concert I attended was Kiss in 1984 at the Sioux City Auditorium when I was in the eighth grade, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Over the years, I have attended countless music festivals and performances in a variety of venues, from arenas to midsize theaters to bars and even living rooms. I write this on a Sunday evening after returning home from a Moors & McCumber concert at the East Village home of Susan and Carl Voss. It was the 40th concert they’ve hosted through HomeDitty, an online platform my wife, Katie, founded in 2017. Two years earlier, we had hosted our first house concert, fell in love with the concept and started hosting at least one show per month until the pandemic hit in 2020. So Katie launched HomeDitty to make hosting private concerts easy and hassle-free by automating the process for hosts to find musicians and vice versa, organize concerts and pay the musicians through private crowdfunding. Katie and I first met James Moors and Kort McCumber, the duo at the Vosses’ place, at the Folk Alliance International Conference in Kansas City in 2016 and invited them to play in our home. They also played the very first official HomeDitty concert, hosted by Karen Swalwell and her late husband, Rick. In 2022, Katie and I even got to accompany Moors & McCumber on an incredible trip to Ireland that featured Irish music every night. Best vacation ever! Closer to home, it’s been great to see the live music scene grow here in Central Iowa. On any given night, there’s a wide variety of options that meet virtually any musical taste; you just have to know where to look. One good source is the “Wednesday’s Notes” Facebook page, created by Wendy Hull, a local music fan who passed away unexpectedly in June 2023. On a recent Saturday evening, the page listed 52 options for live music in Central Iowa, all on that single night. Another great source is Bryan Farland, who sends out an email several times a week to spread the word about shows coming up in the next few days, from big arena concerts to smaller gigs at most of the local bars that host live music. If you want to get added to his list, email him at [email protected]. I highly recommend listening to Iowa Public Radio’s Studio One to stay in tune with the Iowa music scene. Little Village and Cityview also provide solid coverage. You may also want to follow your favorite venues on social media and watch out for major show announcements in more mainstream media sources. The Dropkick Murphies play their Celtic-inspired punk rock at Hoyt Sherman Place. Photo: Kate Ross Besides house concerts, some of my favorite local venues are Hoyt Sherman Place, xBk Live and the Des Moines Performing Arts’ Temple Theater since I tend to prefer the smaller, more intimate shows. You can also find me at Wooly’s, Lefty’s Live Music, Noce, the Greenwood, Captain Roy’s, Middlebrook Mercantile and a range of other venues around town. I have to admit I was sad to see the Gas Lamp close last summer, but I look forward to checking out its new iteration, the Lamp, for acoustic shows in the East Village. I also still like a good powerhouse show at Wells Fargo Arena (soon to be Casey’s Center), the Iowa State Fair Grandstand, Vibrant Music Hall, the Val Air Ballroom and the Lauridsen Amphitheater at Water Works Park. (That’s where I saw my favorite concert of 2024, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. What a show!) I’ve also attended many music festivals over the years, like 80/35 and Hinterland, which offer great opportunities to see some of the newer bands. In my current role as president of Simpson College, I’m excited to see the rise of live music in Indianola with the Summer Nights Live concerts hosted by the Indianola Chamber, multiple shows at the Warren County Fair, several festivals hosted at the Balloon Field and more. Simpson has started to host more live music at campus events, including a Friday Afternoon Club series that features performances by students, faculty and staff. We’re planning to activate even more spaces for live music in the future. In addition to being a music fan, I’m also a musician. I’ve played guitar and sung in bands since high school, with band names that included the Blitz, the Rodeo Clowns, Johnny and the Spitballs, the Dead Yellow Canaries and, currently, Homeward Bound, a Simon & Garfunkel tribute duo that’s performed at Court Avenue Restaurant & Brewing Co., Iowa Distilling Co. in Cumming and Reclaimed Rails Brewing Co. in Bondurant. I’ve also played a number of solo gigs over the years and even had the good fortune of being the “dadager” for Plumero, my daughter Charlotte’s all-girl rock band. I helped them line up gigs and coordinate the recording of their EP “Prune Juice” at Golden Bear Studios here in Des Moines. (Check it out on the streaming service of your choice.) It’s great to see the music scene thriving in Central Iowa, but that hasn’t just happened by itself. It’s important to support it, to step up our efforts to support local musicians and venues. They can’t offer live music without a live audience, so now is the time to get out there and check out the scene for yourself. You won’t regret it. It’s the cure for what ails ya!