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Tour Dates
09/06 Zebulon
Los Angeles, CA
09/09 Rhythm Room Phoenix, AZ 09/14 Oriental Theater Denver, CO 09/15 Vultures Colorado Springs, CO 09/30 Knoxville Airshow Knoxville, IA 10/27 Hoyt Sherman Place 06/23/24—06/30/24 Fan Cruise: French & Italian Riviera Read More
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With musical fans concentrated at the State Fair to see Duran Duran and the Xcel Center to see Pearl Jam, directly between the two venues a contingent of Iowans gathered at the Turf Club to see the Des Moines band The Nadas.
Another, Iowan, Doug Collins opened the evening. He now lives in the Twin Cities and has a band called The Receptionist. They don’t make coffee or tell you the singer is unavailable, but do know how to play and provide comic relief. They are Charley Varley on bass, Billy Danker on drums and Randy Broughten on pedal steel guitar.
Billy and Randy once played in the Gear Daddies and provide a nice compliment to Collins’ country sound with its subtle twang and wry lyrics. Right from the start both were on display as he sang about wanting to get away to Mexico, as in MO, as in Missouri, which is from his latest album Too Late at Night.
The week before Doug Collins played at the Minnesota State Fair. The fair’s website describes him as having a “… nice-guy charm and smart-guy wit.” Chris Riemenschneider of the Star Tribune has described his music as “… highly accessible, charming, wholesome…”
Enjoyable is my adjective. The repartee between Collins and his band, the well-honed sound, a cold beer, a neighborhood bar, what more could you want as Collins crooned about life at a crossroads in “Change the Sheets”; alcohol in “Drinkin’ Again” and more booze in “Alcohol and AC.” He even took a moment to sing an ode to his home town in “Davenport, IA.”
The Nadas opened with “This Mess is My Masterpiece” from their latest album Come Along for the Ride.
The band is comprised of Mike Butterworth and Jason Walsmith on lead vocals and guitar, Brian Duffey on bass, Brandon Stone on drums and Perry Ross on keyboards. Most would switch instruments throughout the evening except for Jason. His acoustic guitar went on the fritz and he had to stick with the electric, which wasn’t very fortuitous considering it was his birthday.
The birthday brought out some ruminating from the two leads. Mike told a funny story setting up for a gig in a town square of a small town and overhearing someone in the gathering crowd ask, “The Nadas, aren’t they in their sixties?" (Not yet.) Then Jason added that during a solo gig on a farm, he gave a couple of young helpers his CD, but the kids had no idea what to do with it.
The crowd mostly remained seated throughout the evening, but then headed to the dance floor for “If Everything Goes My Way” and “River.” Some fans grouped together for a communal hug to sing along to “Dancing Lucinda.” And not to be outdone by the opening act, there was a song about alcohol “Templeton Rye.”
And as the evening drew to a close, Mike let Jason pick the last couple of songs for his birthday. So Jason selected “Let Me Sleep” a song about trying to get some shuteye in an RV with local law enforcement rousting you awake to move you along; then “Mi Corazon” a Mexican-tinged (not MO) song that may help to explain why a band in the middle of Iowa is called The Nadas.
Or not.
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The Nadas |
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The Nadas |
The Nadas |
The Nadas |
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The Nadas at Turf Club, St Paul (31 Aug 2023) |
| dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com |
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