Real Hardcore in Ames? More than a Longshot

By Matt Baker

The Longshot payed host to three of the finest local bands last Friday night.

As I walked into the bar approximately an hour before the show started, there were only a few people there playing pool, eating, and, of course, drinking. Within that hour, the Longshot filled up with people eager to see Grubby Ernie, Bocca Saints and 35" Mudder.

I had the chance to talk to 35" Mudder before the show. They had nothing but good things to say about their new album, which has sold more than 1,000 copies since its release late last year.
According to bass player Chad Calek, 35" Mudder has just released "21 Years Of Pain," their second single from "Definition of Purpose."
35" Mudder has been busy playing Iowa college towns and playing more shows in Ames, Calek said, "We’ll hopefully be doing more out-of-town shows, but we want to build a stronger following here before we go out more."
For those unfamiliar with 35" Mudder, Calek described it best as a "rappin’ Rollins Band, but a little more bouncy; the vocals are more aggressive and the background is more ‘hip-hoppy.’"
The vocals are provided by Dusty Feuerbach and one of their new members, Cory Brown. Feuerbach is the aggressive vocal element while Brown (aka C-Bone) provides the hip-hop flowing rhymes.
C-Bone became a permanent member of the band after he got up on-stage with them a few times. C-Bone said, "I was working for the Lazer 103.3 and became good friends with the band. I got up on-stage with them doing only one song and the crowd like it and the band liked it, so they added me as a permanent member."
Brian Calek, Chad’s brother, is the new guitarist and replaces Tim Vanhaaften.
Brian Previously played with his brother in another band, Season’s Calling, and brings more than 15 years of guitar playing experience to the band. Brian said, "I bring size to the band. I’m a good 100 pounds up on the last guy."
Dave Egan, the only original member of 35" Mudder, plays drums. Now that they have Brian, their total combined weight has broken the 1,000-pound mark and they are now at 1,115 pounds. Feuerbach said, "Damn, we’re gonna need a huge bus."
According to Chad, the addition of the two new members hasn’t just affected the size of the band, it has made the music much more dynamic because there is so much more going on now and that grabs the audience’s attention, even more than before.
Despite the lack of bloodshed, their performance was unmatched by any they have done in the past. With three new songs in the set list, they are just as they said, more dynamic. The sound has swayed to a more hardcore sound that is more entertaining to watch and listen to.
"Trigger," the first new song they played, is bouncier than past songs and adds a new dimension to the band’s already huge sound.
Other new songs include "Fist 2 Fist" and "Selfishness."
According to C-Bone, they have been writing new songs really well and Brian has contributed a lot to the writing process.
C-Bone and Feuerbach interact perfectly on-stage and really get the crowd jumping around along with them. Previously, the band seemed to be missing just one little element. That element seemed to be that Feuerbach was working harder to get all the lyrics out by himself. Now hat C-Bone takes over part of the vocals, the lyrics flow more and that missing element has been filled.
The only way to describe the new sound of 35" Mudder is thick and heavy hardcore that rivals bands like Deftones and Vision of Disorder.

Grubby Ernie
The two opening band were very good as well. The first band was Grubby Ernie, a punk band with elements of ska thrown in for good measure.
They have all the energy of the Suicide Machines with all the vocal prowess of The Vandals. It is refreshing to hear a punk band from Ames that sounds like a true punk band rather than a punk band from Iowa.
The highlight of their performance was "King Pedro," who as guitarist/singer said is the coolest punk rocker in Ames. Another great song was "The Regal has Landed," which is al about their love-hate relationship with Regal Beer, the cheapest beer at Hy-Vee.
One other notable song was "B.S." which was reminiscent of older Skankin’ Pickle without the horn section.
Grubby Ernie is loud and fast on the stage and a cool bunch of guys off the stage. I enjoyed talking with them and hearing them play and expect good things from this band.

Bocca Saints
The second band was a sad point in the night, but not because of the music, but because this was the last show for singer Jayme Green with Bocca Saints. Green wants to finish his education before getting serious into music, which is the direction that Bocca Saints is heading.
Green described the band as Sevendust crossed with Faith No More. I would say a more accurate description would be intricate late ‘80’s metal combined with the gothier sounding electronic sounds of the ‘90’s.
Bocca Saints is a great example of the direction that metal is taking. Their sound is very angst laden with very thick sounding guitars. The vocals are similar to those of John Bush from Anthrax and Armored Saint.

Support your local bands
Overall the show was the best local band showcase that I have seen since I left Omaha. There is really something happening here in Ames, and it is very healthy. There is finally something more here than the proliferation of folk rock and Grateful Dead tribute nights at local bars.
There is actually a scene forming in Ames and the best thing that can happen to that is for the people of Ames to go out and support it.
Great music scenes are not made by the touring national acts that happen to stop in Ames once in awhile, it’s the underground local bands. There is much more going on in Ames than what is just happening in Campustown bars, it is up to you to experience it and help it’s growth.