Camp Counselor Bailey goes "On The Road" to Des Moines!

Summer Camp: On The Road Tour is a very exciting way to bring SCampers together in their communities to support their local music scenes. For those of you that have never experienced one of these shows, each stop on the tour features talented acts from the area battling it out for a set at this year’s festival. Each attendee gets a ticket as they enter the venue, which they use to vote for their favorite act. As the night comes to an end, all the votes are tallied and the band with the most votes is the winner for that location. This year’s On The Road Tour is wrapping up and one of the last few stops was in Des Moines last weekend. I decided to hit the road myself and make the trek to Wooly’s. I was consumed with excitement as I was going to see four bands that I had never seen or heard of before. The first act of the evening was Aquamarine Dream Machine. This jam band is influenced by classic rock with a progressive feel. This band was a great way to start off the night!

Things took a turn for jam grass as the Dead Line String Band took the second spot on the stage. This four-piece string group plays a nice mix of traditional bluegrass songs, originals, and covers. To my delight, most of the covers were of The Grateful Dead and they even played a song they wrote about an experience at Summer Camp! Cirrus Minor, a previous winner of the Des Moines On The Road Tour, mixed things up a bit. This eclectic rock group took the stage without their drummer and performed an acoustic set. From what I gathered, this was a new type of set for them and the audience seemed pleased. The final act of the night was Franklin’s Basement. This folk rock trio was full of energy! They definitely brought a smile to my face as the guitarist claimed, “This is a competition for Summer Camp, and what is a festival without a little Ween?!” and they played Falling Out. After all the music was done and the votes had been tallied, Cirrus Minor was announced as the Des Moines winner of the On The Road Tour. The last two stops of the tour will be in Chicago this weekend (March 25-26). Be sure to check out all the winners of these shows while at the festival this year, because there are a lot of talented acts out there! ]]>