Hello and welcome back to campus! I hope everyone had a relaxing first week getting back into the swing of things post-break and is ready to start off the spring semester strong.
As always, the Dog has dragged in a delicious little bone of event coverage. Normally you’d be receiving coverage from the last brief, but they sold out after trying to get press passes/tickets to see Beach Bunny at Wooly’s. While normally I’d plop down in front of the doorman, wag my tail and beg with my tongue sticking out till they let me in, it didn’t look like my old tricks would work this time, so I had to shift coverage for this week.
For the first time since the last time, I wandered down to xBk Live to see Dylan Leblanc and David Ramirez perform. With no prior knowledge on either of these performers and only the tag “Singer/Songwriter” to go on, this was truly a blind viewing.
I got into xBk 10 minutes after the doors opened. The stage was strewn with chords, amps, a keyboard offset at an angle and multiple microphones — all backed by an emerald green drum kit. As xBk filled with people, the music playing over the loudspeakers was slowly drowned out by the chatter of the audience.
At 7 p.m., the four-piece band took the stage, standing at attention. As a melody started bellowing from Leblanc’s acoustic guitar, the entire ambiance of the Des Moines music venue changed. As Leblanc plucked his strings to a peaceful melody, it was hard to not have my attention pulled to the stage in a way that feels foreign in a way. The start of the set felt deeply sad in the most beautiful kind of way as Leblanc’s headdie (he uses a head voice — while similar to a falsetto, it’s a fuller high-pitched sound) light vocals perfectly accented the mellow walking Americana melodies from his guitar as his band filled in the gaps. As the song ends, Leblanc stated, “I’m starting to get into the mood,” and switched his acoustic guitar out for an electric. As the band started to play once more, I could tell they’d started to play with some heat as they shifted from soft melodies into fast-paced classic rock breakdowns, the crowd before the band swaying back and forth in anticipation.
As the set continued, it was easy to see that Leblanc had sufficiently warmed up to the crowd, consistently making remarks and jokes with the audience in between songs. Through his performance, I couldn’t help but feel that at any moment I would hear Leblanc utter the effortless opening words to Sufjan Stevens’s song “Chicago” as if it was his own because of the eerie similarities between the two singers’ vocal ranges.
Through the rest of the set, the entire sound of the band shifted and changed, passing back and forth from the lines of classic mellow Americana to shredding acid rock solos, beautifully coordinated breakdowns and even an off-the-cuff jam session amidst one of their songs. Leblanc ended his performance with a face-melting solo and struck the stage at 8:02 p.m.
Not 20 minutes later, David Ramirez took front and center stage and began to play and sing. He was wearing a trucker hat, a blazer and a bright yellow scarf around his neck. As he uttered the first phrase to the song, it was incredibly apparent that his voice has that classic deep and rich country sound the guys playing stadiums only wish they had. As Ramirez finished his first song, the rest of the band from the first set came out to join him.
It’s not often that a live act can truly remind me of what I love most about music, but Ramirez delivers on all accounts down to the twang in his voice and other influences that he holds like cards up his sleeves, pulling them out one by one when you least expect it. The backing band for the night is phenomenal, perfectly accenting everything Ramirez is laying down through the set. In between songs, Ramirez cracked jokes and messed with people in the audience with the infectious nature of an Americana Jack Black.
Midway through his set, Ramirez forwent his guitar, took a seat at the keyboard and started to perform his song “I’ve Got People” from his album “All The Not So Gentle Reminders,” which is set to release on March 21, 2025. The instrument change shifted the entire vibe of the set, with the piano almost feeling like a ray of sunshine beating down as the clouds pass by.
Ramirez knows how to tell a story through his songs, and it’s exemplified best by his song “The Music Man,” a song about his father inspiring him to be a musician. As he bellowed the lyrics, “Take a look at me now, I’m quite the music man,” chills ran up and down my spine as the dark blue tones of his ivory keys continued.
Each one of his songs feels like a journey you’ve been welcomed to bear witness to. Just before you start to feel the weight of the moments Ramirez sings about, the song’s last chord rings out and that weight is lifted just as fast as it fell.
So let me lift the weight off of your shoulders. Without further ado, onto the Brief.
Spring Involvement Fair
On Wednesday, Feb. 5, the Spring Involvement Fair will be held in Upper Olmsted Center from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Come and learn about some of the over 150 student organizations at Drake and maybe get involved with a few.
Artist Talk with Jordan Ramsey Ismaiel and opening reception for “The One Year Between Us” exhibit
On Thursday, Feb. 6, the Anderson Gallery will be hosting an artist talk with Jordan Ramsey Ismaiel and an opening reception for their “The One Year Between Us” exhibit. The exhibit will be on display through Mar. 14, 2025 and, as said on the Drake events calendar, aims to, “consider the idealization and pitfalls of westward expansion as an outdated promise for both individual and communal growth.”
Saturday Morning Cartoons
On Saturday, Feb. 8, The Lamp is hosting Saturday Morning Cartoons, a monthly comedy brunch show, costing $5. Special guests for the event this month include Megan Ellis, Gideon Hambright and Sam Hirchak. For ambiance, Kyle Gowin will be playing saxophone.
Ramona & The Sometimes Present: Cupid’s Lounge
If Saturday Morning Comedy and brunch isn’t your thing, maybe music and love is. On Saturday, Feb. 8, Ramona and TheSometimes will present at Cupid’s Lounge at xBk Live. The band will start the night off right with a set of original music, followed by a myriad of Iowa musicians will cover a variety of classic songs about love, passion and heartbreak. There’ll even be a photo booth in the back of the venue for you and your special someone to get some pics.
Guest Presentation: “The Heart of Performance”
On Sunday, Feb. 9, at 4 p.m., Sheslow Auditorium will host a guest presentation titled, “The Heart of Performance” through the Keys of Excellence series of workshops. At the presentation, Dr. Jody Graves, professor of piano at Eastern Washington University, will discuss the pathway to successful performance.
