Clear your calendars for Gross Domestic Product on Saturday, April 14 at Hotel Fort Des Moines. This will be the seventh year we’ve put on GDP. The growth and continued support of this all-local music festival is a great testament to the music movement in Des Moines. Together, we can continue to build a stronger and more diverse live music economy. Please plan to be part of the movement and attend Gross Domestic Product. We promise you’ll discover some great local indie, hip-hop, metal, acoustic, electronic, and pop bands.

We all know what it is to listen to music that makes us feel dumber (remember Mmm Bop?). A few years back, a Cal Tech grad student actually charted this out, correlating ACT and SAT scores with students’ favorite music. Jazz and pop didn’t fare well on Virgil Griffith’s grid, but he clearly didn’t factor in the smart new release by Lick It Ticket. The Cedar Falls band has made a sophisticated sound its playground, fusing modern jazz and pop with indie, funk, blues, jam, progressive rock and IDM (look that up, Virgil!) and crafting it into a self-titled album featuring 12 bright, original tunes.