Made up of guitarist and singer Ron Coleman, his brother Tim Coleman on the drums and guitarist Chris Rohr, the band began as an anomaly in a town where few musicians were making original music. Performing their brand of hard-hitting hard rock, the trio has toured all over Southeast Iowa, even curating their own festival—The Sounds of Iowa Festival—in their hometown.
They label their sound as “swamp rock,” and it seems apropos for the dirty, gritty distorted guitars. The vocals are surprisingly pure for how heavy the guitars hit. They could be best compared to contemporary bands like Jet, but you can see a lot of influences in classic rock heroes like Eric Clapton, especially in the guitar solo on “Travel By Boat.”
Their first album, The White Elephant, was released last year and distributed by Des Moines label Brolester Records (home to GDP alumni Superchief). It is ten tracks of pure rock music, dirty guitar work and even the occasional bluesy ballad. The White Elephant is hard at work on their next album, hopefully due out later this year. Until then, they’re hard at work providing the backdrop for people drinking beer and having a good time at dingy clubs across Iowa, Illinois and Missouri.