Check out www.myspace.com/misscrazyiowa for more M!SS CRAZY photos from all the Iowa shows.  MSN only allows so many pictures uploaded per month so I can't load more until July 1.  My Space doesn't have that limit so I put a ton on that site.

 

I'm still working on reviews of all the M!SS CRAZY shows.  I saw something new or different with each show and they progressively got better each time.  I thought the Reverb show was phenomenal until the next night at Keysters.  Once I saw the final Iowa show in Clinton, I was floored at how these guys keep taking things to the next level.

 

I miss the band.  They stayed at my home for most of their last week in Iowa.  They were great house guests and a blast to get to know.  We watched a few movies, had several dinners and breakfasts, had friends treat the band and me to Chinese food and a backyard grill out and swim, and they put on some great shows!  This band treated me like family and I'm grateful for the experience.  I hope to be able to continue helping them as they keep conquering the world!

Zabbie's has a bigger, more professional stage than what I'd seen M!SS CRAZY play on the night before.  There was a nice drum riser that lifted the kit about 15" from the stage.  While any stage is a great stage to see M!SS CRAZY on, it's good to see them get a bit more room and be more visible.

 

M!SS CRAZY started out the same way as the previous night.  They had their backs to the audience and played the chords for Metal Health by Quiet Riot.  They then launched into Billie to kick things into high gear.  While the set list was pretty much the same, there were some differences throughout the night.

 

The audience was a bit bigger than Shooters Hideaway the night before, but they wre also a bit more reserved.  The room has a dance floor in front of the stage and goes back to some booths that divide the floor from the bar area.  The audience packed the dividing area to peer through and over the booths to see the show.  A few brave souls wandered forward during the night and even more by the end of the set.  The audience was just as enthusiastic, though.  They love this band.

 

Someone shouted out for M!SS CRAZY to cover some AC/DC and Markus led the band into Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap mid-set.  Kim was unaware of the chords for this song, but she followed Major Tom as the band rocked right through a decent version.  They still played Rock All Over You by AC/DC, too.

 

There was another difference in the band this night that is intangible.  Jimmy Z had the drum parts down and there wasn't a single song rushed.  He and Kim had a groove gong all through the night.  It was great hearing this pocket that they created as the foundation of the music.  This was only Jimmy's second show and he has just fit perfectly with M!SS CRAZY.

 

They ended the show in the same manner as the night before with horns held high and guitars in the air.  The audience was going nuts by this time and the response after the show was immediate.  The audience came right up to the band and right up to the merch table.  There were a great deal of posters and T-shirts sold this night.  One girl almost fainted when she purchased the Markus T-shirt.  She could not take her eyes off his image on the shirt and when he approached her it looked like she was going to lose it.  There were some guys who got a free pass from their wives or girlfriends as they requested the Kim Racer posters and T-shirts.  You'd think most women would be jealous or giving their men a hard time, but Kim was just so cool that these women didn't mind at all.

 

The band hung out after the show signing things for everyone and taking a ton of pictures.  It even got to the point where they sat on the stage and just let fans come up and take turns getting their picture with the entire band.  This was just the coolest thing they could have done.  After Markus and Kim took off, Major Tom and Jimmy Z spent the rest of the night goofing off with the fans.  They sang karaoke with ball players from the Lumber Kings, an Iowa Class-A team for the Texas Rangers.  Jimmy joined some of the singers on the drums.  It was a great time had by all.

 

I had only met Sabra by phone until this night.  She is the owner of Zabbie's and the Lumber Kings are "her boys".  She is fantastic!  She really took a chance on M!SS CRAZY by booking this show with only two days notice.  She came right up and hugged me after the show saying how much she loves M!SS CRAZY.  She told me that they needed to be booked again to play her club.  She did book them again...three days later.  Next up a review of M!SS CRAZY's return to Zabbie's on May 30th!

M!SS CRAZY played Shooters Hideaway on May 26th.  This was their first Iowa show.  I was fortunate enough to be able to assist where I could this evening.

 

M!SS CRAZY came onstage with their backs to the audience.  The lights came on and they hit the chords for Metal Health by Quiet Riot.  This got everyone's attention and then they rolled right into Billie from their debut CD.  This opening salvo was followed by Can't Get Enough and My Way.  Most everyone was on their feet in amazement at this band that so few of us had heard of.

 

Shooters Hideaway didn't have the biggest crowd, but we were all very enthusiastic.  The music has a timeless quality and the songs are quite catchy.  They ripped through the first several songs and then slowed things down a bit to engage the audience.

 

Markus addressed us and let us know that they are the torch bearers for arena rock.  This is the music they stand for.  They wear the make-up to stand apart from the rest.  Markus made sure to let us know that he isn't knocking other bands, but that this type of music is what they hope we all hear more of.

 

The band was introduced by Markus.  Major Tom handled guitar duties quite well and split the lead duties with Markus.  Major Tom always has a smile and looks like he is excited to be on that stage.  Jimmy Z is the new drummer and this was his first show.  He did very well and only one song was a bit rushed this evening.  It's not something many would notice.  The lovely Kim Racer handled the bass duties very well and helped settle Jimmy Z into the groove for the evening.  Markus handled the vocals as well as the recordings and then some.  He'd take some of the notes even higher and would even assist in the background vocal duties.  He did all of this while playing guitar throughout.

 

At some point, someone yelled out for M!SS CRAZY to try some Cinderella.  Since Markus has a similar vocal quality, this was not unreasonable.  The band faked their way through a bit of Shake Me before laughing and going into their next tune.  The one tune they did that isn't recorded, yet, was a great cover of AC/DC's Rock All Over You.  It was great to hear such a tribute.

 

The set list actually reads:

 

Billie

Can't Get Enough

My Way

Nothing

Life's Been Good

Hide Island

Tattooed Freak

Shut Eyes

Life Is Over

Now

So Long

Baby Lets Go

Looks That Kill

No Compromise

 

As you can see, they played the night by their own rules as they went along.  The addition of the AC/DC cover and the subtraction of So Long still worked quite well.

 

M!SS CRAZY had us holding our horns high and rocking clear up to the end of their set.  There were no slow songs in the bunch.

 

After the show, they came out to meet everyone.  They signed everything they were asked.  They took photos with everyone who wanted one.  They are a blast to hang out with.

 

My roommate ran the merch table that night while I played photographer.  This show was so good that I went the next night to Clinton, IA, to see them at Zabbie's, which I had booked for them two days in advance.  Zabbie's was formerly known as The Pig Pen and I'd heard great things about the club.  That review will follow!

I got home from work on Friday, May 25th, with a message from Markus Allen Christopher on the answering machine.  Markus is the main man in M!SS CRAZY.  He sings, plays guitar, and writes the music.  This band is his vision.  He let me know they were in Colorado and on their way to Iowa.  He also mentioned that they would like more places to play in between their May 26th gig at Shooters Hideaway and their House Of Bricks show on June 11th.

 

I have been a fan for about a year now and pestered the local club owners until Shooters Hideaway and House Of Bricks finally added M!SS CRAZY dates to their calendar.  I'm not a booking agent, but I used to book my own band in the Kansas City regional area over a decade ago.  I've booked my own band site unseen so it's been fun helping get these owners in touch with a great band.

 

I had received an e-mail through My Space from Sabra who owns Zabbie's in Clinton, IA.  I had gotten in touch with her earlier that week about booking M!SS CRAZY at her club.  I'd heard of her club online because it used to be The Pig Pen and bands like Quiet Riot and Naked Beggars had played there.  I later found out that Sabra introduced Jeff Labar of Cinderella to his wife who is from Clinton.

 

After hearing Markus' message when I got home from work, I called Sabra to see if she would be interested in going ahead and booking M!SS CRAZY while they are in Iowa.  She was looking ahead to the June openings, but I asked her what she had planned for May 27th, the night before Memorial Day.  She said she'd take a chance and go ahead and book M!SS CRAZY with two days notice and see how it went.

 

It took a few hours to get all the arrangements made.  I contacted Allen Doyle of England Music Center to run the sound and lights for the Zabbie's show.  He was the last piece of the puzzle and we made it happen.  I contacted Markus after everything was finalized and he said they were sitting down for dinner at the border of Nebraska and Colorado.  I believe that was good news to sit down and relax with.

 

I worked the 26th from 7am-3pm and had another message from Markus when I arrived home.  He mentioned that they were in town and snoozing at a local hotel.  Before I could call him back, I got a call from Sabra wanting the M!SS CRAZY website again.  She was really excited about having M!SS CRAZY at her club and wanted to show their website to some friends to help promote the show.

 

I was able to call Markus back and ask if they needed anything before the show.  He let me know to meet them at Shooters Hideaway at 7pm to unload.

 

Markus called back a short time later to find out where the nearest Kinko's is.  He mentioned needing to use the internet.  Well, of course, I'm a computer guy so I offered my home so he could relax and use the computer without it costing them money.  I picked him up at the hotel and brought him back to the house.  We got to visit and I asked some typical fan questions about the band.  I let him know that I was very excited to be able to finally see the show.  He was extremely appreciative and even asked for help maintaining a few things they don't have time to get to on their website.  He stayed much longer than he meant to, but we still got him back to the hotel in plenty of time to get unloaded for the show.

 

My roommate and I figured we'd get some pizza before meeting the band to unload and I just got a large in case the band might need some dinner.  After unloading, they scarfed that pizza down like they hadn't eaten for a week.  Major Tom, Jimmy Z, Kim Racer, and Markus were all very grateful for the help and headed back to the hotel to finish getting ready for the show.

 

I'd been given their drink orders.  Derek had been given the rundown on the band merchandise.  I was given permission to take pictures from any vantage point.  We were ready to see the show that awaited us.

 

Max Menagerie opened the show with some cover tunes and an acoustic set by the singer.  The owner of Shooters Hideaway, Paul, plays guitar in this band.  They did a decent job with their set.  They are a good weekend warrior bar band.

 

Concert review in the next post...