Mat d. and the Profane Saints: Press/Reviews

About a year ago, I mentioned the band that a friend of mine from junior high and high school is fronting. At the time of that writing, they had an EP out that was a diamond in the rough. It was enjoyable and I looked forward to them refining their craft and seeing where things would go.

Well, I just listened through the new one that came in the mail today and I have to say that Mat and crew have taken that rough chunk of coal, cut and polished it and the resulting EP: Brand New Faith is a much more mature release in nearly every way a collection of music can be.

The song structures are more complex and Mat, while still doing some of that cruising-along-monotone that appropriately drives the song "This Truck Makes More $$$ After Midnight", he is also exploring much more of his tonal and dynamic range on "Bound for Glory".

The EP and the music overall are in that Americana/Roots Rock/Alt Country/Grit/Honky Tonk/Blues Rock/Whatever genre that has been growing over the last few years. The themes tap into some of that same mythology and themes that something like HBO's Carnivale explores. Many of the bits are familiar, including the vocabulary of faith, but with that gritty twist that makes it interesting.

Here's the band's own description of the album:

Voodoo curses, Doomsday Preachers and Truck Stop Transsexuals cross paths. A killer travels down highway 61 only to put his faith in a statue of Jesus while searching for the next 'good time.' A pin-up queen gives her soul to God and breaks the devil’s heart. An outlaw trucker rolls down the back roads of lost love and sin, pulled between the powers of heaven and hell. When you find the Ghosts of Redemption and the long lost lover known as Damnation rolled up like a cowboy's cigarette on the wrong side of the tracks…you’ve found a Brand New Faith.

Overall, it reminds me of bits of Ray Wylie Hubbard and The Legendary Shack Shakers, but unique in its own way. That's a good thing.

If you want to give it a preview, you can hear all of the songs on the band's page. And, if you like what you hear or just want to support independent music from the Midwest, you can pick up the album from CDBaby.

Bluegrass to blues at summer concert series

By JESSE CLAEYS | 06.07.07


The fountain will be alive again with the sounds of summer music, the Roth Fountain that is.

Located on Historic Fourth Street near the intersection of Fourth and Virginia streets, Roth Fountain will be the backdrop for the second annual summer concert series, Fridays on the Promenade.

“The committee is really excited and looking forward to a much bigger season than last year,” said FOTP committee member Brent Stockton.

For the 2007 series the lineup of musical offerings has been expanded to eight concerts, each featuring a band from a variety of genres. Bluegrass, reggae, rock, blues and more are represented this year.

And, according to organizers, each concert is a steal at $2.

“The lineup is great and it’s such a great opportunity to see a band for $2. Take Blueground Undergrass for example, you’d pay $15 to see them at a club,” Stockton, who handled the concert series booking, said.

Blueground Undergrass, which is an alternative bluegrass band popular on the festival circuit, is expected to be one of the highlights of this year’s summer series, which begins on June 8 with the Blue Island Tribe, a reggae and rock style group from Cedar Falls, Iowa. All shows start at 6 p.m. and end at 8 p.m.

The series continues nearly every other Friday evening until Sept. 14. The Josh Davis Band performs June 22 and the Kris Lager Band from Lincoln will be the headliner July 6. Blueground Undergrass hits the stage July 20.

The month of August will feature three bands. Blues singer Liz Mandville Greeson sings Aug. 3, Clay McClinton Aug. 17 and the only local band this season, Mat d. and the Profane Saints, will entertain Aug. 31.

Completing the summer concert series Sept.14 will be Studebaker John and the Hawks.

Stockton said the guidelines used for booking the concert series were simple.

“No. 1, we wanted good-time, family-friendly music. Second, we wanted to present a variety of styles.”

The idea behind FOTP was born in late 2005 when a party was held at the Roth Fountain for a dedication ceremony. At that event, live music and people filled the pedestrian area around the brick fountain that stands as a memorial to Sioux City’s past as a major livestock hub.

Those involved with the fountain envisioned more gatherings around it and eventually formed a committee to plan the 2006 season of FOTP.

The event was based on a concert series held annually for the past 21 years in the Des Moines, Iowa, area. “Clive After Five” regularly draws thousands of music fans to a park Fridays after the work day is over. To date the event has raised over $300,000 for charities.

FOTP supports charities by enlisting their help with staffing the event. A portion of the evening’s earnings are then donated to the volunteer groups.

The concept for FOTP is to provide Siouxlanders something to do right after work on Fridays. The hope of committee members is that work groups and friends will gather for the concerts and then frequent the many establishments located in the historic district.

Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be available at all concerts and food will be available at select shows.

“This concert series and the low admission price of $2 is all possible because of sponsorships from local businesses who have stepped up and supported this event,” said FOTP committee member Dee Polak.

Sept. 14 Studebaker John & the Hawks

The blazing guitar and harmonica of Studebaker John concludes this year’s concert series. All original steamy blues marks a live performance from this band. As a songwriter and musician, Studebaker John has emerged as a major creative force in the world of blues today.

June 8 Blue Island Tribe

This reggae/rock band has gained a huge regional buzz during the past six years from constant touring and an explosive live show. The band’s unique sound has all the making for a good time.

June 22 The Josh Davis Band

A simple roots rock band that falls just on the country side of rock. Signed to Authentic Records (the Iowa label started by members of The Nadas), Josh has made a name for himself opening for acts all across the Hawkeye State, including Dwight Yoakum, Dexter Freebish and Charlie Robison.

July 6 The Kris Lager Band

The sounds of this group are grounded in good ol’ American music from blues to rock to country to zydeco. The ingredients vary from powerful vocals, screaming guitar, howling organ, crying lap steel, driving funky beats and punchy bass lines. Success for this band means parlaying an extensive knowledge of bluegrass with major elements of jazz and Southern rock.

July 20 Blueground Undergrass

More grass on the way with this group, whose members create unique listening experience rooted in the essentials of a great American genre. Its “wall of twang” sound pleases the whole spectrum of fans from hippies to rockers.

Aug. 3 Liz Mandville Greeson

Hailing from Chicago, Lizz Mandville Greeson brings a powerful, four-octave voice and creativity as a producer, arranger, guitarist and song writer to the stage.

Aug. 17 Clay McClinton

Initially only known as Delbert McClinton’s kid, Clay and his band have been making waves on their own merits with an electric sound born in Texas. On stage the group mixes honky tonk with Delta blues and soulful rock. Clay’s music introduces alternative country to contemporary blues and the two genres become fast friends.

Aug. 31 Mat d. & the Profane Saints

Mat d. calls Sioux City home and his lyrics read like a trashy western from the town’s distant past. He’s performed at nearly every area venue you can think of, attracting fans with his driving roots rock that incorporates folk, blues and alternative country. The group is currently working a new CD, “Drive Thru Romance.”

The details

What: Second annual Fridays on the Promenade concert series

When: 6 to 8 p.m., June 8 -- Sept. 14

Where: Roth Fountain, Fourth and Virginia streets. In case of rain, concerts will be moved inside of the Sioux City Convention Center.

Cost: $2 at the gate

Mat D. And The Profane Saints are a workingman's roots-rock band that could have only come from somewhere in the midwest (or maybe Tallahasse, Fl.). The list of characters named in "Shine On Me" include "trannies at the truckstop," "devil's in the laundromat," "lesbians with tattoos," and "ugly chicks with beer guts." This is Larry The Cable Guy if he had a rock band that only played beer and shot joints just off the interstate.



P.S. Nine Bullets today post of the same band prompted me to publish this half finished saved draft. You beat me this time Nine Bullets...I guess.

Mat d. and the Profane Saints "Brand New Faith" EP
Since I last wrote about Mat. D and the Profane Saints, the boys have been steadily playing shows and have even managed to cut a 5 song EP to help hold everyone over ’til a new full length comes out. While recording their last release, Small Town Burning, the Profane Saints were splitting time with other bands. The side projects have fallen, and the result is a more clearly defined focus and direction. For the uninitiated, I’ll let Mat D. describe the band’s music in his own words:

My music is not in anyway evangelical or Christian so to speak. It’s about age old themes. God, the devil, Sin, Salvation, Hard Luck Losers, Freaks, Junkies, Ramblers and the like. It’s just a theme. Much of the earliest american music reflects these topics. Be you believer, skeptic or ye of no faith, we just want you to enjoy the music. That’s all. We won’t be performing at any churches anytime soon, not that we have a problem with any of them, it’s just not us. If your interested in hearing God Rock, visit your local Christian bookstore. If you’re looking for some original roots rock and americana Profane and Saintly-then you’ve come to the right address. My music is all about the duality of man. The good and the bad, The sinful and the holy, The saved and the damned. That’s it.

Four of the five tracks are available on their myspace profile...

Singer VS Singer
Two local musicians share stage, let us judge them
By JESSE CLAEYS | 05.24.07



Meet Mat d. and Kelly Quinn.

Each man calls Sioux City home and spends many weekend nights performing in area bars and clubs. Each man plays in a band named after him (Mat d. and the Profane Saints and The Kelly Quinn Band, respectively). Each band was also voted as one of Sioux City’s best groups in the 2007 Weekender Siouxland’s Choice Awards.

So it’s fitting the two men and their bands will be sharing the stage Saturday night at The Chesterfield. But just what separates these two local crooners? Here we pick their brains to find out.

Name: Kelly Quinn (vocals/guitar)

Bandmembers: Eric Smith (bass), Scott Tott (drums), Bob Snodgrass (guitar)

Style: “Personally, ghetto. Musically, acoustic rock and/or roll.”

Musical history: “I’ve been playing guitar for about 13 years. I started out being the show at drunken high school/college partys. My first band was a hard rock band I played guitar in, writing original music along with covering s**t like the Deftones, Helmet, Rage Against the Machine, Tool, etc. I guess what’s different about me is I had insane anxiety about singing in front of people until about two or three years ago. The reason I started singing is because the singer of the band I was in at the time quit and I was sick of playing in a f**king garage. I still get nervous occasionally, but a steady medication of beer makes me better.”

Key musical influences: “The Seattle “Grunge” scene, Nelson, Jeff Buckley, Tool, “Seals” of Seals and Croft, Jack Johnson, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, C & C Music Factory, Danny, Donnie, Joe, Jon, and Jordan (Need I say anymore?)”

Best concert you’ve seen: “Tool at Lallopolluza 1997! It was the best because I just turned 18, I was in the desert, and I was polluted in more ways then three!”

Best alcoholic beverage to accompany your music: “Since we just recently got sponsored by Coors Light, it would definitely be Coors Light. Thanks Nate L. Oh wait...Jager Bombs, too.”

Craziest thing you’ve seen while performing on stage: “Our drummer Scott. Seriously.”

Pre-concert ritual: “The band tends to make fun of each other for several minutes prior to our first song.

If your band was an animal what kind would it be? “A nine-toed sloth because we are lazy and our bass player only has nine toes.”

What is most likely to be your cause of death? “Broken drum stick in the jugular (thanks Scott).”

Name: Mat d. (vocals/guitar)

Bandmembers: Jeff Deignan (drums), Kurt Mullins (bass), Kelli Johnson (guitar/vocals)

Style: Roots Rock, Americana and Alt. Country

Musical history: The group became a full-fledged band in December 2006 when former band mates Jeff Deignan, Kurt Mullins and Mat d. decided to regroup after a brief hiatus from working together and recruited guitarist and additional vocalist Kelli Johnson. The Profane Saints have been making a name for themselves since early 2007 and have become voting members of the Americana Music Association in Nashville as well having opened for Bloodshot Recording Artists the Bottle Rockets in Sioux Falls. The band has just finished their new EP “ Brand New Faith” which is currently available at their live appearances. Mat d. and Kelli Johnson can also be found performing solo in Downtown Sioux City on any given weekend.

Key musical influences: “All forms of American Roots Music, Gospel, Folk, Traditional Country and Blues including Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, ZZ Top, Steve Earle, Drive By Truckers and Bob Dylan to name a few.”

Best concert you’ve ever seen: “I would have to say The Wilders. The Wilders are an Old Time Hillbilly/Bluegrass string band that played with more energy and pure, raw down and dirty grit than most rock outfits I’ve seen in the last decade, and they put every punk band I’ve ever seen local or national to shame with their live show. They not only define their genre but defy it’s boundaries as well.”

Best alcoholic beverage to accompany your music: “Stay sober...you’ll dance better, won’t make an ass out of yourself and actually remember the show. But if you must drink, ask for a rare whiskey called ‘Autumn Leaf’...they call it Autumn Leaf because you take one snort, change color and fall.”

Craziest thing you’ve seen while performing on stage: “Other than the naked people?”

Pre-concert ritual: “Rehearse like fiends! Rehearsal, rehearsal and more rehearsal! We want to give folks the best show we can - we think our hard work in the studio and practicing is key to our performances. We hope you’ll agree.”

If your band was an animal what kind would it be? “Large and Carnivorous with great hair.”

What is most likely to be your cause of death? “Lightning Bolts from above, without a doubt.”

Music returns for summer on Historic 4th


Friday evenings on Historic Fourth Street this summer will once again feature musical acts as Fridays on the Promenade returns for a second season in downtown Sioux City.

The summer-long event will take place at the Roth Fountain near Fourth and Virginia streets every other Friday night starting June 8 and continuing until Sept.14, according to Kyle Kelly, Fridays on the Promenade committee member.

A total of eight bands will be featured in the summer celebration, all representing different styles of music genres.

Brent Stockton, manager of Chesterfield Live Productions, officially announced the bands performing at this year's event today during a press conference at the Sioux City Convention Center.

Blue Island Tribe, a reggae and rock style group from Cedar Falls, Iowa, will kick off opening night. The Josh Davis Band performs June 22 and the Kris Lager Band from Lincoln will be the headliner July 6. Blueground Undergrass hits the stage July 20.

The month of August will feature three bands. Blues singer Liz Mandville Greeson sings Aug. 3, Clay McClinton Aug. 17 and the only local band this season, Mat D. and the Profane Saints, will entertain Aug. 31.

Completing the summer concert series Sept.14 will be Studebaker John and the Hawks.

All shows begin at 6 p.m. and run until 8 p.m.

Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be available at all concerts and food will be available at select shows. Two dollars is the cost of admission. Kelly said the money will be used for future shows.

INTRODUCING:
Mat D and the Profane Saints
by Autopsy IV

I remember when Biohazard released their first album, Urban Discipline. Man, that shit hit me like a jab coming right up the pipe. Raw as a freshly popped blister with more grit than a fish fry. You got the feeling that the songs on that album were written from experience and when he sang “you’re on the wrong side of the tracks” it probably wasn’t the first time such an encounter had occurred. While Mat D. and the Profane Saints don’t sound anything like Biohazard they still manage to remind me of that debut cd in every other way.

Mat D and the Profane Saints are like a well worn pair of jeans. Frayed edges, skoal can imprint in the back pocket and too many stains for them to be proper in local eating establishments but you do it anyhow. Mat D writes songs about the underbelly of the American dream. Dive bars, dead lovers, drag queens, and liquor fueled nights. All the while you have his Profane Saints providing a southern fried blues back beat with a little rockabilly and country thrown in for spice. All of this is performed with more familiarity than a Bible College graduate should have. On a personal note, I am glad the devil’s siren, rock and roll, pulled this guy off the path of righteousness and pointed him down the seeder road of lost faith, sexuality, and sin of back roads rural America.

Mat D and the Profane Saints are Mat D (Guitar & Mandolin, Vocals), Jeff Deignan (Drums), Kurt Mullins (Bass) and Kelli Johnson (Lead). With the recent break-up of their other Deignan and Mullins’ projects the Profane Saints became a full fledged band and are currently in the process of recording tracks for a new cd scheduled to be released sometime this year. If you come around this blog looking for new music then you are probably right up the Profane Saints alley. Mat D puts it best when he says, “I don’t try to market myself to a very young rock ‘n’ roll crowd because I don’t think they’ve really caught on,” he said. “What I go for are people that are probably more into the country thing, probably classic rock. I think my age group is probably 30 and over.”

So there you go. Check out these guys internet offerings and be on the lookout for that new cd. I am guessing that deciding to be an exclusive band will only make their new material stronger.

Dylan be thy name
Local roots rock musician's hopes lie with 'Small Town Burning' CD
By John Quinlan, Journal staff writer

"I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints. Sinners are much more fun."

--Billy Joel

Mat's saints are profane, but the man is not. And as for his music, well, it's a little profane, but in a PG, 1950s kind of way. More Bob Dylan than Snoop Dogg.

Mat d., aka Matthew de Riso, is, in fact, a Bible College graduate who wanted to be a minister once upon a time. The Colorado native moved to Sioux City to be part of a church here. And though still a "person of faith," the young musician's Epiphany came at a Dylan concert at Sioux City's Orpheum Theatre, where he learned to worship at the altar of Roots Rock.

Unfamiliar with Dylan at the time beyond obviously having heard many of his songs over the years, Mat was given a free ticket to the concert and couldn't pass up the opportunity to see a genuine music icon.

"And it absolutely transformed me," he said. "I want to say it was almost like a conversion experience. His band was so energetic and so relevant. But at the same time it was rude and something that I had never really been exposed to. It brought me to Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Robert Johnson. One guy and a guitar. I just kind of developed a style from there."

Dead was Mat the punk garage rocker. His new heroes included the Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Steve Earle, John Prine and Johnny Cash -- and somewhat younger guys like Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

He studied the guys who influenced Dylan, delving deeper into American roots music, and it shows in his songwriting, the stories of sinners seeking redemption, drugstore mermaids, vagabonds, dreamers, bikini bull riders and remorseful killers. Even Woody Guthrie makes it into one of his ballads along with his Merchant Marine pals Cisco Houston and Jimmy Longhi. Dark topics. Not so dark music. Hillbilly blues.

All that the singer/songwriter has learned in the five years since that concert is on display in his new CD, "Small Town Burning ..." by Mat d. and the Profane Saints, a folk/blues/country/all-Americana rock album with a snap, swagger and rough polish that belies the fact that it was recorded in the South Sioux City basement studio of guitarist (and Profane Saint) Kurt Mullins. It was launched Oct. 28 at a party at Sweet Fanny's Pub.

After abandoning the ministry, at 31 now, he has taken up a different kind of dream, years removed from the young Colorado boy who flirted with the muse of music in preschool when he got hooked on an old Steve Martin comedy album and amazed his family and schoolmates with dead-on re-creations of Martin's goofy "King Tut" ditty.

Though he'd welcome a full-time music career, Mat d.'s a realist. He has a full-time job at a local sign company, to help support his pregnant wife and 10-year-old daughter from a previous marriage. On weekends and some week nights, he sings mostly solo gigs in regional taverns, Sweet Fanny's serving as his de facto home base.

Sioux City isn't exactly the hub of the music world. But that world is changing. The Internet gives struggling artists a chance to expose their music, and Mat d. has taken advantage of it, along with thousands of other singer/songwriters.

He has his own Web site, www.matdandtheprofanesaints.com, and his CDs can be found on Apple's iTunes, CDBaby.com, and another two dozen Web sites which basically provide independent worldwide distribution for people who don't have a label.

It is "humbling" when you're a little guy in the music business, but "Small Town Burning ..." has turned some heads and drawn interest from a couple of independent labels, Mat d. said.

But even if he hits it big, he's not planning to leave Sioux CIty.

"There really isn't anything out of the area that I really think that I need," he said. "Nashville ... L.A. ... Austin -- A lot of those music centers, they're just not a place to raise a family, and I want to be more family oriented."

He has put out a couple of home-produced albums, but "Burning" is the result of a longtime collaboration with Mullins and some other local musicians, dubbed the Profane Saints from a line found in one of his songs, and recorded in Mullins' studio from December 2005 'til this September.

He met the musicians -- (named removed); Mullins, a "monster" guitar player himself; drummer Jeff Deignan, and Bob Larson, who contributed guitar and vocals -- when he was asked to be part of a local band, (name removed). Mat d. served as (name removed) opening act, and they got excited about some of his songs. So they decided to do an album "and it turned into something bigger than I thought," he said.

Based on some acoustic stuff he had recorded, Mat d. and the Profane Saints were invited to be the opening act this year on the main stage of Saturday in the Park. "It was a great opportunity, and we had a blast," he said.

He recently recorded some more acoustic demos for a follow-up album.

"One thing I've heard -- and I don't know if the Sioux City music scene should take this as a cut or not -- but it doesn't sound like it came out of Sioux City," he said. "But I think that more people need to be turned on to the fact that local guys and independent bands can put out something like this in a small town. We're real proud of it."

His wife, Molly, remains his biggest supporter, taking care of the business end of his music and pushing him to take it to the next level, he said.

As a solo performer, the tall, dark, black-shirted, goateed, sideburn-sprouting Mat d., looking every inch the country outlaw, is trying to break into more regional markets, like Omaha and Kansas City. The band may have an opportunity to play in Nashville next September for the Americana Music Association.

The solo gigs take his music into a different dimension, with more of a rootsy, rugged acoustic sound. And with a full-time job, it was tough to find time to practice with a band that had its own commitments.

But that changed recently with the breakup of (name removed). Deignan and Mullins have expressed a strong interest in continuing with Mat as the Profane Saints and they have recruited guitarist Kelli Johnson to fill out the lineup. The group will be rehearsing soon and resurrecting the Profane Saints as a full-fledged band, "climbing out of the grave" early next year.

"Scheduling can be a trick. And I try not to fill up all of my weekends. It's great moneywise, but it's not good familywise," he said. "There have been some times when my wife and I are, like, 'Hey, should we introduce ourselves to each other?' The exposure's always good but I'd like to keep the perspective of family comes first."

With thousands of singers and bands trolling the Internet for support, it isn't always the best that find success, he admitted. Often, it's the artists who best know their audience.

"I don't try to market myself to a very young rock 'n' roll crowd because I don't think they've really caught on," he said. "What I go for are people that are probably more into the country thing, probably classic rock. I think my age group is probably 30 and over."

While he doesn't tailor his music to these folks, they're the ones most likely to appreciate it.

"You could call it alternative country," he said, after the reporter noted that his first track, the up-tempo "Rambling Mary Jane Walker," had him thinking of a Mick Jagger take on a Johnny Cash ballad. The name came from the Mary Jane candies.

What he most wants with his music, though, is to not sound like anyone else.

"I don't want to be the next band that sounded like the band before them," he said.

John Quinlan can be reached at 712-293-4225 or [email protected]

Mat d. for President of Americana

You gotta give Bob Dylan credit.

Not only did Dylan redefine the role of the pop vocalist and turn the world onto several new styles of songwriting, he also inspired Sioux City musician Mat d. to journey down a road less traveled.

“It was almost like a religious moment,” Mat d. said of attending a Dylan show in 2001. “Seeing his band do something that was so current and energetic but so rooted in American roots music — with jazz, country, folk — it kind of breathed some new life into me.”

Mat d. the garage punk rocker died after that concert. He was soon reborn as Mat d. the Americana roots rocker.

It was time to go to class to learn all about the somewhat old school musical style. Mat d. turned to the artists who influenced Dylan for that.

“That led me to Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, anything from the blues genre from 1920 to 1939. I listened to a lot of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. It was like going back into history and learning your lessons.”

Mat d.’s ears where filled with dark blues tales of falls from grace and climbs toward redemption. The singer/songwriter soon put his pen to paper.

The result is the new album, “Small Town Burning,” 10 original tracks crafted over the past five years and recorded at a home studio in South Sioux City over a 10-month period.

The record’s lyrical content reads like a trashy Western, but in a good way.

“That’s what I was going for,” Mat d. said with a laugh. “I wanted to take someone from the East Coast to the West Coast on Route 66, encountering devils, angels, sinners, saints, dive motels, adulterers, jaded lovers, murdered people.”

Dark topics, but far from dark tunes. Rather, the songs on “Small Town Burning” shine brightly enough to have caught more than a few ears off guard. Mat d., who is aggressively marketing the CD on various Internet sites, said the record has gained some initial interest from a handful of labels. If things go right, the indie band may not stay independent for long.

The credit for “Small Town Burning” cannot land on Mat d.’s shoulders alone. The CD marks the first recording collaboration of Mat d. and a band of skilled local musicians dubbed The Profane Saints. Joining the singer in crafting the album were guitarists (name removed) and Bob Larson, bassist and recording engineer Kurt Mullins and drummer Jeff Deignan.

“The thing I like about working with these guys is they write their own parts. These guys spent hours writing their parts and I think it’s pretty evident by what you can hear.”

Mat d., who tends to perform solo, can be seen playing at various Sioux City bars and clubs nearly four times a month. He’ll celebrate the release of “Small Town Burning” with the rest of the band at a gig Saturday at Sweet Fanny’s.

That night the Historical Fourth Street restaurant and pub will be filled with colorful tales of cheap cigarettes, martyrs, drinking gin and enough hillbilly haiku to have listeners occasionally shaking their heads and on more than a few occasions out of their chairs dancing.

“I just wanted to put something that is original and unique out there,” Mat d. said. “There are many extremely talented rock bands out there, but I wanted to put out something that sounds different. I think I’ve done that.”