Our West Des Moines house band recently hosted an amazing fundraiser at Big Grove Brewery in Des Moines, the first of few to raise money for our upcoming trips to Ohio and North Carolina. 

For the first time, members of our West Des Moines and Cedar Rapids/Marion house band were invited to play at the Queen City Rock Fest in Cincinnati and the New Moon Mountain Festival at the University of North Carolina's Asheville campus.

The cost to get our musicians from both bands to these destinations can add up. That’s why on Mother’s Day, we hosted our first fundraiser for this trip. The weather stayed dry and comfortable as our house band performed a set at Big Grove Brewery in Des Moines. No Vacancy and Sarah Tonin also took the stage. 

Cameron Mertes plays guitar, bass, and drums in house band. He was at Summerfest in Milwaukee last year and says being able to play on a larger stage means so much. 

“I think it's every musician's dream to kind of be able to play shows out of your own city and having the opportunity to play in North Carolina and Ohio, out of Iowa, that's a pretty big deal,” Mertes said. 

Besides the musical experience, these trips also provide valuable life experiences for young musicians. 

“It helps me because I get to meet a bunch of other musicians. I also get to experience different crowds and I get to meet new people, new musicians, and we all just love it so much,” Ani Burch, a singer in house band, said. 

Playing out-of-state is a first for drummer Lilly Carriere. 

“It's really thrilling and doing all of this and it's just fun to move around and do things,” Carriere said. “We're going to get into these supergroups. We're going to bond with a lot of different house bands from different areas around Iowa and from everywhere around the world.” 

Exciting times for these students! We’re grateful for all your support to help make the young musicians’ dreams come true. 

Didn’t make the show but want to contribute? Venmo: @schoolofrock-westdesmoines