The Iowa Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Showcase will be making its way to the Wild Rose Casino in Clinton on April 1. The show will be held in the casino’s Oakwood Grand Ballroom.
The Unidynes and Bowman, Pickney & Evans will be the featured acts for the night. Doors open at 6 p.m. The concert at the Iowa casino is free. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. The show starts at 7 p.m.
The Unidynes
Started by Jack Schmalfeldt in 1989, The Unidynes began their career out of Clinton. Joined by Kevin Kash on guitar, Dave Schneider on guitar and vocals, Dave Layton on bass and Bob Hoffmann on drums, Schmalfeldt and the band released their first album, “Once in a Blue Room,” in 1994, which received national airplay.
In 1998, Hoffmann left the band, with Bud Benson replacing him on drums. The band released their second album, “Smoke,” in 2000. They recorded a third album called “Mechanicsville” that’s never been released. Their song, “Hog Riding Fool,” was showcased on the TV show, “The Osbournes.”
The band went on hiatus in 2008 after the death of Schmalfeldt. When the band reformed, Schneider replaced Schmalfeldt on vocals, and Chuck Soenksen and JC Monroe joined the band on the drums and guitar, respectively. In 2016, The Unidynes released “Tale of the Comet” in honor of Schmalfeldt.
The band was inducted into the Iowa Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
Bowman, Pickney & Evans
Composed of Bruce Bowman, Mike Pickney and Mitch Evans, the Clinton vocal acoustic trio began playing together in 1980, adding a drummer to the group a year later. They’ve covered several artists, like America; Crosby, Stills and Nash; and the Eagles.
Two of their songs, “Air Guitar” and “Poetry in Justice,” got airplay in a couple Iowa markets.
The trio was the house band at Chestnut Mountain Ski Resort for nearly 20 years.
Pickney left the band for college in the mid-1980s, replaced by Rick Prather on the bass and vocals. Pickney would return now and then to play with the band. Steve Moris joined the band in 1985, forming I.V. Pauli, while also adding drummer Jeff Clark. I.V. Pauli would open for several major bands in the 1980s. Moris would leave the band a year later. When Prather left the band, he was replaced by Sean Seeser.
I.V. Pauli broke up in 1996 after Bowman moved from Iowa. Bowman, Pickney & Evans have continually met up several times a year to play together, while members of I.V. Pauli play together less frequently.
Bowman, Pickney & Evans were inducted into the Iowa Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as I.V. Pauli in 2018.
