Avey Grouws Band, Matt Woods perform KHOI spring concert; station celebrates new location
KHOI Community Radio is celebrating spring with a concert at 7 p.m. Thursday at Stephens Auditorium. The radio station is also inviting the public to see its new location during an open house from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at 622 Douglas Ave., where it moved in February.
Avey Grouws Band of the Quad Cities, with local favorite Matt Woods as the opener, will be featured in KHOI’s second annual spring fundraising concert.
“Avey Grouws Band members are just wonderful entertainers and fantastic musicians. It will be such a fun concert, and there’s also an option for people can also stream it from home,” Lynne Carey, KHOI board chair, said. “And Matt Woods is a local treasure.
“The last time I saw Avey Grouws Band and Matt Woods sharing a bill, it was clear they have great respect for each other. So seeing them together on the stage is a really special experience, and we’re happy to bring that to Ames.”
Avey Grouws Band combines blues, roots, rock and soul sounds. The band’s second album, “Tell Tale Heart,” was recorded in Nashville with Grammy Award winner Casey Wasner and was released in September 2021. “Tell Tale Heart” debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard Blues Album chart. The group’s first album in 2020, “The Devil May Care,” hit No. 10 on the Billboard Blues Album chart.
Avey Grouws Band members are Jeni Grouws, Chris Avey, Randy Leasman, Nick Vasquez and Bryan West.
Woods is a native Iowan with a distinct style that’s founded in his love of traditional American music. His sound takes many shapes – from delta and hill country music to urban electric blues, gospel, country and folk.
“What a great opportunity to celebrate homegrown music and homegrown radio,” KHOI station manager Mike Murphy said in a news release. “Come to Stephens and help support community radio.”
Tickets are $20 in advance for general admission seats. VIP reserved seats, which are located in the orchestra pit and the center of the first 11 rows, are $50, which includes a limited edition show poster. The day of the show, ticket prices increase $5 each.
The show will also be available via livestream at a cost of $15 for a single person and $25 for a group.
Tickets are available for purchase online at www.center.iastate.edu or in person with cash only at the KHOI studio, 622 Douglas Ave., during weekday business hours, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Stephens Auditorium is a major sponsor of this concert. Support for this event is provided by Prints Copy Center and a grant from the City of Ames’ Commission of the Arts.
KHOI celebrates new studio with ribbon cutting, open house
An open house at KHOI’s new location will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday and the public will be able to tour the radio station’s new location. The event will begin with a ribbon cutting with the Ames Chamber of Commerce. Tours and light refreshments will be provided during the celebration.
In February, KHOI moved to the former location of Alexander Recording Kompany, a music production business owned by Dennis Haislip, who was also a consultant for KHOI when it built the studio in its previous building.
The fact that the building already had three recording studios built by Haislip was “absolutely a God-sent necessity,” Carey said.
KHOI had looked at various locations to buy or rent in Ames, she said, and had a preference to own its own building.
“That’s what we always thought would happen at the Pantorium,” Carey said. “But we will own this building, and our mortgage will be about the same as our rent used to be.”
The Pantorium, where KHOI (89.1 FM) was located for a decade, was purchased by the Ames History Museum and is part of that organization’s expansion plans.
“It seemed like a truly existential problem when we found out we had to move. We thought this might be what does us in,” Carey said.
“But it actually turned out to be wonderful, and we’re happy for the history museum to have that great space at the Pantorium, and they’ll be able to honor that historic legacy,” she continued. “It’s worked out great for all of us.”
More: Interactive Dinkey, restored Pantorium sign lights planned for Ames History Museum expansion
KHOI’s new property is zoned commercial on the first floor and residential on the second floor. As a result, KHOI was able to offer the apartment as part of the compensation package for its new station manager, Mike Murphy.
KHOI will honor the legacy of Alexander Recording Kompany, as well, by keeping the iconic guitar as an ornament on its roof.
“Dennis put it up there and he was very nice to leave it for us. It’s an iconic marker for people,” Carey said.
KHOI is a nonprofit community radio station serving central Iowa at 89.1 FM. Supported by its listeners, the station went on the air in August 2012. The station’s programming is a mix of locally produced information, music and entertainment, combined with national programs from the Pacifica network.
“The mission of KHOI is to welcome all voices of our community, regardless of their perspectives, to freely discuss issues, nourish the spirit, and entertain,” Carey said in a news release. “We encourage community members to consider information and draw their own conclusions.”
KHOI is also participating in the Ames Main Street’s Art Walk on Thursday, June 2, and will be hosting artist Joe Geha.
“Joe is a painter who paints really colorful, lively scenes, many of which are based on his childhood, growing up in a Lebanese community in Toledo, Ohio,” Carey said. “That’s another time that people can come see the new station.”
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: KHOI radio holds open house for new location, spring fundraiser concert
