Rock band the Melvins return to the road with a stop in Des Moines to showcase new music
Long-time fans of the Melvins won't be surprised to hear the formative rock band released two albums last year.
"Being prolific is nothing new to us," said Buzz Osborne, founder, guitarist and vocalist for the Melvins, a group that has released more than 20 studio albums since their formation in the mid-’80s.
The Melvins play Wooly's, 504 E. Locust St., in Des Moines at 7:30 p.m. on July 7 as part of the rock band's Electric Roach Tour — the group's first headlining tour since 2019. Joining Osborne on stage will be the band's drummer, Dale Crover, who has been with the Melvins for nearly as long as Osborne; Steve McDonald is currently the group's bassist.
Helms Alee and Harsh Mellow open for the Melvins on this tour.
More concerts: 55 summer shows in central Iowa from Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani to 'My Fair Lady'
Over the course of the band's career — which influenced the music of Nirvana, Tool, Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden and more — the Melvins have produced songs like "Honey Bucket," "A History of Bad Men" and "The Water Glass." This year, the band also released a three-track EP titled "Broken Pipe EP" in collaboration with Dumb Numbers.
Of the two Melvins albums released in 2021, "Working With God" contains the newest songs from the band. Like the 2013 album "Tres Cabrones," "Working With God" brings original Melvins drummer Mike Dillard back to play while Crover shifts to bass. The line-up is dubbed Melvins 1983.
“(Dillard's) got a day job and a family to raise, so we (recorded) whenever he was able to come down," Osborne said. “(I wrote it) with him in mind. I kind of did that for both those guys."
One particular song Osborne knew would amuse Dillard is the album's opening track which is a slightly tweaked cover of the Beach Boy's song "I Get Around."
"Five Legged Dog," which was released in the latter half of last year, is a 36-track album comprised of acoustic versions of older Melvins songs as well as covers of songs from other groups. "Night Goat" and "Eye Flys/Woman" are two tracks Osborne mentioned being particularly happy with from the album.
More concerts: What to know about the 2022 Iowa State Fair: concerts, tickets, dates and more
Just as with the Melvin's major releases from the past couple of years, fans can expect a variety of songs and sounds from the upcoming Des Moines performance.
“It’s a cross-section of lots of all the songs we have," said Osborne, referring to the band's lengthy catalog. "We're trying to represent all of our albums."
Osborne noted that the Melvins tend to make their tours distinct from one another in terms of the group's setlist. Shortly after the end of the Electric Roach Tour, the band will kick off the Five Legged Tour — though performances from the Melvins will look largely the same during that tour in spite of the title change. We Are The Asteroid will step in as the opening act.
Tickets for the Des Moines show at Wooly's starting at $25 are on sale now via tixr.com.
Isaac Hamlet covers arts, entertainment and culture at the Des Moines Register. Reach him at ihamlet@gannett.com or 319-600-2124, follow him on Twitter @IsaacHamlet.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: The Melvins rock band to perform at Wooly's in Des Moines on July 7
