i...met you in the middle of a rain cloud.

Most of you may believe (and I don't blame you) that not many worthwhile indie bands hail from central Iowa, or make it past playing an opening show at my beloved dive venue, the House of Bricks. False. Sure, you may not have heard of them, but if you follow the music scene in Des Moines, the Envy Corps is a big deal. Another plus: they're fantastic.
Hailing from Ames, Iowa, the Envy Corps is currently made up of Brandon Darner, Luke Pettipoole, and Scott Yoshimura. Scott's brother, David, is an original member but has since left the band. Luke and David, the original two, became friends through their mutual love of British rock. The addition of Brandon not only brought guitar talent to the band, but also contact with the Killers' David Keuning, from Pella, Iowa. After hearing demos, Keuning became an avid fan.
Meanwhile, playing local shows had created quite the local following for the boys, myself included. (Especially since one of my friends worked at Mr. Movies with Scott.) They released several EPs themselves, including I Will Write You Love Letters If You Tell Me To in 2006. It got great reviews, was on the College Music Journal's top 200, and most impressively, earned a spot opening for the Killers' fall tour that year.
London's Vertigo Records, an imprint of Mercury, came knocking, and in March of 2007, their Story Problem EP was released on iTunes and on double 7" in the UK. Much to the dismay of their Iowan cult following, the Envy Corps went on extensive tours through the UK. Last spring, they were supposed to open for the Eisley show I had tickets for in Minneapolis, but they canceled last minute to hop on a plane back to the UK for more tour dates that followed their UK release of their major label debut Dwell. It has also recently been released in the US. They also had a track, Story Problem, on the soundtrack for the movie Run, Fat Boy, Run.
After a hiatus of US appearances, the Envy Corps has finally been playing local shows again recently. Most memorably, their performance at the Iowa State Fair, where a large group moved from the primitive seating of the Anderson-Erickson Dairy Stage to form the standing room only crowd that the Envy Corps deserves. Their cover of the Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony" proves how much British rock influenced them from their days at Iowa State University to their recording days in London. They have also recently played at Des Moines' Nightfall on the River and have an upcoming show at People's Court, also is Des Moines, before going on tour with stops including Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Chicago.

Check out their Myspace page at www.myspace.com/theenvycorps.
Tracks to listen for:
Rhinemaidens
Wires and Wool
Sylvia the Beekeeper

The Envy Corps also has some awesome music videos out, so Youtube it. Here is the video for Rhinemaidens, one of their very first songs. Also check out the videos for Story Problem and Wires and Wool.


So this is more like an Envy Corps novel, but you won't be disappointed. I promise.