Naked Beggars In Des Moines

If songs, talent, and showmanship were what really mattered in the music industry, Naked Beggars would be ruling the rock n roll world. Songs that remind you of all the bands you listened to growing up from one genre to another with a sound all their own. The talent among these 5 musicians is incredible and everyone already knows the pedigree of Jeff Labar and Eric Brittingham from Cinderella. The lead and rhythm prowess of Kris Casamento is something to be seen as well. Kris has been part of the song backbone for this band since the inception. New drummer, Lisa Rev, is a very welcome addition to this band. She brings a steady backbeat that just grooves in the pocket with Eric's bass playing. Her dynamics bring a seductive feel to songs as the beat infects you and makes you move. Leading this band on stage is Inga who has a great sense of humor and a unique way of bringing you into the lyric with her showmanship. The whole is greater than the 5 members, which is what makes Naked Beggars such a wonderful band and live experience.

Last night was another great live show from this great band. The crowd was quite small so we had an intimate night with Naked Beggars. (Doesn't that sound like fun?) There was a lot of joking around as Inga picked on Jeff. Jeff had a recurring theme all night that he just learned the songs yesterday or learned to play the Mandolin yesterday. Inga led the humor, but the guys were right there with the jokes. When Inga told everyone that Eric was a farm boy, Jeff piped up that it was a pot farm. Jeff told a story about getting the finger from Inga and said it was the best finger he'd ever gotten. Eric then chimed in saying "except for the time in jail". Jeff having gone to jail was another running joke throughout. You could tell through all the banter that this is a group of friends who have become family and let it shine through all they do.

The songs are what Naked Beggars boil down to. It's the songs that move them and the songs that provide further insight into this family. The set list is as follows:

Ain't Your Mama
Lies (I love the rhythm of this song! Drums and a Les Paul through a Marshall stack make this song!)
Spit It Out
Bitch
Go Where You're Wanted (The first new song of the night! Tasty groove!)
I'm All Over It (Another new tune with some great rhythm.)
Creep
Naked N' Beggin' (Jeff has a very melodic guitar part that sets the tone from the outset on this new song.)

ACOUSTIC SET
What You Give (Tesla)
Discombobulated
Nobody's Fool (Cinderella)
Destiny (A new song Jeff really did learn the day before! There is a great vibe to this slower tune.)
Going To California (Led Zeppelin)
Lullaby

No More
Kind Of Girl
Too Late
Dream On (Aerosmith)
Never Runaway (My favorite of the new tunes because this rocker just makes you involuntarily! You have to!)
Nothin' But Trouble
Hole In The Wall
Get It On

Twenty-two songs. Most bands are content to do ten, twelve, or even 15 tunes, but these guys gave us a full evening and obviously enjoyed every minute of sharing their talent with us. They took us away from our day to day lives for a full evening of great rock n roll. They enjoyed smiling, sharing, and rocking out with us. Not to us or for us, but with us. They invited us into their music and we loved every moment.

I had a few personal highlights visiting with the band afterwards. When I arrived at Shooter's Hideaway, I saw Eric milling near the front door, but I went over to see some new friends first. I figured the band was gearing up to get ready and I wanted to take in the venue. When the band gathered up getting ready to leave to go eat dinner, I walked toward them and Inga said "You made it!". She remembered that I had mentioned that I may not make the Clear Lake date, but I assured her that in Des Moines, I'd be there. She and Eric shook my hand and genuinely seemed glad to see a familiar face of a fan. Lord knows I've pestered Inga enough about getting to Des Moines. Of course, I hadn't known about Shooter's having shows so it was a venue I hadn't even mentioned to her. I'm glad others have been instrumental in getting Naked Beggars to Des Moines. Now to just have them back often! Dave, the Waterstock webmaster, took pictures since I'd left my memory card at home. I will post the ones he took of me with the band and put a link here for his live shots if he allows me. JW was able to get some pictures he'd taken previously in Clear Lake signed by the band members. I got a set list signed and was able to go over my recollection of the originals with Inga. They were also impressed that I had a Spit It Out sampler that I brought in to get signed. (I have two of them.) I was able to ask Inga and Kris about the new CD they HOPE to have out in February. I know that Inga and Kris have done a major share of the writing in the past and there have been member changes with each CD. With the new CD they have 4 members that have toured and written together for quite some time now. Inga said that there is more of a collaborative effort this time around as they have lived with each other and the songs for a while now. They still have more songs to write and the titles of the new songs may change and the songs themselves alter as they grow into the tunes with time. Kris said they hope to be in the studio in the first part of December. They still have more to do, but as a fan I can hardly wait to hear the new CD and I'm hoping they are able to hit the February time frame with something they are proud to share.

I asked Inga about their missing member, Kristine. I was curious when she might return to touring with the band and that seems to be up in the air right now. Kristine is missed with her keyboards, violin, and wonderful harmonies. The band sounds very muscular without those instruments, but they do provide a great feel to the tunes. I hope Kristine is able to return. I know the band and fans miss her. She's a great addition. Of course, I have to stress, too, in all fairness that there is so much talent in the five that were there last night that while Kristine is a great addition, the band certainly isn't lacking without her. In fact, it does provide a more muscular sound with stipping it down to guitars, bass, and drums. Watching Kris and Jeff trade licks at one point was incredible!

I didn't know Shooter's Hideaway had any live music until I heard about this gig. I had the good fortune of meeting Paul who set up this room for live shows. He knows what he's doing with the sound and lights and he was absolutely correct about the acoustics at Shooter's. This is a great venue for smaller live shows and maybe over time bigger ones. They may need to raise the stage off the floor more as people will block people in a larger crowd and with a small drum riser, Lisa did hit the ceiling a couple of times. There is talk of having Naked Beggars back some day soon and I hope it works out to do so. Word of mouth will help this venue as they start bringing bands like Naked Beggars there on a regular basis.

Go see Naked Beggars. Support them by spreading the word about this wonderful band. They will laugh with you. They will rock you. They will move you.