Story
The Epic Precursor Party
For most of 1988 I was still playing 3 to 4 shows a week minimum. The JAM fan base was expanding. I was charging $25-$75 a show for bars and weddings. I purchased an Onkyo M-5160 300-watt amplifier, an Onkyo TA-2130 cassette player, two Numark PPD M330C 200-watt speakers, two Gemini Rhino MB415 200-watt speakers, a 25-watt Radio Shack amplifier, Realistic Stereo Mixer Model 32-1100a, and some Radio Shack watt meters to prevent overloading my Pioneer 30-watt speakers for a total of $2,555.29. For the larger events I was still renting Klipsch LaScala speakers from Stereo Sound Studios in Ames at $50 a weekend. I was also having regular parties at my own house and I had developed quite the reputation with the local police of Iowa Falls. Darrell and I had the idea that maybe instead of playing house parties in town where surrounding houses would turn us in after seeing multiple cars and people in and out of houses, we could play outside of town on a farm property with no close neighbors. He came up with a shed on his father’s property a few miles north and east of Iowa Falls.
The idea was that because the highway was the north Hardin County line and the shed was officially in the next county, the police couldn’t charge us with anything if they actually came to the property without a warrant. We cleared out the shed, mowed the weeds down an acre or two outside the building to make a ‘parking lot’, ran our own power from a service pole to a new box on the building, installed lights and plugs, put up posters announcing the party with a map drawn for directions, and placed and old broken fridge at the entrance to the driveway of the shed to mark the position.
On July 16th 1988 we threw what would later be called the DD’s JAM Box party. There were hundreds, maybe even a thousand people there. It was the largest party I’d ever seen. We had 6 full size kegs, 12 beer ‘partyballs’, a 55 gallon trashcan full of potato salad, a full size pig in a giant roaster, and I setup the JAM equipment on a homemade stage of cinder blocks and plywood.
During the evening someone leaving in a car backed over a girl and a dozen bystanders had to lift it off to free her. She was initially injured and someone who left the party about the same time called 911 when they got home and reported the incident. We saw the ambulance and firetruck drive past the property about 20 minutes later with lights flashing. They had responded to the accident but passed the driveway. About a half hour later the firetruck came up the driveway. They said they were looking for the injured girl, but we told them she had just left and gone home. They looked around and asked since they weren’t going anywhere could they join the party and the entire fire department ended up eating and drinking on the firetruck right there in the driveway.
The Iowa Falls police did end up showing up at sunrise but were, as we had predicted, unable to arrest anyone in the next county. So, they just walked around the property making sure everyone was still alive and asking questions about the accident. We had initially made plans to have a party there every weekend that I didn’t have another show and maybe even turn it into a new ‘club’. There were too many legal hoops to jump through and the size of the first party had the whole town aware of the incident. The girl getting hurt didn’t help the situation and so that was it for any future parties there.
Later, at a show the next year in the Iowa Falls Roller Rink on the north edge of town, I met the girl who was injured during the party and found out her name was Tammy. I started dating Tammy and ended up marrying her October of 1992.
The Iowa Falls JAM Tour Idea
Neighbors around me had begun calling in reports of loud music and I was charged with Disturbing The Peace on a regular basis. So much so that it became common for the attendants of the party to just pass around a hat and collect money for the fine, so I could afford each of the tickets.
During the month of September in 1988 I was charged multiple times at parties for disturbing the peace by the city of Iowa Falls and had multiple parking and speeding tickets. Some of the loud music charges were because any music coming from my house was immediately reported by neighbors, including one arrest for my radio alarm clock going off to wake me for work. The first few charges were tickets and smaller fines but by the third count each ticket carried a $250 fine and a court date was set. By the time the first arraignment rolled around there were 13 counts of disturbing the peace alone in one month that were presented. When asked by the judge why I had so many charges I replied that they were Tupperware parties and my TV’s volume must’ve been too high. I was also charged with contempt of court, a weekend of jail time, was issued SR22 insurance to keep driving, and required to take driving classes. I had become too notorious with the Iowa Falls police department. This would be the last time I was charged for loud music for quite a few years. I bought a decibel meter and did more public bar shows and less house parties. I was upset over one of the tickets I had been given and I burned it in an ashtray in my living room. The remaining piece of unburned ticket became an art project for college and later became the graphic for the JAM 2 T-shirts.
The goal that I should expand my fan base by playing more towns surrounding Iowa Falls soon became the idea of a ‘tour.” Venues were rented and dates were set. T-shirts were hand airbrushed using precut masking templates and I could make 2 or 3 a day.
I decided to write a song called “Disturbing The Peace” and got together with some of my crew to record it. Mike Lindaman on bass guitar, Roger Finke on lead guitar, Tim Thompson on a 3 pad drum machine bought at K-Mart and backing vocals, and me on a toy Casio keyboard also from K-Mart and lead vocals. Also an acoustic song called “We’re Off To Drink Wine Coolers” was made with all the JAM crew members. The “Disturbing The Peace” song was later remade into a newer version in 2014.
On May 5, 1989 I obtained my Iowa Sales Tax License and was registered as a business with the state as JAM Graphics. The plan was the incorporation of the DJ service and the clothing sales, but the name JAM dj systems was used in all advertising.
The First Tour
The Disturbing The Peace Tour was as follows:
Friday Feb 3, 1989 7:00pm at the American Legion Hall in Alden $2 admission
Friday Feb 24, 1989 8:00pm at the Circle A Ballroom in Ackley $2 admission
Saturday Mar 25, 1989 6:00pm at the Civic Center in Parkersburg $2 admission
Friday May 26, 1989 7:00pm at Estes Park Bandshell in Iowa Falls Free admission
Two weeks before each show the crew and I put up flyer copies in all towns surrounding Iowa Falls within 30 miles in all businesses, on all cars in school and grocery store parking lots, and the first light poles outside of each town. Each show yielded a larger crowd and by the Iowa Falls JAM 2 show we estimated around 250 people. The crew all got white airbrushed T-shirts and I may have sold maybe 6 more for $10 each during the night.
The stage was set with 3 amplifiers, 8 speakers (2 rented), the 6 flood lights in 2 boxes run with wall rocker switches and house wiring, 2 blinking caution road lights, 6 15-watt party bulbs in the bandshell, and colored streamers. I proudly branded the JAM name airbrushed on 4 posterboards taped together and stuck to a sheet of plywood in front of the stereo pieces which were each wired to each other individually. A total of 13 crew members, me, and all our girlfriends ran the show and partied backstage.
During “Underneath The Radar” I did a breakdance routine in my strategically hand painted and ripped blue jeans and half cut T-shirt.
During Metallica “One” Tim Thompson took the stage and sang with an illegally opened wine cooler in his hand right in front of an officer watching him just offstage, which we all later thought was unbelievably cool.
It was one of the most memorable and fun shows of my DJ career.
Music
This compilation was actually put together in 2014 and was the tenth one made. The first ones made were JAM 6, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 25, 26, & 1. The original “Disturbing The Peace” song was recorded new for this CD release.
This album cover features the burned ticket I drew for college art class. The second picture (inside liner of the CD) is a picture of me backstage in the Estes Park Bandshell. The third is a picture of the CD graphic. The fourth picture is the CD liner notes created in 2014. The last picture is the back of the album showing a picture of me and Chris Bennett on the Bandshell stage and the third JAM logo sign ever made on the front of the table.
01 – J.A.M. – “DISTURBING THE PEACE (REMADE VERSION)”
This remade version was recorded in Garner, Iowa in my office with a computer program featuring me on keyboard, bass guitar, drums, effects vocals, and main vocals; Ivan Diaz on lead guitar; John Ringham on backing vocals; and a recording from a police scanner in Iowa Falls in 1989 instead of the fake one used in the original song.
02 – Cinderella – “SOMEBODY SAVE ME“
Cinderella was a band I saw at the 1987 Iowa Jam. I created a poster for the concert with Cinderella and Bon Jovi and names of all their songs on it and then tried to sell photo copied ‘posters’ of the drawing before the concert. I was arrested and charged with copyright infringement for selling an unauthorized version of Bon Jovi’s logo within a mile of one of their shows. They let me back into the show after booking me and I still got to see Cinderella perform. This is one of my favorite songs from them.
03 – Genesis – “MAMA“
When I saw the video for this song and I found out Phil Collins used a Casio keyboard to create the song I believed that someday I could eventually make a whole album myself and become famous using a cheap keyboard from K-Mart.
04 – Kingdom Come – “GET IT ON“
This metal band had the sound that people believed was the band Led Zeppelin reuniting. The drum solo at the end is what hooked me into loving it.
05 – Underworld – “UNDERNEATH THE RADAR (ULTIMATE 12″ MIX)“
I love the combination of rock and techno and this was the perfect song to breakdance to. This extended version is what I performed a dance routine with at the Iowa Falls show.
06 – Krokus – “STAYED AWAKE ALL NIGHT“
This song was a party anthem representing people who would party and drink all night. My favorite part of the song is the sound of the beer bottle bouncing off concrete.
07 – Ozzy Osborne – “DIARY OF A MADMAN“
My best friend Scott and I would listen to Ozzy albums all night while dripping candle wax on cardboard and string cities in his attic room.
08 – Anthrax – “I’M THE MAN (DEF UNCENSORED VERSION)“
One of Darrell Danger’s favorite songs at the time, it was one of the first metal-rap songs of it’s time.
09 – Metallica – “ONE“
I saw Metallica live in 1986 at the first concert I ever attended. This song I played at the Iowa Falls show and Tim Thompson sang with it on the Bandshell stage. Everyone thought it was one of the coolest moments of the show.
10 – Slade – “RUN RUNAWAY“
One of my favorite “Friday Night Videos”. I loved singing this at shows. It just pumps.
11 – Judas Priest – “RAM IT DOWN“
I had a problem getting up early in the morning to go to work. I always got in trouble with my restaurant bosses for being late in the mornings. My alarm was just too soft. I decided to hook my entire stereo system up to a plug in switch timer and use that as an alarm system. I put this song in to autoplay to wake me up and turned the volume on full. When that scream at the beginning ended and the guitars exploded in the speakers, I thought the whole house was crashing down on me and it literally threw me out of bed. I woke up screaming and covering my head. Before I could cross the room to turn the song off, there was a huge boom, sparks flew across the room, and all the power in the rental house went out. When I got home later that afternoon I told my landlady that the power was out and I didn’t know why. I unplugged all the stereo and repacked it. When the power technician came he told me he was stunned to find the power meter on the side of the house was completely fried and he had to replace it. He couldn’t understand how anything in the house could have pulled that much power that fast. Only I ever knew what had happened.
12 – Scorpions – “STILL LOVING YOU“
This is my all time favorite song ever. When my first girlfriend left it became the anthem of my very existence. No matter who I was dating or who I would ever be with, this song is and will always be my ultimate love song.
13 – Twisted Sister – “LOVE IS FOR SUCKERS“
A ballad for all jilted lovers. I associated it with myself at one point and told myself I would never be stupid enough to believe in love again. Which of course was a complete lie.
14 – Queen – “PRINCES OF THE UNIVERSE“
This song was used with the movie and the TV show “Highlander”. I liked the concept of “There can be only one” and I believed in the DJ world it should be me.
15 – Dangerous Toys – “TAKE ME DRUNK“
Since I drank quite a bit during this point in my life. This was a perfect song for me.
16 – J.A.M. – “WE’RE OFF TO DRINK WINE COOLERS”
This version of the classic Wizard Of Oz song was written it a matter of minutes and then performed at a party at my house by me and my whole crew in 1989. I’m not sure how the cassette recording survived. I believe the cast is; Me, Shawn Brockway, Aaron Widmann, Chris Bennett, Dan Peet, Jared Knott, Darrell Danger, Chris Chaplin, Roger Finke, Tim Thompson, Michael Lindaman, and Matt Crow. Matt is the “Beauty Eh” at the end.
BONUS CONTENT – J.A.M. – “DISTURBING THE PEACE (1989 VERSION)”
Recorded in 1989 using a 3 button drum pad and a Casio keyboard purchased from the K-mart toy section, Michael Lindaman on bass guitar, Roger Finke on lead guitar, Tim Thompson on backing vocals and Me on lead and effects vocals. A simple Radio Shack 33-3009 microphone fed into a cassette recorder and a player with low speed for the voice effects.
Extra Photos
