Minneapolis-based alternative rock band General B and the Wiz is returning to Iowa State for its first headlining show in the M-Shop along with supporting acts Illium and Bull of Arc.

The five piece ensemble General B and the Wiz can be described as everything from delicately musical to gritty and ardent to goofy.

“We’re kind of all over the board because we all come from very different backgrounds,” drummer Erik Wadman said. “If we had to pin it down to something, it would be something like indie-blues, dancey, psychedelic rock and roll.”

All members of the band have their own uniqueness to the act’s overall sound.

“Individually we bring different things to the table,” Wadman said. “Since we’re all involved in the writing process, all of our influences come out depending on the song.”

The band’s wide range of influences touches on everything from Radiohead to classical music.

“We’re fans of Jack White and all of his projects,” Wadman said. “Radiohead, Grizzly Bear and a lot of indie rockers that have influence from [progressive] rock. We like the Beatles, we love to cover them. A few of us are classically trained as well. There’s influence from the 1700s to today. [Quincy Voris, the lead singer] is very heavily influenced by a band called Portugal. He’s from Alaska and kind of grew up with those guys.”

General B and the Wiz began in Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, with an initial emphasis on comedy.

“Quincy, the singer and I, we were roommates together when we went to Luther College,” guitarist Seth Duin said. “In our sophomore year, we entered an open mic night with some acoustic Tenacious D covers.”

The band’s name is a reference in part to a figure from the Civil War.

“We were just being goofy and we needed a name for it, and so we called ourselves General B and the Wiz,” Duin said. “Quincy at the time had a giant beard from commercial fishing in Alaska, and he shaved it in this design that was like General Ambrose Burnside at the Civil War. We thought that was really cool, and we thought ‘What else does it need?’ So we thought ‘wizards.’ It was really random and goofy, like the music we were playing. ‘General Burnside and the Wizard Alliance’ was too long, so we shortened it to General B and the Wiz.”

The band’s first album was released in 2011. It was self-titled and self-produced.

“Our first album was recorded in my mom’s and dad’s basement,” Duin said. “I would say we’ve come a long way since then. We kind of just recorded that one ourselves, in different places. It started in my parents’ basement during a fall break in college. Then we would borrow some equipment and space from our campus radio station, and do some recording down there; do some recording in the Luther band room. We recorded drums after the fact. That was an interesting experience.”

The unique group released its sophomore album “Right in the Head” in 2012, and an EP titled “Lie Until You Prove it” was came out last fall.

“Our second album we recorded also ourselves.” Duin said. “We went out to a cabin, kind of near Hibbing, Minn. Kai [Brewster]’s step-dad had a cabin, and we just spent a week up there and recorded music. Our latest EP we recorded here in Minneapolis. It was our first time in a real studio. We have definitely developed in our recording since our first record; it was very DIY.” 

This performance will mark the band’s third show in Ames. The first time was in Zeke’s, and then in the Maintenance Shop they were met with some strong reception in this year’s KURE Fest along some other popular alternative rock bands.

“The first time we played in Ames was last year around this time,” Duin said. “We played in a place called Zeke’s. That was a cool place, and then we met some people at the campus radio station, we did an interview in the studio at KURE before the show.  They asked us to be in the festival lineup this last fall. There were a lot of great bands in that lineup, so that was fun.”

The band is very enthusiastic about small venues, and wouldn’t feel comfortable performing in a stadium just yet.

“We like [smaller venues],” Wadman said. “It’s much more personal as a fan of local music and music in general. It’s a better experience when you’re in a smaller atmosphere just for everybody because it’s more intimate. We’re obviously not a stadium rock band, and it would be awkward for us to be playing in a giant venue, especially when we’re trying to get a foothold in the cities around the Midwest. Playing the M-Shop is like the ideal venue for us. We love it.”

Both the lead singer Voris — General B — and the drummer, Wadman, promise a vivid, interactive show.

“I’d say you can expect a lot of energy and passion behind the music,” Quincy said. “The writing style we go through is very fluid at times. Many of our songs come together, a couple we have to work through, but we try to be as intense and intentional as possible. It turns out for a very exciting show.”

All members of the band agree to that ideal.

“Yeah, we try to make that come through in the show experience,” Erik said. “And also, we don’t like to put ourselves on a pedestal above the audience ever, we like to have a very interactive experience with the crowd. Sometimes we have people come up and dance on stage. The M-Shop is no exception, because it has a pretty low stage. It’s interactive, fun, and energetic, you come and find out.”

The show is at 9 p.m. with doors open at 8:30 April 26th in the M-Shop. Tickets are available in person at the M-Shop box office or midwestix.com at $5 for students and $7 to the public, with a $2 increase the day of the show.