Asking the boys of Mr. Plow how they spent their summer may not get you the usual answer. While most students spent their time with internships, summer jobs or school, members of local rap-funk band Mr. Plow were hard at work and setting themselves up for a major label recording contract. “Chad from 35″ Mudder gave our demo to their manager, Mark Adelman,” vocalist Nick Pearson explains. “When he heard it he flipped out. He wanted to manage us.” Not long after, Mr. Plow was sent on an all expense paid trip to Los Angeles, courtesy of Warner Bros. and Capitol Records. They spent two and a half weeks of June playing showcases for various record executives and even spent some time recording at the legendary A & M studios. “It was totally different,” vocalist Dan Fjelland says. “When I wasn’t doing something I was roaming around the building.” The band spent two days at the studio recording a new song, “Set It Up,” with producer David Kahne. Kahne has also produced the self-titled Sublime album as well as Fishbone and Sugar Ray. Mr. Plow was also overlooked by an executive producer, Jason Slater, who is responsible for helping compose all the Third Eye Blind hits. Unfortunately, unless Mr. Plow decides to sign with Warner Bros., they will not get their hands on the material they recorded, although they did write it. Pearson is already wary of the dangers of signing with a major label. “They can really be sneaky and fly,” Pearson says. “We are in the waiting period now. It’s going to take about a month and half.” Ideally, Mr. Plow would like to have a deal completed soon. With the help of Adelman (who also managed Kiss, Prince, and Luther Vandross as well as 35″ Mudder) and lawyer Ken Anderson (who also represents Radiohead and the Beastie Boys), the band will be on their way back to the west coast to record their major label debut if all goes as hoped. “I’m really anxious to go out there and record an album,” Fjelland says. The band has already explored their options as far as recording goes and plans to see if they can record with Machine, who has produced (hed)p.e. and Shootyz Groove. Once the band gets a price on how much Machine’s services will cost they will be very close to inking a deal with either Capitol or Warner Bros, Fjelland says. However, the time spent on the west coast was not all work for the band. Most of the band members were first timers to the Pacific and spent of much of their time wandering around Los Angeles. “Basically, we would be out on the beach in Santa Monica just chilling,” Fjelland says. “Everything was paid for: The hotel, plane tickets,” Pearson says. “We even got a daily per diem.” The labels that sent them out there gave the band nothing less than the best, as they were put up in the very luxurious Hyatt Regency on Sunset Strip. When the band wasn’t playing to the suits they spent their time at the pool on the roof of the Hyatt. The band also explored the Hollywood Walk of Fame as well as some shopping in Melrose and Venice Beach. They were just as much tourists as they were musicians. Mr. Plow did have their work cut out for them though. They played three showcases while in town and some bands call those the hardest shows to play. It makes it hard for the band to keep their energy going when people are just standing there or walking out randomly throughout the show. “Some of the suits are just standing, they are staring you down,” Fjelland says. “We were just trying to use or energy to the fullest, we even had a couple little jokes.” Pearson was bold enough to tell the crowd of executives how glad he was too see them out in the audience and informed them that the band had T-shirts and CDs in the back. However, all jokes aside, Pearson realizes how important these shows are. “This is huge. You get up there and these guys decide if your life changes or not,” Pearson explains. “All the guys clapped and no one left but it still wasn’t the same as playing here in Ames.” With the recent success of local bands such as Slipknot and 35″ Mudder, Pearson is not afraid to admit it that it is no coincidence that labels are starting to turn their heads in the direction of the central U.S. region. “These guys showed the people in L.A. that there is a scene in Iowa and that we aren’t just country boys,” Pearson says. “It’s a stereotypical place.” “It’s awesome for Iowa,” Fjelland adds. “The more exposure Iowa gets, the more they will tap into the central region. There are so many bands here who deserve the opportunity. Iowa is an untapped resource.” Pearson also believes that these bands all being discovered in Iowa have very different sounds, showing that Iowa has a very diverse sound. If things workout with his band, Pearson says he won’t hesitate to help others. “We’d love to help out because a lot of people have helped us out,” Pearson says. “The guys from Mudder were so cool to us and we’d like to do the same thing someday.” SHOW—Mr. Plow, Trend 86, Index Case. Students $4, GA $5, Thursday, August 24th. All Ages, M-Shop 8PM-12 www.mrplow.net