The Bent Scepters has gone through a lot of changes since the last time the band visited Ames. The group has added a new member, released a new CD, switched record labels and learned to live in the spotlight of success.

The group switched from its own independent label, Prescription Records, to a larger national label known as Bizarre Planet Records. The new label re-released “Blind Date With Destiny” with an additional eight new songs.

“We only released two thousand copies on our old label,” lead vocalist Doug Robertson said. “That small number is about what the new label will give away as publicity material.”

“Bizarre Planet needed to put out more,” Robertson explained. “They wanted it to be available all over the nation. They also wanted to make the CD longer because the original was only twenty-eight minutes long. But the re-release had to appeal to old fans of ours who bought the first release.”

The new record label opens up several avenues the band was unable to travel down with its own label. One of these things, and certainly one of the most important, is now the Bent Scepters will be able to pocket more money.

“Prescription Records was fiction,” Robertson said. “It existed in our own collective minds. But it was far from what a true label should be. Bizarre Planet can take our music further than we ever could.

“Living in Iowa is kind of like being in oblivion,” he added. “Most of these large labels are based in big cities like New York City and Los Angeles. They know how to reach more people and sell more records. That means more money in my pocket and I like that.”

A full length CD is a new experience for the Bent Scepters. Its previous releases, “Stand In Line” (’96), “Dr. Strange” (’94) or the cassette only “Bikinis, Guitars, and Martinis” (’92), have all been EP releases that never surpassed thirty minutes.

The band is also used to recording one song at a time, which are usually released on compilations. Robertson prefers working on the band’s material a little bit at a time. He thinks it makes the process much simpler and less mind-boggling.

“The CD industry has increased the length of albums,” Robertson explained. “I had to come up with more songs because the market wants CDs that are around an hour long. It created more work for myself, but I think it turned out pretty good.

“With this kind of technology,” he said, “things can be more conceptual. Maybe we’ll explore that a bit more on our next album. But I don’t know when that will be out. We are going to hit the studio before next year, maybe sometime this fall to record a handful of songs. We have upwards of seven to ten songs to record.”

The Bent Scepters formed in Iowa City during 1991 and has been a prevailing force there ever since. The group includes Robertson, bassist Scott Stecklin, guitarist Pat White and melody-maker Dan Robertson on the tambourine, moraccas and harmonica.

The group has a new drummer, Sean Haskins, who replaced Bill Neff. Neff took a temporary leave of absence from the group because he was getting “burned out” on the touring lifestyle.

Robertson’s lifestyle has changed rather dramatically since the group signed to a major label. Before the signing, a typical day in his life would be to “wake up at eleven o’clock and do publicity mailings and simple office things” then work on promotional stuff in the afternoons. At night, he would go to work as a bartender or play a show.

Since the major label signing, Robertson doesn’t have to handle the publicity or office work. The majority of his time is dedicated to handling interviews, promoting Iowa City’s shows and clubs and touring.

“There are drawbacks to being on the road a lot,” he said. “The biggest drawback is trying to have a serious relationship. Women want their mates to be around a lot. Being gone so much makes them insecure and I have to constantly convince them that I’m being a good boy. That I’m not out drinking too much or chasing other women around. It’s tough.”

Robertson was born in Iowa City and lived there as a child. His family moved away when he was becoming a teenager, but he decided to return to his home town to attend college.

The band has been in Ames quite often since its inception. This constant exposure to both Ames and Iowa City has allowed Robertson to form an opinion of how the two college towns compare musically.

“There are more clubs and music in a closer area in Iowa City,” Robertson claimed. “There are three rock clubs, several coffee shops, a few restaurants and numerous record stores that have bands playing on any given night.

“I think the crowds are a lot the same,” he continued. “They want to hear music and bands they like.”

Robertson believes People’s “brings in cheesy acts” but the M-Shop “is a great place, bar-none, period.” He likes the way the M-Shop allows music fans to see artists up close and personal.

“The M-Shop is the best venue in Iowa, no doubt in my mind,” Robertson said.

The Bent Scepters will be bringing its “high performance garage rock and top fuel R&B with a hot-rod angle” to an all-ages show at the M-Shop Saturday night.

The concert will start at 9 p.m. with tickets priced at $4 for college students and $5 for everyone else. Trolley will open the show.