Ankeny — Despite a disappointing 30-minute headlining performance by the Bloodhound Gang, KKDM’s much over-hyped DotFest ’97 avoided any first time flaws and conquered its goal of presenting a day’s worth of alternative music to central Iowa.

Dubbed a day of family fun, playful antics by main stage acts Nerf Herder, Billy Goat and Bloodhound Gang set a different tone with what seemed an ongoing theme of nudity and drug encouragement.

But it was the “feel the music in your heart” message of Cowboy Mouth singer Fred Leblanc that stood out at day’s end.

The main stage events kicked off with Des Moines go-getters Smilin’ Jack around high noon, just as the gates were opened. As early arrivers fluctuated from the Playboy bunny autograph table to the karaoke machine, California punk rockers Nerf Herder took stage and began wheeling in listeners with its Green Day sound and Chris Rock humor.

The band pounded through a list of songs on its debut record that included the hit “Van Halen” along with the catchy punk tune “Golfshirt” and sing-along anthem “Diana.” The slower paced “Nose-ring Girl” allowed singer Parry Gripp an even greater opportunity to improv, resulting in a mass of fans chanting for “rice cakes.”

The combination of humor and the band’s ability to make punk sound different from song to song put Nerf Herder’s set at the top of memorable performances at DotFest.

Nerf Herder was followed by straight-forward rock chicks Frogpond, who performed what bassist Justine Volpe called a “huge show for us.” The highlight was “Be,” the only Frogpond tune KKDM has aired.

The only Iowa alternative band to have released a major label record followed the girls from K.C. and quickly turned ears with the “My Ass Kicking Life” take “I Think I Know That.” House Of Large Sizes continued its sets with a balance of new and old, neither sounding much different than the signature House sound.

Percussion and dance were the foundation of the next band which went over well with the groove hungry crowd. Behind two drum kits and a solid rap voice in Mike Dillon, Billy Goat put on a very impressive 20 minute show.

The last 10, however, were plagued with the stupid lyrics and rhythms of “Marijuana” and “(Take Your) Clothes Off,” the latter featuring the band’s stage dancer showing an occasional breast or two.

Ex-Tool bassist Paul D’Amour’s Lusk followed Billy Goat with an instrument setup complete with a stand-up bass and harp. Although the music bled with originality, the mix of down-beat pop was a few adrenaline shots short of festival material.

After admitting to being the “weird guys,” D’Amour led the band into its first single “Backworlds.” But near flat vocals and a lack of crowd support kept the band from peaking.

Big label songstress Jill Sobule entered soon after with the announcement that she would play an acoustic set. In her innocent voice, the singer thanked almost everyone for being so nice to her, and proceeded to dedicate “Little Guy” to the one person that wasn’t.

The tune, taken from her new record “Happy Town,” brought some laughs with a chorus of “Little guy, such a little guy, in such a big body.” Sobule then joked about the “homo song” and entered into her breakthrough hit “I Kissed A Girl.”

Sobule concluded her set with what pianist Richard Barone called “the Carpenters’ portion of the show.” Behind a full drum kit, Sobule played and sang her current single “Bitter.”

The St. Louis ska band The Urge picked up the pace with a set that lacked only another half hour. Although the band didn’t have time for fan favorites “Brainless” and “Where Do We Go From Here,” it was able to deliver powerful punches with “All Washed Up,” the band’s current single, and “Open All Night.”

Billy Goat’s percussion section joined the band for most of the show and anchored a massive jam for The Urge’s finale of “Gettin’ Hectic.” The combined energy level of singer Steve Ewing and the band’s three-part horn section left moshing fans urging for more.

Cowboy Mouth, the oldest band members on the bill, showed its singing talents early with an opening gospel version of the campfire classic “This Little Light of Mine.” Drummer and vocalist LeBlanc then told fans his band had 32 minutes to prove that they could rock, and without a doubt, they did.

Combining traditional musical styles with the high energy of modern rock, Cowboy Mouth played a couple of extended versions of songs off its debut “Are You With Me?” Between motivational speeches by LeBlanc, the band covered the classic Who song “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”

In closing, the band played a phenomenal version of its current single “Jenny Says,” complete with LeBlanc climbing up the stage and playing vocal teeter-totter with the crowd.

With a tough act to follow, the techno trio Cirrus added a new dimension to the variety of Dotfest. Showing little instrumental talent, the band still managed to create an enjoyable sound. With some cool vocal sampling, Cirrus nearly pulled off the impossible, bringing a rave to a festival.

Ska masters Reel Big Fish picked up where The Urge left off, packing a days worth of energy into a half hour set. A crisp brass section introduced many listeners to traditional ska, while singer Aaron Barrett presented one of the more talented voices of the day.

Curious fans beared rain and cold weather in preparation for the long-awaited performance by the Des Moines metal band Slipknot. With record executives on hand, the show was said to determine the future of the eight-member band. But with poor microphone placement and visual effects that failed miserably, Slipknot was hardly given a chance.

Known for its tightness on stage, the music of Slipknot ranged from “what the hell” to “huh,” and rarely sounded like a well composed metal band. The show even appeared to have been cut off early.

Fronted by industrial power house Chris Randall, Sister Machine Gun used synchronized lighting and heavy guitars to hold fans over for Bloodhound Gang.

Right on schedule, the Gang took stage shortly after 10. As band members strutted in to the sounds of Van Halen’s “Jump,” one member bumped into the turntable, scratching the record and giving an example of the slop that was about to come.

Opening with “Kiss Me Where It Smells Funny,” the set appeared to have potential. But the record table’s scratchin’ and Jimmy Pop Ali’s rappin’ were never the same.

Playing off lyrics from songs by Duran Duran, the Wu-Tang Clan and The Smiths, Ali rapped his way through “I Wish I Was Queer So I Could Get Chicks,” which included Ali pulling his pants down and calling himself “a bad little girl,” and “Boom.”

Closing with “Fire Water Burn” and “Why Is Everybody Always Picking On Me?” the crowd and the band begged for one more. With no one wanting to quit while ahead, the show ended on a down note with a murdered version of “Going Nowhere Slow.”

Of all the outspoken people involved in DotFest, it was Rob Savoy, the quiet bass player for Cowboy Mouth, who summed up the entire day with his words backstage on Saturday.

“It’s amazing this is a first year event.”