While local music seems to be spreading more and more across the state of Iowa, its focus has remained in the college towns of Iowa City and Ames. So why are these cities the focus for Iowa musicians?

Iowa City and Ames have several programs and opportunities for local bands to take advantage of, tons of clubs to play in, recording studios to produce CDs and record stores to sell them when they are finished.

Feedlot Co-Op is one of the many opportunities bands have at their disposal. The record label has just released Herd Mentality, the newest compilation of Iowa bands that features 19 of Iowa City’s best groups, including the Bent Scepters, Chisel Drill Hammer, Carmine, Matchbook Shannon and Scrid.

The compilation is one of a series of Feedlot Co-op releases that features music from Iowa bands each year.

“We bring musicians together to work socially and to collect ideas,” said David Murray, secretary and one founder of Feedlot.

“We serve as a musicians’ collective and a self-help group for Iowa bands. We also help to promote local music.”

Feedlot accomplishes its goal to improve the musical atmosphere of Iowa by distributing the compilations, producing an Iowa City public access television show featuring local music and distributing The Trawf, a fanzine dedicated to Iowa City bands.

“Iowa City has a great atmosphere for local talent,” Murray said. “Record stores hold in-store shows to promote new releases. The University of Iowa plays local bands’ songs on the college radio station.

“They also have several functions, like River Fest and the Battle of the Bands, which allow groups to showcase their material for large audiences.”

The University of Iowa has also begun distributing The Proper Gander, a monthly magazine which features the “best in indie rock.”

In addition to its feature stories on independent groups, the magazine also has in-depth interviews and concert reviews of Iowa bands and a tour schedule of some of the better local bands.

Iowa City is not alone in supporting local music. Iowa musicians also have a chance to display their talent at several places in Ames, including the Maintenance Shop and Peeples Music.

Charlie Stewart, owner of Peeples Music, said he will “sell any local band on consignment.”

Currently he has over 100 CDs from Ames and Des Moines-area bands on display. But he is quick to point out that most of these groups sell very few CDs, and there isn’t a particularly large interest in any local band right now.

Rusty Poehner, coordinator of the Maintenance Shop, said they book local bands both as openers and headliners.

“We can’t do as much as other clubs can,” Poehner said, “because they have a setup where the band can keep the money made at the door while the club keeps the money made at the bar. I can’t do that because I don’t own the bar.”

However, Murray and Poehner both firmly believe local bands should receive the support of the community.

“Local bands give a sense that the community has a culture of its own,” Murray said. “They often offer music that might be interesting to somebody who is looking for something different from the norm.”

Poehner said local music is “a sign of musical well-being in any community. You’ve got to support local music or it will die.” She also emphasized that audience members might have a chance to see the next big thing.

Bands such as R.E.M., Hootie and the Blowfish, Smashing Pumpkins and Phish all started out as local college bands before gaining world-wide stardom.

“Everybody comes from somewhere,” Poehner said, “and local bands have as good of a chance as anybody else of being popular. But the band has got to have a package, they have got to promote themselves well and slog it out for the long term. You can’t be in a band and say ‘I’ve been around for six months, I’m hot shit now.’

“And who knows, you might be able to say that you knew a popular band back when they only played small clubs.”

According to Murray, the chances of becoming a world-wide known band are “a million to one shot which depends on the creative process, talent and attention.”

But he stresses that even though the chances are “next to totally unlikely” it is still fun to be in a local band or to support them.