This Thursday only, singer-songwriter Brooks Strause will return to Ames for a show at the Iowa Music Store. 

As always, it’s a busy time for Strause. Earlier this week, he released his sixth solo album,“Renaissance Beast,” and embarked on a tour of Iowa with Nate Logsdon and Lesbian Poetry. He has already begun work on what will be his seventh, eighth, and ninth records, and is readying an earlier album, “Dead Animals,” for a maximum Ames reissue in the near future.

Though he has always been prolific, Strause says he’s just now hitting his stride.

“It’s just been kind of snowballing since the very beginning,” Strause said. “I’m kind of in a good groove right now, and have just been having a lot of ideas and a lot of time to make [everything] happen. I think I’m just getting better at all the things I’ve been doing all this time.” 

A native of Muscatine, Iowa, Strause began playing guitar in middle school. He honed his skills on the punk circuit before joining the Old Scratch Revival Singers in 2003. The band was heavily influenced by American music of the 1930s and 1940s, along with the sounds of traditional Eastern European folk.

While the band’s gothic Americana was a departure from the punk many of its members had grown up playing, it remained close to the punk scene, playing many shows alongside harder bands like Modern Life Is War. 

Strause began releasing music as a solo artist in 2007. Like a painter with a vast pallet of colors to work with, Strause draws on elements of everything from punk to bluegrass to create his unique take on folk-rock. Soft-spoken and somewhat reserved in conversation, Strause plays his music with unbridled passion and a somewhat gruff vocal delivery.

Many of his songs feature dark themes and gothic imagery that stem from his own struggles with depression. Though he says he is much happier these days, Strause still believes it is important for his listeners to consider the less pleasant aspects of life.

“When I started writing songs that meant something and were deeper, that’s where I was coming from,” Strause said. “I feel like understanding how horrifying things can get makes the light that much brighter.”

Tourmate Nate Logsdon of Maximum Ames Records has been a longtime fan of Strause.

“Brooks is an amazing artist,” Logsdon said. “He’s been a huge inspiration to me as a songwriter. His lyrics and his arrangements are just superb.”

The two musicians recently collaborated on Logsdon’s third solo release, “Bathtub Against the Sea.” In addition to stepping in as producer, Strause made numerous contributions to the songs’ arrangements and instrumentation. According to Logsdon, Strause’s influence can be heard throughout the album.

“I think he really put his mark on the record,” Logsdon said. “His style of composition comes through in the arrangements as well as in the tone and the feel of the record.” 

“Brooks and I have played lots of shows together and have listened to one another’s music for a long time, so we were able to collaborate really smoothly in the recording process and it turned into an amazing session.”

The album was recorded, mixed and released in just three weeks — a breakneck pace even for an artist as productive as Strause.

“It was a really fast project, which is not how I usually do things,” Strause said. “It was a really fun challenge.”

Strause plans to spend much more time on his next big project: a rock opera entitled “The Lamentable Tragedy of Butch Strange”. The album will feature a cast of his friends, including members of Old Scratch Revival Singers, The Beat Strings and Peas and Carrot.

“I think it’s going to be a long project because I think it’s a significant work of art,” Strause said. “It’s worth looking for people who want to put money in to have it recorded professionally.” 

Though “Butch Strange” will be a major undertaking, it’s doubtful that it will be the only project he will work on in the coming months. In addition to music, he has many creative outlets including painting, drawing, making films, and writing short stories.

Strause also works as an in-home care professional in Iowa City, staying overnight at his client’s homes. He is able to get his workweek out of the way during his sleeping hours, so the rest of his time may be devoted to his artistic pursuits.

“All of my waking time is potential time to be working on art,” Strause said. “I worked a long time to figure out how to set my life up so that it was most conducive to making art.

“I’m trying to break ground and do as many [things] as I can all the time. I just express myself in every way that I possibly can to try to build a complete picture of who I am and what’s in my brain.” 

Brooks Strause w/Nate Logsdon, Lesbian Poetry, and Flavor Basket

Thursday, November 6 @ 6 p.m. 

Iowa Music Store (300 Main Street)

All Ages – $5