Busy band heads back home

It’s a homecoming of sorts for Pictures of Then.

Nearly two years ago, the self-described classic British rock band infused with a touch of indie flair, was formed by Joe Gamble, Joe Call and Casey Call, all natives of the Iowa Great Lakes.

A year ago, the three moved to Minneapolis, added keyboardist Tim Greenwood, and began heavily promoting their unique sound.

“Once we got up here, we really came to fruition,” Gamble said. “It’s been no looking back since.”

Originally, the Lakes natives thought it would be easy to occasionally make the three-and-a-half hour jaunt back home. But, Pictures of Then’s popularity has made that a little difficult.

“We’ve been doing over 100 shows a year, so whenever we do go home, we don’t want to go anywhere,” Gamble said. “We end up just hanging out in Minneapolis a lot.”

But, the band will be making a repeat appearance at the Green Wave Music Festival on Sunday, Aug. 16, at Kenue Park in Okoboji.

“It’s cool, because it’s kind of like a homecoming for us,” Gamble said. “It gives us a great excuse to go home, hang around Okoboji and visit our families for a few days.”

What’s more, the members of Pictures of Then are very supportive of the Green Wave message.

“What’s neat about Green Wave is that it’s clearly about the music, but at the same time, it’s promoting something larger than that. And, what’s really neat is that it’s not happening in Minneapolis, Madison or Chicago, it’s happening in Okoboji. I don’t think people really understand how neat that is. There are a lot of progressive cities that carry the green message, yet Okoboji is a small town, and it’s doing one of the coolest activist activities I’ve seen as far as getting the word out. That’s really neat.”


The Band:
Casey Call, vocals and guitar
Joe Call, drums
Joe Gamble, guitar
Tim Greenwood, keyboard and background vocals


Wicked Sea:
Check out Picture of Then’s latest album, “And the Wicked Sea,” before the band’s performance at the Green Wave Music Festival.
The album, which dropped on Tuesday, is available for purchase on iTunes or on www.myspace.com/picturesofthen.


MTV:
Minneapolis based Pictures of Then may have just released their latest album, but that isn’t the only thing the band is excited about.
“Recently, we’ve just been licensed on five or six different MTV shows,” said guitarist Joe Gamble.
Gamble expects the songs to be played this fall once the new television line-up is aired.


Schedule:
1-2:30 p.m. Damon Dotson
3-4:30 p.m. Driftwood Fire
5-6:30 p.m. Lonesome Traveler
7-8:30 p.m. Pictures of Then


At a Glance:
What: Green Wave Music Festival
Where: Kenue Park, 2251 County Home Rd., Okoboji
When: Noon-8:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16
Cost: Tickets, $5; parking, $10
Contact: (712) 331-1493
Online: www.greenwavefest.com

This article appeared in the August 8, 2009 edition of DISCOVER! Magazine.