It takes serious swagger to pull off the kind of rock and roll House of Large Sizes became known for over 35 years ago.
The intricate, machine-gun timing of the songs, the energetic delivery and the ear-splitting volume all rely on a certain confidence and attitude to pull off convincingly. At a pair of shows at Octopus College Hill in Cedar Falls on May 26 and 27, the local band’s first live performances since 2013, that characteristic swagger remained intact.
Singer-guitarist Dave Deibler stalked between his amplifier and microphone in a Howlin’ Wolf shirt during the Friday night show while bassist Barb Schilf, in her customary braids and a shirt with “bassists against racists” scrawled across the back, hopped in time to the punishing rhythms. A capacity crowd of around 80 patrons packed Octopus, the club co-owned by Deibler and Schilf in the College Hill neighborhood of Cedar Falls. The hometown fans moshed in front of the stage while shouting the words to alt-rock bangers like “Cranko-American,” “Heat Miser” and “I Think I Know That.”
Deibler and Schilf, who are married, formed House of Large Sizes (HOLS) in 1986 out of Cedar Falls. The band released its early albums on independent labels before jumping to Columbia Records for its third album “My Ass-Kicking Life.” HOLS embarked on coast-to-coast tours and earned a star on the exterior wall of First Avenue, the iconic music venue in downtown Minneapolis. The band’s initial run ended in 2003, with only sporadic appearances since.
But events conspired to bring HOLS back to the stage in 2023. Organizers for 80/35, the annual music festival in Des Moines, approached HOLS, and the band agreed to play this year’s festival on July 7.
Deibler turned 60 on May 24 (a birthday he proudly shares with Bob Dylan), and the Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Music Association announced it will induct House of Large Sizes into its hall of fame with its 2023 class. Deibler and Schilf – along with drummer Brent Hanson – decided a pair of shows at Octopus would be the perfect way to celebrate the milestones and gear up for the 80/35 gig.
“Before I owned a club, I thought if you played your own club you were kind of a jerk, you know?” Deibler joked during a phone interview a few hours before taking the stage on Friday, adding that the band’s familiarity with Octopus made it the right setting for the band’s return.
During the interview, Deibler sounded relaxed and confident in the band’s ability to revive the panache that put them on the map. He said he jogs to maintain the stamina required to sing the rapid-fire lyrics of HOLS’ catalog for 70 minutes at a clip, and he said the band members rehearsed enough to execute the stop-on-a-dime arrangements of many of the group’s songs. The preparation resulted in a triumphant return to the stage for one of the Iowa music scene’s guiding lights.
House of Large Sizes came of age during an era in which weirdos playing obscenely loud rock music shook America’s pop cultural foundations. HOLS contemporaries like the Butthole Surfers and Smashing Pumpkins brought alternative culture to the masses and eventually took over the airwaves. House of Large Sizes was in the room when it happened. And now, nearly 40 years on, it’s a privilege to be in the same room as House of Large Sizes.
Fred Love is a journalist, communications professional and musician in Ames who has dedicated his creative life to reviving cowpunk as a viable rock subgenre. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @iamfredlove.
