It may be a long way from Buffalo, N.Y., for pop-punksters The Goo Goo Dolls, but lately it's been nothing but a climb to the top as they make their way into Iowa City.
On Aug. 5, the band will make a special appearance at the Union Bar, 121 E. College St. Doors for the show will open at 8 p.m.
The Goo Goo Dolls, having recently entered mainstream music thanks in part to MTV's continual rotation of the two singles "Naked" and "Long Way Down," have swept into Billboard's music charts.
Due to a small break in the band's rigorous touring schedule, the Union had the opportunity to showcase The Goo Goo Dolls.
Although the band did not have a good turnout during their last summer Iowa City appearance, the trio is finally getting the recognition it deserves, said Joe Muran, the bar's booking agent.
Fortunately for Goo Goo Doll fans, the band is back and ready to put on a spectacular show, said Ken Phillips, the band's publicist.
"Their show is all about having fun," he said. "They put on a great live show with lots of lights and have a lot of fun with their audience."
This latest tour for The Goo Goo Dolls celebrates the band's latest and fifth full-length studio release, A Boy Named Goo, produced by Lou Guordano of Husker Du and The Smithereens fame.
Instead of starting the new album by laying down tracks, this time around the band got back to the basics in recording the album, band guitarist/vocalist Johnny Rzeznik said.
"At first, we tried a real high-tech approach with all sorts of bells and whistles," Rzeznik said. "But after a while we realized that the best way to get what we were after was to get a boom box, hit the record button and just start banging away."
What came out were 13 new songs that reel the listener right in with hard-core pop and catchy riffs.
Although The Goo Goo Dolls are currently reveling in success, the band didn't gain national notoriety until its critically acclaimed fourth release, Superstar Car Wash, which sold 100,000 copies with the album's dark-edged luster.
This success has garnered them television appearances on "Late Night With Conan O'Brian" and "Beverly Hills, 90210," along with a contribution to the AIDS benefit album, No Alternative, with their version of the Rolling Stones' "Bitch."
Along with success, unfortunately, comes the scrutiny. Recently, A Boy Named Goo was pulled from Wal-Mart stores because a few people complained the cover, which features a child's face smeared with blackberry juice, looks like a poster child for c hild abuse.
Tickets for the show are $13 and are available at the Union Bar and B.J. Records, or can be charged by phone at 339-7713.
-- The Goo Goo Dolls Internet site contributed to this story.
Copyright 1996 The Daily Iowan. <http://www.uiowa.edu/~dlyiowan/>