The Fabulous Trutones to headline Northside Saturday Nights

During the '60s it was common for bands to have the adjective “fabulous” in their moniker. There were the Fabulous Wailers, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and the Fabulous Flippers. And then there was a band called The Beatles, who were also known by swooning fans as the Fabs.

Iowa City's Fabulous Trutones tips its caps to the bands of yore which had the word meaning “extraordinary” in its name.

"There's quite a history of bands that have the name ‘fabulous,’" Fabulous Trutones drummer James Dreier said. "We're a throwback. When the Fabulous Trutones started, we were originally called Tim and the Truetones after our lead vocalist and guitarist (Tim Wagoner), but Tim didn't want that name anymore, and we came up with the fabulous moniker. It works for us."

The Fabulous Trutones, which delivers blues-based roots rock, is an old fashioned power trio. "We love a band with three musicians," Dreier said. "I grew up on Jimi Hendrix and The Who. The Who are basically a power trio, three musicians with a singer. I remember seeing The Who in San Francisco in 1968. I was barely a teenager ... I don't remember a whole lot, but I do recall Keith Moon throwing his floor tom up in the air and the guy behind the stage catching it."

Dreier has a lot more respect for his instrument. "I'm 72, and I'm not doing anything like that," Dreier said. "It's enough for me to play."

Expect The Fabulous Trutones when the band plays Saturday for Northside Saturday Nights to primarily render its own tunes. "We play a lot of original music," Dreier said. "Two-thirds of our music is original. But we also have some covers that aren't typical."

The Fabulous Trutones, which also includes bassist Paul Ferguson, offers their take on The Car's song "Drive" and versions of Aretha Franklin and Bonnie Raitt songs.

"We just have so much fun with this band," Dreier said. "It's such a blast to continue playing in a band like ours. It's fun playing a lot of different tempos and it's fun playing with Tim, who is a singer-songwriter, who has worked for many years in Nashville and Austin. He's been around and done all kinds of stuff. We have so much fun working with him."

Dreier, who taught at the Berklee College of Music in Boston for nine years, has been in bands for more than a half-century. Dreier has kept time for jazz, blues, rock, funk and Latin bands.

"I enjoy playing all kinds of music," Dreier said. "The diversity makes it interesting. It's been so much fun being with this band. We have such a great time together when we hit the stage. It's great to live here and to be in a group like the Fabulous Trutones."

Dreier has been part of Iowa City for half of his life. "I've been here for 36 years, and for 21 years I was professor at the University of Iowa in the jazz department. I've always been involved in teaching at various places in Eastern Iowa. I love it here. There's no place like it. It's a good situation for us. Paul is in Waterloo, and Tim is east of Marshalltown, so we're not too far from each other. We make it work."

Dreier hopes to play more gigs in Iowa City. "That would be great since this is my town," Dreier said. "I'm looking forward to the Northside gig. It'll be fun, and I also live around there, so it will be the closest gig to my home. We would love to play more around here, but we're having a hard time finding venues. We just want more people to be able to hear what we're doing in this area."