Pumptown

Joe Hynek stands in his socks surrounded by 150 pigs, but he's not worried about getting dirty. He doesn't have to worry.

Hynek is actually on the floor of the new C6 lab inside the Virtual Reality Applications Center (VRAC) in Howe Hall. He grins as he casually raises his foot and watches it pass through one of the holographic pigs.

Hynek, a graduate student in mechanical engineering, is a modern-day Renaissance man. His recent endeavors include two projects at the VRAC, development of an online media company, a recent tour in a country music band and production of the band's debut CD.

Hynek is one of three students selected nationally to receive a Rothermel Graduate Scholarship awarded by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Auxiliary for outstanding scholastic achievement and excellent character.

The $2,000 grant will allow Hynek to further his graduate study research in computational fluid dynamics, which involves using the C6 lab to model the two-phase flow of large particles. John Deere plans to use the technology in a new model of cotton picker.

As part of a research assistantship, Hynek also uses the C6 lab to model airflow through buildings that house swine. The project is intended to improve building design in order to reduce the amounts of methane and ammonia swine inside the structures are exposed to.

"I just want to give them a better life," Hynek said.

In addition to his academic pursuits, Hynek toured in a country music band called Pumptown with his sisters over the summer. The band was formed as a result of Hynek's first-place award in the Pappajohn Center competition for new entrepreneurs last fall.

Hynek's winning business plan was for an online entertainment company. After winning the competition, he used the award money to buy recording equipment and to set up a Web site, www.pumptown.com, and an online store to market the band.

"The band thing is sort of my diversification," Hynek said. "I have fun in grad school, but the band is my creative outlet."

Andrew Holtz, junior in mechanical engineering and Hynek's longtime friend, said he often wonders how Hynek is able to accomplish so much.

"I don't know how he does it," Holtz said. "Joe is crazy, and he makes every moment fun."

In addition to a recent tour of Iowa fairs with Pumptown, including the Iowa State Fair, Hynek has traveled to Europe, South America and Antarctica with Iowa State's study abroad program. Hynek tries to buy an indigenous musical instrument from each place he travels. He is most proud of his Argentinian torongo, a stringed instrument made from an armadillo shell.

Hynek, who plays guitar and sings for Pumptown, also finds time to write the songs for the band, which friends describe as having "an original Iowa sound." He has also nearly finished writing "Farmer Song," a semi-autobiographical epoch musical about his family's experience with the 1980s farm crisis, which he hopes Pumptown will perform.

Unless Pumptown makes it big, Hynek said he plans to finish his master's program and go on to receive a doctorate degree.

- Iowa State Daily

Iowa State has its very own television star walking around campus.
Joe Hynek, sophomore in computer engineering and genetics, is one of the stars of the new Hy-Vee Food & Drug Store commercial that was aired for the first time last month.

Ruth Mitchell of Hy-Vee's communication department said store officials were looking for a way to produce a new image, and they thought the contest would be a good way to bring attention to Hy-Vee's slogan and jingle.

Hynek's video was one of several that was entered into the contest. He submitted a video featuring him and his two sisters, Amy and Amanda, singing a jingle to the "My Hy-Vee" song.

"We just decided to do it for fun," Hynek said.

Hynek, who made up the tune, played his guitar, and his two sisters sang along. Amy, 15, drummed oatmeal cans, while 12-year-old Amanda shook salt shakers.

"We thought it would be a good idea [to use food products] to symbolize and promote Hy-Vee," Hynek said.

Although the trio was chosen from 1,000 entries, Hynek said he and his family had thought they won by default.

"We thought we only won because no one else entered the contest; that's the first thing we think if we win something," he said.

While Hynek was surprised by the win, his friends were not the least bit shocked.

"Joe is the most 'can-do' person I've ever met; anything he puts his mind to, he can do. His talents are limitless," said Bret Winterle, junior in mechanical engineering and a friend of Hynek's.

Hynek said he and his sisters didn't start making the video until the night before it was due.

"We were just going for 25 bucks," Hynek said.

The regional winners were awarded $25 in Hy-Vee gift certificates. However, Hynek and his two sisters won the Des Moines district.

As district winners, they received a $500 gift certificate and a spot on the commercial. The Hynek siblings were one of 11 groups that won roles in the commercials.

After giving some of the gift certificate to their parents, the Hyneks divided the rest of it among the three of them.

The Hynek's video was filmed in a Des Moines park to create a picnic-like setting where the Hyneks could sing the "My Hy-Vee" song.

The final commercial, which is aired nationwide, includes the Hyneks and the other 10 groups, each singing a phrase of the jingle.

"I kind of felt like a star because they supplied clothes and even had makeup artists for us," Hynek said.

The fact that the Hyneks are from the hometown of the first Hy-Vee, Beaconsfield, Iowa in Ringgold County, made the win even more memorable.

"I use to mow their lawn with my service, Joe's Mow; now Amy's mow service does it," Hynek said.

Mitchell said store representatives were looking for a commercial that showed off singing ability, creativity and enthusiasm. The producers also were seeking people who have the "helpful smile look."

Even though the final commmercial was different than the video the Hyneks submitted, the ISU student said he likes it.

"I like the commercial, but I wish we would have been able to express our creativity by doing it the Hynek way," he said.

- Iowa State Daily

Farmer Song

reviewed by Michael Ferrell

Aug 13, 2007

In the Iowa State Daily, Farmer Song's co-author Joe Hynek was quoted as saying, "In every community it seems like there's a local jam band that gets together on Saturday night to play music. Those are the people I wrote the musical for."

I wanted to see Farmer Song because it appeared to have a lot of heart and deal with important issues. It seemed devoid of irony, sarcasm, gimmicks, and exclamation points. I'm happy to say that my expectations were met and I was honored to be let into the world of Joe Hynek and his band of Iowan farmers.

I would also be lying if I said Farmer Song is anything but a wholesome, well-intentioned, community theatre production from Iowa. New York audiences make no mistake, the actors in this show are farmers, engineers, and pharmacy technicians; not professional actors. Nor are the writers professional playwrights. Perspective is an important part of whether or not you will enjoy Farmer Song as much as I did.

The play is set in Ellston, Iowa. Population 57. The year is 1982, shortly after the Farm Crisis swept through the Midwest. Basically, because of a series of convoluted government programs and a shifting economy, farmers went broke (not poor, as the play points out) trying to maintain their old way of life. As the play opens, we are introduced to Becky, who lives with her parents, Frank and Ruth, and is in love with her "Hometown Boyfriend," Carl, our protagonist. Frank is forced to sell his farm and the ambitious Carl decides to buy the land. Carl sets out against all odds to make a living farming, on the way encountering a very funny character (played with silly delight by Bill Hynek) who sells him a rickety Russian tractor. Carl marries Becky, much to the dismay of her father, and the struggle begins to wear on the newlyweds.

The songs in Farmer Song are homegrown, simple bluegrass/country songs. Some of them are infectious, like "I Like Baling," an homage to, well, baling hay. And some I would put up against any musical theatre love song, like, "Wild Rose," a song that manages to make the simplest love story heart-wrenching. The songs work best when sung by the two young leads, Joe Hynek, playing Carl, and Amy Burgmaier (who has a great voice), playing Becky. Throughout, the lyrics contain gems like "Your retirement plan is the kids you raise" and the scenes contain fantastic lines like

BECKY: I must smell like a cow.
CARL: Lucky you, that's my favorite scent.

Which I think is only a half-joke.

When Becky is singing about Carl, she brags, "He's got more muscle than a movie star 'cause he works like a man." Besides liking this line a lot, I also think it describes what this musical has over some of the slick, professional musicals playing in New York right now. Only substitute "heart" for "muscle."

The play ends on a high note, and a progressive message from the people who are "Honest, Stubborn, and Simple." This particular local jam band from this small community in Iowa should be proud of their show here in New York, even if they didn't write it for us.

Written/created by: Joe Hynek and Angie Hynek
Directed by Jane Cox
Presented by Pumptown Productions
- nytheatre.com

Bizarre antics saturate the New York International Fringe Festival, but one particularly brazen act will likely perplex and intrigue New Yorkers more than any nudity or profanity. Feast your eyes, dear cosmopolitan readers, on the simple joys of hay baling.

Direct from the heartland, Farmer Song: The Musical is a charming, down-home venture set in Iowa and delivered by an authentic Iowan cast, some of whom, according to the program, are or have been farmers. Although it suffers from sluggish direction and the acting restraints of many of its cast members, Farm Song offers an important message cushioned by an endearing love story.

As explained in the program, the "farm crisis" swept the Midwest in the 1980s. Interest rates soared, land values dropped, and the resulting debt left many farmers struggling to get by. The show opens with the auction of Frank and Ruth Whitby's farm property. Despite the meager odds, their daughter Becky and her husband Carl decide to make their future in farming, and the musical chronicles their attempts to make a living.

Supported by a thumping three-piece band (fiddle, bass, and guitar), Joe Hynek's pleasant score—a blend of bluegrass, country, and folk—conjures up dusty roads and rusty sunsets. His lyrics are sometimes awkwardly phrased ("I wish that the wealth in our country was more spread across"), but certain songs, like the yearning ballad "Wild Rose," leave you wanting more.

The production plods along steadily in want of more focused direction. Conversations often meander and trail off inexplicably, and sharp attention to the show's central conflicts would certainly pep up its book. Stronger direction would also benefit the cast members, who—while earnest and plucky—turn in extremely uneven performances. The dissonant acting styles veer from naturalistic to presentational to completely bombastic. Still, Hynek and Amy Burgmaier (as Becky) generate sweet chemistry as the young couple. And Joel Perkins, the banker, gives a thrilling performance of the bluesy "Honest, Stubborn, and Simple," a melancholy ode to hardworking farmers. Perkins has such a genuine presence and lovely, easy voice that I found myself wishing for more verses.

If its melodramatic tangles are often laughable, the crucial subject matter that Farmer Song addresses is certainly not. Kudos to this hard-working troupe for trucking in to give New Yorkers a taste of something more wholesome and no less incisive than the usual artsy offerings. The Fringe is all about eclecticism and daring, and Pumptown Productions is working to redefine its borders on a new frontier.
- offoffonline.com by Amy Krivohlavek