Live Music Preview: May 8-13
The month of May has come, and, while this means nothing for the various working stiffs in Iowa City, it does signal one of my favorite times of the year: the exodus of most of the undergrads and the...
On The Beat
Live Music Preview: April 24 through May 1
William Tyler is a busy man. Even if you’ve never heard of him, it is likely you’ve heard his music in some form. Tyler has been a longtime member of Lambchop and has appeared on records by Bonnie “P...
Live Music Preview: April 9-15
With the presence of bands like Foo Fighters and Nickelback, some might say that rock and roll is dying if not dead. On the contrary, I would argue that these bands are not rock and roll. Sure, they ...
Live Music Preview: 3/25 through 4/3
The Mission Creek Festival will soon be upon us, and Iowa City is holding its collective breath until it finally arrives. While Mission Creek’s main entrée is music (with healthy portions of literatu...
On The Beat: Old school’s back in session
By the time that you are reading this column, the annual Mission Creek Festival will be less than a month away, a sign that spring is beginning to rear its head and musicians are getting back on the ...
On The Beat: Aesop Rock, White Mystery and more coming to Iowa City
Right now, Mountains may be one of the best in the business when it comes to ambient, experimental music. Long...
On the Beat: Paul Collins, Menomena and more in Iowa City
The next couple of weeks offer a diverse lineup of shows. There are remarkable rockers who influenced the sound of groups like Blondie while they...
On the Beat: Party Time
As the year winds down, December is a time when I generally become pensive. Looking back on the past twelve months, I can safely say that 2012 has been an excellent year musically. There have been so...
On the Beat: Reunion Rock
Kelly Pardekooper began his musical career right here in Iowa City. Though currently based in Indianapolis, Pardekooper certainly hasn’t abandoned his Iowa roots. His 2011 album, Yonder, was p...
On the Beat: Chill Wave
If one thing becomes clear in November, it is that the winter is not too far away. The trees have lost most (if not all) of their leaves. The days have become shorter while the nights have gotten col...
On the Beat: Iowa City Song Project
I try to collect as much Iowa City music as I possibly can. When I can’t buy a record at a show, I scour Bandcamp pages for the ones I don’t have yet. I spend hours creating and editing mixes of my f...
On The Beat: In Defense of Homework
I’ve been sitting on this for awhile, but with some of the people I’ve seen getting deals recently, I think it has to be said. I believe that the internet is killing hip hop. It’s f...
On The Beat: Buddy System
As summer begins to wind down and the population of Iowa City rises to full student capacity once again, it can feel a little stuffy. This feeling passes though, with the awareness that more bodies a...
On The Beat: September 5-19, 2012
Whenever I travel, I find music ends up being a very large part of my trip because I am frequently thinking about the connection between music and geography. Wherever I am, I am on the lookout for di...
On the Beat: Searching for the Summer Jam
Although it is my least favorite season for any variety of reasons such as boredom, I do look forward to the summer. It’s the traveling season as well as a time to enjoy all the city has to off...