Today, the Mission Creek Festival announced some new confirmations, including local talents Will Whitmore, Grant Tetons and Wet Hair. William Elliott Whitmore cut his teeth strumming a banjo and opening for legendary Iowa City emo-core outfit Ten Grand. More than a decade later, Whitmore has five rough-hewn folk records to his name and sells out […]
January 2012
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Black Milk and Tim Hecker added to lineup for Mission Creek 2012
Curtis Cross made his name–Black Milk–in Detroit, twisting the soul sounds of the previous generation around sharp, clean, bass-heavy beats. The J Dilla apostle released a series of ever-improving beat tapes before stepping out from behind his MPCs and synths to grab the mic on 2007’s Popular Demand. Since becoming a double threat, Black Milk […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
H. Jon Benjamin and Jon Glaser to join David Cross at Mission Creek 2012
The Mission Creek Festival announced this morning that frequent collaborators H. Jon Benjamin and Jon Glaser will join David Cross at Mission Creek 2012. This lineup is not part of a tour or anything, just something these friends putting together for us here in Iowa City. If you are a fan of cartoons for grownups, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
American Reason on KRUI: 1/15/12
This week on American Reason we discussed Rick Santorum and some listener mail regarding rights. Direct Link:Â American Reason on KRUI: January 15, 2012 Subscribe:Â iTunes
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Thomas Comerford – Archive + Spiral
Thomas Comerford Archive + Spiral www.thomascomerford.bandcamp.com As the principal singer and songwriter in the band Kaspar Hauser, Thomas Comerford has built a reputation for his inventive take on roots rock. Archive + Spiral is less rocking and more country, with a vibe more living room than rock club. Comerford’s slightly nasal baritone recalls Lou Reed […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Elite 8: Music of 2011
It is a bit odd to condense a year’s worth of listening into such a short, impossibly definitive list, yet each of us is attracted to the act of putting a stamp on a handful of albums that may (or may not) represent the best of the year in question. It is all about a sense of style, a method of sculpting self-identity by which others will judge us and against which we will judge others. So, having acknowledged both the absurdity and necessity of making such lists, let us now gaze upon the Elite 8 records of 2011.
Posted inCommunity/News
The Moderate's Dilemma
In the modern age of the GOP – which originated with Newt Gingrich’s historic 1994 midterm grab of the House of Representatives – moderate Republicans tend to travel an unusual road during presidential primary season, particularly in relation to the Iowa caucus. Four years ago, early Republican front-runner Rudy Giuliani took trumped-up media warnings about his caucus viability to heart. Sensing that an East Coast pro-choicer could never win in corn country, he bypassed Iowa altogether. On the advice of his campaign manager Mike DuHaime, he also skipped New Hampshire and South Carolina and focused his full campaign efforts on Florida. But by the time Florida – with all of its pro-Rudy retired New Yorkers – rolled around, Giuliani already had three losses to his name and the media had made him an afterthought. He finished third in the Sunshine State and dropped out before Super Tuesday, later admitting his strategy to be a colossal mistake.
Posted inCommunity/News
Braving the Elements
There’s nothing quite like an Iowa winter to make you want to lock yourself inside the house (with a few dozen tins of leftover holiday cookies) and not come out until March. As the temperatures drop, my wimpiness skyrockets. Venturing out to the grocery store makes me feel outdoorsy and I grant my bicycle an […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Your Town Now: The Year to Come
Saying the face of downtown will change this year is no hyperbole, given the spread of likely-to-be-developed properties. This column will give you the lowdown on some things to expect this year. But first, let’s check in on our old friend John Millar…
Posted inCommunity/News
Townie Hawk: Hawk Couture
Ah, football. What is it about this sport? It’s more than the hot chocolate warming our hands through our mittens, the bass drum catching hold of the chilly air, or the outsized energy of the players. For me, after all the touchdowns are tallied and all the drinks are drained, the greatest thing about this […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment, Hot Tin Roof
Hot Tin Roof: Star Kite, Fair Wedding
Take a look at the winning January 2011 submission for our monthly writing contest, Hot Tin Roof. This month, we feature two poems by Iowa Writer’s Workshop alum Margaret Lemay-Lewis.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Iowa City Weekender: January 12-15
Welcome to the Weekender! Come on in and get comfortable and see what we have in store this snowy weekend. Temperatures have dropped and we’re seeing our first frozen precipitation after a freaky streak of wintery warmness. I usually try to avoid talking about the weather, but that was kind of nuts, right? Just as […]
