Quad Cities arts collective Void Church has a taste for the goth, synthy and underground side of music. It’s no surprise, then, that they’re big fans of Italian horror films, specifically the influential works of director Lucio Fulci and composer Fabio Frizzi. The two maestros paid a visit to the Q.C. in the before times […]
Chuy Renteria
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Ukulele maestro Andrew Hoyt is ‘bringing the fancy wine to the party’ with his new EP, Wooly’s release party
Des Moines singer-songwriter Andrew Hoyt isn’t letting the stress get to him. Not the stress that comes with debuting (and having entirely paid for) his first all-original EP of music, Kind of Paradise. Or the anxiety in planning the upcoming album release show at Wooly’s, the first time he’s headlined said venue. Sure that stress […]
Posted inRecreation
Spikes happen upside-down in Sepak Takraw, a popular sport among Des Moines immigrant communities
Last summer in Linnan Park, I came across a group of people volleying a hard yellow plastic ball to one another across a net. Instead of bumping and spiking the ball with their arms, they were mostly using their feet. From a bench some distance away, I could hear the crack of the ball as […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: Younger previews upcoming album ‘Y3K’ in propulsive Mission Creek set
Iowa City band Younger closed their Friday set for Mission Creek Festival with a pitch-perfect cover of Le Tigre’s “Deceptacon.” The sound, energy and song choice were on point. Immediately after, an audience member threw up his hands and said what I suspect others in the crowd were also thinking. “From now on, I’ll think […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Spring brings a shower of music releases from Mission Creek performers, a family band in Des Moines and more
Last week saw a slew of new singles, fresh videos and premiering music projects from local artists. Is it the spirit of spring? Artists capitalizing on the build-up to festival season? Whatever the reason, it’s left a lot to catch up on. Let’s round it up!
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Interview: Lady Igraine’s interpretation of what the fuck just happened
Working at our arts & culture desk, there are lots of unsolicited emails from new music artists about their latest project. Within the messages there is a best-case, white-whale scenario: hit play, immediately realize this is something different. Which is exactly what happened…
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Hinterland 2025 to feature Tyler, The Creator, Kacey Musgraves, Lana Del Rey and revamped festival grounds
Hinterland announced the lineup for its 2025 festival, returning to St. Charles the first weekend in August. The announcement comes with assurances from organizers that changes will be made to improve the Hinterland experience. Reports of overcrowding and inadequate measures to deal with Iowa’s brutal summer heat, particularly in the early days of the weekend, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Peak Iowa: An 11-year-old master, ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ author and a chess-related murder
Chess, like most discernible parts of human society, saw its usage affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, in this case, the 550-year-old game saw a marked rise in interest.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Mission Creek Festival announces lineup for their 20th fest, the final with Englert at the helm
Iowa City’s premiere music and literature festival, Mission Creek Festival, just announced its 2025 lineup. Mission Creek Festival 2025 will mark the 20th anniversary of the Festival and the last iteration produced by The Englert.
Posted inCommunity/News
Peak Iowa: Behold the most mesmerizing, ‘violently Midwest’ vibes on TikTok
Who will you really miss if TikTok is banned? Not the Hawk Tuah girl, surely. Not watching oversized Stanley cups fill with colorful liquids. Certainly not the clipped content from Jubilee, Logan Paul and Andrew Tate. No, you’ll miss those moments of magic captured by everyday people: A Boston cop plunging down on a metal […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘My Father Called Us Monkeys’ by Mario Duarte
When my friend Mario Duarte asked me to read his latest book, a series of connected short stories about a Mexican-American boy growing up in western Illinois called My Father Called Us Monkeys published by Ice Cube Press, I was both excited and a tad apprehensive.
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Teller Bank$ — ‘The Pride & Glory’
Denver-born and Des Moines-based emcee Teller Bank$ brandishes a bit of verbal gunplay at the tail end of The Pride & Glory, the latest collaborative album with producer Ed Glorious, that reminded me of the movie John Wick.
