The Awful Purdies’ new release, The Great Unraveling is a defining statement for these accomplished musicians who combine their strengths, with wearied joy, to perform miracles. The songs are timely and timeless. The album is proud but not boastful, strong but not brutal, both wise and playful. The sheer quality of the material and the […]
Articles by Daniel Boscaljon
Album Review: Stephanie Catlett — ‘Caught Under Glass’

Caught Under Glass by Stephanie Catlett Stephanie Catlett surprised listeners with her 2019 EP Meet Me in the Dream, and fans of her initial work will be delighted to know that her 2020 LP Caught Under Glass (available today, Dec. 11) holds intricate poetic depth and a melodic sensitivity that expand on her initial promise. […]
Album Review: Bernemann Brothers Band — ‘Gone West’

With the Nov. 1 release of their debut album, Gone West, the Bernemann Brothers Band finally provides their fan base with a set of songs that show how far they’ve come in the past five years. The band started with a single performance, when musical brothers and veteran musicians Matt (drums) and Ryan (guitar and […]
Beatrice Thomas returns to Witching Hour to guide us through the apocalypse

Over the past five years, Witching Hour has become an innovator within festival cultures. While many festivals are stops on a circuit of touring bands that parade spectacles for passive participants, Witching Hour, like the Englert’s Mission Creek Festival, has created a different tonality, celebrating the arts as an expression of community. But its core […]
Album Review: Vanek/Yager — ‘Ghost Actions’

Ghost Actions by Gabi Vanek & Will Yager What can you do during quarantine, when nothing you read or hear seems to suit the mood that hovers around the margins of panic? Something like this. What happens when ASMR stops working, and you need to give a voice to the strange background anxiety that bubbles […]
Album Review: The Aircraft — ‘Dust is Dust’

Dust is Dust by The Aircraft The Aircraft, a three-piece band from Sioux Center, Iowa released their first full length album, Dust is Dust, on May 15. The indie-rock debut features a set of songs that summon a summertime spirit, ranging from earnest, higher-tempo songs that would sound quite excellent blasting on a stereo while […]
Ageless Art program at PiX FiZ gallery offers artistic expression to dementia patients and more

As one of the newest art galleries in the greater New Bohemia area of Cedar Rapids, PiX FiZ (located at 1136 9th St SE) is working to distinguish itself as an event-based destination for those interested in innovative art experiences. Xene Abraham, who opened the gallery on April 20, 2019, hopes to provide an alternative […]
Album Review: Stephanie Catlett — ‘Meet Me In the Dream’
Alyssa Limperis, mom impersonator and mental-health podcaster, to perform at Floodwater Comedy Festival

Alyssa Limperis frequently uses the word “joy” when she speaks of performing. That coincides, for her, with focus, presence and aliveness. “[It’s a] runner’s high, a feeling of no doubt, no pain, doing something that feels right, good and not doing anything else. That’s a rare feeling, with phones and everything else: to know I’m […]
Wassail in celebration of the Apple Tree Man returns to Rapid Creek Cidery with Flash In a Pan

Rapid Creek Cidery will be presenting their second annual Wassail event on Saturday, Feb. 1, with doors opening for VIP ticket holders at 6:30 p.m. and the downstairs opening for everyone at 7:30 p.m. Standard tickets are $25, and include a pint of cider, light appetizers and the sounds of Flash in a Pan, Iowa City’s notably excellent bluegrass band. […]
Book Review: ‘Cleanness’ by Garth Greenwell

Cleanness, the second book by Garth Greenwell (released Jan. 14, 2020), is exemplary. It provides rare rewards to its readers beyond the scope dared by many authors of contemporary literature. It demands much of the reader — not due to its difficulty, but in the unrelenting rigor of the narrator who patiently preserves the paradoxes of everyday […]
Album Review: Body Punishment — ‘Body Punishment Presents: Oyster World’

Body Punishment surfaced on Oct. 27 with an EP — Body Punishment Presents: Oyster World — released on Bandcamp, which features Siren Song I-IV. The “about” section says, “Millennia old sea sirens surface with a vengeance and a taste for human blood.” Shortly thereafter, the group performed at Yacht Club — a costumed duo […]