There’s a few key facts about Superman that are pretty universally known. He’s more powerful than a locomotive. He’s able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. And Superman is renowned for being faster than a speeding bullet. Cedar Rapids had its own Superman. And Art “Superman” Pennington — who lived there from the […]
Articles by Rob Cline
Album Review: Steve Grismore Trio — ‘Better Times (Are a Comin’)’

Better Times (Are A Comin') by Steve Grismore If the music collection in your head includes the work of the late Ornette Coleman, there is a reasonable chance you have it filed under “weird” or “difficult” or even “unlistenable.” That may be true even if you consider yourself a jazz fan. Coleman, a multi-instrumentalist best […]
Book Review: ‘This Is How I Lied’ by Heather Gudenkauf
With baseball postponed, comedian Spencer Loucks found virtual inspiration

Spencer Loucks is not a sports commentator. But at the moment, he’s playing one on the internet. When the world isn’t shut down, Loucks works at the Yacht Club where he bartends, runs karaoke night and puts on comedy shows. He’s also a freelance writer and has various side projects, including a web comedy series […]
Album Review: Barry Phipps — ‘The Exuberance Phase’

When Iowa City-based multimedia artist Barry Phipps posted to Facebook that he had just released a new album, I headed to my favorite streaming service right away. I am an admirer of Phipps’ book of photography, Between Gravity and What Cheer: Iowa Photographs, and aware of his history as a musician, which included membership in […]
Album Review: Nadalands — ‘The All Souls’ Day EP’

The All Soul’s Day EP, the newest release by Nadalands, is, apparently, firmly in the post-songwriter (po-so?) tradition. This may mean that John Lindenbaum, Nadalands’ heart and soul and only official member, is engaged in employing the trappings of the singer-songwriter tradition to consider topics and ideas that are not generally the stuff […]
James Tutson and the Rollback drummer Tyler Carrington offers insight into new album ‘Make You Free’
Five questions with: author Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak was already a successful author before the publication of The Book Thief, the novel that propelled the Australian writer to international stardom, in 2005. But it was another book that he struggled to write for many years. Zusak is returning to Eastern Iowa to read from Bridge of Clay at the Iowa City Public Library on Monday, Oct. 21. […]
Album Review: Al Naylor — ‘Friends’

It’s impossible to consider Al Naylor’s album Friends without addressing the underlying fact behind its creation. Naylor — nothing short of a legend in the region’s jazz community as both an educator and a player — has been diagnosed with a health condition that will soon force his early retirement from performing. In the face of the news, […]
Can’t-miss events at the 2019 Iowa City Book Festival
Five authors to meet at the fourth annual I.O.W.A. book festival

This year’s edition of the I.O.W.A. book festival is set for Sept. 7 and 8 at the Cedar Rapids Public Library. The acronym stands for Imagine Other Worlds with Authors, and the writers on the slate certainly represent a wide array of literary worlds. From fantasy to mystery to romance and more, the festival offers readers an opportunity […]
Album Review: Jarrett Purdy — ‘Motion & Stillness’

Motion and Stillness by Jarrett Purdy Garrett Purdy is a pianist, a composer and a recent graduate of the University of Iowa’s School of Music (and through the end of July, he’s an intern at Hancher Auditorium, where I am on staff). His debut album, Motion & Stillness, is entirely made up of his jazz […]