It can be difficult finding a sturdy, writerly hook for the idea of “home.” What new things can be said about finding your place in this world? Well, as it turns out, there’s still plenty that you can *sing* about home.
Arts & Entertainment
Posted inCommunity/News
After flipping vinyl to pay for film school, Isaac Smith now operates a store of his own: Zig Zog’s Records in North Liberty
The vinyl collector bug bit Isaac Smith hard after he asked his parents for a turntable on his 13th birthday. After acquiring a few thousand records since that pivotal moment in 2015, the Bettendorf native recently opened a record store of his own in North Liberty. Zig Zog’s Records is the realization of a pipe […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Athlete and lawyer Paul Robeson was a renowned singer of spirituals, Broadway hits and patriotic tunes. By 1950, the U.S. government flagged him as a radical.
On the evening of Feb. 4, 1932, an eager crowd gathered at the Hoyt Sherman Place auditorium for a recital of spirituals by a man whose bass-baritone voice was already legendary. Paul Robeson was an all-American football player, Columbia-educated lawyer, and star of both a hit musical and a West End Shakespeare production. A Des […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: Ballet Des Moines’ ‘Nothing Holds Still’ featured veiled dancers, intricate partner work, the Belin Quartet and a painting danced onto the canvas
Ballet Des Moines offered an evening of world premieres with their latest performance, Nothing Holds Still. The program featured works by three choreographers, each exploring themes of time, transformation and stillness through their own unique perspective. In all, music and movement communicate diverse emotions without any need for words. The program opened with a depiction […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
This Weekend in Iowa: a birthday burlesque show, a tribute to an Americana legend and more
Established 2001 | Always free! If you’re a folk fan, punk fan or like a bit of both, you’ll find plenty to bop your head to this first weekend in March. At Wildwood in Iowa City, a full roster pays tribute to the late Americana master Todd Snider. In Cedar Falls, the Loft is holding […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Plain Spoken: Poems to stop a flop in the reeking koi pond of Christian nationalism
Recent events in Minneapolis have demonstrated the by-now-obvious entrenchment of American Christianity in the nation’s fascist movement. Demonstrators at Cities Church were right to see David Easterwood — simultaneously a pastor at the church and the director of an ICE field office — as a potent symbol of fascist and evangelical lamination. Given the breadth […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Dante Powell hosts one of Iowa’s hottest comedy shows: ‘I’m not bootlicking, I’m not tip-toeing. I am who I am’
Dante Powell is on a roll. The Louisiana-born comic has clocked thousands of miles as both a truck driver and a comedian. Powell has called Des Moines his home for over a decade, headlining shows in the capital while hitting the road in major cities with Gary Gulman, Janelle James, Rory Scovel and other gods […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Mission Creek Festival and Brink announce lineup for Day Party, a new, one-day festival of music, arts and food
Saturday, April 25 will mark the first Day Party, a one-day mini-festival in downtown Iowa City co-directed by Mission Creek Festival and Brink, a literary nonprofit supporting hybrid writing. Tickets went on sale Friday morning.
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘We Can Do Better’ by Paul Johnson, edited by Curt Meine
Former Iowa state legislator Paul W. Johnson wore a number of hats throughout his life, including chief of what’s now known as the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Editor Curt Meine, a longtime friend and kindred conservationist spirit of Johnson, has gathered an insightful body of Johnson’s work in We Can Do Better: Collected Writings […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘The more aggressive we got, the more we found ourselves’: The Rumours reflect on their rise ahead of a hometown show at Octopus College Hill
When the Rumours pull into the venue Saturday and start unloading their van, it’s inevitable someone will assume they’re the “girlfriends carrying the guy’s gear.” “They don’t know that we’re the girl band that’s actually playing,” said Ela Moore, bassist and singer for the Rumours. “Yeah, it’s one of those situations. We get a lot of disrespect, so we’re just kind of pissed off about it.”
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘It has always been me and the guys’: Tina Haase Findlay embraces her status as one of the great Iowa jazz/blues performers
Celebrated for her warm, welcoming personality as well as her rich, vibrant singing, Tina Haase Findlay has been inducted into two Iowa music halls of fame. Little Village talked with Findlay about reconciling her interests with the biases of others, retaining gratitude throughout her career and what piece of advice she shares with all of […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: From passionate to jazzy to epic, the Des Moines Symphony shined with ‘Love–Romeo & Juliet’
The Des Moines Symphony offered classical music enthusiasts an ideal date night on Valentine’s weekend with Love–Romeo & Juliet, the aptly titled fourth installment of their Masterworks Series. The baton was wielded by guest conductor, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, who led a nuanced program of European masterpieces. Harth-Bedoya’s rapport with the ensemble was remarkable considering this is […]
