In it’s first edition, the Festival is meant to “elevate the timeless craft of songwriting by blending world-class live performances with educational opportunities and community engagement,” as announced by the organizing team at the Englert Theatre.
Eastern Iowa Arts & Entertainment
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Aaron Pang isn’t brave. But he’s currently sharing stories from his sex life at the Edinburgh Fringe festival.
Only a day removed from a red-eye journey from Iowa City to Edinburgh, Scotland, Aaron Pang, as he puts it, is a sleepy baby. Pang and crew did that thing you try to do when traveling; power-through a night-turned-day sans sleep, hoping that your circadian rhythm can catch-up to the change in time zones. But “the time difference is a bitch,” Pang shares.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: More than 80 musicians brought their own controlled chaos to the first Burlington Jazz Festival
Like the Mississippi River, jazz flows with strength and grace, carrying stories from one generation to the next. On July 25 and 26, the inaugural Burlington Jazz Festival channeled that spirit along the river’s edge. The free two-day event turned the historic downtown into a celebration of sound. With five venues, 12 bands and more […]
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Lizzie No knows folk, drawing inspiration from ‘the Lilith Fair girls’ and social justice movements
Lizzie No’s discography is an eclectic mix of everything from country ballads to folksy foot-tappers to alt-rock imbued with righteous anger — the kind of music that perfectly soundtracks a summer drive down a country highway. The expressive voice of No (the stage name of the band’s lead singer, Lizzie Quinlan, but also the band […]
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Iowa City Jazz Festival starts Friday, bringing ‘one of the most important artists in jazz,’ jam sessions and fireworks
The Iowa City Jazz Festival kicks off at 5 p.m. on Friday as the city’s annual Summer of the Arts continues. Like all Summer of Arts festivals, the jazz fest is free and open to the public. The three-day music event in downtown Iowa City will feature local and international jazz artists and performances covering […]
Posted inCommunity/News
The Downtown Block Party is bringing live music, human checkers and a lot more to Iowa City on Saturday
From volleyball to hula hoops to a sand pit for the kids, the Iowa City Downtown District (ICDD) is bringing a bit of the beach to the streets on Saturday for the eighth annual Downtown Block Party. The Iowa City summertime staple will cover 14 blocks with art, music, culture and activities for all ages. […]
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Review: At a unique CSPS show, silence, sound baths and Cerebro-like tech create a group trance — no rave or holy ghost needed
I show up about 15 minutes early to Concentric: Transcultural Resonance in Sound Practices on Tuesday, and the room’s already packed. There’s 50, maybe 60 people packed into the tiny CSPS Black Box Theatre when I arrive and slink towards the back into one of the chairs lining the walls.
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Review: Riverside serves ‘Romeo & Juliet’ straight up for their 40th Free Summer Shakespeare show
The mini Globe Theatre in Iowa City’s Lower City Park reopened grander than ever on Friday, July 13 for the premiere of Riverside’s 40th Free Shakespeare show and 25th season on the festival stage.
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Review: The Original Pinettes Brass Band bring New Orleans heat to Iowa City
In the world of New Orleans brass bands, legendary names like the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Hot 8 Brass Band, The Soul Rebels, and Rebirth Brass Band have long set the standard, but none stand out quite like The Original Pinettes Brass Band. Billed as the “only all female brass band in the universe,” […]
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‘A little bit of chaos is OK’: Pokey’s Fest keeps punk music, ethic alive in Iowa City
Punk isn’t dead. Sure, punk is old enough that it may be dad — or mom — but it’s still by and for the kids. For proof of life, one needn’t look any further than Pokey’s Fest 3, two all-ages nights of hardcore punk and other assorted music for freaks that will take place June […]
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The Black Rose in West Branch aims to be a cozy, boozy and bookish hangout ‘for anyone who feels othered’
When Ashley Kofoed first arrived in West Branch with her fiancé, it was to meet her future in-laws for dinner at the local Brick Arch Winery. Dining with her family within the spacious building — which features two stories and a basement, three gas fireplaces, elegant wood finishes, a stage, a dance floor, a kitchen […]
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Street closures for Iowa Arts Festival start early Friday morning
Streets in downtown Iowa City will be closed to traffic starting at 6 a.m. on Friday morning as crews begin to set up this year’s Iowa Arts Festival. The three-day fest kicks off at 5 p.m. on Friday and runs through Sunday afternoon. It’s the first weekend-long event of Iowa City’s annual Summer of the […]
