Iowa City Weekender April 3-7

With Mission Creek coming to a close this weekend you’re probably in one of two mindsets: a) “I’m heading for an intentional music overdose” b) “no more music, I’m getting a headache”.

Quick Hits: The Mountain Goats, Copyright Criminals, No Age, The Cool Kids, Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival, Raising Medusa, Augusten Burroughs

Friday, April 3

MCMW: The Mountain Goats | The Mill | 8pm | $15

Hopefully, you bought your festival pass because this is one of those shows that should be on the must list. According to Wikipedia both male and female mountain goats have beards. Oh, sorry, wrong page. Anyway, Mountain Goats mp3s have been floating around for a decade, so even if you don’t think you know them, your iTunes playlist may beg to differ.

Copyright Criminals is a documentary film by LV’s own Kembrew McLeod and Iowa born filmmaker Benjamin Franzen. The film is a fascinating look into the legal battles over hip-hop sampling. From Grandmaster Flash to Chuck D to the ubiquitous beat of Funky Drummer Clyde Stubblefield, the film details the coming of age of hip ho pmix mastery and the attempt by the man to cash in on rap’s success. Our Warren Sprouse previewed this documentary in our April issue, give it a read.

Saturday, April 4

MCMW: No Age | The Picador | 6pm | $10

This drum/guitar duo will take the stage early at the Pic on Saturday night. Another low-fi entry in this year’s MCMW fest, No Age has toned down a bit of the noise since signing with Sub Pop, but all bets are off with a live show.

The Cool Kids | IMU | 10pm | Free

The musical assault isn’t limited to MCMW as KRUI gets in on the act to celebrate their 25th birthday. A free show from the Chicago hip-hop duo, best known for achieving fame exclusively via MySpace and YouTube. Their “hit” songs “Black Mags” and “’88” are throwbacks to golden age hiphop, with lyrics laid down over stripped down drums.

Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival | Collins Road Theater, CR | 10am-11pm | $8-35

New film festivals seem to sprout up in Iowa cities and towns every year, but CRIFF has been around for years. What seperates CRIFF from the others is two things: a single multi-theater venue and a commitment to Midwest filmmakers. The combination means plenty of folks in the lobby (including the filmmakers) and people skipping back and forth from screen to screen all day all to catch locally made indie flicks. Oh, and they’ve got real butter on the popcorn.

Sunday, April 5

Raising Medusa | Riverside Theatre | 2pm | up to $24

Written by local poet/playwright Barbara Lau, this tale of a tumultuous mother/daughter relationship stems partly from the real life experiences of Lau, her daughters and other local teens. Where Medusa gets its grandeur is from the references to Greek mythology, including the titular Medusa and other muses. The play is also an experiment in high-concept collaboration with local youth groups participation down to the hand-made posters on the bedroom wall.

Tuesday, April 7

Augusten Burroughs | ICPL | 7pm | Free

Burroughs, the best selling author of numerous memoirs (er, I should say books, see: lawsuit) about dysfunctional family relationships. Best known are the books Dry (regarding his alcoholism) and Running with Scissors (about his more than professional relationship with the family of his shrink) and now, most recently, A Wolf at the Table. A wry, crudely humorous storyteller, Burroughs reveals his barest truths, with a slice of the fantastic.