The IC Weekender is sponsored by the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, July 2-4, 2009
Ah, just when we’ve started to recover from Arts Fest, the weekend is here again! Big thanks to Andre Perry and The Mill for bringing yet another world-class band to Iowa City–Last night’s Rock Plaza Central (http://www.rockplazacentral.com/) show was definitely one to remember!
The fun keeps coming…
This weekend The Mill and The IC Yacht Club go toe to toe for your live-musical attention, and the U of I and Riverside Theater remind us why we love Iowa City in the summertime.
THURSDAY 6/11
Have a pleasant evening, maintain your illusions of domesticity, dine-in if you like, curl up with your sweetie and do the bills, but then — surrender to the weekend.
Illinois John Fever w/ Smokestack and The Foothill Fury / The Gilded Bats
The Mill | 8 pm | $6
Nothing like starting off with whiskey and ‘Apocalypse Blues’ – them grimy old timey punk blues that taste just like midwestern soil, the most fertile in all the land. Warm up here, and once you are feeling good and limber head on over to the Yacht Club:
Heatbox CD Release Party with Johnny On Point | IC Yacht Club | 9 pm | $7
Aaron (Heatbox) Heaton has been putting on his one-man show for about 5 years now, and dude knows how to keep you moving – Check out the preview, and come through tonight for the real deal:
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsZTgdqjg24)
FRIDAY 6/12
IF you haven’t seen the Diplomats of Solid Sound, Iowa City’s top funk/R&B/soul shakers…
IF you don’t know what it is to have your ass stand up of it’s own accord, lift you up out of a chair, and drag you out onto the floor… THEN… you should try it sometime! How’s Friday?
FRIDAY FUNK DAY–The New Mastersounds + Diplomats of Solid Sound | IC Yacht Club | 9 pm | $10
The Diplomats — a 5 piece led by guitarist Doug Roberson and organist Nate “Count” Basinger — along with soulful sirens The Diplomettes (Sarah Cram and Katharine Ruestow), will teach you your funk essentials… you may not listen, but your hips will! What’s that Shakira? Hips don’t lie? That’s very true, sister. Very true. And, what’s this? The Diplomats aren’t even headlining? Ladies and gentlemen, let’s give a nice Iowa City welcome to The New Mastersounds—all the way from Leeds, England! Funk aficionados and beginners alike will surely appreciate the NMS, one of the tightest acts on the scene, bringing world-wide acclaim to the IC Yacht Club Friday night.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zqo98st_SnY
“While many would be content to crank out discs full of mere retrofunk, The New Mastersounds are not interested in re-creating the past; rather they are taking vintage sounds and attitudes and merging them with modern ideas. The result is an addictive blend that has one foot in the past, one foot in the present, and both eyes on the future.”
–Jambase
Meanwhile, back at The Mill… Another show you won’t want to miss–
Pieta Brown & Dream #9 + The Parlour Suite | The Mill | 8 pm | $10
“Local folk wonder Pieta Brown returns to the Mill for a special event: Pieta is unveiling a new full-band to flesh out the gothic and rootsy tones of her music. With a bassist, a drummer, Pieta on acoustic and vocals, and Bo Ramsey on guitar this should be a stellar and unique show. Minneapolis soul-pop trio the Parlour Suite are quickly becoming Iowa City favorites after playing alongside the Diplomats and Dave Zollo. With their multi-part harmonies and tight-pop melodies they are sure leave the stage in blazing embers for Pieta and Co.” –From www.icmill.com
SATURDAY 6/13
Start off the day at the Farmers Market (Washington and Van Buren, IC), where Iowa blues legends Joe and Vicki Price will be playing for FREE from 9 – 11 am. Get some veggies while you are there and prepare to flex your guns at the Iowa City vs Cedar Rapids Rollergirls match!
Pirates of the Corridor: At Flood’s End | US Cellular Center, CR | 6 pm doors, 7 pm bout | $13 advance/$16 day-of
SUNDAY 6/14
A day of reflection, a day for the finer things — like cinema, and Shakespeare in the park…
Matinee: TOKYO! | Bijou Theater | 3:00 and 5:00 | $5
(Multi-day event—Check for other dates + times)
“The premise: three non-Japanese filmmakers (France’s Gondry, Germany’s Carax, and South Korea’s Bong) each craft a story set in the titular city. The result: a wonderfully diverse triptych of stories about the influential city. The first tells of a couple slowly drifting apart due to personal ambitions. The second looks at the panic swirling around the existence of a sewer monster and the hoopla following his capture. The third follows a shut-in who falls for a delivery girl via a series of coincidences.” From (www.uiowa.edu/~bijou)
Evening Show: A Midsummer Night’s Dream | Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival, Lower City Park | 7 pm | $15.00 – $31.00
The 10th annual Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival opens this weekend with a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream… ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ directed by Ron Clark, is one of Shakespeare’s most magical comedies. It’s a delightful romp through an enchanted forest as a quartet of mismatched lovers and a gang of hapless actors cross paths with the king and queen of the fairies.”
Read more here: http://iowatheatre.blogspot.com/2009/06/ready-for-midsummer-nights-dream.html
Hark! And Behold! More kulcher going on downtown –
A Contrasting of Things: Photography by Amber Hill | The old PS 1, above the Deadwood | Opening Sunday 6/14, 4-8 pm | Free
Still not satisfied? Monday and Tuesday night, check out some student-produced theatre at Old Brick Church
CONGRATS! | Old Brick Church | Monday 6/15 + Tuesday 6/16 | Doors at 6:30, Shows at 7 pm | Free
Written by Tony Meneses, Directed by Emily Larson, Acted by Amelia Oliver, Nigel Brown and Noah Parks. The play is about a relationship and its interruption by a messenger from another world (which may be just down the street.)
Shake off Monday and Tuesday with a special play in a unique space! Until then, have a wonderful weekend!
