This may be the last time that I will ever talk to you. If you aren’t up on your conspiracies/religious discussion talk, Harold Camping, an civil engineer by training and now minister, has predicted that there will be an apocalyptic earthquake that will occur at 6 PM PDT on May 21, 2011. This earthquake will be the end of all things and only those who have made peace with God will go to Heaven. At this point, I should also notice that Camping made this exact same prediction in 1994 and got it wrong. I believe this was also predicted recently in 2000 as well as many times in the past. I doubt that this is going to happen, but I figured I should inform you in case something weird happens while you’re hanging out with your people this weekend. The weekend should be entertaining though, so if it were all to end, this wouldn’t be the worst time for that. Let’s begin!
THURSDAY
Smokestack & The Foothill Fury w/ Tallgrass, Grand Tetons & The Treehut Kings // Iowa City Yacht Club // 9:00 PM // $6, 19+
While I was generally happy with my Mission Creek experience, I have two regrets. The first is missing John Waters. The second was missing Smokestack. Smokestack is a one-man wrecking machine. If you’re up on your country legends, Smokestack’s set-up is similar to Hasil Adkins: one man with a drum kit, a guitar, and a whole lot of songs. Unlike Adkins, Smokestack plays his songs at 5,000 MPH, mixing that country style with blues and punk rock. It’s physically inspiring, visually exciting, and aurally amazing. Playing on a solid bill down at the Yacht Club, I highly encourage checking this dude out.
FRIDAY
The Sea & Cake w/ Dream Thieves & Milk & Eggs // Blue Moose Tap House // 8:00 PM // $12, 19+
If you have been listening to indie rock for more than five years, there’s a very good chance that you know who The Sea & Cake are. If you don’t know about the time when people actually used to talk to each other about music, The Sea and Cake is a legendary Chicago post-rock band led by former Shrimp Boat member Sam Prekop. While their sound has continually evolved, it always revolves around sharp lyrics, jazz and rock influenced guitar play, mild electronics, and a superb rhythm section that can keep a solid groove. They are slowly approaching their 20th year existing as a band (started in 1994), which is an accomplishment for a band that also hasn’t lost their edge over the years. I thought that they were done for history, so their appearance at the Blue Moose is a welcome treat, one that should definitely be taken advantage of.
Illinois John Fever w/ Porchbuilder, Liberty Leg & Ed Gray // The Mill // 9:00 PM // $6, 21+
All local legends in their own right, this is a show for those who who would get a little too mellowed out at The Sea and Cake show. Porchbuilder is one of LV Arts Editor Kent Williams’ favorite bands. I was completely floored the first time that I saw Liberty Leg. I can’t recommend their live show enough. Adding Ed Gray and Illinois John Fever into the mix only makes this show stronger. You’ll have two options for how you want to go out if the world was to end the next day: grooving out to Sea and Cake or getting drunk and sweaty at this show. Either way, I think it will be a good last night (for this Friday).
SATURDAY
Carnival Hearts & Arts Parade // Happy Hollow Park (Rain Location: White Lightning Wherehouse) // 2:00 PM // Free, All Ages
While you are ticking down the last hours of the day and maybe your life on Saturday, come out to the Carnival Hearts & Arts Parade. This event has treats for your eyes, ears, and minds. For your eyes, there are a variety of high quality goods provided by our excellent local crafters. Your minds will be treated to a variety of poetic styles from our local wordsmiths. Music will also be provided and span the genres from folk to experimental. Hopefully, it does not rain this weekend so everyone can have a lovely day out in the sun at Happy Hollow Park.
As you can clearly tell, I find videos on Youtube. I got transferred into house music after looking for The Sea and Cake. While I don’t think that these genres are related, it did lead me to a song called “Together Again.” It’s an old house song, but that’s not the point. The message is right. May 21st isn’t going to happen. The apocalypse isn’t going to happen and we’ll be together again next week. Until then, have an awesome weekend.
~LV
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