Hello and welcome to another edition of the Weekender. As you may know, the Englert has commissioned 31 artists to write songs for a compilation album about Iowa City. The appropriately named Iowa City Song Project features an eclectic track listing of original music by some of the most respected Iowa-rooted talent, including William Elliott Whitmore, Greg Brown, Pieta Brown, The Poison Control Center, Wet Hair, Brooks Strause and many more. Well it’s finally here and the Englert has stretched its celebration of the release over the course of this weekend. The Englert, The Mill and the Motley Cow will all hold events featuring some of the contributing artists. We’ll get into all that and more below:
THURSDAY
Bret Anthony Johnston // Prairie Lights // 7:00 PM // Free
From the Prairie Lights website:
Bret Anthony Johnston will be here to read from his work. Bret is the author of the internationally acclaimed Corpus Christi: Stories and the editor of Naming the World: And Other Exercises for the Creative Writer. Named a Best Book of the Year by The Independent of London and The Irish Times, Corpus Christi: Stories received The Southern Review’s Annual Short Fiction Award, the Texas Institute of Letters’ Debut Fiction Award, the Christopher Isherwood Prize, and the James Michener Fellowship.
His work appears in The Atlantic Monthly, The Paris Review, The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, and Tin House, and in The Best American Short Stories and Best American Sports Writing. He is a graduate of Miami University and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship. He has written essays for Slate.com and is a regular contributor to NPR’s All Things Considered. In 2006, the National Book Foundation honored him with a new National Book Award for writers under 35. He is currently Director of Creative Writing at Harvard. Bret also wrote the Documentary Film about skateboarder Danny Way, Waiting for Lightning. The film will be screened at the Bijou on Friday, November 2nd.
FRIDAY
Iowa City Song Project: Englert Release Show // Englert // 7:00 PM // $12 Adv., $15 Day Of, $35 Both shows + copy of CD
Friday Englert Lineup:
Pieta Brown & The Sawdust Collective
Caroline Smith & the Goodnight Sleeps
Brooks Strause & the Gory Details
Christopher the Conquered
Chasing Shade
SATURDAY
Freddie Gibbs // Gabe’s // 8:00 PM // $15 Adv., $18 Day Of
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A while back there was an issue of Spin magazine that discussed “The Changing Face of Hip Hop.” It discusses an emerging brand of the genre—one that includes skinny jeans and hip haircuts. Among some of the artists mentioned were Big K.R.I.T. and Curren$y, both of whom have worked closely with rapper Freddie Gibbs, who will perform at Gabe’s on Nov. 3. Gibbs works within a space that effectively embraces both the fresh elements of the evolving hip hop scene and classic gangster rap. It’s a fine line to walk, but the Gary, Indiana native is recognized as one of the most proficient hip-hop artists out there today. His latest album, Baby Face Killa was released in September to widespread critical acclaim.
Iowa City Song Project: Mill Release Show // The Mill // 8:00 PM // $8 Adv., $10 Day Of, $35 Both shows + copy of CD
Saturday Mill Lineup:
We Shave
Emperors Club
Skye Carrasco
Lwa
Tallgrass
Iowa City Song Project: Motley Cow Release Show // The Mill // 11:00 AM // $15 (Includes Bunch)
Music:
The Feralings
Sam Knutson / Milk & Eggs
Brunch Menu:
Sweet breads (starter)
With a choice of main dish:
Huevos ranchero with spicy squash and tortilla
or Penne bolognese
or Lemon pancakes with ricotta and maple
Dessert: Apple shortcake
See you next week!
~LV
You want to see your event here? Email dates and details to Weekender@LittleVillageMag.com!
