Another week has ended. That means it’s time for another weekend of mayhem, violence, action, excitement, sweat, and avant-garde contemporary dance. Are you ready for that future? Well, you better be because it’s about to hit you in the face. It’s weekender time!
THURSDAY
In The Night | David Thayer Building, Theater Building | 8:00 PM | $17, $12 Seniors, $5 UI Students; 17+
Martha Clarke is a legend in the world of dance. Recipient of the MacArthur “Genius” Grant and winner of the 2010 Scripps/American Dance Festival Award for Lifetime Achievement, the highest award that any choreographer can win, Clarke’s work is shocking, experimental, beautiful, and artistic. She takes great risks in her works, usually with immense payoffs. The University of Iowa will get the chance to see her work this coming weekend in In The Night. A collaboration between Clarke, Arthur Soloari, Chris Akerlind, and UI students & faculty for the 2010 Partnership in the Arts, In The Night is not just a simple dance, but a merger of dance, music, and lighting design which will take the viewer into the innermost world of the dream. This a rare opportunity for fans of the fine arts to see a true master at work. It must be noted that the play does feature nudity and haze, one or both of which may not be appropriate for all members of the audience.
FRIDAY
T’Bone/ The Minute Intentions of a Boa Constrictor/ Nude Sunrise/ U.S. Beefheart/ SSP | White Lightning Wherehouse | 9:00 PM | $5, All Ages
This show marks the return of some important figures of the Iowa City underground. T’Bone features Ed Bornstein and Pat McPartland of Be Kind To Your Neighbor and Dadkids. Now based out of Chicago, nothing’s really changed for them. They still kick out the jams, recalling math-rock time shifts while playing with hardcore (the genre, not the adjective) intensity. In addition to Bornstein and McPartland, Iowa City also gets to see the return of their bandmate Dan Davis. Even though he’s been playing solo under the title of Living Ghost (which, if you get the opportunity to see, I highly recommend), Davis is coming in from Lawrence, KS with two members of Jabberjosh to play as U.S. Beefheart. If other Davis bands are any indication, they should be loud and heavy. These returning ex-locals are playing with Minneapolis-based The Minute Intentions…, Chicago-based keyboard poppers Nude Sunrise, and local ne’er-do-wells/ punk heroes SSP. This should be a good one. Give a shout for the old Iowa boys!
CAB: CollegeHumor Tour Live | IMU Main Lounge | 10 PM | Free, 18+
Many of you know what College Humor is. That might be because you were in college at some point or talked to just enough drunk people wobbling by you Downtown at 1.45 in the morning on a Friday night. For the rest of you, College Humor is a website that is, somewhat unsurprisingly, funny. It produces material with its staff of in-house comedians as well as serves to connect funny people at colleges all around America. If none of this sounds familiar to you, the website also had a briefly lived MTV show. It came on with Human Giant….If you’ve gotten nothing from that, don’t worry about it because you can make your own decision about them even if you have no idea of who they actually are. The Campus Activities Board is bringing a couple of the most popular folks in to do a free show here in the IMU Main Lounge. Comedy at no charge. Not a terrible idea at all.
SATURDAY
Kenny Barron Trio w/ David Sanchez | Englert Theatre | 7:30 PM | $10-39, All Ages
This weekend, Iowa City gets to sample from two types of jazz. The first is Dutch, and I will explain that in due time. The second is good, old fashioned American jazz. The practitioner is Kenny Barron. A legendary pianist, he has played with some of the true greats of jazz such as Dizzy Gillespie, Milt Jackson, and Stan Getz. His style is fluid, smooth, and ever so expressive. He will be playing here in Iowa City with saxophonist David Sanchez, a face that should be familiar with those who were here for the 2009 Iowa City Jazz Festival at which he was a headliner, and drummer Johnathan Blake in his quartet. Barron alone is worth the price of admission. The addition of Sanchez who adds a latin flair to his playing will only raise this show to the next level. Either way, this promises to be a master class on how to play small ensemble jazz music from a legend of the genre.
Kyle Hollingsworth Band w/ Messy Jiverson | Iowa City Yacht Club | 9:00 PM | $10, 19+
One of the members of the much-loved jam band The String Cheese Incident, Kyle Hollingsworth has had a long history in music. Although he has been playing for over 10+ years in SCI as well as another 10+ years on his own, he is currently on tour for his first solo album. Following the mantra of SCI, Hollingsworth’s music spans multiple genres and, sometimes, multiple genres can be present within the space of a single song. His solo stuff, while different, definitely carries the mark of the String Cheese Incident in its DNA. More importantly, Hollingsworth knows how to bring the party. Supported by Messy Jiverson, Hollingsworth and his band are going to burn a hole in the stage at the Yacht Club for old SCI fans and new Kyle Hollingsworth fans alike.
SUNDAY
Boom | Riverside Theatre | 2 PM | $12-26, All Ages
Boom is a story that every graduate student or those unfortunate ilk that know graduate students can relate to. You’re sitting at home. You feel alone, so what do you do? Go out to the bar and talk to a real person? Go to T’Spoons to try to pick up that girl/guy/person from your seminar? Nah. You go on Craig’s List and browse missed connections. You might even be so bold as to put up your own ad for sexual relations. Well, one student did and he got a reply. How ever excellent for him! Is it still awesome when a global catastrophe hits and their relationship changes? I don’t know because I’m not a plot spoiler. You’ll need to go find out on your own.
MONDAY
Benjamin Herman | UI Hospital Atrium | Noon | Free, All Ages
Although still not technically the weekend, you needed to be made aware of this one. Like I was mentioning earlier, there are two types of jazz here this weekend. The first is American jazz. The second is Dutch jazz. While better known for their bright orange athletic uniforms, tulips, and lax drug laws, The Netherlands have been consistently at the forefront of making exciting jazz music for many years. Their music shows a willingness to mix genres while still playing within the traditional form. Benjamin Herman is a great example of what’s innovative about Dutch jazz and what’s so special about jazz at all. He plays his saxophone with immense flair, proficiency, and style. His bands merge soul, funk, and, strangely enough, rockabilly into their jazz structures, creating a truly interesting listen but one that is still firmly rooted in jazz music. His music is quite funny. It’s serious and very proficient, but it also maintains a very light, funky step about it. Although the time of the concert is a bit strange, Herman and his quartet will be playing a lunch hour show in the UI Hospital Atrium. It should be a nice way to enjoy that first sandwich lunch of the week.
I wish you all an excellent weekend and a better next week.
~LV
