Ok, this will be news to all of you: It’s Halloween. I know! Where would you be without the Weekender for such important breaking news? Well, that’s why we’re here for you. It is Halloween, and if trick or treating isnt on your agenda, a costume party probably is. Wherever you go, lets see who can spot the most “Sarah Palins” tonight. On a side note, if you come to my house, you’ll be lucky enough to find this sweet pumpkin!
Friday, October 31
Iowa Icon | Coralville Marriott | All Weekend | $50
If you’re a comic guy, anime nut, LARPer or gamer, you probably already know about this big annual event. But even if you aren’t, you can gawk at the outfits for free just by driving by. The annual bash features workshops, presentations and shows with sci-fi artists and authors as well as a music and masquerading.
The Replacements, White Stripes, Blondie, David Bowie, and Neutral Milk Hotel | The Mill, Iowa City | 9pm | $5
It’s Halloween, right? The Mill is doing the holiday right by showcasing big name music that would never be heard in Iowa City on the same night. To celebrate Halloween, Shame Train, Twelve Canons, Mannix!, The Puritanicals, and The Young Palpitations will be donning their best costumes for this happy funtime lookalike show. LV editor Melody will be going, and she’s hoping her Halloween mask will hide her drunken tears when Shame Train performs “Oh Comely”–so sad! Neutral Milk Hotel’s Into the Aeroplane Over the Sea will be performed in its entirety. If you never read The Diary of Anne Frank in gradeschool, you might want to take a gander at this to mentally prepare. Unlike the fate of Anne Frank, this one’s a more happy sad.
Stephen Malkmus | The Picador, Iowa City | 7pm | $15
[audio:http://www.matadorrecords.com/mpeg/stephen_malkmus_jicks/cold_son.mp3]If costumed musical re-enactments aren’t your thing and you’d rather skip the Halloween tribute concerts for a “normal” good concert, head to the Pic. Malkmus is a legend in indie-rock, of course, best known as the lead singer of Pavement. His sounds has changed over the years but he’s still a special talent.
Saturday, November 1
Eye Witness: Daniel Heyman’s Portraits of Iraqi Torture Victims | Old Capitol Museum, Iowa City | Free
The sneak preview for the show is Friday, but Saturday is teh official opening day. Regardless, the UI Museum of Art curated what looks to be an excellent and intriguing show. Heyman visited Iraq and came back with 25 portraits of real Iraqis. Often transribing their conversations as part of the composition, the pieces are at once whimsical and haunting. A must see. For even more on the subject, catch Heyman’s gallery talk at 4pm on December 4.
Anomy House of Horrors | Anomy House, RCHC, 802 E. Washington St., Iowa City | 9pm-2am | $3 donation; $2 to enter costume contest | BYOB
Disclaimer: LV editor Melody used to live here, but the River City Housing Collective’s Halloween parties are still some of the most fun she’s been to. Featuring live music and deejays Mikko Wolfcock and The School of Flyentology, this house has plenty of room to shake it, get down, dance a jig, and cut a rug all in the same place! This Halloween party is a fundraiser to send people to a conference on co-operative living (no, Sen. McCain, that doesn’t make them socialists), but party goers will get to enjoy their labor for cheap cheap! The food at the baked sale is $.50 to $2 donation, which will allow you to soak up some of the alcohol to keep going, and the costume contest has a mere $2 entry fee. The costume contest begins at 11:30, and has prizes from places like White Rabbit, Riverside Theatre, Om, Vortex, Revival, Iowa Artisans Gallery, and Haunted Bookshop, New Pioneer Co-op, Falbos, Home Ec., and The Bijou. Although Melody still thinks the person dressed as Quaker Oats should have won first prize, she’s excited to see this year’s contenders!
Sunday, November 2
Iowa Percussion | West High School, Iowa City | 3pm | Free
Director Dan Moore describes the show as a tribute to the percussion “innovators who changed the face of music by bringing percussion from the back of the orchestra to the front of the stage.” And its true, from NYC street shows to Stomp to Ames, Iowa native Dick Schory, percussion has come a long way.
