Area blues fans have had the blues since the final Bluesmore event in 2015. The Linn County Blues Society had a two decade run with their annual daylong event on the lawn of the Brucemore mansion in Cedar Rapids, but for the last couple of years the enthusiastic fans of the music have had to do without. A new collaboration between the Linn County Blues Society and the Friends of Czech Village will give the event new life in a new home under a new name.
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Democracy in Crisis Podcast: Trump gives secrets to the Russians; Chelsea Manning freed
On this week’s episode, co-hosts Marc Steiner and Baynard Woods talk first about the secrets Trump shared with Russian diplomats. Then, they are joined by Evan Greer, campaign director of Fight for the Future, and a close friend and supporter of Chelsea Manning to talk about what Manning’s release from prison.
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Downtown Iowa City hotels changing hands
RBD Iowa LLC, owner of the Sheraton hotel in Iowa City, is in the process of negotiating a sale to AJ Capital Partners, owner of Graduate Hotels. The hotel, rebranded as Graduate Iowa City, is expected to be open for business by the summer of 2018. The Sheraton currently runs the neighboring hotelVetro, which will be run by Graduate as well once the sale is complete.
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Feeding the meter in downtown Iowa City: There’s an app for that
For those who don’t enjoy carrying around their weight in spare change or interrupting lunch to sprint to an almost-expired meter, Iowa City has a new app that will allow people to use a phone, tablet or any other electronic device to pay for parking.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Interview: A chat with curator Chris Wiersema ahead of the Tuesday kickoff of Feed Me Weird Things
Feed Me Weird Things is the newest curation effort of Chris Wiersema, the soft-spoken but large-bearded part of Witching Hour and Mission Creek responsible for keeping Iowa City immersed in unusual sounds from around the world. Wiersema organized this series in terms of volumes and episodes, and each installment promises to be a unique event, with an emphasis on range rather than continuity (see full lineup below).
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The annual Russian Guitar Festival: A Russian revival in its 11th installment
Oleg Timofeyev, born in Moscow in 1963 during Nikita Krushchev’s Russia, was surrounded by classical instruments as a kid. He learned cello and picked up the seven-string guitar from his dad at a time of communist rationing and tenements.
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Democracy in Crisis: Nine injured in attack on protesters outside Turkish ambassador’s residence
Shortly after Donald Trump tweeted “It was a great honor to welcome the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to the @WhiteHouse today!” members of Erdoğan’s security staff, many of whom appear to have been armed, attacked a peaceful protest across from the Turkish ambassador’s residence in Washington D.C.
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Accessibility survey of downtown Iowa City restaurants in the works
Local disability rights activists Harry Olmstead and Geoffrey Ford are teaming up with University of Iowa students, city officials and other community partners to survey downtown Iowa City restaurants for accessibility. The project may eventually expand to include other businesses as well.
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Finding One’s Place: Ex-offender Johnathan Kana on society-to-prison transition ahead of InsideOut’s annual Summer Concert
An Iowa City-based prison-to-society reentry program InsideOut is hosting a discussion this Thursday, May 18 by former convict and Texan musician Johnathan Kana: “The Delicate Struggle of the Ex-Offender Identity.”
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Meat Wave returns to Gabe’s
Meat Wave will once again take the stage at Gabe’s Saturday, May 20. The Chicago-based post-punk outfit — guitarist and vocalist Christ Sutter, Joe Gac on bass and drummer Ryan Wizniak — are no strangers to Iowa City, having opened for labelmates PUP at Gabe’s in November and played a crowd pleasing set at Bloated Cat Records’ Bloated Saturday this past August.
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SHEL satisfies with strong sets at CSPS
No one needs to encourage the members of SHEL to come out of their shells. Legion Arts presented the band at CSPS in Cedar Rapids’ New Bo District on Saturday night (May 13), and SHEL pleased the crowd with two sets of music and funny, if sometimes awkward, banter.
