Mission Creek Festival’s namesake is a ghost river in San Francisco. It once connected the center of the city to Mission Bay, though during the past two centuries it has largely been filled in and redirected through subterranean channels. Over the years, parts of the land that Mission Creek ran through have experienced soil liquefaction, […]
Chris Wiersema
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Englert programmer Grace Merritt: ‘The arts are the exact antithesis to what’s going on nationally’
Grace Merritt came to Iowa City for college and stayed for the vibrant arts scene. “Growing up, I didn’t have that kind of music community,” she said. “Music in my hometown is like, ‘Do you want to go see the high school’s band?’” Merritt describes her hometown of Naperville, a western suburb of Chicago, as […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
John’s Grocery fried chicken returns for one night only as part of Chicken Town, a FEaST fundraiser
Many Iowa Citians have had a fried chicken-shaped hole in their lives since John’s Grocery closed its kitchen in early 2022. But this month, they’ll have a chance to fill that void with a two-piece (or two), if they act quickly. The fried chicken that was a staple for University of Iowa students and other […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘We are going to make this a FEaST he’d be fucking proud of’: Chris Wiersema’s deep-listening festival carries on in Iowa City
“Bring the Noise” was a musical mantra popularized by the hip-hop group Public Enemy, and Chris Wiersema lived that aesthetic ideal as Iowa City’s premiere programmer of experimental music and other out-there sounds. Over the past quarter century, he brought hundreds of boundary-breaking artists to town in his myriad roles as a house show promoter, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
In memoriam: Chris Wiersema, curator of the weird and wonderful
An obituary by Andre Perry Christopher (Chris) Wiersema of Iowa City died on Wednesday, March 13, unexpectedly, but peacefully in his sleep. A public memorial will take place on Sunday, April 7 at the Englert Theatre from 2-5 p.m. The Englert is located at 221 E Washington St in downtown Iowa City. Chris was born […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Improvising with her trombone, FEaST performer Kalia Vandever creates ‘music that is reflecting on itself’
Revenge is a dish best served cold, and FEaST is a sonic smorgasbord best consumed with ears wide open. The off-kilter brainchild of Iowa City-based experimental music maker and promotor Chris Wiersema, this annual festival builds on his aptly named Feed Me Weird Things live performance series — which pushes the boundaries of convention in […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Death Bag — ‘Stoopgoblin Suite — Live at Trumpet Blossom Cafe’
Stoopgoblin Suite – Live at Trumpet Blossom Cafe by Death Bag In Death Bag, Chris Wiersema (half of the ambient doom duo Lwa) plays electronics gizmos and Gabi Vanek, a veteran performer in the experimental live music scene who has grown up in the shadows of the University of Iowa School of Music, plays live […]
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).
