The fall film festival season is upon us, and thanks to the dedicated organizers at FilmScene, Iowa finally has a venue to participate. This year’s Refocus Film Festival provided Hawkeye State cinephiles the chance to see exciting films, hear from a panoply of artists and bolster a thriving community of people whose passion has been […]
Englert Theatre
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘I love collaboration, I eat it up’: Lex Leto to help launch Englert’s new Track Zero series with Emily Wells on Wednesday
If multi-instrumentalist and composer Lex Letourneau (Leto) isn’t on Iowa City music fans’ radars just yet, they’re bound to make a few blips by the end of autumn. A Georgia native, Leto started grad school at the University of Iowa in 2019 to study with flute professor Nicole Esposito. Experimental, contemporary music, specifically “weird flute […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Englert hosting 50 Years of Hip Hop celebration on Friday
From hip hop’s roots in DJ Kool Herc’s Sedgwick apartment in the Bronx, to its countless iterations across coasts, countries and decades, the Englert Theatre plans to celebrate “50 Years of Hip Hop” on Sept. 15. The event will feature fun visuals and displays that highlight and honor the core elements of MCing, DJing, beat […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘I don’t want my kid to grow up in a culture that admires and rewards white supremacy’: Adeem the Artist set to play Iowa City on Friday
Adeem the Artist has declared this to be their “weird summer of chaos.” During a phone interview with Little Village, Adeem the Artist spoke quickly and eloquently, a gentle type of proselytizing that led them at one point to say, “I’m grateful for the opportunity to get to sing my songs and tell my story […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Booker T. Jones remembers Stax Records, “Green Onions” and his melting pot ’60s soul group ahead of Englert appearance
“Back in 1962, we were breaking the law in a big way just by playing music together in Memphis,” storied songwriter Booker T. Jones recalled. “And while it was OK to break the law if you’re in the right place, like at Stax, in general, it was never OK.” Sixty-two was the year Jones’ interracial […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Cedar Rapids Opera celebrates Juneteenth with new, kid-friendly show mixing Mozart and Charlie Parker
Since its early days, the Cedar Rapids Opera has sought to add original works to their repertoire. “I started the company 25 years ago,” said Dr. Daniel Kleinknecht, the opera’s founder, who still serves as artistic director. “It was an idea I had, kind of because in the ’80s, ’90s, so many of my friends […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Photo Gallery: Mission Creek Festival 2023
Mission Creek, the beloved three-day Iowa City festival focused on music and literature, returned on April 6-8 for its 18th year. Over 20 national and local music acts performed at various venues downtown across three days. The weekend saw performances by Cat Power, Black Belt Eagle Scout, Snail Mail, Kevin Morby, Greg Wheeler & The […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Workers behind the scenes of Iowa’s biggest productions seek ‘voice, power and protection’ through unions
Hancher Auditorium’s relationship with the local stagehand union dates back to when the University of Iowa first created the venue. “Hancher opened the same fall that CAMBUS started [1972],” recalled Mark Falk. “That was my freshman fall. [I thought] ‘Look at all this new stuff, that’s cool.’ As long as there’s been a Hancher, IATSE’s […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Video premiere: Extravision, ‘Every Fear’
Ryan Stier has been making music with his band, Extravision, for roughly a decade now. The five-person group often mixes ambient, psychedelic sounds with folk lyrics and instrumentation. Extravision will appear at Mission Creek 2023 — Iowa City’s annual three-day music and literature festival — on Friday, marking the third time Extravision has played at […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Q&A: Snail Mail talks break-ups, Paramore, gay ’80s fiction and the ‘sad girl’ stereotype ahead of Mission Creek
Lindsey Jordan’s music is sometimes soft and innocent, sometimes loud and gut-wrenching, but always heartfelt. In the six years since the release of her first EP, the singer-songwriter and guitarist has cultivated an intimate sound, reminiscent of bygone days. Jordan — performing under the name Snail Mail — started playing guitar at 5 years old. […]
Posted inEastern Iowa Arts & Entertainment
An Iowa City native is bringing his own talk show back home for the first time
Stephen Colbert better watch his back. The Midwest has its own, homegrown talk show, and it’s hosted by an Iowa City native. “We can do awesome things in the Midwest,” said Jeff Houghton, the host of a Springfield, Missouri-based talk show. “Sometimes we’re a little too humble.” The Mystery Hour with Jeff Houghton is a […]
Posted inEastern Iowa Arts & Entertainment
Q&A: mars hojilla talks Mission Creek, indie music and importance of representation
Between biomedical engineering classes at the University of Iowa, Myles Evangelista has made time for his first Mission Creek Festival. Performing under the name mars hojilla—the title of Evangelista’s recent musical project—the alt-rock artist spoke with Little Village about learning to read out of spite, falling in love with music, and what performing at MCF […]
