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 […]
Englert Theatre
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 […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Mission Creek Festival announces 2023 lineup, including Cat Power, Kevin Morby
Iowa City’s premiere music and literature festival, Mission Creek Festival, just announced its 2023 lineup. The festival will be taking place on April 6-8 and if you’re a loyal festival goer, you might recognize a few names. Among the Iowa locals hitting the Mission Creek music stage this year are Karen Meat, Extravision, Greg Wheeler […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Photo Gallery: Elizabeth Moen and Annalibera at Gabe’s
One of Iowa City’s favorite homegrown musicians, Elizabeth Moen, performed to a full house upstairs at Gabe’s on Saturday, Nov. 26. Moen and her former Iowa City band, consisting of Dan Padley, Blake Shaw and David Hurlin, reunited for the evening on stage to celebrate the release of Moen’s new album Wherever You Aren’t. Moen […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Five questions with 3x Grammy-nominated Americana singer and writer Allison Russell
New today! Nov. 2: Allison Russell’s music video for “You’re Not Alone,” (Ft. Brandi Carlile) One of the most powerful, impressive voices in the Americana world is making a stop in Iowa City on tour for her debut record. Montreal-born Nashville resident Allison Russell is performing at the Englert on Sunday, Nov. 6, sharing songs […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Tiny pianos, big ideas: Witching Hour and FEaST bring playful creatives to Iowa City this fall
When Lucy Yao and Dorothy Chan began collaborating with each other and creating as Chromic Duo, both were already experienced educators and performers, looking for a way to foster community and lift up the Asian American diaspora in New York, which at the time was increasingly the target of racist violence. “I think eventually, when […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Iowa City’s Mic Check Poetry Festival to return with a slam in November after ‘phenomenal’ 2021 turnout
Iowa City Poetry’s Mic Check Poetry Festival will return Nov. 11-12 after organizers Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey and Lisa Roberts received what Rainey called a “phenomenal showing” of support and enthusiasm last year. The November festival will be only two days this year instead of three, but it will include expanded offerings and an […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Take a survey, boost local art: The Englert’s Katie Roche on why Johnson County is participating in the Americans for the Arts study for the first time
Roughly every five years, Americans for the Arts, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit founded in 1960, conducts a nationwide impact study on how individual communities are affected economically by the arts programs they foster and support. This year, the sixth of the study, Englert Theatre Development Director Katie Roche made sure that Johnson County would be […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Englert to screen two films celebrating the Mill — one made at its peak, another since its demolition
For those still mourning the loss of Iowa City’s beloved, iconic venue the Mill, this one’s for you! Come out to the Englert on Friday, Sept. 23 to sit back and reminisce on the venue that impacted so many. There’s going to be a screening of the Last Night at the Mill, a concert film […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
In a tight-knit community, art is ritual
A few years ago, the Englert Theatre and FilmScene initiated a campaign to make Iowa City “the Greatest Small City for the Arts.” And that title is justified. Not only do our local arts organizations bring us incredible performances, but we also boast a highly talented home-grown community of artists and performers. As the fall […]
