I publicly voiced early reservations with newbo evolve, the city’s festival turned flop. It featured mundane pop acts. It lost $2.3 million. Vendors are still owed $800,000. Executives were fired. Board members pointed fingers. And the banally named GO Cedar Rapids ceased operations on Monday, Oct. 15. How did this all go so wrong? […]
Climate change is real, it’s bad and it is quickly getting worse. The Midwest and the southern U.S. will be especially hard hit. There will be more severe weather patterns including drought and flooding, more deaths due to extreme heat and significant economic damage with lower GDP. […]
As my husband and I wait, watch and hope our garden and late summer beans, squash and raspberries will survive and mature despite Iowa’s unprecedented rains, the latest IPCC report has been released. As Floridians await Hurricane Michael’s devastation and the people in North and South Carolina struggle to recover from Florence, we learn the world will quickly pass 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming and will rapidly rise to unlivable dimensions. […]
Comparisons of the current Supreme Court confirmation charade to the Clarence Thomas affair are frighteningly well based. Not just because both men are pretty obviously abusers of women, and of themselves, but because both provide the most convincing indictments of their own conduct. I’ll pass on Clarence for now, because, all appearances to the contrary, he does at least nominally hold an unrecoverable SCOTUS seat. […]
While I do respect Phil Hemingway’s tenacity and dedication, I support both Janelle Rettig and Pat Heiden for supervisor on Nov. 6. I specifically want to explain why I am supporting Pat. […]
Recently within the Iowa City music scene there’s been a lot of talk regarding what’s wrong with the scene and how we can grow to make it better. This is awesome, as someone who plays in many active bands, books shows on a regular basis and runs a DIY page for this city. I am very excited that people want to make this city better for musicians and fans of music. I see a lot of fragmentation of subcultures, not enough young people/college students supporting local music, and general unawareness of DIY bands and music. All that is definitely changeable. […]
I want to thank Luke Tweedy for his Sept. 29 letter to the editor. Artist compensation is an incredibly important subject that isn’t discussed in concrete terms nearly enough. I spend quite a lot of time thinking about it while I sit at a desk working a job I don’t really care about, dreaming of a day when I can support myself entirely on my art. […]
With respect to Mr. Tweedy, I appreciate what he wrote and I agree with him on most points. I believe that this has been said quietly within the community and it’s important that we not take for granted the power of the press to broadcast these ideas. […]
I am calling for Senator Ernst and Senator Grassley to protect the International Affairs Budget and the United States contribution in fighting to meet the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Unlike the perception of many, the International Affairs Budget makes up merely one percent of the federal budget. […]
If Mollie Tibbetts is going to be a dinner-table name and referenced in political debates, make it be in the argument for a higher standard of education. Argue that we need to educate children and young adults about how to be safe, whether it is what to do if you get lost in the grocery store or how to be safe when alone at night. […]
I think it is time for every venue in the area and every band to revalue themselves. Do what you want, certainly—I sure don’t want people telling me what to do. That said, I do take advice. Is a goal of $10 shows by 2020 too lofty? Would suggesting that all shows from here on out charge a $7 base price seem ridiculous? If so, ask yourself, do you really support music and the arts? Certainly some do not, but they were not coming out at any price. […]
All that is majestic about music and the Midwest is manifested in an unassuming barn in Maquoketa. You’ll find it off 288th Avenue, along Codfish Hollow Road. A wooden sign will guide the way. Watch where you step in the cow pasture parking lot. Choose whether to walk the gravel path or ride on a tractor-drawn hayrack driven by a man named Marvin. Arrive early and secure a coveted hay-bale spot along the wall and near the stage (like my girlfriend and I always do). Then spend the next few hours getting lost in music. […]