Des Moines Symphony offered another crowd-pleasing performance last month with the second installment of their Masterworks series, Wisdom – Dvořák 6 & Chopin. Their program once again featured a modern piece by a living composer as well as celebrated works from two titans of the Romantic era. Truly a refreshing balance of the old and […]
Music Reviews
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‘I need to say something to be seen’: Courtney Marie Andrews unravels her writing process as artist in residence of the first Iowa City Songwriters Festival
A multidisciplinary artist from Phoenix, Arizona, Andrews was the artist in residence of the first edition of the Iowa City Songwriters Festival (ICSF), which took place at the top of September. Andrews uploaded her first songs on the internet and experienced the first reactions from listeners. “That’s not punk music, people wrote, that’s folk.” At that age she had no idea folk music would become so important for her.
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Review: ‘Cello goblin’ Rushadicus and Iowa City’s Weapon X brought an electric circus to the Close House
The music that is popular, the artists that are famous and the commercial music industry that promotes them, exists in a completely different world from the music Public Space One presents.
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Review: The Original Pinettes Brass Band bring New Orleans heat to Iowa City
In the world of New Orleans brass bands, legendary names like the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Hot 8 Brass Band, The Soul Rebels, and Rebirth Brass Band have long set the standard, but none stand out quite like The Original Pinettes Brass Band. Billed as the “only all female brass band in the universe,” […]
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Review: Rainbow Kitten Surprise brought some much-needed queer joy to Des Moines
Returning to Des Moines for the first time in three years, Rainbow Kitten Surprise lit up Vibrant Music Hall on Friday, May 16 with a performance that radiated joy. The band’s chemistry was palpable. Each member moved with intensity, feeding off one another’s rhythm and the crowd’s roar. Their iconic logo pulsed in sync with […]
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Review: From rapt silence to cathartic screams, Mission Creek’s Day 2 performers crowd-surfed the line between rage and joy
Night two of Mission Creek, in contrast with the first night’s containment at Hancher, encompassed many venues around the downtown area, a return to previous years’ mad dash of “Creekers” around Iowa City looking for the show that will change their lives, whether that be a new-to-you music act or a local literary hero at the […]
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Review: Mission Creek 2025 kicks off with the glorious Kim Gordon, Rachel Kushner and LA LOM
Opening night of Mission Creek! At Hancher! My last Mission Creek was 2019, officially the Before Times of Iowa City public culture. Venues have closed, or been torn down. Hancher was buzzing with people with their lanyards and wristbands, anticipating a deep dive into live music and culture. There is a Mission Creek feeling, shared […]
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Japan’s BABYMETAL bring the ‘Metalverse’ to Waukee’s Vibrant Music Hall
BABYMETAL delivered a striking performance at Vibrant Music Hall in Waukee for their 2024 World Tour.
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Mission Creek 2019: A look back (VIDEO)
Each Mission Creek Festival has its own flavor that weaves through the nights, the venues, the conversations, the drinks and cigarettes to create an identity more than the sum of its parts. One major shaping influence is the nature of the Mission Creek Festival ethos, which makes it an event that would be impossible to imagine elsewhere — it is one part experimental, one part traditional, one part Iowa City, one part books, one part music, one part conversations. It is a celebration of the Iowa City community as much as it is a celebration of art.
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Mission Creek 2018: A look back
It is impossible for any one person to offer a complete perspective on the Mission Creek Festival (MCF), as even the avid attendee is still limited to one body and one set of guiding preferences. More than most years I became aware of my limitations as a reviewer and the radically different possibilities for what MCF means, is and becomes.
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Elite 8: The top albums of 2017
Here is another year of albums to consider. It’s silly to rank music at all and also fun in that it ignites passionate conversations about the art that has moved us (for better or worse) in the last year. Please accept this list as an invitation to hear something new, and introduce us to something new by sending your own list of wonderful musical moments — albums, songs, shows, etc. — from 2017.
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Chastity Belt’s musicianship sets the band apart
Due to a busy two nights at Gabe’s and competition from Jazz Fest, the crowd for Chastity Belt was smaller than I had anticipated. Those gathered in the upstairs, however, were treated to a delightful and tuneful evening of music.
