Not to be outdone by a sizable jazz festival and the celebration of a nation’s birth, the Firecracker 500 Festival made its return this weekend for the first time since the turn of the century, which I think you’ll agree is a much more exciting way to refer to ten years ago.
Music
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Video: Liberty Leg Live at the Blue Moose Tap House
Liberty Leg took the stage the final night of the Firecracker 500 Garage Rock-n-Roll Festival this Sunday, and although this is not the first–or second, or third–time we’ve shared video of the group performing live, I just can’t resist pulling out that video recorder whenever I hear those sweet, sweet licks. To my knowledge, this […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Show Photos: Firecracker 500 Garage Rock Fest: Day 3 – 7/3/11
The final night of the Firecracker 500 was just as intense as the first two. This three-day event stands as another testament to the beauty of the music scene in this great little town of ours. We are lucky to be in a spot that draws in (and keeps) so many talented, passionate musicians. But you already know that.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Video: Koplant No on Little Village Live, 6/29/11
This week on Little Village Live we hosted progressive jazz group Koplant No. This local ensemble features a contemporary electronic edge to complement their classic jazz compositions, resulting in a group that has fast become a staple of the Iowa City music scene. You may have already caught the group once or twice, perhaps at […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Show Photos: Firecracker 500 Garage Rock Festival, Day Two – 7/2/11
The second night of the Firecracker 500 was way less suffocating in terms of heat and the crowd, which made it significantly easier to get into the serious ear-pounding musical delights pouring from the speakers. I was able to make it to the Blue Moose for a few bands, wishing I had the energy and ability to stay for the whole damn shebang. For those of you who have been present for the entire festival, you have my respect. There has been a lot going on upstairs at the Moose, and all of it has been smooth as silk. The musicians, organizers and Blue Moose employees deserve a pat on the back for quick set changes, great sound and ice cold beverages all around.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Show Photos: Firecracker 500 Festival, Day One – 7/1/11
Well folks, tonight is the third and final night of the resurrected Firecracker 500 Festival at the Blue Moose Tap House. To entice you to check out the last day of Iowa City garage rock greatness, here are some photos from the first day. Included you will find shots of the last four bands of Friday evening: The Bent Scepters, Half Rats, HOTT and The Coathangers. This was a seriously good night of music.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Video: Horse Feathers on Little Village Live
Justin Ringle and Nathan Crockett of Horse Feathers paid a second visit to Little Village Live last week, putting on a lovely set before rejoining the rest of their band mates for a sold-out performance at the Englert Theatre. The two had performed as a duet in the past, but until this most recent appearance […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Video: Del the Funky Homosapien, Mac Lethal and Bukue One
Del the Funky Homosapien, Mac Lethal, Bukue One and the Serendipity Project put on one high-energy hip hop show , and we’d be remiss if you might somehow miss this footage.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
More Show Photos: Del the Funky Homosapien – 6/21
Well, folks, I am not going to rehash the details of this great show because AC Hawley already wrote a great review that you should read…here. I will say that I have never seen such a mass of people in an Iowa City venue in all of the 12 years I’ve lived here….this crowd rivaled those of Will Whitmore and Guided by Voices, who also know how to pack a house.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Show Photos: Techno Lincoln and the Technicolor Union – 6/20
I go to a lot of shows. They range from pained to good to great, and some defy description. This show was in the third category but not at all in an unfortunate sense. Techno Lincoln and the Technicolor Union flabbergasted me with their rock opera…a spectacle of costumes, fight scenes, and reggae renditions of classic rock songs.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Show Photos: Ed Gray on Little Village Live – 6/15
Ed Gray is as unpredictable as he is talented. He hit the modest stage at PS1 with his freshly released album the Old Bending River. He played the album in it’s entirety over the KRUI airwaves, speckling the performance with his playful, erratic humor. I laugh at the thought of people on their homebound commutes tuning in to hear Ed’s sporadic, blaring shouts in to the mic, his dry, on point sarcasm and flippant responses to the hosts’ queries.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Show Review: Del the Funky Homosapien
To start with the former, Lethal is a Missouri-based MC who occupies that space between early Beastie Boys frat raps and Slug’s more emotionally based style. Accompanied by his hype man Patrick (who was celebrating his 21st birthday, Lethal rapped about DUIs, getting drunk and getting done over by girls.
