On May 1, 1965, at an annual celebration in Prague, Allen Ginsberg was crowned the King of May. The tradition of May Day and its royalty was founded back in who-knows-when for reasons of who-knows-what (pagans or something), but on this particular May Day, ’60s counterculture and communist oppression met head-on. After Ginsberg was paraded […]
Music
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Show Photos: Pete Balestrieri, MichaelSarah, the Boxknifes, SLW Vs Manhorse @ the Yacht Club – 4/13
I’ve been mostly laying low since I threw myself head-first into the Mission Creek madness. I promised myself a hiatus after the music-related exhaustion I experienced, but I haven’t been able to give up the music scene completely. I made my first post-MC exception to my ‘stay home rule’ to catch this show.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Show Review: Roadside Graves, 4onthefloor, and Kerosene Circuit at Codfish Hollow, Maquoketa – 4/17/2011
To get to Codfish Hollow, you first must get completely lost. Seriously, it seems to be a universal experience among event attendees at this place. Your GPS will send you somewhere 2 miles south. The signage is poor, the road is gravel and winding, and you’ll have a hard time believing that anything remotely hip can happen out here, where cattle outnumber people and seed caps are worn without any sense of irony. But, once you’ve found it you become one of the inside cadre, like the lucky guests of a speakeasy, and then you can pass the word of mouth of how amazing Codfish Hollow is, and pass on how to freaking get here.
If you can find your way, come on down to enjoy a rip-snortin’ good time with some of the best, up and coming artists in this great country. If you can’t find your way, give me a holler and realize that you’re not the first–or the last–person to get lost on the road to glory.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Little Village Live on KRUI 2/23/2011: OSG
The music was indeed Oh So Good, proving apt the acronym behind the clever shorthand of local funk band OSG. Unfortunately, the night’s audio recording turned out only some good. Songs were saved, however: almost fifteen minutes of saliva-inducing splendor.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Yacht Club 4/13 Raw Punk Power & The Easter Parade: Full Sets To Download!
Sam Locke Ward texted me a request to record this show, which was all the reason I needed. I don’t know if it’s even necessary to say that everyone involved in this show I consider a friend, and that beyond that, I’m a fan, and if that wasn’t enough, I’ve played with, or done audio […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Live Sets From Mission Creek: Mountains, Ex-Action-Model & More!
Venue hopping Wednesday Night during Mission Creek, I record some live sets and take a few pictures.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Show Review: Cave Singers, Grand Tetons @ Blue Moose Tap House – 4/12/2011
You probably decided to spend Tuesday evening outside, enjoying the gorgeous spring weather on your porch or in your backyard, surrounded by friends and cool beverages. However, you should have come see the Cave Singers and Grand Tetons play some great front porch Americana music upstairs at the Blue Moose Taphouse.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Show Photos: Skye Carrasco, Pillars and Tongues, Dark Dark Dark @ the Mill- 4/1
Just when I was sure that all the excitement surrounding Mission Creek had faded, I discovered a whole folder of photos that I forgot to share with you folks. Soooo…….one more set of Mission Creek memories for your perusal.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
On the Beat: It's Raining Shows
In Langston Hughes’ 1921 poem “April Rain Song,” the thing that everyone hates about April–its big problem–is instead turned into a point of celebration, ending with the lines, “The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night / And I love the rain.” This point was totally lost on Billie Myers, who borrowed the phrase “Kiss the Rain” (taken from the poem’s first line) to create…
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Show Review: Wye Oak/Callers/Alexis Stevens – The Mill – 4/4/2011
Wye Oak’s return to Iowa City was a perfect finish to the 2011 Mission Creek Festival.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Show Preview: Pieta Brown at The Mill with The Vagabonds, 4/9/11
Pieta is back home this weekend with a show at the Mill on Saturday night. At her side will be her constant companion Bo Ramsey who will be surrounding her homespun variety of folk, blues, rock and country with his harmony vocals and guitar atmospherics. Opening for Pieta will be local folky songbirds The Vagabonds.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Show Photos: Paleo, Lonelyhearts, Brooks Strause, Kurt Vile @ the Mill – 4/3
In general, I don’t drink – but I am certainly going to have a Mission Creek hangover. Despite my exhaustion, tinnitus and many hours spent looking over and over at images I captured, I made it to the Mill again tonight.
