Jonathan Richman can still pinpoint how the Velvet Underground transformed his life with their collar-grabbing sound back in 1967. “It was on record and it was that drone! Oh my God! They changed everything!” As a teenager, he saw the band over 80 times and was a regular presence before and after gigs. “If the […]
punk
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: The eyeliner is heavy and the outfits skimpy for Des Moines’ Panic! at the Burlesque Show
Never in my wildest dreams have I imagined someone flashing her pasties at the iconic strike of a G note. Morticia Midwest started the night with a bang (or flash if you prefer) to the tune of “Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance. Morticia Midwest and her husband, Johnny Bravado, created the […]
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‘A little bit of chaos is OK’: Pokey’s Fest keeps punk music, ethic alive in Iowa City
Punk isn’t dead. Sure, punk is old enough that it may be dad — or mom — but it’s still by and for the kids. For proof of life, one needn’t look any further than Pokey’s Fest 3, two all-ages nights of hardcore punk and other assorted music for freaks that will take place June […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Running Man — ‘Running Man’
Quad Cities’ Running Man are the local antithesis to aging out. These guys have been steady putting work into the QC DIY scene, playing in bands like Meth & Goats, Lord Green, Tambourine, The Multiple Cat, Mondo Drag and more.
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Legendary pro skater, punk rocker and Des Moines local Mike Vallely is living his teenage dream
Growing up in New Jersey in the 1970s and ’80s, Mike Vallely was, of course, aware of skateboarding. But it didn’t seem approachable. Popular culture presented it as something made for Californians with nice tans and well-built bodies who wanted to show off and do handstands on their boards. So Vallely didn’t pay it much […]
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‘Punk was about action!’: A new documentary, 16 years in the making, charts punk history
“I remember first hearing about punk in Newsweek or Time magazine in the summer of 1976, when we were living in Afghanistan,” mused Minor Threat drummer Jeff Nelson, whose father worked for the U.S. State Department. Nelson was born in 1962 in South Africa and lived in other far-flung places before the family settled in Washington D.C.,
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Democracy in Crisis: Love And Rage
Antifa glitter bombs Richard Spencer in D.C., nearby Damaged City maintains the punk rock tradition of resistance By James Berbert “Fuck the war we’re waging against Syria. Fuck the war we’re waging against people in our own country. And fuck the war on drugs,” Laura Thrillhauser, the lead vocalist of Iron Cages said during the […]
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Show Preview: Those Darlins with Turbo Fruits – The Mill 9/24
Southern through and through, Those Darlins will bring their own brand of cowpunk through Iowa City on the 24th of September. Easily blending the twangy sounds of the Appalachians with the speed of punk rock and a bit of pop sensibility, Those Darlins are fast, catchy, and write really great simple songs.
Posted inArts & Entertainment, Prairie Pop
Prairie Pop: Musical Brew
Prairie Pop: March 2010 – With some musicians and bands, I form a kind of matrimonial bond (though because I like so many artists, that makes me a bit of a polygamist). Long-term fandom is like entering into a marital contract–where you’re with them until the bitter end, even if they get a little ugly […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
The Woes – Heaven Knows
John Schlotfelt reviews “Heaven Knows,” by The Woes, who will visit the Mill this Saturday night to play with Shame Train and The Lonelyhearts
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Iowa City Weekender – January 30-February 1
There’s a little something going on this Sunday called the Super Bowl. 43% of all U.S. households watch the event and chances are that, even if you think football is for savages, somebody will invite you for a party. You should go for the guacamole if nothing else. And did you know that the Super […]
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The Weekender Nov 27-Nov30
Imagine that I’m telling you all these things while turkeys are getting slaughtered in the background. Or maybe not. This weekend’s entertainment pickings are a bit slimmer than usual. The Picador used to always have some sort of oddball townie one-off show on Thanksgiving, but not this year! The Mill has no entertainment, though you […]
