I try to collect as much Iowa City music as I possibly can. When I can’t buy a record at a show, I scour Bandcamp pages for the ones I don’t have yet. I spend hours creating and editing mixes of my favorite songs for my friends and family—people who aren’t familiar with the Iowa City […]
The Mill Iowa City
Posted inArts & Entertainment
On The Beat: In Defense of Homework
I’ve been sitting on this for awhile, but with some of the people I’ve seen getting deals recently, I think it has to be said. I believe that the internet is killing hip hop. It’s fundamentally changed the game in a way that I’m not sure it can fully recover from. It was the $3 […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
On The Beat: Buddy System
As summer begins to wind down and the population of Iowa City rises to full student capacity once again, it can feel a little stuffy. This feeling passes though, with the awareness that more bodies also means more demand for entertainment. Each new impressionable mind has the potential to be swayed into a seeing a […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
On The Beat: September 5-19, 2012
Whenever I travel, I find music ends up being a very large part of my trip because I am frequently thinking about the connection between music and geography. Wherever I am, I am on the lookout for different ways the flow, pulse and vibe of that place comes out in its music. Take Washington, D.C., […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
On the Beat: Searching for the summer jam
Although it is my least favorite season for any variety of reasons such as boredom, I do look forward to the summer. It’s the traveling season as well as a time to enjoy all the city has to offer. Unfortunately, this summer brought no relaxation at all. Instead, this season has bred a seeming insanity […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Reflections on a silver ball
On a Saturday afternoon, when the sun shimmers in the slight breeze of summer, two men huddle close in the darkness. In a back corner of the Deadwood, far from the reach of that sun and its shine, their faces are tense with concentration. Their eyes flit in all directions, lips pursed and jaws set. […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
On the Scene: Iowa City Comedy
Rocks glasses, tumblers, coffee mugs and notebooks. Lots of notebooks. It’s a common scene at one of Iowa City’s open mic nights, where aspiring comedians try out new material. As a comedy lover and Iowa City resident I am happy to take a few bombs alongside the new favorite jokes because I love that there […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: Moonface at the Mill – June 17, 2012
Moonface isn’t normally the kind of music that makes you want to get up and dance. But at their show on Sunday at the Mill, I found myself shuffling, nodding, swaying … riding a crescendo of sound that culminated in the closest approximation to “dancing” this non-dancer can manage. Yeah, it was that kind of […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
On the Beat: Summer listening guide
Summer in the Clubs! Live Music Venue GUIDE Iowa City is what is known in the biz as a ‘small market.’ Acts on national tours book shows in Iowa City based on it’s geographical position within a half-day’s drive of Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis and Kansas City—it’s a great place to shoehorn a show in […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment, Community/News
Frame by Frame: Harriet Woodford on cancer and the art projects that helped see her through.
Photos by Steve Erickson | On display until June 8, 2012 | UI Hospitals and Clinics (Near the Rooftop Cafe on the 8th Floor) | FREE Benefit ft. Alejandro Escovedo w/ Illinois John Fever| May 19, 2012 | The Mill | $50/$60. | 19+ after 10 p.m. Diagnosed with breast cancer in Oct. 2010, Iowa City […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Show Review: The End Times Spasm Band @ The Mill 4/8/12
The End Times Spasm Band brought their apocalyptic message in spirit of the prohibition era to the Mill on Sunday night, turning the stage into a 1920s speakeasy. With an arsenal of high-brow lyrics, intense energy and classic vocals The End Times Spasm Band coaxed even the most timid of audience members into joining the commotion and taking […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Show Preview: Goldenboy at The Mill – 4/10/12
Goldenboy w/ Colloquialisms, the Noble Octopus | The Mill | April 10 | 9 p.m. | $8 | 21+ after 10 p.m. Goldenboy is fronted by Shon Sullivan, a native of suburban LA. His big break came as a multi-instrumentalist in Elliott Smith’s band, and Goldenboy grew out of that experience. “It started as […]
