We’ve talked a lot about the Run The Jewels show going on at Gabe’s. Killer Mike sharing the stage with El-p? Despot and Kool A.D. opening, with Iowa City’s…
Things to do in Iowa City
Posted inFood & Drink
On the Table: A visit with Iowa City herbalists Wild Rose Apothecary
Most people go to great lengths to rid their yards of plants they deem to be “weeds.” These so-called weeds are invasive and unattractive and might as well just be wiped out, right?
An Iowa City herbalist group, Wild Rose Apothecary, is looking to change that perception; it’s their mission to inform weed-haters that wild-foraged herbs like dandelions, cleavers, plantain and chickweed actually have a place in our homes.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Five reasons to check out Killer Mike and El-P this Thursday
Fresh off the release of their first collaborative album Run the Jewels, Killer Mike and El-P are in the midst of a nationwide tour that brings them to Gabe’s…
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Lit Scene: Studies abroad
This past March, four writers boarded a plane for the third millennium. There wasn’t anything particularly remarkable about the vessel in which they traveled, but rather the purpose of their journey. The travelers were literary ambassadors, dispatched to lands that had once embraced the beginnings of civilization, but whose stories are now unsung around most of the globe. These writers ventured to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan on a creative tour that included readings, lectures and cultural stops along the ancient Silk Road.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
UI graduate Sarah Bruni on her first novel and its Iowa connection
Author Sarah Bruni‘s debut novel The Night Gwen Stacy Died was released earlier this month to a handful of positive reviews and a spot on Apple’s list of …
Posted inFood & Drink
Chicken Little Reviews: Brix Cheese Shop and Wine Bar
On a rare rain-free afternoon in early June, I was feeling peckish and decided to risk crossing the road for a bite at Brix, one of Iowa City’s newest Northside eateries. Brix is a place I often overlook for lunch, partly because it’s only been open since last December, and also because I have never […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
David Byrne journals about Iowa: “Beyond cool”
Following his visit for 80/35 alongside St. Vincent, David Byrne — one of the most celebrated artists of our time — has written a substantive reflection piece on his time spent in Des Moines. In it, he includes a bold proposition: …this is America as it’s suposed to be, or close to it. It’s imperfect, […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Maximum Ames Music Fest announces lineup details
The Maximum Ames Music Festival (MAMF) is returning this fall for its third year, and festival organizers have just announced the first lineup details. Ames isn’t exactly local, but just take a look at that lineup! MAMF is not only bringing in a number of excellent national talents like Murder by Death, Meat Puppets and […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Talking movies: A guide to independent movies
To help you improve your movie life, I’ve developed a handy-dandy guide to indie film, as follows, so incredibly handy and dandy that you will not only gain a comprehensive expertise, you will be able to create your own independent film immediately upon finishing reading this article. Let’s start, shall we?
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Screenshot: The cutscene effect
Let’s be honest: Video game cutscenes—those moments when control is taken from the user so that story information can be conveyed through a cinema-style sequence—almost always disappoint. Dialogue is often stilted and the voice acting is subpar; character expressions are muted at best and immobile at worst, sticking them firmly in the “uncanny valley” of […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
N.S.F.W: How to write a sex scene
From the Literary Review’s annual Bad Sex in Fiction Award to the popularity of Fifty Shades of Grey, sex in literature—and the ways it can go terribly, terribly wrong—is being talked about a lot these days. But sex in fiction is hardly a new trend. Some writers, especially writers just starting out, tend to balk […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment, Prairie Pop
El-P Interview: Lucy in the sky with dizzle
Last year, Killer Mike and El-P steamrolled their musical competition with their respective albums R.A.P. Music and Cancer 4 Cure. Both artists have garnered plenty of attention over the years—Killer Mike made his initial splash on Outkast’s 2000 album, Stankonia, and El-P began in the early 1990s with the late, great Company Flow. But in 2012, their profiles skyrocketed. The outstanding Cancer 4 Cure further developed the producer and MC’s singularly dark, claustrophobic musical vision, but El’s production work on R.A.P. Music was the knockout punch.
