Local nonbinary musicians Miss Christine and Alma Drake were feeling the urgency of the moment — urgency brought on by anti-LGBTQ legislation and rhetoric on both local and national fronts. So when the two got together to collaborate, the fruits of their labor manifested with “Indoctrination,” a slow-burning, blues-tinged tune they hope will become the […]
Track premiere
Posted inArts & Entertainment, Statewide
Track and video premiere: Mr. Softheart, ‘Surface Tension’
It’s all part of the act for Mr. Softheart. That’s because this local three-piece has no regard for the basic building blocks of rock bands. At one of their shows, you’re sure to spy the image of Bambi on a deltoid muscle or the late ’80s linebacker-inspired cut of a Jockey crop top. But what […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Iowa poet joins the drive to ‘take back’ the spoken word Grammy (ft. track premiere: Kelsey Bigelow, ‘Poetic Trigger Warning’)
The Grammy Award for spoken word recordings has existed, in some form or other, since 1959. But it hasn’t always, or even often, gone to what 21st century listeners would consider spoken word. Seriously. Jimmy Carter (#NotAPoet) has won this Grammy Award three times. That’s as often as Maya Angelou. (With nine nominations to her […]
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Track premiere: Traffic Death, ‘Crushed By Corpses’
Des Moines quartet Traffic Death is back with their third full-length release, Judas Curse Of The Iron Sabbath, due out next month on Sump Pump records. You can check out a review of the full album online or in our September issue, #298, on stands now. Track one, “The Fury,” is currently available to stream, […]
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Track premiere: Anthony Worden and the Illiterati, ‘Sad Stories’
I remember being at a Feed Me Weird Things show in Chris Wiersema’s back yard. Anthony Worden showed up, fashionably late, wearing a black-and-white polka dot shirt and huge round sunglasses. He looked like he was auditioning to be in the background of a D.A. Pennebaker’s Bob Dylan documentary Don’t Look Back. I saw him […]
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Track premiere: Brian Johannesen, “Corona of Springfield”
In Iowa City songwriter Brian Johannesen’s new single “Corona of Springfield,” one of two new tracks he dropped today, a child — the narrator in fact — is born in a Walmart in Springfield, MO. Like so many life events during the pandemic, what might have been a celebration and blessings with gatherings of loved […]
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Track premiere: Dana T’s “When I Trust The Written Word”
Dana Telsrow, who works as an engineer at Flat Black studios, has released several albums of his own songs as Dana T. He also records and performs with Karen Meat. He’s a busy guy, with some big musical ideas. The pair of instrumental songs, the recently released “YouTube For Self-Help Idiot” and “When I Trust […]
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Track Premiere: Kelly Pardekooper’s “Long Goodbye”
Next Friday, Oct. 26, former Iowa Citian Kelly Pardekooper releases his ninth studio album, 50-Weight (available for pre-order). And, as the title implies, he’s come back to the beginning: his very first demo, 30-Weight, was recorded 20 years ago in his Iowa City basement.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Track premiere: Brendan Hanks reinterprets himself with “Your Exile By Algorithm”
This spring, during Mission Creek Festival, a lucky few were treated to a unique sci-fi dining experience. The Sci-Fi CoLab brought together dancing, storytelling and food to take attendees on an otherworldly journey. Providing the soundtrack was electronic musician Brendan Hanks. Hanks’ new record, Generations, which drops Friday, mines that science fiction experience. The full-length […]
