The third weekend in June shall be lit. Legit. And I cannot contain my excitement. Let me break it down for yousall: I just got my individually-numbered, limited edition ticket to Junetopia… … which, as you can see, I photographed while enjoying some freshly harvested strawberries with yogurt + granola. I already wrote about Junetopia…
You Ain’t Never Seen This: The Editorial QC
Quad Citians have never seen anything like photographer Dasha Denger’s latest venture: The Editorial QC. Imagine if the sensibilities of Harper’s Bazaar met MidWestern pragmatism and gave birth to a new curiosity. This improbable creation is possible because Dasha and likeminded artists have chosen to believe in the industry now germinating in the area. At…
Hit These Links: Graduating? Good! Now: How to Find a Job
Happy graduation season! Here’s a little number that goes out to all the new grads this spring: I manage the blog for the library at a local community college and recently posted this brief job search guide. One thing I advocate against is using job posting sites to just send out a bunch of résumés. Note:…
The Good Doctor Is In
If you live in Iowa and pay attention to community theater at all, you often find yourself thinking, “Oh, look: yet another production of State Fair/The Music Man/The Bridges of Madison County.” There’s not a great deal of variety. In the month of April, however, theater fans finally have a reason to get excited: Neil…
Daytrotter Downs Photos
I like to take digital photos and then play around with the levels in GIMP or iPhoto or whatever’s handy. Here are some decent shots I got at Daytrotter Downs earlier this month. The number of photos per performer is no reflection on my opinion or musical preference. There were some shows where I just couldn’t…
White Fang’s Mom Was A Bitch
Happy International Women’s Day! I still have the copy of White Fang I was supposed to read in high school. It’s a Scholastic Classic with a forward by K. A. Applegate (The Animorphs, Everworld). As problematic as the characterizations are (Gray Beaver takes all of thirty seconds to develop a debilitating addiction to firewater), it’s…
Hit These Links: Quad City Tastemakers Tell Locals to #GetBaked
ATTN: Iowa writers, entrepreneurs, and bloggers – Travel Iowa has a blog that seems underutilized, especially considering how accessible it is to small business owners. I wrote this post about an awesome new venue in the Village of East Davenport called Baked Beer and Bread Company: From the partnership that brought you Brew in the Village:…
Jantopia and the Utopiugly
The past week has felt like five years. I’m just now getting to write about Utopiugly Production’s most recent event, Jantopia, the winter sister of Junetopia. A three-day event, starting on Friday at Daytrotter and ending on Sunday at Rozz Tox, I can’t detail each of the dozens of bands that performed. Instead, I’ll focus on…
Welcome to The Island
Cue hula girls. Naw, just kidding. It’s colder than Satan’s backside. DIY spaces have made headlines recently for not-so-positive reasons. I’ve briefly discussed my own experience within these spaces. Last Saturday night, I had the good fortune to see a show in one I hadn’t visited. James Fauser, gentleman and scholar, invited me to a…
On the Artscience of Sound
A man wearing a gorilla mask manipulates a theremin as though he’s attempting to summon the demon that dwells within. His fellow performers are a guitarist and keyboardist, both in balaclavas (totally appropriate, given the season). Interestingly, their instruments aren’t the main focus: it’s the manipulation of console and pedal sets that feature. The result…
SMACKDOWN!: Mountain Swallower vs. Condor and Jaybird
New Year’s Eve is a smörgåsbord of debauchery and decadence. As per usual, I had many options this year: the always amusing Analog Arcade Bar offered some sweet console giveaways alongside their champagne toast, the Candymakers took over RME, and good old Chicago offered some amazing shows from the likes of Umbra and the Volcan…
Tiny and Mighty: The Boy Who Wanted to Live
The winter holidays are a bittersweet time for everyone. If you are fortunate, retail bills, icy weather, and an anti-climactic gift exchange are your biggest disappointments. Like a Christmas special, everything tends to turn out all right in the end. Though you fought with your mother and burned the roast, you went to bed feeling…
