The F#%k?: A Quiz Show

Andrew King is back, antagonizing contestants and audiences alike in the wackiest game show around. Laugh along as Andrew screams and threatens his way straight into our hearts.

HortiCulture: 10 Uses for an Abundance of Tomatoes

Culture, according to the Oxford English Dictionary – that is, the highest authority – directly translates to “way of life.” Any group’s way of life is dictated not only by their fellow humans, but by the nature and environment in which they live. The natural world’s influence is more powerful than any cultural apparatus humans…

The Electric Outlet at Rozz-Tox, QC USA

The Outlet series may very well extend to the stores in Guangzhou and Shenyang (both in China), but this article I wrote for Little Village focuses on the much nearer Rozz-Tox of Rock Island, Illinois – about an hour east of LV’s Iowa City headquarters. As my four-or-so regular readers already know, I’m a big…

Witness the Club Artist Revolution

This month sees a radical experiment among our local champions. It’s the logical next step in a community that has been quietly on the move for years. We forgot about them for a while. I blame the advent of the mp3 player and its shuffle mode – the very same invention that’s led us to…

You Had Us At Free Stuff

It would be killer if this event turned out to be huge. Iowa’s Latino population gets overlooked a lot. This month, the Figge is bringing back its Día de Muertos or Day of the Dead celebration. Unlike most things posted here, this one is totally family-friendly and a great alternative to some of the scarier…

All Senses Will Rock All. Your. Senses.

“It’s the most unique fest going on in the QCA with a very left of center, diverse line-up… not aimed to please everyone, it is meant to be a boundary-pushing showcase of art.” That’s according to Jason Parris of RIBCO and Wake Brewing and possibly the most reliable dude in the area’s music industry. Hey,…

How to Carve Pipestone

The first time I carved a turtle from pipestone, it took me three hours. From the general shape to the beeswax sealant, I carved the turtle using a small pocket knife I’d found in a drawer of odds-and-ends. I didn’t have any specialized tools – I would learn about those later – or even a…

New Festival AlertSSSS. Plural.

…including benefits for local non-profits! I feel fortunate to have returned to the Quad City Area at a time when so many motivated, ambitious young people are building up and taking control of their community and culture. I already covered the brand new BirdFest over at Travel Iowa. This is a project from GoldBird Recordings,…

The Biggest Little Venue on Two Continents

Rio de Janeiro, London, Berlin, and Rock Island. All of these places have something in common: venues that consistently host international artists and cultural virtuosos. Rozz-Tox QC is the only intimate Midwestern venue (outside of a few spots in Chicago and Minneapolis) that consistently brings in acts from all over the world. Every continent is…

HortiCulture, Or: How to Grow Shit

I feel guilty. I set out to make a blog celebrating the art&culture(&pork) of Iowa, yet I’ve neglected a significant element of the Iowa experience. No, I’m not talking about farming. Those days are all but gone. Most farms are now operated like factories and owned by mega-corporations. It is rare to find a family…