FEATURED FALL 2023 EVENTS:

School Of Music

• Guest artist master class with Frederica von Stade

Thursday, September 14, 11:00 a.m.

Voxman Music Building / Recital Hall

• Key Change Piano Revolutionaries Series Fall Concerts

Voxman Music Building / Concert Hall

• Sunday, September 24, 3:00 p.m.

• Sunday, October 22, 7:30 p.m.

• Thursday, November 30, 7:30 p.m.

• Scott Dunn guest piano recital with Nathan Platte

Thursday, November 2, 7:30 p.m.

Voxman Music Building / Recital Hall

• The University of Iowa Symphony Orchestra and Choirs

Wednesday, November 29, 7:30 p.m.

Hancher Auditorium / Hadley Stage / Auditorium Seating

Department Of Theatre Arts

• Estamos Aquí: An All Latin Celebration

Kathleen Marie Guerrero (Artistic Director) (Directora Artística)

Friday, September 15

Theatre Building / Alan MacVey Theatre

Co-Presenting organizations: Latino Native American Cultural Center

• Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Directed by Mary Mayo

October 6–8 and 11–14

Theatre Building / E. C. Mabie Theatre

• Men On Boats by Jaclyn Backhaus

Directed by Mary Beth Easley

November 3–5 and 8–11

Theatre Building / David Thayer Theatre

Department Of Dance

• Collaboration with the International Writing Program as part of Hancher’s Infinite Dream festival. Details to come.

• MFA Thesis concert 1: L.D. Kidd and Todd Rhoades

October 26–28

Space Place Theater

• Dance Gala with guest artist Aaron Samuel Davis

November 10–11, 7:30 p.m.

Hancher Auditorium / Hadley Stage / Auditorium Seating

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact the sponsoring department or contact person listed in advance of the event.

KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED, PEOPLE.

to the way Watt used to collaborate with Black Flag bassist Kira when they had a two-bass band, Dos. Back in the 1980s, they made their self-titled first album over long distances by mailing cassette tapes back and forth to each other, building their compositions bit by bit.

“Technologies change,” Watt said, “but the primary concept remains the same—it’s about Sam bringing something, with Watt reacting to it, and that’s the result you find in our releases. Our plan is to next try a fourth one, maybe start on it near the end of this year.”

Grace played drums on the first two SLW cc Watt records, which was a logistically difficult task, given that someone has to watch her and Sam’s two kids. “I have a lot going on and usually choose to spend any ‘creating time’ that I have sewing,” she said. “But I love playing drums, and when you’re asked to play on an album with Mike Watt and the dude you love, you fuckin’ make it work.”

Dead Milkmen drummer Dean Clean and Joe Jack Talcum play on the latest SLW cc Watt record, Purple Pie Plow. This collaboration started a dozen years ago when Sam approached Joe about touring together, which was a pleasurable experience for everyone that snowballed into a split LP released in 2011, Just Add Tears.

“It was a lot of fun,” Joe said of their two tours. “Sam was a great travel companion. He always had interesting things to discuss, and he seemed to know someone everywhere we went.”

Dean, the Dead Milkmen’s longtime art director, is a big fan of Sam’s comics, which led the band to ask the Iowa Citian to create the artwork for a bonus EP included in their 2022 album reissue of Metaphysical Graffiti. And the collabs kept coming. Sam had known Jad Fair since around 2010, and during the pandemic he approached the singer to do an album together, but there was a hitch.

“Sam first contacted me when I was working on a project of releasing 100 albums in a year’s time,” Jad told me. “When Sam first wrote to me, I had only recorded 32 albums and I thought it would be difficult to add more to my recording schedule, so I asked Sam to ask me again in a couple months. Two months later, I had finished 50 albums and felt better about being able to record with him and still stay on schedule to reach the 100 mark. Sam and I decided on recording one song each week. I’m very happy with how it worked out.”

Over the years, Samuel Locke Ward has joyfully subverted expectations in all areas of his creative life—as a do-it-yourself home-taper, an underground comics artist and a husband and father of two young children.

“Now that our kids are older,” Grace said,

“Sam can get away with being loud and recording at home. Our kids think it’s cool and often will contribute something: banging on a drum, singing to his songs. He is writing a series of songs with our 7-year-old, and the first one is called ‘Cats In Space.’

“The kids are always singing and drawing and being creative,” she continued, “or listening to records and realizing that Sam or I played on them. That always blows their minds. Joe Jack Talcum played Candyland with Orson and took him shopping for clothes when he was 4, and then years later Orson starts to listen to the Dead Milkmen and realizes who his friend Joe is. Creativity gets passed down simply by it being part of their everyday lives.”

Kembrew McLeod looks forward to hearing the three other albums that Jad Fair and Samuel Locke Ward have recorded.

Aug.

Aug.

Aug.

Aug.

Aug. 31 Gimikk

Sept.

Sept.

A-List: Eastern Iowa