Little Village Eastern Iowa Issue 314: The Photo Issue

CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA RICCARDO MUTI

, ZELL MUSIC DIRECTOR

Sunday, January 29, 7:30 pm

Consistently counted among the world’s greatest orchestras, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra thrills audiences at home and in great concert halls around the world. The CSO returns to Hancher for a concert of beloved music by Beethoven, Liadov, and Mussorgsky.

PROGRAM (subject to change)

Ludwig van Beethoven: Coriolan Overture

Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 Anatoly Liadov: The Enchanted Lake

Modest Mussorgsky: Pictures from an Exhibition

TICKETS

Adults $75 / $85 / $95

College Students $60 / $68 / $76

Youth $60 / $68 / $76

PILOBOLUS

BIG FIVE-OH!

Saturday,

EVENT PARTNERS

Leonard and Marlene Hadley

Michael W. O’Hara and Jane Engeldinger

William and Marlene W. (1933–2021) Stanford Stephen and Victoria West

February 4, 7:30 pm

Pilobolus—that feisty arts organism—is, like Hancher, celebrating 50 years! This remarkable company (and longtime Hancher favorite) secured an iconic place in American culture in the early 1970s and is still wowing audiences with its wit, sensuality, and stunning physicality. Turning its traditions sideway and bringing its past into the future, Pilobolus will perform a mix of signature works from the vintage and visionary to the fresh and electrifying.

TICKETS

Adults $30 / $40 / $50

College Students $10 / $10 / $40

Youth $10 / $10 / $40

EVENT PARTNERS

Peter and Vera Gross Arnold and Darcy Honick Karl Kundel and Allison Kundel Little Village John R. Menninger

Gregg Oden and Lola Lopes

Robert A. Oppliger Douglas and Vance Van Daele

HANCHER AUDITORIUM 50 YEAR S

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 Hancher in advance at (319) 335-1160.

 HANCHER.UIOWA.EDU

Photo: Todd Rosenberg Photography

Little Village (ISSN 2328-3351) is an independent, community-supported news and culture publication based in Iowa City, published monthly by Little Village, LLC, 623 S Dubuque St., Iowa City, IA 52240. Through journalism, essays and events, we work to improve our community according to core values: environmental sustainability, affordability and access, economic and labor justice, racial justice, gender equity, quality healthcare, quality education and critical culture. Letters to the editor(s) are always welcome. We reserve the right to fact check and edit for length and clarity. Please send letters, comments or corrections to editor@littlevillagemag.com. Subscriptions: lv@littlevillagemag.com. The US annual subscription price is $120. All rights reserved, reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. If you would like to reprint or collaborate on new content, reach us at lv@littlevillagemag.com. To browse back issues, visit us online at issuu.com/littlevillage.

Mary Palmberg, Overcrowded Housing

EDITORIAL

Publisher arts Editor

Genevieve Trainor genevieve@littlevillagemag.com

Managing Editor

Emma McClatchey emma@littlevillagemag.com

news Director Paul Brennan paul@littlevillagemag.com

art Director Jordan Sellergren jordan@littlevillagemag.com

Multimedia Journalist Adria Carpenter adria@littlevillagemag.com

Events Editor, Design assistant Sid Peterson sid@littlevillagemag.com

Staff Writers

Courtney Guein courtney@littlevillagemag.com

Lily DeTaeye lily@littlevillagemag.com

Social Media Manager Kim Bates kim@littlevillagemag.com

Spanish Language Editor Spenser Santos

Calendar/Event Listings calendar@littlevillagemag.com

Corrections editor@littlevillagemag.com

January Contributors

Paras Bassuk, Lary Belman, Matthieu Bigger, Cat Dooley, Sarah Elgatian, Ethan Ellis, Tyler Erickson, Britt Fowler, Lauren Haldeman, Madeline Hart, Tate Hildyard, Elly Hoffmaier, Jack Howard, Jane Kirsch, Cameron Johnson, Kate Kasten, Sam Locke Ward, John Moyers, Sara Neppl, Amy Nolan, Phil Ochs,

INDEPENDENT NEWS, CULTURE & EVENTS

Since 2001 LittleVillageMag.com

Mary Palmberg, Ric Pier, Endrit Ramku, Chad Rhym, Peter Rodd, John Rummelhart, Kristel Saxton, Chase Schweitzer, Michelle Sharp, Steve Sovern, Ben Tausig, Gigi Vanderpool, Quiara Vasquez, Kent Williams

SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook @LittleVillageMag Instagram @LittleVillageMag Twitter @LittleVillage

PRODUCTION

Digital Director Drew Bulman drewb@littlevillagemag.com

Marketing analytics

Coordinator Malcolm MacDougall malcolm@littlevillagemag.com

SALES & ADMINISTRATION

President, Little Village, LLC Matthew Steele matt@littlevillagemag.com

advertising Matthew Steele ads@littlevillagemag.com

Creative Services Website design, Email marketing, E-commerce, Videography creative@littlevillagemag.com

CIRCULATION

Distribution Manager Joseph Servey joseph@littlevillagemag.com

Distribution

Bill Rogers, Ellen Keplinger, Emily Burress, Huxley Maxwell, Justin Comer, Sam Standish distro@littlevillagemag.com

OFFICES

Little Village 623 S Dubuque St Iowa City, IA 52240

Little Village Creative Services 623 S Dubuque St Iowa City, IA 52240 319-855-1474

Meet this month’s contributors:

amy nolan, pg. 20

Britt Fowler, pgs. 22, 27, 28

Cameron Johnson, pgs. 23, 28

Cat Dooley, pg. 19, 29

Chad rhym, pgs. 21, 24

Elly Hoffmaier, pgs. 28, 29

Endrit ramku, pg. 25

Ethan Ellis, pg. 26 Jane Kirsch, pg. 27

John Moyers, pgs. 26, 27 John rummelhart, pg. 22

Kate Kasten, pg. 22

Kristel Saxton, pg. 25 Lary Belman, pg. 23

Madeline Hart, pgs. 20, 22, 25 Mary Palmberg, pg. 21

Matthieu Bigger, pgs. 24, 26, 23 Michelle Sharp, pg. 25

Paras Bassuk, pg. 21

Peter rodd, pg. 23

Phil Ochs, pg. 22 ric Pier, pgs. 21, 29 Sara neppl, pgs. 21, 23 Steve Sovern, pg. 26

Tate Hildyard, pg. 28 Tyler Erickson, pg. 24

Send us a pitch!

Issue 314 , Volume 32

January 2022

Cover by Sara neppl ‘Outdoor Pair,’ Des Moines

Fluffy clouds, baby birds, fields mid-plow, ill-placed toilets, electric crowds, captivating portraits—browse dozens of photos submitted by fellow villagers. Plus: Eight reviews of Iowan-made music and literature.

Chase Schweitzer is a Des Moines native/artist/producer and cocreator of the Iowa music podcast, Pretty Fort.

Gigi Vanderpool is a musician, student, Francophile, and corgi mama. She lives in Des Moines with her husband and two pups.

Jack Howard is a DJ, producer, occasional journalist, and lover of learning from Des Moines, Iowa, currently based in New York City.

Kent Williams lives, works, writes and complains in Iowa City.

Sarah Elgatian is a writer, activist and educator living in Iowa. She likes dark coffee, bright colors and long sentences. She dislikes meanness.

Culture writers, food reviewers and columnists, email: editor@littlevillagemag.com

Illustrators, photographers and comic artists, email: jordan@littlevillagemag.com

Top Stories of 2022

Catch up on Little Village’s most-viewed headlines from last year. Read more at LittleVillageMag.com.

‘a loaded gun in every aisle’: Hy-Vee is introducing a new retail security team

By adria Carpenter, Jan. 4, 2022

The shoulder patches say, “A Helpful Smile in Every Aisle,” but the police-style uniforms, complete with belts with holstered taser and possibly handguns, may send a very different message as Hy-Vee deploys a new retail security team in its stores. The program will roll out throughout 2022, but security teams are already present in some stores.

By

april 11, 2022

Anyone living in Cedar Rapids or Marion has at one point or another found themselves driving on First Avenue. On their way, they’ve probably seen an unassuming strip mall just a couple minutes into Cedar Rapids past the Marion border: an L-shaped series of shops with a squat silhouette that creeps up the slight rise of the parking lot. The Town & Country Shopping Center is, in fact, the oldest shopping mall in Iowa.

Iowa City pools: City Park is seeping, rec center swimmers fight likely closure and Mercer may be heating up

By

adria Carpenter, June 29, 2022

The Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department has recommended closing the 58-year-old pool at Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center, and instead adding a warm water pool at Mercer Park Aquatic Center and Scanlon Gym, as part of its Gather Here Recreation Master Plan. The plan also includes a redesign of City Park pool, introducing new features to the seven decade-old facility.

By

Brennan, July 28, 2022

Jim Leach, who represented Johnson County and much of southeastern Iowa in Congress for 30 years as a Republican, changed his party registration to Democrat ahead of the June 7 primary, the Quad City Times reported on Wednesday. “The Republican Party has just torn itself apart, and it’s got to pull itself together. I’ll lean toward the Democratic Party as long as excellent people are running.”

recommendations and LV Perks: LittleVillageMag.com/ Support

How a Cedar rapids strip mall brought town and country together — and stood the test of time

Malcolm MacDougall,

Former rep. Jim Leach breaks with the republican Party, endorses Bohannan for House and Franken for Senate

Paul

Arnott & Kirk (13)

Artifacts (46)

Coralville Public Library (6)

Eddie Bowles Project (52) FilmScene (16)

Firmstone Real Estate (46)

Goodfellow Printing, Inc. (46)

Grinnell College Museum of Art (36)

Hancher Auditorium (4, 18)

Honeybee Hair Parlor (50) Independent Iowa Downtown Iowa City (42-43)

- Critical Hit Games

- Yotopia - Merge - Alebrije - Revival - Record Collector - Fix! - Beadology

THANK YOU TO THIS ISSUE’S ADVERTISING PARTNERS

- Release Body Modification

Independent Iowa New Bohemia & Czech Village (40)

- Next Page Books

- NewBoCo

- Parlor City Pub & Eatery - The Daisy - Chrome Horse - Goldfinch Cyclery

- Iowa Running Company Independent Iowa Northside Marketplace (44-45)

- Oasis Falafel - George’s - The Haunted Bookshop - High Ground - Dodge St. Tire - John’s Grocery - Russ’ Northside Service - Hamburg Inn No. 2 - Pagliai’s Pizza

- R.S.V.P.

Iowa City Burger Haul (48)

Iowa City Communications Department (14)

Iowa City Public Library (52)

Iowa Department of Public Health (32, 34)

Iowa Public Radio (50)

Johnson County Public Health (54) KRUI 89.7 FM (31)

Kim Schillig, REALTOR (50)

La Wine Bar & Restaurant (50)

Mailboxes of Iowa City (55) Martin Construction (35)

Mission Creek Festival (33) Musician’s Pro Shop (46)

Nearwood Winery (17) New Pioneer Food Co-op (9) Nodo (31)

Obermann Center (46) Orchestra Iowa (38)

Perez Family Tacos (48)

Phoebe Martin, REALTOR (56)

Prairie Lights Bookstore & Cafe (48) Press Coffee (55)

Public Space One (33)

Raygun (12)

Riverside (17)

Shakespeare’s Pub & Grill (37)

Taxes Plus (48)

The Club Car (37)

The Englert Theatre (39)

The James (37)

The Wedge Pizzeria (52)

Think Iowa City (3)

Trunk (46)

University of Iowa Department of Theatre Arts (36)

University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art (2)

West Music (52) Willow & Stock (30)

Little Village magazine print readership 25,000—40,000 per issue LittleVillageMag.com readership 200,000 monthly article views 74,000 unique monthly visitors

rECEnT rEaDEr SurVEy DaTa

MEDIan aGE: 37 18-24: 14% 25-34: 20% 35-44: 21% 45-54: 17% 55-64: 14% 65+: 10%

MEDIan PErSOnaL

InCOME: $50k 23.4%: $40k—60k 20.9%: $60k—80k 15.8%: $100k+ 12%: $20k—40k 15.8%: <$20k 12%: $80k—$100k

EDuCaTIOn

Masters: 35.8% Bachelors: 38.5% Ph.D: 12.3% Some college: 7.8% Associates: 4.5%

GEnDEr

This issue of Little Village is supported by: ads@LittleVillageMag.com (319) 855-1474

aVEraGE nuMBEr OF yEarS LIVInG In EaSTErn IOWa 27

aVEraGE nuMBEr OF CHILDrEn 1.85 Join Little Village’s family of advertisers and start making a strong, personal connection with the local community today. request a media kit:

Female: 69.6% Male: 27.8% Nonbinary/other: 2.5%

PRESENTED BY

Letters & Interactions

LV encourages community members, including candidates for office, to submit letters to Editor@LittleVillageMag.com. To be considered for print publication, letters should be under 500 words. Preference is given to letters that have not been published elsewhere.

WE HaVE aLL BEEn BETrayED at some point in our lives by someone. Perhaps that was a parent, sibling, teacher, friend, boss, business, stranger, spouse or politician. I have handled the betrayals in various ways; ignoring, anger, vent, retaliation, helplessness, or complete rejection of all of that group of people.

In all the pain, I have always wanted the betrayer to do the same things: Admit often their wrongs. Apologize often for their wrongs. Find solutions to solve the problems that resulted from their betrayal. Accept the court rulings and do the time that was ordered.

At the same time, I, the betrayed, do not want to spend the rest of my life, hating all men, or all friends, or all politicians, or whatever group or institution that has betrayed me. If I remain in this hating stage, then the betrayer has won. I need to listen and spread the word that the

betrayer is changing his words and actions.

I am not saying I have accomplished this in all the betrayals in my life. I am a work in progress. My trust is returning for the betrayers who are changing their words and actions.

I hope 2023 will have all the betrayers saying the words and doing the actions that will right the wrongs they have done, and I hope the betrayed will accept their changes. We are in this world together. We need each other.

—Charlene Lange, Iowa City

after 37 years, Bob Dorr will end his IPr rock history show ‘Backtracks’ this month (Dec. 12)

Best wishes for your future endeavors Bob! I enjoyed your gifts for many years

in many different parts of Iowa thanks to KUNI’s FM broadcast reach. —Thomas S.

I’ve been a long time fan and have enjoyed the years of listening, dancing, and the adventures of going to listen to you and your bands play. Congratulations on your retirement —Kelly L.

Bob Dorr got me through my pizza-delivering job in my college days. I didn’t have a CD player/ipod and there certainly was no spotify. I continue to enjoy his shows today! What a treasure. Best wishes and thanks for the great times, Bob! —Wig W.

Vivian’s Soul Food, a Cedar rapids favorite, has closed (Dec. 14)

It’s all so backwards. The corporate chains should be the ones closing. I truly hope Vivian’s is able to come back in some form at some point. —Dylan S.

It’s definitely a scary time right now to have a restaurant, I’m a one man show barely surviving myself, if people only support the big corporate chains there won’t be many mom and pops left. —MFH

Former UI President Sandy Boyd, who left an indelible mark on the university, has died at age 95 (Dec. 14)

Sandy Boyd’s wise decision during the height of 1970 protest at UI that followed the Kent State deaths has been arguably credited with having prevented that happening here. Stellar leadership. —Julie V.

Iowan Doug Jensen sentenced to five years in prison for ‘leading role’ in Jan. 6 insurrection (Dec. 16)

He wasn’t a leader…he was a follower. The real leader has yet to be charged. Hopefully will be soon. —Craig A.

Damn besides the prison sentence that’s only 1/5 of the cost of a DUI. Not that DUI’s are in any way good, but I just fail to understand the metrics and logic behind fines for offenses. —Wesley B.

Never thought I’d see LV lauding the incarceration of any person, yet here we are… —Tim T.

Never thought we would see an insurrectionist attempt to over throw democracy, either. —Lisita

Imagine trying to forcefully overthrow democracy. Good riddance.

Corey R.

INTERACTIONS

READER POLL:

Use of the UI food pantry is up, with international students disproportionately relying on the support (Dec. 14)

While no one should be ashamed of using the food pantry, this is entirely the fault of @uiowa admin and the @IowaBoard. International students and grad workers deserve better! No more poverty wages! End the fees and give us a real raise now! COGS/UE Local 896 on Twitter

PERSONALS

Adventure-seeker seeks virtuous adopter. Petite Petunia grows weary of confinement. This 1-year-old go-getter appointed herself Queen of the Catio soon after a screened-in kitty play area opened in the Iowa City Animal Center this fall, and has ruled benevolently. Tortoiseshell beauty without the ‘tude. The camera loves her, and the feeling’s mutual. Picture this pipecleaner-tailed tortie on a throne in your four-season porch. Inquire at icanimalcenter@iowa-city.org.

John Cena (@JohnCena) has been following Iowa journalists on Twitter recently. What mystery project is he getting ready to promote?

“People, not structures, make great universities. I look around and when I close my eyes, I don’t see buildings. I see the people who’ve been going through this university over time.”

—Former University of Iowa president Willard “Sandy” Boyd in a 2015 interview. Boyd passed away on Dec. 13, 2022 at the age of 95.

“There are multiple different things that we’ve been trying to get done to restore freedoms in Iowa, and we’ve not been able to get across the finish line on some of those things. I’m not at a point right now where I’m going to discuss publicly what all those items are, but you can expect us after this victory to come back, revisit some of those issues and restore freedoms to Iowans that never should have been taken away.” —House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl, addressing reporters in vague terms after a ceremony marking the addition of “strict scrutiny” firearm protections to the Iowa Constitution

“The amount of financial burden on grad students is really significant. It’s kind of crazy. At the beginning of the week, [the University of Iowa Food Pantry is] fully stocked, and then by our last shift—our first shift is Tuesday evening and last shift is Thursday—it’s just completely empty. It doesn’t matter what foods are stocked. They just tend to be emptied.” —Stephanie Beecher, basic needs coordinator in the UI Office of the Dean of Students, on rising costs

“We do not accept or sell books by J. K. Rowling. She aggressively and personally pursues individuals who disagree with her, or who interpret her work in ways she doesn’t like. We cannot share books with children when we cannot trust the author not to attack them.” —The Haunted Bookshop (@BookshopGhost) in a Dec. 18 tweet after Rowling’s latest statements attacking trans people. The tweet went viral, and shortly after, the Iowa City business made their Twitter account private.

Courtesy of the University of Iowa

Welcome

2023

ReaderSubmitted Photo Issue

Photos have not been cropped, edited or changed. Submitted captions have been edited for style, length and clarity.

to Little Village’s

Cat Dooley, LG Kanioka

CLOCKWISE FrOM TOP LEFT: Madeline Hart, Gazing; amy nolan; Mary Palmberg, Five Seasons Ski Team; Paras Bassuk, A Take on American Gothic; ric Pier, Morning on the Mississippi; Chad rhym; Kristel Saxton, Tag Team

CLOCKWISE FrOM

TOP LEFT: Phil Ochs; Madeline Hart, Passing Moments; Cameron Johnson, Guttenberg; Peter rodd, Gothic Surveillance; Lary Belman, Gray Catbirds; Matthieu Bigger, Gabe’s; Sara neppl, Square; Britt Fowler, Iowa State Capitol; Kate Kasten, Beetle on Okra; John rummelhart

CLOCKWISE FrOM TOP LEFT: Sid Peterson; Tyler Erickson; Endrit ramku; Madeline Hart, Light up the Night; Kristel Saxton, Ready For Harvest, Her First Morels; Michelle Sharp; Chad rhym; Matthieu Bigger, Englert in Greenery; Chad rhym

CLOCKWISE

FrOM TOP

LEFT: John Moyers, South End Zone; Ethan Ellis; John Moyers, Climbing Wall; Britt Fowler, Downtown Des Moines; Jane Kirsch, West Side of Iowa River; Britt Fowler, Travelers Sign Des Moines; Ethan Ellis; Matthieu Bigger, George’s; Steve Sovern, House on Hwy 30

CLOCKWISE FrOM TOP LEFT:

Elly Hoffmaier, Gigglebug; Sid Peterson, 80/35; Elly Hoffmaier, Alyx Rush; Cat Dooley; Sid Peterson, Flea Market; ric Pier, Neo Noir Iowa City; Britt Fowler, Iowa State Fair; Tate Hildyard; Cameron Johnson, Vincent

EVENTS: JANuAry

JANUARY 2023

Planning an event? Submit event info to calendar@littlevillagemag. com. Include event name, date, time, venue, street address, admission price and a brief description (no all-caps, exclamation points or advertising verbiage, please). To find more events, visit littlevillagemag.com/calendar. Please check venue listing in case details have changed.

Martin’s Big Words Storytime w/the African American Museum of Iowa,

Iowa City Public Library, Thursday, Jan. 12 at 10:30 a.m.,

Free

Introduce your little one to one of the most important figures in U.S. history with ICPL’s special storytime in collaboration with the African American Museum of Iowa! Storytime will feature the award-winning picture book Martin’s Big Words: the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. followed by a group project designed to teach cooperation and service. The event will be best for 3- to 5-year-olds, so bring your child, your nibling, or other important little one to this event ahead of MLK Day, Jan. 16.

Literary Luxuries

Thursday, Jan. 5 at 10:30 a.m.

Musical Storytime w/Katie Roche, Iowa City Public Library, Free

Saturday, Jan. 7 at 10 a.m.

Reading & Signing w/Dasia Taylor, Sidekick Coffee & Books, Iowa City, Free

Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. Let’s

Talk Books: Memoirs, Iowa City Public Library, Online, Free

Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 1 p.m

Afternoon Tea w/Janice Hallett, Swamp Fox Bookstore, Online, Free w/registration

Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. Let’s

Talk Books: Science Fiction, Iowa City Public Library, Online, Free w/ registration

Science & Technology House Party, Robert A

Lee

Community Center, Iowa City,

Sunday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m., Free Get up close and personal with the coolest scientific tools out there at this STEAM event hosted by the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department. Microscopes, drones, musical technology and more will be available for hands-on activities at the Robert A. Lee Center for free, supported by ACT. The event is recommended for ages 5 and over.

Community Connections

Friday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. Game Night, Giving Tree Theater, Marion, $24

Saturdays, Jan. 7, 14, 21, 28 at 12 p.m. Stay Cozy Winter Cycling Group Ride, Iowa City Bike Library, Free

Sundays, Jan. 8 and 22 at 4:30 p.m. Kayaking Session, Bender Swimming Pool, Cedar Rapids, $10

Tuesdays, Jan. 10, 17 24. Hellenistic Astrology, PS1 Close House, Iowa City, Free

Friday, Jan. 13 to Sunday Jan. 22. Murder Mystery, Giving Tree Theater, $18

Saturday, Jan. 14 at 9:30 a.m. Kids Ice Fishing Clinic, Pinicon Ridge Park, Central City, Free w/registration

Thursday, Jan. 19 at 4 p.m. Campfire and S’mores, Wickiup Hill Learning Center, Toddville, Free

Sunday, Jan. 22 at 4 p.m. Lunar New Year Gala, Englert Theatre, Iowa City, Free-$10

Thursday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. Grant Wood Fellow Talk: Johanna Winters, Stanley Museum of Art, Iowa City, Free

Friday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. Experimental Animation Techniques w/Jacob Smithburg, PS1 Close House, $5-60

Saturday, Jan. 28 at 1 p.m. Foiling Studio Group, ArtiFactory, Iowa City, $20

Public Domain

Within

Our Gates, FilmScene–The Chauncey, Iowa City, Thursday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m.,

Pay-What-You-Can

Sliding Scale Mark

your calendar for the screening of Within Our Gates, the earliest surviving feature film by an African-American director. Oscar Micheaux’s 1920 released film was mastered in HD from 35 mm film elements, preserved by The Library of Congress and acquired by the American Film Institute from the Filmoteca Española, Madrid. The screening is a Martin Luther King Jr. Week event and is presented in partnership with Bijou and co-sponsored by the UI Department of Cinematic Arts. The Alvin Cobb Jr. trio will be performing Alvin Cobb’s original score for Within Our Gates in person at the event.

Films in Focus

Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 10 p.m. Late Shift at the Grindhouse: Hard Ticket to Hawaii, FilmScene–The Chauncey, Iowa City, $7

Friday, Sunday, Thursday, Jan. 6, 8, 12. Rules of the Game, FilmScene–The Chauncey, $9.50-12

Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 15, 18. Au Hasard Balthazar, FilmScene–The Chauncey, $9.50-12

Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 6:30 p.m. Selma, FilmScene–The Chauncey, Free

Saturday, Sunday, Thursday, Jan.

21, 22, 26. The Picture Show: An American Tail, FilmScene–The Chauncey, Free-$5

Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. Pride and Prejudice, FilmScene–The Chauncey, $7

Thursday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. The

Birdcage, FilmScene–The Chauncey, $9.50-12

Friday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. Backcountry Film Festival, Big Grove Brewery, Iowa City, $15

Saturday, Jan. 28 at 10 p.m. Harold and Maude, FilmScene–The Chauncey, $7

Still from Within Our Gates

Musical Marvels

Friday, Jan. 6 at 5 p.m. First Friday Jazz, Opus Concert Café, Cedar Rapids, $12

Thursday, Jan. 12 at 8 p.m.

Danielle Nicole, Wildwood Saloon, Iowa City, $18

Friday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. Maul, Chemosh, Dryad, Frontal Assault, Gabe’s, Iowa City, $14

Saturday, Jan. 14 at 7:30 p.m.

The Rush Tribute Project, Englert Theatre, Iowa City, $15-35

MAVI w/Ahzia, Jim Swim, TéGwap, PB Dutch, Gabe’s, Iowa City,

Thursday, Jan. 19 at 8 p.m., $17-20 Mavi, a 23-year old rapper from Charlotte is making a stop at Gabe’s on his North American and European tour after the release of his latest album, *Laughing so Hard, it Hurts*. If you’re a fan of Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE, two rappers that Mavi is frequently compared to, consider checking out this show. Be sure to get there early, too, as local artists Ahzia, Jim Swim, TéGwap and PB Dutch will be taking the stage before Mavi.

Saturday, Jan. 14 at 9 p.m. Local Independent G.O.A.T.S, Gabe’s, $10-20

Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. King Buffalo, Gabe’s, $15

Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. Miguel Zenón, Englert Theatre, $20-35

Thursday, Jan. 19 at 8 p.m. Them Coulee Boys, Wildwood Saloon, $15

Friday, Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. An Evening w/Dan Knight, Englert Theatre, $10-30

Friday and Sunday, Jan. 20 and 22 Cosi Fan Tutte w/Orchestra Iowa, Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids, $19-69

Friday, Jan. 20 at 8 p.m. Americature w/Good Devils & The Slow Retreat, Gabe’s, $10

Saturday, Jan. 21 at 7:30 p.m Englert Local Showcase Series w/ Younger, Sophie Mitchell, Death Kill Overdrive, Englert Theatre, $10-15

Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. Lake Street Dive, Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City, $58-148

Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. Sounds of the Underground, Gabe’s, $15

Saturday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. MANIA: The ABBA Tribute, Paramount Theater, $35-55

Sunday, Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m. Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Hancher Auditorium, $60-95

MAVI, Wyeth Collins

the wish, Mirrorbox Theatre, Cedar

Rapids, Thursday-Sunday,

Jan. 26-29, $20 Originally written as a response to Texas’ infamous SB 8, the “Heartbeat Act,” which took effect in September of 2021 and which banned abortions after detection of fetal cardiac activity (typically around six weeks), the wish is seeing a resurgence of performances across the country with its updated script following the June 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overruled Roe v. Wade. Justice Hehir, Dena Igusti, Phanesia Pharel, Nia Akilah Robinson and Julia Specht all contributed to the text, which is written to be performed anywhere at any time. Mirrorbox Theatre’s incarnation doubles down on the themes of intimacy and self-advocacy, using a cast of just two actors, with all other roles filled by audience members (volunteers only; no audience participation required). Mirrorbox is giving 20 percent of all ticket proceeds to a local reproductive rights nonprofit.

Theatrical Thrills

Saturday, Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. STOMP, Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City, $44-80

Opening Thursday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. A Walk in the Woods, Riverside Theatre, Iowa City, $1535

Thursday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. DC’s Reflecting Fools, Englert Theatre, Iowa City, $15-42.50

Thursday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan, Paramount Theater, Cedar Rapids, $58-88

via Mirrorbox Theatre

Indulge: A Wine, Cheese, and Chocolate Affair, West End Architectural

Salvage, Des Moines, Friday and Saturday, Jan.

26-27 at 6 p.m., $55 The holidays may be over, but Des Moines is still indulging. On January 26 and 27, West End Architectural Salvage is hosting Indulge: A Wine, Cheese, and Chocolate Affair at their gallery on 9th Street. Ticket prices include: a commemorative wine glass, artisan cheeses and chocolates, craft cocktails, wines from around the world, live music, and a chance to explore all that Architectural Salvage has to offer. This event will feature performances by Mike Aceto on Friday night and Jenna Huston on Saturday night. Tickets are $55. This is a 21+ event.

Dynamic DSM

Friday and Saturday, Jan. 6 and 7. Laura Peek, Teehee’s Comedy Club, Des Moines, $20

Friday-Sunday, Jan. 6-8. Cats, Des Moines Civic Center, $40-125

Saturday, Jan. 7 at 12 p.m. Confluence Chili Cook-Off, Confluence Brewing Company, Des Moines, Free will donations

Sundays, Jan. 8, 15, 22, 29. Botanical Blues, Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, Free-$10

Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. Clarisse, Non-Zero, Bodiah, the LiFT, Des Moines, Pay-What-YouCan

Friday, Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. Arch Allies, Wooly’s, Des Moines, $20 (cont. >> pg. 38)

Chris Maharry

ORCHESTRA IOWA PRESENTS

EDITORS’ PICKS: DES MOINES

Friday, Jan. 13 at 9 p.m. Wave Cage, Hot Kunch, Allegra Hernandez, Gas Lamp, Des Moines, $10

Saturday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. Aviana Gedler & Co, Noce, $15-45

Sunday, Jan. 15 at 5 p.m. A Benefit Cabaret for City Voices w/Napoleon M Douglas, Noce, $20-60

Monday, Jan. 16 at 4 p.m. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Observance w/Jacquie Easley McGhee, Forest Avenue Library, Des Moines, Free

Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 6:30 p.m. Meet the Author: Robert Nandell, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines, Free

Thursday, Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. SOMI, Temple Theater, Des Moines, $20-45

Saturday, Jan. 21 at 11 a.m. Collision of Rhythm, Des Moines Civic Center, $12-25

Saturday, Jan. 21 at 7:30 p.m. Good Morning Bedlam and Andrew Hoyt, Gas Lamp, $15-18

Sunday, Jan. 22 at 1 p.m. Conversation with w/ Jeff Fleming, Des Moines Art Center, Free

Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. DMMC DSM Soundcheck, xBk Live, Des Moines, $5-10

Thursday, Jan. 26 at 9 p.m. Sicaria Sound, PLATFORM, Des Moines, $15-20

Saturday, Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. Drowning Life Farewell Show, Boggs’ Hull Avenue Tavern, Des Moines, Free

Saturday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. Author Spotlight: Stephen Markley, Central Library, Free

Saturday, Jan. 28 at 8 p.m. King Bartlett, xBk Live, $10-15

Monday, Jan. 30 at 5:30 p.m. Botany Book Club, Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, $8-48

Opening Tuesday, Jan. 31. Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation, Temple Theater, Des Moines, $20-48

Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. Prism Tabletop Club LGBTQIA+ Game Night, The Slow Down Coffee Co., Des Moines, Free

PASS: Performing Arts Signature Series Featuring Skye Consort and Emma Björling TransAtlantic Band,

Rogalski Center at

Saint Ambrose University, Davenport, Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. (Cocktail

Hour; 7 p.m. Performance), $50 for a single show (6

shows for $225, 3 shows for $140) Skye Consort and Emma Björling are artists in residence at the PASS program, sponsored by Quad City Arts, Jan. 23-27. The PASS residency allows community members to meet and engage with award-winning performers from around the world, each at a different venue. Skye Consort and Emma Björling perform arrangements from many countries around the world in addition to original compositions.Their collaborative performances include personal interpretations of classic songs using their voices, fiddle, nyckelharpa, cella, bouzouki, banjo and percussion. Proceeds benefit arts education for K-12 students. The cocktail hour includes complimentary drinks and appetizers.

Saturday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. Heathen Mead-Hall Meet and Greet, Bootleg Hill Honey Meads, Davenport, Free

Sunday, Jan. 8, at 2 p.m. Quad City Music Guild Open House, Quad City Music Guild, Moline, Free

Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. Harlem Globetrotters, Vibrant Arena at the Mark, Moline, $20-95

Thursday, Jan. 12 at 12 p.m. Meal Prep Training, Howell Chiropractic, Davenport

Saturday, Jan. 14 at 1 p.m. Automatic or Spirit Writing, Obsidian and Sage, Moline, $25

Saturday, Jan. 14 at 3 p.m. Abernathy’s Presents: Legacy Pin-Up Pageant, Bend XPO, East Moline

Monday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. Office Space Trivia, Brandon’s Pub & Grill, Rock Island, Free

Saturday, Jan. 28 at 1 p.m.

Women’s Self-Defense Class, Kuk Sool Won Quad Cities, Bettendorf, Free

Saturday, Jan. 28 at 1 p.m. Things About to Disappear: Writing Poetry of Pop Culture, Online through Midwest Writing Center, $45-55 (scholarships available)

Saturday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. Cool Experimental January Show, RozzTox, Rock Island, $5-10

Cedar Valley Winter Fest,

George Wyth Memorial State Park, Waterloo, Saturday, Jan. 7 at 8 a.m., $30

Head to Waterloo’s George Wyth Memorial State Park early in the month for a celebration of all things winter. Cedar Valley Association for Soft Trails, Bike Tech, and Hartman Reserve are offering snowshoe races in the morning and fat bike races in the afternoon for all to enjoy. The races will be held at the lodge facility. The snowshoe race will start at 9 a.m., then later in the day, beginner and experienced level fat bike races will take place. On-site entries will be accepted for $30; pre-registration preferred on iowagames.org.

Wildest W’loo + more!

Saturday, Jan. 7 at 8:30 p.m. Dickie w/Ty Wistrand, Octopus College Hill, Cedar Falls, $10

Saturday, Jan. 14 at 9 a.m. Tip the Cow Day, SingleSpeed Brewing Co., Waterloo, $50

Sunday, Jan. 15 at 5:30 p.m. 44th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Banquet, Electric Park Ballroom, Waterloo, $50-400

Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 5 p.m. Chocolymics, Waterloo Public Library, Free w/registration

Thursday, Jan. 19 at 5:30 p.m. Freedom’s Daughters: Gallery Talk & Reception, Waterloo Center for the Arts, Free

Friday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. Murder Mystery Party, The Black Hawk Hotel, Cedar Falls, $75

Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 5:30 p.m. Altered Reality Book Club, SingleSpeed Brewing Co., Free

Sunday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. Classic Albums Live: Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon, Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, Cedar Falls, $22.55-56.75

EDITORS’ PICKS: JANUARY 2023

QUAD CITIES Curated by Sarah Elgatian

EDITORS’ PICKS: JANUARY 2023

CEDAR FALLS/WATERLOO

Scott Gall

via the artists

Magic the Gathering. Video Games. Warhammer. Warmachine. RPGs. Board Games. X-Wing. Dice. LotR. HeroClix. Miniatures. GoT. Blood Bowl. L5R. Pokemon. Yu-Gi-Oh. Kidrobot Vinyl. Retro toys. Pop vinyl & plushies. Gaming & collectible supplies.

Huge Magic singles inventory plus we buy/trade MtG cards. Weekly drafts, FNM, league play, and frequent tourneys.

Now buying/selling/trading video games & toys! Bring in your Nintendo Gameboy, NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, Sega, WiiU, Xbox 360, PS1-2-3, & other used games, consoles, action figures, and toys for cash or trade credit!

Fun atmosphere and great customer service!

115 S. Linn Street (by the Public Library), Iowa City Tel: 319-333-1260; Email: chg@criticalhitgames.net www.criticalhitgames.net @criticalhitgamesiowacity

Dear Kiki,

I recently ended an emotionally abusive relationship with my best friend of one year. We met when we were both very lonely and are in a challenging graduate program together. Our friendship progressed rapidly but turned toxic.

She has high emotional needs, and I started to feel more like her therapist than her friend. I encouraged her to seek therapy, and she became incredibly angry. I didn’t bring it up again for the following few months. During those months, she became increasingly controlling, and I decided to end our friendship. I debated for a while how

have been at play are overwhelming. Should you have made sure she wasn’t, say, out of town when you delivered it? Maybe. But can you control or even predict whether she set it aside and ignored it, or a mail carrier took it as outgoing by mistake, or or or or—NO. You made your choice and bear no responsibility for the fallout. Frankly, neither does she. Sometimes, the timing just sucks, and there’s nothing that can be done about it.

Remember, anger won’t help you any more than guilt will, in terms of protecting yourself emotionally. To get her out of your head, you need to let go. Accept that your mutual friends need to make their own choices, based on their own understanding of your personalities and behaviors, and that neither you nor she can truly control that.

rEMEMBEr, anGEr WOn’T HELP yOU any MOrE THan GUILT WILL, In TErMS OF PrOTECTInG yOUrSELF

EMOTIOnaLLy. TO GET HEr OUT OF yOUr HEaD, yOU nEED TO LET GO.

to end things and ultimately decided to write a letter (1) because I thought I could better convey my feelings, and (2) she often twists other people’s words in conversation.

I dropped the letter off in her mailbox weeks ago, and we have not spoken since. Our final exams start next week. I have had friends tell me that she only read the letter this past week and is upset that I “decided to do this right before finals.” I think some of them believe her and think I’m in the wrong.

I just want this part of my life to be over, but now I feel guilty about how this situation played out. Was I responsible for making sure she read the letter? How do I finally get her out of my head for good?

—Cutting Ties

When two people distance themselves from each other, “right” and “wrong” often end up having surprisingly little to do with how the situation plays out. Even if all heroes wore capes and all villains had goatees, the people closest to the messy center of things would still always see in shades of gray. There may even be people who see the situation with perfect clarity and nevertheless “side” with her.

It’s not easy. But only you can decide if you want to be blameless or you want to be healthy. Letting go means both letting go of controlling outside perceptions and letting go of the self you were prior to breaking free. Pretend for a second that you actually were 100 percent in the wrong. Does that change what had to be done? Does that change the responsibility you bear to write your new future? —xoxo, Kiki

Dear Cutting Ties,

I must point out that, while I’m certain you intended your sign-off to represent an action—the gerund “cutting,” what you’re trying to do to the ties—the term works just as well as an adjective. Those ties binding you to your friend are, in fact, cutting into you, harming you. Yes, it is important to take other people’s feelings into consideration. But at this point, you have to protect yourself. Guilt is holding you back.

You were not responsible for making sure she read the letter.

The cacophony of circumstances that could

KIKI WANTS QUESTIONS!

Submit questions anonymously at littlevillagemag.com/dearkiki or non-anonymously to dearkiki@littlevillagemag.com.

Questions may be edited for clarity and length, and may appear either in print or online at littlevillagemag.com.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “I’m homesick all the time,” writes author Sarah Addison Allen. “I just don’t know where home is. There’s this promise of happiness out there. I know it. I even feel it sometimes. But it’s like chasing the moon. Just when I think I have it, it disappears into the horizon.” If you have ever felt pangs like hers, Capricorn, I predict they will fade in 2023. That’s because I expect you will clearly identify the feeling of home you want—and thereby make it possible to find and create the place, the land, and the community where you will experience a resounding peace and stability.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Storyteller Michael Meade tells us, “The ship is always off course. Anybody who sails knows that. Sailing is being off-course and correcting. That gives a sense of what life is about.” I interpret Meade’s words to mean that we are never in a perfect groove heading directly towards our goal. We are constantly deviating from the path we might wish we could follow with unfailing accuracy. That’s not a bug in the system; it’s a feature. And as long as we obsess on the idea that we’re not where we should be, we are distracted from doing our real work. And the real work? The ceaseless corrections. I hope you will regard what I’m saying here as one of your core meditations in 2023, Aquarius.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): A Chinese proverb tells us, “Great souls have wills. Feeble souls have wishes.” I guess that’s true in an abstract way. But in practical terms, most of us are a mix of both great and feeble. We have a modicum of willpower and a bundle of wishes. In 2023, though, you Pisceans could make dramatic moves to strengthen your willpower as you shed wimpy wishes. In my psychic vision of your destiny, I see you feeding metaphorical iron supplements to your resolve and determination.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): “My life was the best omelet you could make with a chainsaw,” observed flamboyant author Thomas McGuane. That’s a witty way to encapsulate his tumultuous destiny. There have been a few moments in 2022 when you might have been tempted to invoke a similar metaphor about your own evolving story. But the good news is that your most recent chainsaw-made omelet is finished and ready to eat. I think you’ll find its taste is savory. And I believe it will nourish you for a long time. (Soon it will be time to start your next omelet, maybe without using the chainsaw this time!)

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): After meticulous research of 2023’s astrological omens, I have come to a radical conclusion: You should tell the people who care for you that you’d like to be called by new pet names. I think you need to intensify their ability and willingness to view you as a sublime creature worthy of adoration. I don’t necessarily recommend you use old standbys like “cutie,” “honey,” “darling” or “angel.” I’m more in favor of unique and charismatic versions, something like “Jubilee” or “Zestie” or “Fantasmo” or “Yowie-Wowie.” Have fun coming up with pet names that you are very fond of. The more, the better.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): If I could choose some fun and useful projects for you to master in 2023, they would include the following: 1. Be in constant competition with yourself to outdo past accomplishments. But at the same time, be extra compassionate toward yourself. 2. Borrow and steal other people’s good ideas and use them with even better results than they would use them. 3. Acquire an emerald or two, or wear jewelry that features emeralds. 4. Increase your awareness of and appreciation for birds. 5. Don’t be attracted to folks who aren’t good for you just because they are unusual or interesting. 6. Upgrade your flirting so it’s even more nuanced and amusing, while at the same time you make sure it never violates anyone’s boundaries.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): When she was young, Carolyn Forché was a conventional poet focused on family and childhood. But

she transformed. Relocating to El Salvador during its civil war, she began to write about political trauma. Next, she lived in Lebanon during its civil war. She witnessed firsthand the tribulations of military violence and the imprisonment of activists. Her creative work increasingly illuminated questions of social justice. At age 72, she is now a renowned human rights advocate. In bringing her to your attention, I don’t mean to suggest that you engage in an equally dramatic self-reinvention. But in 2023, I do recommend drawing on her as an inspirational role model. You will have great potential to discover deeper aspects of your life’s purpose—and enhance your understanding of how to offer your best gifts.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Are the characters in Carlos Castañeda’s books on shamanism fictional or real? It doesn’t matter to me. I love the wisdom of his alleged teacher, Don Juan Matus. He said, “Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself, and yourself alone, one question. Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn’t, it is of no use.” Don Juan’s advice is perfect for you in the coming nine months, Leo. I hope you will tape a copy of his words on your bathroom mirror and read it at least once a week.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Teacher and author Byron Katie claims, “The voice within is what I’m married to. My lover is the place inside me where an honest yes and no come from.” I happen to know that she has also been married for many years to a writer named Stephen Mitchell. So she has no problem being wed to both Mitchell and her inner voice. In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to propose marriage to your own inner voice. The coming year will be a fabulous time to deepen your relationship with this crucial source of useful and sacred revelation

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Libran philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche offered advice that is perfect for you in 2023. It’s strenuous. It’s demanding and daunting. If you take it to heart, you will have to perform little miracles you may not yet have the confidence to try. But I have faith in you, Libra. That’s why I don’t hesitate to provide you with Nietzsche’s rant: “No one can build you the bridge on which you, and only you, must cross the river of life. There may be countless trails and bridges and demigods who would gladly carry you across; but only at the price of pawning and forgoing yourself. There is one path in the world that none can walk but you. Where does it lead? Don’t ask, walk!”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): How might you transform the effects of the limitations you’ve been dealing with? What could you do to make it work in your favor as 2023 unfolds? I encourage you to think about these questions with daring and audacity. The more moxie you summon, the greater your luck will be in making the magic happen. Here’s another riddle to wrestle with: What surrender or sacrifice could you initiate that might lead in unforeseen ways to a plucky breakthrough? I have a sense that’s what will transpire as you weave your way through the coming months in quest of surprising opportunities.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian singer Tina Turner confided, “My greatest beauty secret is being happy with myself.” I hope you will experiment with that formula in 2023. I believe the coming months will potentially be a time when you will be happier with yourself than you have ever been before—more at peace with your unique destiny, more accepting of your unripe qualities, more in love with your depths, and more committed to treating yourself with utmost care and respect. Therefore, if Tina Turner is accurate, 2023 will also be a year when your beauty will be ascendant.

GOyF anD BODIaH Goyf/Bodiah Split LIMINALENNUI.BANDCAMP.COM

You don’t have to spend much time digging to discover talented contemporary artists in Iowa. Whether you’re a hardcore, a hiphop head, an indie-folker or a stoner-metal enthusiast, you’re bound to find something to satisfy your particular niche in one of the state’s population hubs.

When it comes to searching for electronic music in this state, however—particularly the lesser-listened-to styles you won’t hear in Court Avenue clubs or college town bars—you’ll need to put in more time to scratch that itch.

To that end, anyone dedicated enough to prowl Bandcamp, Soundcloud or Discogs for hours has felt the satisfaction of stumbling upon something refreshing and local. The new self-titled split EP from Iowa-via-Oakland producer Goyf and Des Moines-based Bodiah delivers that satisfaction for leftfield clubbers and open-eared music lovers alike. The debut release from experimental house and techno imprint, Liminal Ennui, released in November, showcases two unique approaches to abstract dance music.

Side Goyf is arguably the more immediate of the two, characterized by atonal and temporal aggression that recalls a hardcore punk ethos. Heavily overdriven and overtonal synths on the opener “Grokked” mimic the forceful strums on some hand-me-down Ibanez before giving way to rugged kick drum thumps and static-ridden low-end pulsations. The more sporadically

arranged “Biofeedback,” with its harsh yet alluring synth loop and filter effects, borders on the misanthropic missives of power electronics music. Side Goyf bores through with brute force and raw energy, an ideal soundtrack for a host of sweaty 20-somethings packed shoulder-to-shoulder in an unfinished basement, skanking the night away with abandon.

Side Bodiah, by contrast, provides the listener some more breathing room, favoring airier atmospherics and stereoscopic effects over the heavy distortion and direct-input feel of Side Goyf. Sputtering harmonic synth snatches expand and contract throughout “Con” in an almost aleatoric fashion, disintegrating and just as quickly reconstituting themselves via playful delay parameters, while the track’s stuttering rhythm section supplies forward momentum.

“Cocooned,” with a heavier lowend emphasis, skippy, compressed kick pounces, and elastic synth lurches, would fit comfortably in any left-of-center 140 DJ set. Its very title mimics the metamorphosing rhythm and atmospherics of its music that never tarry too often on the repetitive. Side Bodiah, meticulous in its sound design without sacrificing groovability, calls to mind the broken-beat excursions of London label Hyperdub or Bristol imprint Livity Sound.

What ties the two sides together is their shared penchant for atonality and rhythmic spontaneity, as well as a creative playfulness that, whether better-suited for four concrete walls or in an acoustically tuned club space, is often endearing and warrants multiple relistens to fully appreciate. Here, Goyf and Bodiah offer a taste of the musical avenues to be explored by Liminal Ennui, and any electronic music fan in Iowa worth their salt will be watching for what comes next.

The Goyf/Bodiah Split, out now on Liminal Ennui, is available digitally and on cassette tape on Bandcamp.

—Jack Howard

JInnOuCHI POWEr Kaleidokoi JINNOUCHIPOWER.BANDCAMP.COM

Apeek at the cover art of Jinnouchi Power’s recently released album, Kaleidokoi, offers a visual clue to the textured, hypnotic jazz/rock tracks that lie inside. The brightly colored koi encircled by clouds and lightning bolts look like whimsical madness, but with a collective goal. On first listen, Kaleidokoi evokes a feeling of curated chaos, in the best sense, with each song taking unexpected twists and turns.

subjects, such as kung fu.

Jinnouchi Power makes certain there’s never a dull second in Kaleidokoi from the moment it begins. Sprinkled throughout are crunchy guitar hooks, intricate picking and quirky lyrics that are guaranteed to keep you guessing. For example, the second track on the album “Motion Blue” lulls you into a trance-like vibe, then catapults into an energetic, solid rock outro, sudden yet delightful. “The Wind” flows in and out of a surprising two-step groove between crackling electric guitar transitions, ending with a pop chant catchy enough to get stuck in your brain for days.

The album feels intentional, with every musical decision seemingly deliberate, even amongst its playful humor. As the band states on their website, each verse of the song “Kung Fu” was inspired by a different martial arts film, an interesting challenge for any lyricist. I couldn’t help but laugh at the snarky line, “It’s not your technique, it’s you,” followed by the repeated refrain of “I love kung fu,” words you rarely, if ever, attribute to a song.

Based in the Sherman Hill neighborhood of Des Moines, the band has worked on the 11-track project for almost eight years. Patrick MacCready, Jinnouchi Power’s lead songwriter, describes the album as “soothing, but rock and roll,” a fitting portrayal for the web of soundscapes intertwined within the rock anthem hooks and folky sadness. Though common genre tags would be indie pop rock, experimental folk or even psychedelic rock, my personal favorite, and possibly the most accurate, would be the category of “nerd rock.” The album is made up of a combination of impressive technical ability, quirky song inspirations, and an unapologetic nod to specialized yet odd

“Wedding Song” begins with sweet melancholy, “I wear my heart on my sleeve, oh what a fool am I / Now I roam the streets at night like a cynical werewolf”—an absurd twist but weirdly relatable. The surprises continue with an introduction of saxophone on the ominously titled, “Get in the Van,” an eclectic instrumental track, reminiscent of experimental jazz.

Of course, no album would be complete without a ballad, a spot which “Kale & Eggs” beautifully fulfills, combining intricate guitar picking and spacious strings. The song includes the most poignant lyrics of the album: “And pay the price of art with your own skin / the shifting eyes will generalize, your self expression will be marginalized,” a jarring reality of the vulnerability required to create something from nothing. But Kaleidokoi masterfully conveys its voice, lawless and raw, with a dazzling result.

—Gigi Vanderpool

TECHnICaL aBILITy, QUIrKy SOnG InSPIraTIOnS, anD an UnaPOLOGETIC nOD TO SPECIaLIZED yET ODD SUBJECTS.

KyLE JaMES Climbing KYLEJAMESBURGESS.BANDCAMP.COM

When Des Moines-area native Kyle James released his debut solo LP Datum in February last year, I was impressed, but disappointed. Not because the album was anything less than stellar. Across seven delicately composed instrumentals, James showcased everything he presumably learned studying jazz at Western Michigan University over the past four years. Datum served as a testament to James’ maturity and poise as a serious saxophonist, producer and composer.

But after listening through the record the first couple times, I couldn’t help but wonder what happened to the teenage James I remembered from years ago—the dynamic multi-instrumentalist and vocalist I saw tear up 80/35 and the PBR-soaked stage of Vaudeville Mews (RIP) with his rambunctious high school alternative rock projects 515 and the Yelps. I couldn’t help but feel slightly let down with the release of Datum, despite how much I genuinely loved the record in abstract. I wanted a Kyle James pop record.

And only six months later, I got it. As if one debut wasn’t enough, James released his second album of 2022, Climbing, in September. Spanning nine alternative pop tracks (and clocking in at a breezy 25 minutes), James introduced a new side of the jazz aficionado he proved himself to be with Datum, returning to the more outwardly expressive singer/songwriter persona from years past.

“Fear,” the mellow, self-referential

opener to Climbing, sets the introspective tone of the project as James reflects on his own hesitation to deviate from the more behindthe-scenes world of producing and composing traditional jazz. The layered vocals and luscious synths of “Fear” gracefully ease the listener, both sonically and thematically, into the record before the bombastic “Fast” takes over with a rambunctious bassline, boxy punk drums and blistering guitar work performed by James himself.

Aside from a wonderful jazz interlude featuring bassist John Hébert, James carves out the middle chunk of Climbing on his own. His lyrical confidence blossoms in real time as he explores themes of personal growth and the unnerving tightrope walk of falling in love over plucky synths, electronic pianos and subtle, atmospheric percussion. On the record’s penultimate track, “Be Around,” James emerges from his metacognitive state as confidently romantic with help from featured vocalist Lauren Elliott and jazz producer Stratøs.

While “Fast” and “Be Around” are perhaps the most accessible and infectious cuts from Climbing, the record’s deep cuts (including its closer, “Why Would I?”) drive home what makes James such a compelling artist. The range of his vocal performance and the harmonic depth of even his most simple compositions cement James as a uniquely talented artist—one capable of delivering the deep, melodically complex jazz instrumentals of Datum and the dynamic, colorful R&B/alternative pop songs of Climbing

The timing of James’ double debut seems almost intentional—like he was almost expecting to disappoint biased scene junkies like myself with Datum. Intentional or not, the release of Climbing erased any doubt I had in James’ future as a singer/songwriter. I truly can’t wait for (nor can I predict) what else Kyle James has in store.

—Chase

JuSTIn K COMEr

Undustrial Devolution 1 & 2 JUSTINKCOMER.BANDCAMP.COM/MUSIC

Justin K. Comer and his friends who play on Undustrial Devolution 1 & 2 are on the vanguard for free improvisational music in Iowa. That means they’re somewhere out in a cornfield where the other footprints stop, striking out in random directions. There’s focused intent here, but a personal, idiosyncratic one. Consider the opening track, “Animalia Tranquilalia,” a sequence of tightly constrained spare riffs on a few notes. Comer and David Clair play deviously syncopated and polyrhythmic drums that drop into a loose latin groove for a while. But the whole is spacious and skeletal, leaving room for the music of silence.

“Transportation Systemization” uses penny-whistles for wobbling, sweet/sour melodies, played in two or three parts. Each part shares no common pulse with the others. It has a strong connection to the contrapuntal vocal music of the Mbenga in Congo, with similar interwoven melodic lines. The parts are simple, but they rub against each other in complex yet accessible ways.

This music is part of a new tradition, in dialog with the African and Asian sounds they take as inspiration, without imitation. Comer and his collaborators have absorbed so much, from world music traditions to jazz, from classical to experimental noise. But when they play, it’s not just performance, it’s play; they mess around until something catches their ear, then they improvise further on the sounds they like.

MT-68 keyboard preset drum and chord pattern. Subtle layers of dark trombone, mandolin and beat-boxing make magic from the most industrially commodified music imaginable. One finger drum, bass and chord auto-accompaniment—the most perfectly fake music ever created—gives them license to subvert and transform it into something sinuous and sly.

In “Certartiodactyla Introductila,” Alex Taylor’s didgeridoo defies the clichéd use it’s been put to in new age music. It adds a rough, wild edge that blends seamlessly with Comer’s bass and baritone clarinets. The piece recalls Ornette Coleman and Art Ensemble of Chicago first and foremost, which is part of the musical canon Comer and his collaborators (Clair, Taylor, Chris Emery and Roland Hart) start from.

On volume two, things are a bit more abrasive, with occasional flashes of humor. “Vocontra the Vanquisher” builds on a weird combination of cheap keyboards processed with aggressive audio effects. The organ part that comes in at 80 seconds has a random, wonky pitch shift. It’s like Tom Waits’ carnie band music, but with lots more raw noise.

“Rumpus and/or Ruckus” is “composed spontaneously” by Comer, Emery and Hart. in the course of a live performance on prepared piano, mandolin and hand percussion. Neither arbitrary nor slapdash, it fits together as three people all having the same idea.

These artists have put their hearts into making the weirdest, most uncommercial music they can imagine. They’re seeking hidden corners of liquid beauty and hysteria. This is the academic style of jazz taught in U.S. high schools, adulterated with every corrupting influence, from Pharoah Sanders to Captain Beefheart to Nine Inch Nails.

Schweitzer

“Festivities and Commercial Activities” is built around a Casio

This is the sound of musically talented people trying something new 500 different ways, for the pure joy of it. Then they made these recordings, as a snapshot of how their personal music fit together into a wooly, intricately simple whole.

—Kent Williams

Charity Nebbe, Host

Slippery Steps: Rolling and Tumbling Toward Sobriety

ICE CUBE PRESS

You may have read one of Don McLeese’s previous three books, or perhaps you’ve stumbled upon one of the many pieces he’s contributed to publications like The Rolling Stone, Chicago Sun-Times or No Depression. In his newest release, Slippery Steps: Rolling and Tumbling Toward Sobriety, the University of Iowa faculty member confronts the invisible entity present throughout his illustrious rock journalism career: alcoholism.

Since the age of 13, alcohol consumption was a regular part of McLeese’s family vacations, celebrations and life events, which only grew more frequent as he aged. Eventually, McLeese’s drinking brought him to the point where he chose to begin Slippery Steps: a drunken night at his West Des Moines home where he stumbled down his porch steps and passed out in the yard, covered in his own vomit.

It’s a daring endeavor to write something that covers as many years and as many personal details as Slippery Steps does. I reckon that there is no quick and easy way to do it. And while McLeese captured my attention with his personal narrative far longer than many others could have, this book still got tedious at some parts, relying a bit too much on previously stated information.

And that’s a fair criticism to say in a review. But it shouldn’t be the reason you don’t pick up this book. McLeese, through eloquent narration, thoughtful reflection and a few

rock and roll stories, provides us with a non-judgmental lens through which to take stock of our own relationship with alcohol, or anything else we may be leaning on a bit too much.

The magic of this book is that our personal relationships with alcohol are never framed as anything other than personal. Even as McLeese delves into his sobriety journey, he never projects or assumes his readers are in the same place. From the beginning to the end, the tenet McLeese holds onto the tightest is that every situation looks different to the people outside of it. The only one who can know if it’s time for you to stop drinking is you.

That said, sober-curious readers who feel a bit too intimidated to go to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting—this book may especially be for you. Not only does McLeese discuss how he stumbled (pun not intended, but necessary) into AA, but he also talks in detail about each

MarK LEVInE Sound Fury UNIVERSITY OF IOWA PRESS

Things not to do: read Mark Levine’s Sound Fury while battling a nasty rhinovirus. Here’s why: Levine (deftly) uses so many literary devices simultaneously that one really needs the full use of their faculties to experience Sound Fury

In my first round of reading, while sick, I thought I’d be compelled to warn that a book of poetry like this is for well-read intellectuals, people with encyclopedic knowledge of poetry and ships and religion and workers’ rights—but that didn’t turn out to be the case. I did have to use a dictionary. A lot. But a cleverer reader than me would have read the notes that Levine left stating that many poems are inspired by the work of Robert Herrick, a 17th century cleric and lyric poet, and Alexander Pope. This is probably the most background information necessary for getting into the weeds with Levine’s heady new book.

to Robinson Crusoe (“Without Robinson”), Robert Herrick (“His Poetrie His Pillar”), Zane Grey (“Zane Grey”) and surely more than I can parse out in the book’s anchoring opus, “Dire Offense,” which is 12 pages long and is a sometimes tongue-twister, sometimes documentary.

Worried for my own brain fog, I started to read the poems aloud and I want to urge all readers to do so. There is a magic (not unlike reading Dr. Seuss’s Fox In Socks if reading that book made you feel like an intellectual) in the way the the words move around the mouth, for example, from “Dire Offense,” “The EMTs are on him; but their art / Is no match for a bastard’s flatlined heart. / Time Fate Love

Beauty Power Ill-Nature Steel / Muse Goddess God Jove Neptune

Hermes Sol / Ulysses Dido Proculus

Propitious / Megrim Maeander

Cynthia Thalestris / Sylph Sylphid Nymph Gnome Zephyretta Umbriel

/ Fay Fairy Pam Poll Ixiom Ace

Ariel / Brilliante Damon Dapperwit

Clarissa / Sir Plum Sir Fopling

Florio Crispissa / Belinda Betty Basto Partridge Spleen” this list of mythical characters goes on and slowly adds adjectives and qualifiers, and is followed by “Playing at violence with sharpened sticks is delaying / Onset of incipient male horror, saith the experts. Once at / Recess on the dirt patch, you see, our boy wrests / Weapons from beneath his blouse, shouting.”

of the steps, the logistics of finding a sponsor and how he did it all as a person unaffiliated with religion.

Alcohol is a part of American culture and it permeates even deeper into Midwest culture. And to deny its omnipresence is to lie about the facts. McLeese isn’t in the business of lying. His honesty, transparency and air-tight narration make Slippery Steps not only an informative read, but an enjoyable one. —Lily DeTaeye

These poems are interested in identity and the way that both sound and story—culturally accepted myths and nursery rhyme—influence us. They investigate the domestic on a macro level and pop-culture on a micro level. Somewhere between the double-entendre of nearly every title and the exacting internal rhymes and you can’t help but get lost in the matrix Levine builds, line by line. Levine flirts with intertextuality somberly but joyfully with responses

I think I could revisit poems like “Bantam,” “Los Toritos” and “strange shadows on you tend” daily and get something new from them. There are poems anchoring this book to Iowa City (“Auto”), poems on workers’ rights (“On Himselfe,” “Cape Cadaver”) and poems about marginalized people in general (“Poririo Diaz,” “The Vine”). This dance between sounds and imagery creates a depth in the poems that I wasn’t prepared for and I am excited to revisit this volume (and Levine’s other work) with the time and insight they deserve.

—Sarah Elgatian

DOn MCLEESE

rOBIn HEMLEy Oblivion GOLD WAKE PRESS

What to say about Robin Hemley’s Oblivion? The University of Iowa Writers Workshop alumni’s 16th book was released this year on Gold Wake Press. And although it’s short in pages, the novel is not short on big ideas.

Oblivion follows a nameless writer who dies and passes into The Cafe of Minor Authors in the realm of Oblivion; a purgatory for authors who could never quite make it to greatness. Here, our narrator meets Jozef, a guide who allows him to peak into the lives of his ancestors and his literary role model: Franz Kafka. Soon, our narrator learns that he has a chance to escape The Cafe of Minor Authors if he writes something worthy of transcending Time. But he must beware, if he spends too much time in a certain place, he will become a dybbuk and be trapped forever.

As interesting as the premise is, plot-driven readers should beware. Intermingled with our narrator’s journey to writing something that will help him escape Oblivion, is a whole lot of contemplation on ego, ancestry and writing, of course. Throughout the novel, Hemley delivers carefully crafted paragraphs that meditate on the solitude of artists. Specifically, how the narrator became so obsessed with his own self-image, that he is still chasing his masterpiece even in death. The result is a cerebral and melancholy tale that reads like a warning. Maybe even a parable.

Or perhaps you could call this

novel an “idea story,” like the ones that the narrator describes one of his graduate school professors despising. “Idea stories” are stories that use narrative to describe a bigger truth. As Hemley writes, “Narrative illusion, no matter how well done, is artifice, after all, written by someone with ideas. Some of us like to coax ideas out of hiding, suggest that they should just be themselves. For such writers, we have essays, but some of us want both ideas and narrative.”

Oblivion fits this description to a T. Not only are we handed thoughtful reflection on the solitude and continuous pain of artists; we are then given space to contextualize it in a beautiful fictional setting with characters we care about and cappuccinos that never get cold.

Admittedly, I’m a plot-driven reader. And even though this book is full of tangents and world-building, there was enough forward momentum to keep me interested. By the end, our plot is wrapped up in a bittersweet bow and we’ve enjoyed getting to know our narrator’s intimate thoughts on his life, death and art.

Overall, this book is balanced well. Even in the most severe moments of the novel, there are small oases of humor scattered through. Whether it’s the seemingly pointless pleasantries exchanged between dead authors or unhinged sights our narrator experiences as he peers into the lives of his ancestors, Hemley doesn’t ever let us wander too far into reflection that we forget to come up for air.

Oblivion is the perfect novel for readers who like to think, readers who are interested in creative speculations on the afterlife or readers who just enjoy a little magic. If you’re a fan of “Midnight in Paris” or The Metamorphosis, this 2022 release might be the perfect addition to your shelf.

––Lily

L. COHEn anD STuarT P. DunCan Music-Making in U.S. Prisons WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY PRESS

In the 1864 novella Notes From the Underground, Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky proposes the proto-existentialist notion of “perverse freedom.” There are never no choices in life, because one can always, at any time, choose to act against one’s own self-interest—to act in a way that’s contrary to all expected motivations.

Dostoevsky himself spent several years in prison, and many of the themes of his works draw from that experience. The question of freedom, and the leaps the human mind can make when freedom is withdrawn, are precious to his philosophy. When all other choices are taken away, an incarcerated person, desperate to retain some sense of identity, often push against societal expectations.

We call that agency.

In Music-Making in U.S. Prisons: Listening to Incarcerated Voices (November 2022), University of Iowa music education professor Mary L. Cohen and co-author Stuart P. Duncan explore the ways in which music has been and can be leveraged to offer incarcerated people a third path between perceived capitulation and perverse freedom. They lay out the rich history of vocal and instrumental ensembles in prisons, dating back over a century. And, crucially, they tie the humanization of prisoners to the greater prison abolition movement.

form community and to practice engaging with the outside world, they will be better equipped to reintegrate into society on their release. On its own, prison is profoundly isolating and drives counter-social behavior. Integrating music offers a tangible experience of the value of resonance over dissonance. Musicmaking is a communal act that drives pro-social behavior.

Cohen and Duncan lay out this and other arguments with clarity. But it’s in looking back at the past that they challenge our current way of thinking. These aren’t new ideas; much like the well-documented value of teaching the arts in schools that routinely gets swept under the rug as the “purpose” of public education is debated and challenged, so too have long-standing prison music programs fallen to newer philosophies privileging a punitive approach.

One of the many successes of this book is its demand that the reader challenge their 21st century notion (warped by the rise of for-profit prisons and mandatory minimum sentencing) of what purpose incarceration is meant to serve. The only way forward is through affirming the humanity of those on the inside, because people who have been taught they are not human can never succeed on the outside. Yet this renders the basic inhumanity of the prison system utterly indefensible.

This is a difficult needle to thread. How can wardens and other prison officials be pushed, in a sense, to act against their own best interests—to accept programs that strive to make them irrelevant? Cohen and Duncan don’t really try. The societal good is taken as a given (and I, for one, agree). As such, this is far more useful as a guide to those trying to do the work than as a means of converting the unconvinced.

DeTaeye

The logic behind the work seems so simple: When incarcerated people are given the opportunity to

Overall, it is a crucial read for anyone pondering the ethics of a carceral society, and music educators looking to decentralize their pedagogy. It’s a fascinating look at how we assign value to art and to humanity.

—Genevieve Trainor

Mary

removing the bag after reaching a desired strength? 19. Indicate territoriality, perhaps 20. Won, as every game in the series 21. Eighteen-wheeler 23. ___Guessr (game that uses Google Earth) 24. Hot condiment for a hot dog 25. Hector to Lalo, on Better Call Saul 26. National (and yet only fifth-most common

primary) language of Pakistan 27. * “The label says it’s grown in Fujian and yada yada yada”? 31. City represented by Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) 32. Vague response to “when are we gonna be there?” 33. Baby who gives a hoot 34. Snacks prepared with either flour or corn tortillas 36. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test author Tom

38. Festival associated with the throwing of colorful gulal powder 39. Cartoonist Guerra or actress Zadora 42. * The best hot water dispenser produced between 1901 and 2000? 45. Evening, in ads 46. Like the entire cast of The Danish Girl (rolls eyes) 47. Central Reservation singer-songwriter Beth 48. Card game inspired by Crazy Eights 49. Pahlavi dynasty title

50. “Will Shortz Frustrated That Police Yet to Crack Taunting Puzzles Revealing Locations of 40 Years of Murder Victims” outlet, with “The” 51. Get around using a ramp, say 53. Steeping needs ... or a way to say phonetically what happens in the answers to this puzzle’s starred clues 56. Eighth Grade star Fisher 57. Bone that almost touches your pinkie 58. Ex-Spice Girl Halliwell 59. Dissuade 60. Deep-six, as a dragon 61. “Once,” but like poetically

DOWN

1. Org. that created the Energy Star certification 2. Tennis maneuver that may be hit off a “windshield wiper” 3. Malice 4. Rapper who “wish[ed he] was a little bit taller,” in the mid-’90s 5. Enthralled 6. Quarantining, cutesily 7. Classic manga series that inspired The Matrix 8. Epic poem with the story of the Trojan horse 9. Double affirmation, in Spanish 10. Where Blitzer is based 11. “My opinion’s the same ...” 12. Targeted, as in paintball 13. Apple storage service 18. Creates, as a new show from an old show

22. Eyewear for Mr. Peanut 24. Member of a trio with sin and tan 26. Addresses that often have slashes in them 28. Instruction in a dog park 29. It makes a good point 30. Multipurpose, like a laptop 34. Gin-flavoring fruit 35. Pol who tweeted that “Si es Trump, tiene que ser corrupto”

36. Complication, so to speak 37. Where an avocado might be schmeared (thereby preventing homeownership) 39. Use to hide, as a painting for a hole in the wall 40. Press agents? 41. ___ Rand Institute (anti-welfare think tank that took ~$300,000 in SBA loans in 2020)

42. Still sitting in the original box, say 43. Respite 44. Emergency room sorting process 49. Prophet 50. Brand once called “Oil of Ulan” in some markets 52. Result that’s usually not possible in a championship game

54. Former #1-ranked tennis player Ivanovic 55. Ride the bench