The company that carries forward the name of master modern dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey is— to put it simply—simply breathtaking.
TUESDAY, MARCH 11 | 7:30 P.M. | HANCHER AUDITORIUM
Photo by Dario Calmese
INDEPENDENT IOWA NEWS, CULTURE & EVENTS
Since 2001 LittleVillageMag.com
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.
yuchen Liu, Summer Breeze
EDITORIAL
Publisher
Jordan Sellergren jordan@littlevillagemag.com
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Emma McClatchey emma@littlevillagemag.com
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Chuy Renteria chuy@littlevillagemag.com
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December Contributors
Daniel Brawner, John Busbee, Adria Carpenter, Trenton Chesling, Sandra Dyas, Sarah Elgatian, Avery Gregurich, Jonathan Hansen, Ely Hopper, Jamie Elizabeth Hudrlik, Jordan Jasa, Cameron Johnson, Dave Lint, Yuchen Liu, Kristi Marchesani, Jorge Márquez, Carly McCoy, Phil Ochs, Elisabeth Oster, Mary Palmberg, Endrit Ramku, John Reilly, Ric Reinbold, Kate Revaux, Peter Rodd, Shale Sage, Kristel Saxton, Connie
INDEPENDENT NEWS, CULTURE & EVENTS
Since 2001 LittleVillageMag.com
Sherman, Ruben Shoemaker, Erasmus Sizer, Raleigh Smith, Dana Telsrow, K. Twaddle, Leah
Alexandra Kathleen Weaver, Ezra Welch, Kent Williams
PRODUCTION
Digital Director Drew Bulman drewb@littlevillagemag.com
John Busbee works as an independent voice for Iowa’s cultural scene, including producing a weekly KFMG radio show, The Culture Buzz, since 2007.
Sarah Elgatian is a writer, activist and educator living in Iowa. She likes dark coffee, bright colors and long sentences. She dislikes meanness.
Avery Gregurich is a writer living and writing at the edge of the Iowa River in Marengo.
Elisabeth Oster is the Marketing Manager for the Englert Theatre, a freelance writer and designer, and collector of dad rock.
K. Twaddle is an Iowa transplant and a lifelong book enthusiast. She lives in rural Iowa with her partner and three cats.
You could see your bio here.
Kent Williams lives, works, writes and complains in Iowa City. Culture writers, food reviewers and columnists, email: editor@littlevillagemag.com. Illustrators, photographers and comic artists, email: jordan@littlevillagemag.com
ric reinbold, Bellevue, Iowa | The Train snakes through Bellvue, Iowa
Top Stories
Catch up on some of Little Village’s most-viewed headlines from last month,and get the latest news sent to your inbox every afternoon: littlevillagemag.com/subscribe
Peak Iowa: 175 years of Cedar rapids history began with a log-cabin tavern run by an outlaw
By Paul Brennan, Dec.
4
Called “Shepherd’s Tavern,” the first house built on what would become Cedar Rapids stood near the site of the Tree of Five Seasons sculpture today. Osgood Shepherd and his family hosted the few travelers that passed through the area. But he was hiding a big secret.
Caitlin Clark’s rookie year drove a ‘staggering’ amount of profit, with 99% of her income earned off-court
By Paul Brennan, Dec.
12
In a new interview with Time after being named their 2024 Athlete of the Year, former Hawkeye Caitlin Clark was candid about the circumstances that have helped fuel her phenomenal popularity, including her privilege as a white player.
Peak Iowa: History’s most prolific book bandit is an Ottumwa man. Librarians helped bring him down.
By Genevieve Trainor,
Dec. 4
The 23,600 volumes that Stephen Blumberg accumulated between the 1970s and his arrest in March of 1990 were all stashed in his 17-room home in Ottumwa—wall to wall, floor to ceiling, in hallways, closets and bathrooms.
alleging ‘fraud’ and ‘election interference,’ Trump sues the largest newspaper in Iowa, a state with no anti-SLaPP law
By Paul Brennan, Dec.
18
Until this Des Moines Register lawsuit—which doesn’t specify any damages to Trump—no one had ever sued over a botched political poll like this. But now pollsters and media organizations know Trump is willing to sue, regardless of the merits, over poll results he dislikes.
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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.
JOSEPH DOBrIan DIED on Nov. 22, though his obituary wasn’t published in the Iowa City Press Citizen until Dec. 12. To most people in Iowa City, he was the guest columnist at the Press Citizen most likely to piss people off with his opinions. It isn’t hard to see why if you take a stroll through the P.C.’s archive of his column.
But that isn’t his whole story. I first got to know Joseph in the late 1970s. He was in a group of writers who met informally—on Joseph’s front porch if the weather was nice— to discuss our writing. Everything bothered Joseph, except his cats and his cigarettes. He very clearly had a hard time with emotional relationships. He once told me that his favorite come-on line to women was, “I’m going to break every bone in your pelvis.” He also told me once that the ideal woman was “three feet tall, with a flat head you could set a beer on.” I think those were jokes, but there was a deep river of misogyny running
through him.
A misogynist and misanthrope, you could hardly call him prejudiced because his simmering resentment of all humanity left no one out. His scorn was global. At the same time, he could be wickedly funny. I couldn’t help but laugh, sometimes more in disbelief at the edgy things he found funny. His jokes could leave a mark.
He was an articulate, careful writer. He could forge a perfect sentence, whose beauty belied the underlying ugliness. He lived in New York for years, writing about boxing for Sporting News, and (purportedly) the Wall Street Journal. At some point he ended up back in Iowa City, where he spent his final years writing novels about a middle-aged man who alienated everyone he met with his smug superiority and sharp tongue.
I wasn’t around for his transformation from whip-smart, annoying young person into a bitter old crank. By the time I realized he was
HAVE AN OPINION?
Better write about it!
living here, the transformation was complete. I tried reconnecting with him, but the first time I disagreed with him in a Facebook comment, he blocked me.
The cracks in his facade had long since become canyons. In one of his P.C. essays he said, “My publisher, Rex Imperator, has only a small stable of authors and zero marketing clout.” The small stable of authors was Joseph Dobrian, solamente. He set up his own vanity press in the vain hope that people would think he had convinced a real publisher to print his books.
The University of Iowa Libraries have a blanket policy of not buying vanity press books. Joseph so wanted to be in that library that he would “return” copies of his own books, hoping they’d be cataloged and shelved there.
And his political opinions pieces in the Press-Citizen were so transparently awful they were required reading. I think they kept printing his pieces because—in the words of a former P.C. editor, “they inspired debate.” He railed in fussily elegant prose about feminists, liberals, queers and Black people.
Whatever spikey brilliance he’d shown in his youth that had kept his friends from strangling him was gone, replaced by a doctrinaire adherence to the kind of bitter rightwing nonsense that defines the opinions displayed on Fox News. And still, he was a human being. I’d catch sight of him from time to time in the grocery store, dressed always in his Chauncey Gardner drag (black suit, white shirt and bowler): always solitary, always wary, never interacting.
I felt, and feel, deep sympathy for him. What happened in his life that made him walk his lonely road of contempt and simmering anger? What made him be so painfully, obviously dishonest with himself and others?
When we were young, I could be optimistic that a person of his intelligence and talents
would grow up, lose the sharp edges and join humanity. But he never did. He died, as he lived, alone except for his cats.
—Kent Williams, Iowa City
Iowa Hunger Coalition calls on Gov. Reynolds to stop rejecting millions in federal aid for food-insecure Iowa kids (Nov. 26)
It’s so embarrassing to live here sometimes. —Stephanie M.
Her alternative funnels the money through private and religious groups, to be distributed from non-school locations. Money for her donors for “administrative expenses”. —Gale K.
Surprised she doesn’t take it and give it to private schools. —Steve Q.V.
What is wrong with her? Why so hateful. I thought she had children and grandchildren. —Edie T.
She against abortion but the she doesn’t want to help feed the children. —Nick M.
She’s proof of the Republican Party’s dumbing down tactics. —Bill R.
Growing up in Normal, USA with Pharrell Williams (Nov. 27)
Was not aware of how that small of a circle of friends blew up in the 90s-2000s by that much chance and opportunity. —John B.
Peak Iowa: Arthur Russell, Oskaloosa’s lost genius (Dec. 5)
I only just heard him, but peak Iowa is right - the “Iowa” I identify with. —Khani S
Cool article and piece on Arthur Russell. Check out the video with David Byrne from the Talking Heads. Cool stuff and didn’t know about him until today. —William K.
We go to Oskaloosa often and I play his music for the kids sometimes. —Jodi B.
Bird flu detected in Palo Alto County flock, disaster proclamation extended (Dec. 10)
Oh, hey. Don’t mind me, I’m just flashing back to December 2019 for no particular reason. —G.B.
It’ll be fine, there are robust regulations in place to– —Korlis
Summit Carbon Solutions is threatening to sue pipeline opponents (Dec. 16)
PUBLIC NUISANCE
SARA WILLIAMS
Trumpism on a micro-level. This involves one of the several pipelines in Iowa. —Maureen O
State officials cancel Iowa Satanic Temple celebration, claiming it’s ‘harmful to minors’ without stating why (Dec. 16)
“without stating why.” Lol. —Ben S.
Lawsuit dammit. They have every right to be there. —Andrew T.T.
The Catholic Church is also harmful to minors, so… —Steve M.
When will they say the Pride flag is harmful to children? —Anita S.
Next Pride Month, I would assume. —Ben S.
Something about living in an increasingly fascist state makes me uncomfortable. —Randy K.
Christian nationalist theofascists have infested our government. —Joe S.
Caitlin Clark’s rookie year drove a ‘staggering’ amount of profit, with 99% of her income earned off-court (Dec. 12)
“I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege,” the former Hawkeye told Time in a new Athlete of the Year interview. “A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them.”
She could have kept her mouth shut… but she didn’t. Just another thing that makes her spectacular! —Neva E.
The Reich Wing gonna be big mad. —Julie J.
In a history-making pick, Gov. Reynolds appoints Sen. Chris Cournoyer to replace Adam Gregg as lieutenant governor (Dec. 17)
Rep. Miller-Meeks has a unique reason to be grateful to the new lieutenant governor. When Miller-Meeks was running for a second term in 2022, she registered to vote using Cournoyer’s family home in LeClaire as her primary residence, despite actually living in Ottumwa.
PERSONALS
Nothing fights seasonal affective disorder quite like sunshine. Except for Sunshine, that is—the bounciest, cuddliest, smiliest resident of the Iowa City Animal Center. This 2-year-old pittie loves romping with other pups and making human friends, even if she’s a tiny bit nervous at first. Once you’re caught in her rays, she’ll get right under your skin—and likely wriggle into your lap. Feel the warmth for yourself at the IC shelter, 3910 Napoleon Ln.
Send your personals for consideration to editor@littlevillagemag.com with subject line “Personals.”
SOMETHING NEW THIS YEAR
The National Press Foundation announced Dan Perkins, better known by his pen name Tom Tomorrow, as the winner of the Berryman Award for Editorial Cartoons in December. Through his strip This Modern World, Perkins “embodies the higher purpose of political cartooning: holding powerful figures to account using satire grounded in good journalism,” according to the Berryman Award judges. This Modern World has run in Little Village since our very first issue in 2001.
A photo by Iowa photographer, videographer and documentarian rachel Mummey was included in the New York Times’ 2024 “Year in Photos” review. The selected image depicts Cassie Marckmann comforting Jeri Pickrell as they sort through the rubble of Pickrell’s house, destroyed by the deadly EF4 tornado that struck Greenfield, Iowa on May 21.
ACLU attorney and 2004 Grinnell College grad Chase Strangio made history on Dec. 4, 2024 as the first openly transgender person to argue a case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. At stake in U.S. v. Skrmetti is whether federal protections against sexbased discrimination will continue to apply to trans Americans, including access to gender-affirming care in states with bans (like Iowa). “My presence at the Supreme Court as a transgender lawyer will have been possible because I have had access to the very medical treatment at the center of the case,” Strangio wrote in a New York Times op-ed ahead of the arguments. Strangio is also the co-director of the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project.
Trumpeter alicia rau has received a Grammy Award nomination as part of the group Lucy Kalantari and the Jazz Cats. Now a New York City resident, Rau is a University of Iowa grad and hails from the small Iowa town of Shelby. She is also a frequent participant in RAGBRAI; the pocket trumpet she rigs to her bicycle has earned her the nickname “Trumpet Chick.” The Jazz Cats’ Creciendo is up for Best Children’s Music Album at the 2025 awards, broadcasting Feb. 2.
Oh THAT is why I knew that name. —Sharon F.
Registered to vote using someone else’s address? You mean like voter fraud? —Mark J.
No, voter fraud is when you publish a poll that mistakenly favors a Democrat. —Russ L.
So she’s a Republican “DEI” hire? Don’t they hate those? —Cory P.
I’m sorry, but WHAT?!?! First they gerrymandered IA-01 to break up the blue CRandIC corridor, then they ran a Republican who didn’t even live there, and who won by 100 votes? —Megan R.
It’s a same-fascist marriage. —Tim A.
The swamp deepens. —Jessica R.
I hate it. Make it stop. —Wendy D.
Peak Iowa: What’s the secret to the perfect dill spread? Ask Elijah Wood. (Dec. 17)
*Destroy evil incarnate by throwing a ring into a volcano *Making a dynamite dill spread. Dude knows how to get it done. —Dan C.
Alfalfa’s was delicious! —Alicia H.
I haven’t yet gotten the Alfalfa’s sandwich at The Salsa Guy cafe, but I will, one of these days, just for the rush of nostalgia! —Jane N.
Good stuff! I’m hungry now. Pickle Barrel, a Dubuque chain, offers dill spread too. I will have to investigate further… —Katrina S.A.
I sure miss Sub City. I love a good sub! Now I have the recipe for dill spread. Yes! Great article Jordan. —Jessica T.
IOWa CITy, DEC. 19 dgehr829@gmail.com
You were at Prairie Lights with your family and helped me pick out Little Witch Hazel for my very first niece or nephew. Well, my beautiful niece was born today and, funny enough, she is named Hazel. Thank you kind stranger for helping me pick out the perfect book!
Submit to Missed Connections! Questions may be edited for clarity and length, and may appear in print or online. Think you’re the subject of one? reach out: littlevillagemag.com/missed-connections
RAMONA MUSE LAMBERT
Where is your Little Village?
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Antidotes to the Winter Blues
Winter is a wonderful time to cozy up with a good book. Here are some titles that help to elucidate the parts of winter that can be comforting, strengthening and rejuvenating for mind, body and soul.
There are several books at the Iowa City Public Library that focus on the opportunities that winter provides for finding solace in the quiet—going inward, slowing down and removing oneself from the chaos of our everyday world. These include Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May, How to Winter: Harness Your Mindset to Thrive on Cold, Dark, or Difficult Days by Kari Leibowitz and Winterlust: Finding Beauty in the Fiercest Season by Bernd Brunner. Other titles that relate to winter and that focus on nature include Weathering Winter: A Gardener’s Daybook by Carl Klaus and Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival by Bernd Heinrich.
Then, there are the “hygge” books! Hygge (hyoo-guh), a word that’s hard to pronounce but easy to love, denotes a Danish and Norwegian concept all about enjoying the small comforts in life, an. You might look for these books to help you find and create your coziest winter yet: Making Winter: A Hygge-Inspired Guide for Surviving the Winter Months by Emma Mitchell; The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Contentment, Comfort, and Connection by Louisa Brits and How to Hygge: the Nordic Secrets to a Happy Life by Signe Johansen. Sweeten it up a bit with Scandikitchen: Fika & Hygge, Comforting Cakes and Bakes from Scandinavia with Love by Bronte Aurell and Scandinavian Comfort Food: Embracing the Art of Hygge by Trina Hahnemann.
To request copies in your area, or to add your business as a distribution location, contact:
If you find that you need a little more excitement in your cozy reading, switch it up with some mystery! In each of these books, the snowy weather plays a large role, creating havoc and blocking escape: One by One by Ruth Ware, Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson; Murder on the Orient Express and Midwinter Murder: Fireside Tales from the Queen of Mystery by Agatha Christie, A Murder at Balmoral by Chris McGeorge, City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita, and last but definitely not least, Snow by John Banville.
Finally, if you struggle with the season and need some help, you’re not alone: titles such as Winter Blues: Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder by Norman Rosenthal are waiting to be checked out and of use. Additionally, ICPL has an upcoming series of programs for adults, aimed at creating connections during the season: Look for the Wintering Together programs at icpl.org/ calendar to find out more!
—Candice Smith
INDEPENDENT
Downtown Iowa City
COMMUNITY
Contact Buzz
Almost
Nobody
sees Iowa’s music scene quite like Des Moines photographer Mark Lage.
By JOHn BUSBEE
Each image contained in Mark Lage’s new 300-page coffee table book is a gateway into Iowa’s music scene.
“I love being around musicians,” the photographer said. “I don’t know why I’m not a musician, but I never did take that leap. I do love being the fly on the wall, and catching that perfect moment.”
Flipping through Iowa Musicianship is an immersive experience sure to stoke FOMO for the Des Moines-area shows you may have missed over the past three years. Newbies to the local music scene will have the chance to meet more than 250 beloved Iowa performers who have taken the stage at Hinterland Music Festival, the Des Moines Arts Festival, and venues like Wooly’s, xBk, the Cellar Winery, Greenwood Lounge and the Botanical Garden. Lage includes career overviews for around 100 of the featured artists.
While the photos featured were all taken between 2021 and 2024, Lage has been that fly on the wall at central Iowa concerts for more than 40 years.
“I shot Yes at their first Iowa tour in the 1970s,” he recalled. The prog rock band returned to Iowa for the State Fair in 2015, co-headlining with Toto. “They have been one of my favorite bands, and I got to shoot them on their last tour here, before original member and bassist Chris Squire passed away. I still have a signed shirt from 2002 with the original band members’ signatures on it.”
Lage was given access to hang out with Yes, share meals with them and get to know the band personally—an example of his ability to build lasting trust with his subjects, from touring acts to local musicians. Based in Des Moines, Lage has become Iowa Public Radio’s go-to photographer for music festivals.
“I do all of them now. It’s one of the reasons I never left this town. It’s a cool town,” he said. “The musicians, the egos don’t seem to be there like when I first started. I’ve been really fortunate to get into their circle.”
Lage befriended longtime Des Moines blues pianist/organist Sam Salomone more than four decades ago. Salomone—who bought his first first Hammond B-3 organ in 1965 and never looked back—was inducted into the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2022, he passed away at the age of 79.
“I’ve been shooting pictures of him since we were both young,” Lage said. “He was always an interesting time to hang with. When I walked into a bar and I heard a B-3, I knew it was Sam. He was an amazing person, an amazing musician … a great guy. Getting to know him was just a dream come true.”
Iowa Musicianship depicts the rekindling of the local scene since the disruption of COVID-19 in 2020.
“This is another family to me, the musicians in this town,” he said. “They’re a beautiful bunch of people, and after the pandemic, they were suffering … music was trying to come back, and I wanted to help them out any way that I could.”
Promoting shows, preserving memories and
supporting musicians has become Lage’s purpose— one that will likely lead to future photo books.
“I’m at a point in my life where I don’t have to run my business, I can just be a festival photographer. That’s what I want to be,” he said. “I just love Iowa and think we have a real special thing here. I think we deserve it. The musicians and all the people— it’s just a big family, and people are really starting to come alive on it.”
Iowa Musicianship is on sale at marklagephoto. com for $91.
John Busbee produces and hosts the weekly arts & culture radio show, The Culture Buzz, broadcast and streaming Wednesdays 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at kfmg.org.
Iowa Blues Hall of Fame inductee Kevin Burt does his thing onstage in this photo featured in Iowa Musicianship by Mark Lage
2025 ReaderSubmitted
Photo Issue
Photos have not been cropped, edited or changed. Submitted captions have been edited for style, length and clarity.
Leah alexandra Kathleen Weaver, To Paint Or Not To Paint | A heavily edited photograph that looks like it could be a painting with its vibrant colors. A metaphorical Iowa spring in our minds.
CLOCKWISE FrOM TOP LEFT: Carly McCoy, Purple-pink skyline Kate revaux, Hickory Hill; Shale Sage, Justice | An homage to Solange’s A Seat at the Table album. Ezra Welch, Ephemeral View; Connie Sherman, Saving the Cherry Tree; Jorge Márquez Many hidden treasures, such as this mushroom known as the Mock Oyster, can be found in Ulrich Park, Cedar Falls. Jamie Elizabeth Hudrlik, Florence and Sweet Pea Wrapped in a Spider; Kristel Saxton, Rooted | Corn is the most prevalent landscape in an Iowa summer. I have been playing with the idea of how to break apart and show it in a different and unique way.
CLOCKWISE FrOM TOP LEFT: John reilly; Ely Hopper Hawkeye Wildlife Management Area; Shale Sage, Portrait of a Chestnut Farmer | Tom Lawson, on his newly planted chestnut farm. Erasmus Sizer, Deer | This is a photo I took of a doe I saw along the trail of Jester Park, roughly 40 feet away. It stopped and stared for around a minute, letting me get this photo. Ely Hopper Hawkeye Wildlife Management Area; Kristi Marchesani No visit to the beautiful Three Pines Farm in Cedar Falls is complete without a greeting from always-lovable Leonard the Llama. raleigh Smith A glowing view depicting the sprawling vegetation of Cottonwood Recreation Area in Ankeny. 1/2500, f/5.6, ISO 1600. Erasmus Sizer, Goose | This is a photo I took of a Canadian goose in Terra Park in Johnston. I used my 200x telephoto lens to get this photo as I was a couple feet away from it.
CLOCKWISE FrOM TOP LEFT: adria Carpenter Juniper and Hannah Hollow get married under the gazebo in College Green Park on Monday, July 8, 2024, in Iowa City. Daniel Brawner Iowa City. A tropical orchid thriving in our living room window seems indifferent to the blizzard raging outside. Carly McCoy, Pippy in fall; Sandy Dyas, Merry Christmas from the Family | 2024. Thinking of the Robert Earl Keen song—I am sure you know it. We made this last weekend while cleaning out the attic at my dad’s rock house. Not sure what to think of it but my daughters love it. Kate Doolittle, May Dew; Leah alexandra Kathleen Weaver, Re-Invention of Life | A close-up photograph of a flower being gnawed on by tiny bugs, presenting the circle of life in the world of green. Mary Palmberg, I hear her, but where IS she? | I walked up Myrtle to my favorite wood bridge across that ravine south of the Law Building. I always look down into the ravine, and when I did that this afternoon, there was a deer. I made a few squeaking noises in hopes it would look up at me. It kept looking around… right, backwards, left. Finally, it looked up and there I was. Kristel Saxton, Cyrus | A walk on a fall day down an Iowa trail with friends and pups is my ideal Iowa afternoon. I am in love with the layers of textures in this shot. This was taken on the Clear Creek trail outside of Tiffin.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Dana Telsrow, Pedestrian Bridge; Peter Rodd, Iowa City resident, Skinny | Humans often think only of humans when they talk of residents. All animals and plants reside. Ely Hopper Hawkeye Wildlife Management Area; Dana Telsrow, Doggy Bag; Kristel Saxton, Architectural Sutliff | A historic bridge in rural Johnson County has a beautiful blend of structure and beauty. Ezra Welch, Cast Away; Kristel Saxton, Old Time Farming | The Old Threshers Reunion in Mt. Pleasant offers a walk through Iowa’s farm history, full of interesting sights and lots of smoke smells. Peter Rodd The childhood home of President Herbert Clark Hoover (1929-1933) in West Branch speaks to his humble background. Kate Revaux, Homecoming 2024
Trenton Chesling As I exited the gates at the Adel rodeo I had a chance encounter with a cowboy wearing an eyepatch.
CLOCKWISE FrOM TOP LEFT: Mary Palmberg My grandson is in track and cross country at City High School. I often attend his meets and take photos. I took this one at a cross country meet in August 2023, and when I looked at the photo that evening, I was impressed by how coordinated the runners are as the race starts. Phil Ochs Rain cloud, Louisa County, Sept. 15; Jonathan Hansen Abandoned structure near Solon. Dave Lint, Water Tower #1; rick reinbold, Hiking, Wildcat Den | Some friends took me on a hike, and I was just enamored by the scope of the place, especially the rock formations. Phil Ochs High school senior Lila Stark in Jones County, Oct 27. Jamie Elizabeth Hudrlik, Sardines; Jordan Jasa, Atalissa Water Tower; Red Truck, White Garage | These are photos from a project I’m doing focusing on the tiny towns of eastern Iowa.
CLOCKWISE FrOM TOP LEFT: Cameron Johnson, Last Road Trip of the Summer | We had a free weekend in August and camped near Dubuque, went to the River Museum and stopped at the Field of Dreams on the way back. It was a very Iowa trip. Connie Sherman, Stanley Art Museum | Snowfall on Jan. 9, 2024. It took me an hour to walk home from the hospital. Buses were stopped. It was a wonderful walk! Cameron Johnson, Vincent Promo Outtake for Iowa City Community Theatre | He was performing with Iowa City Community Theatre in “A Grand Night for Singing” as a sleepy little boy. It was very sweet. Of course, when we went outside to take pictures, he did ninja moves and raged like a lunatic because he’s 6. Mary Palmberg I really enjoy catching photos of reflections. This photo catches reflections of the east end of the Iowa Memorial Union footbridge and the tree near it in the Gehry building. Kate Doolittle, Balloon at Playhouse; Endrit ramku, Alley Way | Downtown Iowa City at twilight. Jonathan Hansen An unused building in Mt. Vernon. Leah alexandra Kathleen Weaver, Blue and Cold | A landscape photograph of the pond when everything is freezing over but looking like a winter’s dream, representing true rural Iowa.
CLOCKWISE FrOM TOP LEFT: Jonathan Hansen The crowd in motion at an Iowa City hardcore show. adria Carpenter Two pairs of white shoes adorn the power line beside my old apartment building off East College Street in Iowa City on Sunday, July 7, 2024. Shale Sage, Giallows | An Iowa-based band known for their Midwest Gothgaze. Sandy Dyas Pieta Brown with Chastity Brown and Bo Ramsey. May 18, 2024, Codfish Hollow, Maquoketa. ruben Shoemaker The Quad Cities have undergone many changes over the years. Through these two photos, I try and capture what once was—still frames in an ever-changing landscape. Slowing down and taking a moment to see the small things could change your perspective. raleigh Smith An early morning view of dull suburbia in Johnston. 1/400, f/13, ISO 400.
Cameron Johnson, Rainbow Over the Johnson County Poor Farm
A-LIST: January 2025
Planning an event? Add it to littlevillagemag.com/calendar! Please include event name, date, time, venue name/address, admission price (or range) and a brief description (no all-caps, exclamation points or advertising verbiage, please). Contact calendar@littlevillagemag.com with any questions.
Des Moines MUSIC
Friday, Jan. 3, 7 p.m., Chip Albright Album Release w/ Jason Walsmith & Greta Akers, xBk, Des Moines
Friday, Jan. 3, 7, 9 p.m., Fly Me To The Moon: Max Wellman Sings Sinatra & More w/ His Big Band, Noce, Des Moines
Saturday, Jan. 4, 8 p.m., Soulcage, Parabola, The Crust, xBk, Des Moines
Saturday, Jan. 4, 7 p.m.,
Follies: A Night of Broadway w/ Napoleon Douglas, Noce, Des Moines
Wednesday, Jan. 8, 7 p.m.,
Swing Night w/ The Des Moines Big Band ft. Heartland Swing, Noce, Des Moines
Thursday, Jan. 9, 7 p.m., Gasoline Lollipops w/ Luke Fox ft. Joshua Rex, xBk, Des Moines
Thursday, Jan. 9, 7 p.m., Jazz on the House w/ pianist Nick Rueckert & Co, Noce, Des Moines
Friday, Jan. 10, 8 p.m., The Negro Artist Film Screening, Live Music and Poetry, xBk, Des Moines
Friday, Jan. 10, 7 p.m., The Fab 4: Gina Gedler Sings Bette Midler, Peggy Lee, Barbra Streisand, & Linda Ronstadt, Noce, Des Moines
Friday, Jan. 10, 7:30 p.m., Big Head Todd and The Monsters: 40th Anniversary Tour, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines
Saturday, Jan. 11, 7 p.m., The Guilty Pleasures, xBk, Des Moines
Saturday, Jan. 11, 7 p.m., Paul Lichty Jazz Orchestra ft. Wave Cage, Noce, Des Moines
Saturday, Jan. 11, 8 p.m., Halestorm’s Lzzy and Joe Hottinger: The Living Room Sessions, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines
Saturday, Jan. 11, 8 p.m., No Sleep w/ Dan Donohue, Val Air Ballroom, West Des Moines
Sunday, Jan. 12, 2 p.m.,
When the Cold Shock Metal Showcase says it’s Midwestern, it means it. The event at the “Black Hole,” a.k.a downstairs CSPS Hall, brings bands from three corners of Iowa, as well as out-of-staters from Wisconsin, Ohio and North Dakota. The lineup includes CR natives Toxic Hell, a new band composed of members of Ill Omen and Frontal Assault. False Providence from Des Moines and Liquid Decomposition from Dubuque round out the Iowa contingent.
Bridget Bell EP Release Show w/ Sarah Tonin and Val Baker, xBk, Des Moines
Wednesday, Jan. 15, 7 p.m., Runaway Ricochet, Hot Kunch, The Halloween Episode, xBk, Des Moines
Wednesday, Jan. 15, 7 p.m., The Des Moines Big Band, In residence, Noce, Des Moines
Thursday, Jan. 16, 7 p.m., Jazz on the House w/ The Wayne Page Quartet, Noce, Des Moines
Friday, Jan. 17, 7 p.m., Tyler Richton & The High Bank Boys, Wooly’s, Des Moines
Friday, Jan. 17, 8 p.m., Radkey, xBk, Des Moines
Friday, Jan. 17, 7, 9 p.m., Fly me to the Moon: Max Wellman Sings Sinatra & More w/ His Big Band, Noce, Des Moines
Saturday, Jan. 18, 8 p.m., Nerdtopia: A Nerdlesque Revue, xBk, Des Moines
Saturday, Jan. 18, 8:30 p.m., The Prince Experience, Wooly’s, Des Moines
Saturday, Jan. 18, 7, 9 p.m., Fly me to the Moon: Max Wellman Sings Sinatra & More w/ His Big Band, Noce, Des Moines
Wednesday, Jan. 22, 7 p.m., The Des Moines Big Band, In Residence, Noce, Des Moines
Friday, Jan. 24, 7 p.m., The Art of the Trio w/ Mike Conrad, Noce, Des Moines
Friday, Jan. 24, 8 p.m., Smells Like Nirvana: A Tribute to Nirvana, Wooly’s, Des Moines
Saturday, Jan. 25, 8 p.m., Dead of Winter ft Winterland w/ Stringfield, xBk, Des Moines
Saturday, Jan. 25, 7, 9 p.m., Fly me to the Moon: Max Wellman Sings Sinatra & More w/ His Big Band, Noce, Des Moines
Des
Moines Music
Bridget Bell EP Release Show w/ Sarah
Tonin and Val Baker, 2 p.m., Jan. 12, xBk, Des Moines
Bridget Bell says she’s been working on her debut EP Forgive and Forget for two years, having started writing the songs in her bedroom when she was 12 years old. Now 14, the singer-songwriter celebrates her debut with a release show at xBk Live. Bell credits Girls Rock! Des Moines for her burgeoning musical career; after all, she recorded her EP through their GR!T Records camp.
Quad Cities and Iowa City Performance
Hadestown, Jan. 15, The adler Theatre, Davenport; Jan.
24-26, Hancher, Iowa City
There are multiple opportunities this month to see 2019’s Tony Award-winning musical Hadestown in eastern Iowa. The touring company will steam through Davenport then Iowa City, bringing the show’s New Orleans sound and fresh take on Greek mythology with it. Hadestown has Iowa roots, too, as creator Anaïs Mitchell’s original 2010 concept album featured local folk legend Greg Brown as Hades, a role that requires a bass singer who can hit a G1.
Sunday, Jan. 26, 7 p.m., Dylan LeBlanc and David Ramirez, xBk, Des Moines
Friday, Jan. 31, 7, 9 p.m., For Once in my Life: A Night of Stevie, Luther & More w/ Napoleon Douglas, Noce, Des Moines
via
Bridget Bell
Friday, Jan. 31, 7:30 p.m., Ella Langley: Still Hungover Tour, Val Air Ballroom, West Des Moines
PERFORMANCE
Thursday, Jan. 9, 6 p.m., Capital City Pride Presents: V Spehar, Temple Theater, Des Moines
Friday, Jan. 17, 7 p.m., Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Playhouse, Des Moines
Saturday & Sunday, Jan. 18, 19, 1 p.m., Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Playhouse, Des Moines
Saturday, Jan. 18, 7:30 p.m., Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood: Asking For Trouble, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines
Tuesday, Jan. 21, 6:30 p.m., Pink Boots and a Machete, Des Moines Civic Center, Des Moines
Wednesday & Thursday, Jan. 22, 23, 7:30 p.m., The Gull A Tragicomedy for One After Chekhov, The Playhouse, Des Moines
Friday, Jan. 24, 7 p.m., Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Playhouse, Des Moines
Saturday & Sunday, Jan. 25, 26, 1 p.m., Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Playhouse, Des Moines
Saturday, Jan. 25, 7 p.m., Sal Vulcano: Everything’s Fine Tour, Des Moines Civic Center, Des Moines
Saturday, Jan. 25, 7 p.m., A Night of Magic and Comedy, Temple Theater, Des Moines
Saturday, Jan. 25, 7:30 p.m., The Gull: A Tragicomedy for One After Chekhov, The Playhouse, Des Moines
Jan. 28-31, 7:30 p.m., Shucked, Des Moines Civic Center, Des Moines
JANUARY 20, 2025
Mercer Park Aquatic Center and Scanlon Gym 9:30am - 12:30pm
Friday, Jan. 31, 7 p.m., Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Playhouse, Des Moines
FILM
Jan., The Brutalist Opens, Varsity Cinema, Des Moines
Friday, Jan. 17, The Room Next Door Opens, Varsity Cinema, Des Moines
Saturday, Jan. 18, Almost an Angel Movie
In partnership with community organizations, the City of Iowa City invites all to participate in this year's celebration of Dr. King's life and legacy. Free events for all ages and abilities are scheduled throughout January and are open to the public!
icgov.org/MLK2025 icgov.org/MLK2025
Tour, Fleur Cinema & Café, Des Moines
COMMUNITY
Friday, Jan. 3, 5 p.m., First Friday, Mainframe Studios, Des Moines
Friday, Jan. 3, 5 p.m., Color Photography MASS Group Exhibit, Mainframe Studios, Des Moines
Friday, Jan. 10, Jeff Fleming: Ghosts Opening Reception, Moberg Gallery, Des Moines
Friday, Jan. 10–Jan., Jeff Fleming: Ghosts, Moberg Gallery, Des Moines
Friday, Jan. 20–Jan., Be Still Denice Peters Solo Exhibition, Octagon Center for the Arts, Ames
Iowa City
MUSIC
Wednesday, Jan. 8, 7 p.m., Burlington Street Bluegrass Band, Wildwood Saloon, Iowa City
Friday, Jan. 10, 7 p.m., Dan Tedesco, The James Theater, Iowa City
Friday, Jan. 10, 8 p.m., Arch & The Outlaws, Wildwood Saloon, Iowa City
Thursday, Jan. 16, 7:30 p.m., Jersey Nights, The Englert Theatre, Iowa City
Friday, Jan. 17, 9 p.m., Moonparty: A Night of Bass Music, Gabe’s, Iowa City
Wednesday, Jan. 22, 7 p.m., Burlington Street Bluegrass Band, Wildwood Saloon, Iowa City
Friday, Jan. 25, 6 p.m., Tyler Richton & The High Bank Boys, Wildwood Saloon, Iowa City
Friday, Jan. 31, 5 p.m., Born of Osiris, Within Destruction, Entheos, AXTY, Dreamthief, Wildwood Saloon, Iowa City
Friday, Jan. 31, 7:30 p.m., Leftover Salmon, The Englert Theatre, Iowa City
PERFORMANCE
Jan. 9-11, 7:30 p.m., Mike Birbiglia, The Englert Theatre, Iowa City
Jan. 17-26, Various times, Iowa City Community Theatre presents Frost/ Nixon, The James Theater, Iowa City
Friday–Sunday, Jan. 24–26, Various times, Hadestown, Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City
Thursday, Friday, Jan. 30, 31, 7:30 p.m., The Cure at Troy, Riverside Theatre, Iowa City
FILM
Wednesday, Jan. 8, 10 p.m., Lateshift at the Grindhouse: The Thing, FilmScene, Iowa City
Wednesday, Jan. 22, 7 p.m., Out of the Archive: SOLEIL Ô, FilmScene, Iowa City
Friday, Jan. 24, 7 p.m., Backcountry Film Festival, Big Grove Brewery, Iowa City
COMMUNITY
Sunday, Jan. 5, 4 p.m., Online Writers Open Mic, Iowa City Poetry, Iowa City
Sunday, Jan. 12, 12:30 p.m., Sunday with the Docents: Form and Purpose, Stanley Museum of Art, Iowa City
Sunday, Jan. 12, 5 p.m., Second Sunday
Cinderella, Jan. 17 & 19, Cedar rapids Opera, Cedar rapids
Cedar Rapids Opera and Orchestra Iowa present this operatic retelling of the classic fairy tale at Paramount Theatre. Don’t go in expecting kids tunes though, as this is an adaptation of Cendrillon by Jules Massenet, an opera that originally premiered in 1899. Which speaks to the timeless nature of Cinderella’s story.
Iowa City and Cedar Rapids Film
Backcountry Film Festival,
Jan. 24, Big Grove Brewery, Iowa City; Jan. 25, Indian Creek nature Center,
Cedar rapids
The Winter Wildland Alliance hosts the Backcountry Film Festival, which features short films centered around winter adventures and outdoor sports from around the world. The films range from harrowing— Surviving Our Story is about skiers caught in back-to-back Colorado avalanches—to inspiring— festival closer Song of Ice is described as a “final lyrical dance through frozen mountain landscapes.”
Sessions, Press Coffee, Iowa City
Monday, Jan. 13, 10 a.m., January Book Club: Rental House by Weike Wang, Sidekick Coffee & Books, Iowa City
CR/CF/Waterloo
MUSIC
Friday, Jan. 3, 7 p.m., Play it Forward Fundraiser w/ Uncle Otis and The Remainders, CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids
Saturday, Jan. 4, 7 p.m., Vandello, CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids
Saturday, Jan. 4, 8 p.m., Rafter Bat, Octopus, Cedar Falls
Saturday, Jan. 11, 7 p.m., Cold Shock: Midwest Death Metal Showcase, CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids
Saturday, Jan. 18, 7 p.m., The Faux Paws, CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids
Friday, Saturday, Jan. 24, 25, 7:30 p.m., Christopher Johnstone and Tom Burke
via Cedar Rapids Opera
Cedar Rapids Performance
Des Moines Performance
The Gull: A Tragicomedy for One, After Chekhov, Jan. 22, 23, 25, The Playhouse, Des Moines
The Gull, an extrapolation of Chekhov’s The Seagull, comes to the The Playhouse courtesy of TheatreMidwest. The tragicomedy by Zachary Cohn swings through Des Moines on its world premiere tour and stars Joan Korte doing some heavy lifting, as she is the sole actor performing all 10 characters in the production.
Iowa City
Born of Osiris, Within Destruction, Entheos, AXTY, Dreamthief, 5 p.m., Jan. 31, Wildwood Saloon, Iowa City
Wildwood Saloon closes out the first month of the new year with this killer lineup of progressive metalcore from places near and far. The reason for the occasion is the national tour headlined by Illinois band Born of Osiris. Making a detour from their own tour, Sloveniabased group Within Destruction joins Bos while bringing the São Paulo-based AXTY along with. Cedar Rapids locals Dreamthief are set to kick off this all-ages show.
in Concert, CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids
COMMUNITY
Through Jan. 26, Exodus Report Exhibition, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, Cedar Rapids
Wednesday, Jan. 8, 8 p.m., Octopus Bingo, Octopus, Cedar Falls
Thursday, Jan. 19, 12 p.m., The Royal Brunch, Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids
Tuesday, Jan. 28, 7 p.m., The Hearst Film Scene, Hearst Center for the Arts, Cedar Falls
Thursday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m., Final Thursday Reading Series: Gail Lynn, Hearst Center for the Arts, Cedar Falls
PERFORMANCE
Jan. 3-19, Various times, Murder by Mattress by Lesley Gunn, Giving Tree Theater, Marion
Sunday, Jan. 12, 7 p.m., Comedy Show ft. Gareth Reynold, The Olympic, Cedar Rapids
Friday, Jan. 17, 7:30 p.m., Cinderella, Cedar Rapids Opera, Cedar Rapids
Saturday, Jan. 18, 7 p.m., Kathleen Madigan: The Day Drinking Tour, Gallagher Bluedorn, Cedar Falls
Sunday, Jan. 19, 2 p.m., Cinderella, Cedar Rapids Opera, Cedar Rapids
Tuesday, Jan. 21, 6:30 p.m., Red Herring Theatre Presents: The Cottage, Hearst Center for the Arts, Cedar Falls
QUAD CITIES
MUSIC
Friday, Jan. 3, 7 p.m., Lady Igraine Record Release Show, Raccoon Motel, Davenport
Saturday, Jan. 4, 7 p.m., Bad Bad Hats w/ Party Nails, Raccoon Motel, Davenport
Wednesday, Jan. 22, 4:30 p.m., Classic Novels Book Club, River Lights Bookstore, Dubuque
Dear Kiki, I want to get better at dirty talking with lovers but I’m embarrassed to try. Do you have any advice on getting more comfortable with saying things that play in my head out loud? I wondered if there are any games or role playing exercises that could help and thought you might know. Thanks for your help; I really enjoy the column!
––Wicked but Wary
Dear Wicked but Wary, Oooh, dirty talk is fun! It’s true, though, Wicked, that there’s no way around the adjustment period. You will feel awkward at the start. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll be glad you pushed through the initial weirdness. Start small: You can ease your way into dirty talk just by practicing radical consent. Asking, “May I kiss your neck?” or “Would you like me to touch your inner thigh?” can be deeply erotic.
And yes, there are some quick-start ideas you can try. A wide variety of dirty dice exist, allowing you to roll up (and talk about) creative positions or match body parts to sexy actions. You can seek out someone to sext with (it might be easier to focus on words when there’s nothing else available). You can play party games like Never Have I Ever or Truth or Dare.
However you get started, you can chart a path to success by practicing Kiki’s Three Pillars of Filth: Authenticity. Curiosity. Reciprocity.
Being authentic is paramount to all play. With dirty talk specifically, if you try too hard to emulate examples you’ve heard in movies or from previous partners, you’re likely to get stuck in your head. Not only will it feel fake, but you’ll be less able to get caught up in the moment yourself. It’s nearly impossible to have your mind blown when your brain won’t shut up.
Try leaning into your discomfort. Remember, humor is sexy! If you feel ridiculous, act ridiculous. Make it silly. Laugh at yourself, and encourage your partner to laugh with you. Most importantly, be honest. Don’t try to act cool if that’s not how you’re feeling. You can’t connect with someone if you’re holding parts of yourself back, and connection is crucial to shared
pleasure.
That brings us to curiosity. Look, Wicked, bottom line is, you’re not talking dirty for your own benefit, right? If you’re trying to please someone, get curious about what the other party wants to hear. It’ll be different for everyone, and trial and error are to be expected. Pay close attention to the way your lover reacts. Don’t beat yourself up if they’re not feeling it; try something else.
Pay attention outside the bedroom, too. You never know when you’ll catch their eye lingering on a stranger or hear them let out a little gasp at a movie scene—clues you can use the next time you’re getting intimate. Also? You can just ask. Remember, honesty is sexy! There are things that are tricky to discover organically. And even if we’re talking one-night stand territory, those conversations are vital, valuable and viscerally titillating!
They’re especially enticing when you’re able to talk about what you want, too. That’s where reciprocity comes in. It’s not just about you getting yours in return, although that’s always important. When it comes to dirty talk, Wicked, it’s all about shared intimacy. For you to excel, you need your partner to be vulnerable with you about what turns them on. They’re more likely to do that if you’re willing to reciprocate.
Establish a safe, open environment by proffering your own pleasure preferences. Remember, confidence is sexy! Don’t make demands, unless that’s part of your dynamic—just let them know that you’d like them to, say, whisper in your ear how your skin feels while they’re touching it (or whatever gives you shivers). Even if they’re not comfortable doing so, they’ll be more comfortable opening up with you about their desires.
Have fun with your aural oral adventures!
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.
––xoxo, Kiki
INDEPENDENT
Northside Marketplace
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Since 1985, musician David Gilmour has led Pink Floyd. The band has sold over 250 million records. He’s in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in both the U.K. and the U.S. But my favorite thing about Gilmour is that he’s a passionate activist who has crusaded for animal rights, environmentalism, poverty and human rights. A few years ago, he auctioned off 120 of his guitars, raising over $21 million for an environmentalist charity. In accordance with astrological omens, I propose we make him one of your inspirational role models in 2025, Capricorn. May he mobilize you to use your stature and clout to perform an array of good works that are of service to your world.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aquarian author Virginia Woolf extolled the virtues of cultivating a supple soul that thrives on change. She pledged to be relentless in her commitment to be authentically herself and not succumb to groupthink. I recommend you make these two of your featured themes in 2025. To inspire your efforts, I will quote her radical perspective at length: “Movement and change are the essence of our being; rigidity is death; conformity is death: let us say what comes into our heads, repeat ourselves, contradict ourselves, fling out the wildest nonsense, and follow the most fantastic fancies without caring what the world does or thinks or says.”
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In 1992, two friends promised each other that if either of them ever won the lottery, they would share it with the other. Twenty-eight years later, that’s exactly what happened. In 2020, Thomas Cook bought a ticket that turned out to be the winner of the Powerhouse jackpot in Wisconsin. He called Joseph Feeney with the good news. After paying taxes, both men were $5.7 million richer. I am not predicting the exact same sequence for your future, Pisces. But like Cook and Feeney, I expect you will glean pleasing rewards generated from seeds planted in the past.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In 2025, I would love for you to specialize in making new connections and deepening your existing connections. I hope you will summon extra creativity and panache as you regularly blend your beautiful energies with others’ beautiful energies. I predict you will thrive on linking elements that should be linked but have never been before. What do you think, Aries? Does it sound fun to become a playful master of mixing and combining? Would you enjoy generating splashy unifications that serve your dreams?
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Confidence is 10 percent hard work and 90 percent delusion,” declared Taurus comedian Tina Fey. But I believe you will disprove that assessment in the coming months. The work you do will be unusually replete with grace and dynamism. It will be focused and diligent work, yes, but more importantly, it will be smart work that’s largely free of delusion. That’s why I’m inclined to revise Fey’s formula for your sake. In 2025, your brimming levels of confidence will be primarily due to your fine, conscientious, effective work.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In the 1960s, a Swedish journalist tried an experiment. He wanted to see if art critics could distinguish between abstract paintings made by skilled artists and those created by a 4-year-old chimpanzee whose pseudonym was Pierre Brassau. Surprise! Many of the critics treated all the paintings with equal respect. One even gave special praise” I’m authorizing you to unleash your inner Pierre Brassau in the coming months, Gemini. Be an innocent rookie, a newcomer with great instincts, an exuberant amateur who specializes
in fun experiments. Do you know what beginner’s mind is? You approach every experience with zero assumptions or expectations, as if you were seeing everything for the first time. For more, read this: wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoshin
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Ohio’s Cuyahoga River used to catch on fire regularly. The cause was pollution. For a hundred years, industries had poured their wastes into the waterway. The surface was often dotted with oil slicks. But after a notorious river fire in 1969, the locals decided to remedy the situation, aided by the newly established Environmental Protection Agency. Today, the Cuyahoga still isn’t 100 percent clean, but it’s far better. It hosts kayaking, fishing and paddle boarding. I propose we use its rehabilitation as a symbol for you in 2025. You will have welcome opportunities to clean up messes that have lingered for far too long. Please take full advantage of these cosmic invitations to sweep karmic debris out of your life.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Steve Jobs, founder of Apple computers, said, “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” I propose that you make this one of your mottoes in 2025. More than ever before, you will have exceptional power to transform the environments you share with others. You will have an enhanced ability to revise and reinvigorate the systems and the rules you use. Don’t underestimate your influence during the coming months, Leo. Assume that people will be listening especially closely to your ideas and are extra receptive to being affected by you.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I will give you four related terms to describe your key motif in 2025: 1. Your Soul’s Code. 2. Your Master Plan. 3. Your Destiny’s Blueprint. 4. Your Mission Statement. All four are rooted in this epic question: What is your overarching purpose here on Earth, and how are you fulfilling it? The coming months will be a time when you can make dramatic progress in formulating vivid, detailed visions of the life you want to live. You can also undertake robust action steps to make those visions more of a practical reality. I encourage you to write your big-picture, long-range dreams in a special notebook or a file on your tech device. Keep adding to the text throughout the coming months.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): People in India were the first to discover diamonds buried in the earth. Most historians believe it happened in the 4th century B.C.E. For the next two millennia, India remained the only source of diamonds. Finally, new stashes were found in Brazil in 1725 and in South Africa in the 1870s. Let’s use this 2,000-year gap as a metaphor for your life. I suspect that far too many months have passed since you have located a fresh source of a certain treasure or bounty you crave. That will change in 2025. Here come long-delayed blessings!
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In my vision of your life in 2025, you will dramatically enhance how togetherness works for you. Below are four questions to help guide your explorations and breakthroughs. 1. Is it feasible to change yourself in ways that enable you to have a more satisfying relationship with romantic love? 2. Will you include your intimate relationships as an essential part of your spiritual path—and vice versa? 3. What work on yourself can you do to heal your old wounds and thereby make yourself a better partner and collaborator? 4. Can you help your best allies to heal their wounds and thereby become better partners and collaborators?
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In Japanese, the word for “frog” sounds similar to the word meaning “to return.” That’s one reason frogs have been lucky in some circles of Japanese culture. They symbolize the blessing that occurs when travelers return home safely, or when health is restored, or when spent money is replenished. I bring this to your attention, Sagittarius, because I suspect 2025 will be a time when satisfying and enjoyable returns will be a key theme. Consider keeping the likeness of a lovable frog in your living space.
7 Hills Brewing
River Lights Books
Charlotte’s Coffee House
Jubeck New World
Brewing
Birdie Bistro
Oolong Asion Cuisine
The Lift
Wicked Dame
BUZ Coffee & Energy
Backpocket
The Vault Restaurant & Lounge
Baraboo’s On Main
The Spot
Carnegie Stout Public Library
Dottie’s Cafe
Dimensional Brewing
Dubuque Museum of Art
Brazen Kitchen
Wayfarer Coffee
FAIRFIELD
Arandas
Cafe Paradiso
Convention Center
Box Office
Everybody’s Whole Foods
Fairfield Ec. Dev.
Assoc.
India Cafe I
Information Center
Istanbul Grill
Nobel House Kava
Thai Deli
GRIMES
Breadeaux Pizza
Grimes Public Library
HIAWATHA
Hiawatha Public Lib.
Roaster’s Coffee
HILLS
Old 218 Tap
HUXLEY
Casa Azteca
Fenceline Beer Lab
Flight Bar & Grille
INDIANOLA
Cabin Coffee
Copper & Fringe
Beauty
Crouse Cafe
Des Moines Metro
Opera
Feed & Foster
Funaro’s Deli
Groggy Dog
Indianola Public Lib.
Mojo’s Bar
Pageturners
Bookstore
Savor the Rise
The Corner Sundry
The Local Vine
Uncommon Grounds
West Hill Brewing Co.
IOWA CITY
AJA Estate Services
Artifacts
Basta
Beadology
Billion & Billion Auto
Billion Hyundai
Bluebird Diner
Bread Garden Market
Burger Haul
Buzz Salon
Carousel Motors
Cielo
Clarion Highlander
Hotel Coffee Emporium
Colonial Lanes
Cortado
Critical Hit Games
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In print at least monthly since July 2001, Little Village is among the longest-running free alternative publications in the Midwest.
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There are 12 drawings on the cover of Buz Owen’s most recent album, Sleep. There’s a bunny-eared television. A crucifix. An elephant. The images make up a visual tracklist for the album’s songs, music that draws from backyard bluegrass, folk and even Uncle Tupelo-era alt-country.
Buz Owen is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter from Marshalltown who’s been releasing solo music since 2015. (For the last two decades, Buz has also performed with the Midwest Irish punk band The Vandon Arms.)
Fittingly, most of what happens in Sleep happens at night. This is last-call Midwest music, with songs about staring at ceilings and 3 a.m. agreements and hearing your neighbors through the wall and seeing the wrong side of a rising sun. There’s mandolin picking and banjo rolls and Owen’s weathered voice, a timbre only achieved after decades of singing in loud, rowdy rooms.
The album leads off with “4 Bucks,” a ragged alt-country rocker
train beat drums, he weaves a story of hard living, damned doctors, and selfinflicted insomnia with no end in sight. Throughout the album, Owen shows proficiency on several instruments, particularly the mandolin. Really tune into his crosspicking on “Only The Lonely.” It’s exquisite, his most expressive playing on the album.
Next comes a pair of barroom ballads straight out of the police log of the local paper. “Caroline” is about young love, methamphetamine and other currencies. In “Maria,” a crooked Kansas deputy with “stones in his eyes” wields a pistol with familiar results. Both are reminiscent of the raw beauty of early Avett Brothers records, and both are highlights on Sleep
The second half of the album features a few variations on the theme of “home,” whether it be the metaphorical home of “Chains” or the hometown on “Way Back Home.”
On the latter, after name-checking the surrounding Midwestern states, Buz confesses to always wanting to return to this indeterminate thing that we call “Iowa.”
Lost souls ought to search out “Baptized.” Here, Buz delivers an unrepentant clawhammer hymnal, complete with a bleating cricket. This one is pure gospela:
Seen more sin than a man should allow
Lord have mercy on me
Write them down and then read them aloud
Lord have mercy on me
This one, and “Testify,” with its banjo-billy blues melody, would surely be the live standouts if Owen ever took these songs out on the road. To be able to actually record and convey the live energy of these performances in the studio setting, while tracking all of the instruments yourself, is truly a remarkable act.
THIS IS LaST-CaLL MIDWEST MUSIC, WITH SOnGS aBOUT STarInG aT CEILInGS anD 3 a.M. aGrEEMEnTS anD HEarInG yOUr nEIGHBOrS THrOUGH THE WaLL anD SEEInG THE WrOnG SIDE OF a rISInG SUn.
about looking at what’s left after everything else has already been spent. Hear that harmonica to find that Uncle Tupelo influence. On the title track, over a clawhammer banjo and
IOn aLEXaKIS Broken Glass EP SOUNDCLOUD.COM/THEONLYION
It’s crazy to think that hip hop is 50 years old. It’s global, ubiquitous. Including in Iowa. Ion Alexakis— though much younger than hip hop—has been active musically in Iowa City for years, working as a producer, singer and emcee. His day job as production supervisor at the Englert is a perfect extension of his artistic pursuits. He’s intimately
CHECK
I missed the release of this one when it first came out in July, but am glad to have found it during these winter days of early dark. With Sleep, Buz Owen has made a significant Iowa folk album. No matter which side of 3 a.m. you usually see.
—Avery Gregurich
an eclectic mix of Iowa City music mainstays: Blake Shaw, Ramin Roshandel and Tara McGovern, to name a few.
“Pilot” is a luminous instrumental, driven by electric piano and guitar. “May we never go silent, spinning this world as pilots.” Ion’s plaintive singing makes it a desperate poem.
“Riot Dog” is anchored in a compellingly cruddy drum loop by Brian Lewis Smith before being swallowed by a chorus of synths. Ion shows his skill on the mic with rhymes like. “Remedial yet contagious, you can find me on the front pages, ask your neighbors/ Citywide radius framed around my patience, throw your hand in front of the gun and you can save us.”
OUT THE COMBInaTIOn OF LIVE anD SEQUEnCED DrUMMInG On “WE GO” anD HOW IOn’S FLOW rIDES On TOP OF THE BEaT.
“I SPIT MOUTHFULS THaT MaKE yOU THE CLOWn OF My TOWnSFOLK/I HIT IT DEEP, STraIGHT OFF THE BrEaTH OF My DOWn STrOKE.”
involved in presenting all kinds of music, meeting the performers, making sure they’re heard properly in the Englert.
“All kinds of music” describes the tracks on Broken Glass. While hip hop is clearly the root of Ion’s music, his productions and collaborations are not the standard loopy boom bap of commercial hip hop.
Check out the combination of live and sequenced drumming on “We Go” and how Ion’s flow rides on top of the beat. “I spit mouthfuls that make you the clown of my townsfolk/I hit it deep, straight off the breath of my down stroke.” Samples of African singing weave through a leading bass line, keyboard and guitar. The back cover of the EP states that it “features noises from”
“First Word Problems” is as influenced by both Radiohead and Mobb Deep. Distorted guitar and synth bass provide an anthemic ’90s rock feel, with hard-as-nails drums that combine hip hop backbeats with ’90s rock skeleton patterns. Ion won’t be the first guy mixing rock and hip hop, but the combo here is organic and hints as much at Prince as Pearl Jam.
On “Sirens,” Ion sings/raps over a downtempo minor groove that has a cinematic vibe not too far from Portishead. It’s an oddly disconnected love song, or lust song, but it seems like serious business when, “She’d open up my brain and start picking out them vegetables.”
In those 50 years of hip hop there have been countless examples of rappers, producers and even whole scenes that regard the words as paramount, and will bind them to the most functional, utilitarian beats. There’s a place for that, but also a place for Ion Alexakis, uniting words and music his own way. The words and rhythm are important, but the emotions are reinforced by the music, which transcends the term “beat.” Ion’s hip hop is live and kicking.
—Kent Williams
In Eliza Gilkyson’s “Solitary Singer,” she croons, “He sings his best when nobody’s listening.” Wax Cannon reminds me of that song.
A housepainter (David Murray) and a hospital pharmacy worker (Jay Miller) have been making music together for a quarter century, to no particular acclaim, except from their friends in the local scene, or me, when I review their CDs. (Full disclosure: I’ve known both members for decades.)
Teeth has a lot of commonality with previous Wax Cannon releases, which stands to reason. They’re still playing guitar and drums, still swapping instruments when they play live. Miller is a child of ’90s indie rock, so you can compare his songs to Yo La Tengo or Superchunk. Murray has been in local bands like Soviet Dissonance since the 1980s. His songs are darker and heavier than Miller’s. His singing is less pop, combining a
it’s an artistic choice, a ’90s indie rock trope where voices are just another instrument.
The same can be said of Jay Miller’s lyrics, even though he sings more tunefully. I asked David once what Jay was singing in “Twelve Spaceships on the River”—from their incomparable double album Someone in Madison is Praying for You (and it’s not me)—and he laughed. “You think Jay tells me what he’s singing?”
You can pick out words here and there, but what the songs mean is tied more to the gestalt of guitar, drums and voice than to lyrics. There are plenty of two-person bands; take the White Stripes or the Black Keys. Those bands sound full because of loud, bluesy guitar and jackhammer drumming. Wax Cannon goes a different direction, with guitars that fill the sonic space usually taken up by several instruments.
That sound—which has something of Peter Buck’s iconic jangly guitar sound from R.E.M.—is the emotional center of their songs. You can hear the decades they’ve put into constructing this particular sound. If you go back to previous releases (a worthwhile pastime), you’ll notice they’ve traded loud and abrasive for something subtler on Teeth. They still have a love affair with brashly distorted guitars, but they’re not afraid to let the chords ring out. The overdrive amp and open strings create phantom melodies in the resulting overtones.
EarLy GIrL
Do I Even Cross Your Mind?
EARLYGIRL.BANDCAMP.COM
If every song is a sort of conceptual collage of sound, with its layered instruments and vocal harmonies, then Early Girl’s EP Do I Even Cross Your Mind? feels like both an auditory and physical collage. It’s a lovingly flipped-through scrapbook of grunge and throwback, capturing the grittiness of hand-cut paper, rough ripped edges and even a smattering of glitter.
With this sophomore effort, Iowa
guitars and robust drumming, exploding with harmonies and quickened tempos that switch from verse to chorus. The ebb and flow between tempos act as the manifestation of a steady heartbeat, quickening with frustration towards a disinterested relationship counterpart. With its rallying cry of a chorus, this opener and the majority of the EP that follows is packaged for a listener to shout along to.
As the tracks in this EP explore relationships that fizzle, the lyrical genius flourishes. If ever in need of a witty comeback, there’s a wealth of inspiration to choose from here, from the biting diss, “You’re better alone/ You’re better alone/but you still lit up my phone” during the infectious “Better Alone,” to the consuming reminder, “Ain’t no better company than the skeletons you keep” amidst the ricocheting guitar riffs of “Something Sweet.”
Add them to your burn book, glued together with the neon grunge
IT’S a LOVInGLy FLIPPED-THrOUGH SCraPBOOK OF GrUnGE anD THrOWBaCK, CaPTUrInG THE GrITTInESS OF HanDCUT PaPEr, rOUGH rIPPED EDGES
anD EVEn a SMaTTErInG OF GLITTEr.
Tom Waits growl with punk/straight edge yips and yowls.
On “Captain’s Worm” you get a dose of his phlegmy angry bark, along with a stomping beat and slashing guitar. “Your eye’s gleam/ It’s ice cold” is about all I can glean without a lyric sheet. You can’t hear what either of them are saying, and
Wax Cannon is a band whose longevity, despite not “making it,” deserves celebration. Sure, they’re not great at self promotion, they only play live a few times a year and they’re dropping their music into a vast ocean of daily releases on Bandcamp. But they still have their surreal, hermetically sealed sense of humor. They’ve endured, and their songwriting has only grown more subtle and appealing. In a perfect world they’d be rock stars, but it isn’t and they’re not, and they’re OK with that. If you like Wax Cannon, spread the word. Maybe we can spoil their obscurity.
—Kent Williams
City-based Early Girl is cutting and pasting a lot of old with the new. For one, the five-track record comes with a new band lineup, fronted by mainstay vocalist and guitarist Aaron Longoria, freshly joined by bassist Matthew Prince and drummer Dakota Cairns.
The new musical dynamic brings together bandmates from a patchwork of Iowa grunge, emo and power pop heavyweights via TV Cop and Gunk Lung. Becoming effectively a Midwest supergroup, Early Girl embarked on its first tour and polished their sound. That’s not to say the music they’re making is clean-cut—it rages with whispers of the best in foundational punk and rock music—or rather, shouts of the best.
That rage begins immediately with “If I Could,” a perfectly encapsulated morsel of pop punk with its ragged
of “STR8”—the most dynamic track off the EP, both vocally and musically. Longoria places playful emphasis on certain words, shifting octaves, breaking into yells until it all blazes into a chorus of anthemic chanting.
The cover art depicts the trio posed against the backdrop of an electric green forest, all wearing matching patterns of orange and blue splashes of color. It’s clear from the first riffs of Do I Even Cross Your Mind? that this is a band deeply attuned with each other, from their matching outfits to their musical output (two bandmates even share identical birthdays). Only a band deeply in sync could muster equal parts roughed-up revenge and a narrative vulnerability that leaves the album with a final poignant fear: “Have I really grown, or is it in my head?”
—Elisabeth Oster
SELF-PUBLISHED
I have apparently never read fantasy before The Wilderlands by R.E. Bellesmith (November 2024). I didn’t know that. I thought the various books I read involving magic and the like were fantasy. Apparently there are levels. For folks like me who see themselves more often reading literary fiction, I hope this review will act as a bit of a primer.
our doors. Attend me now, while my bones can still bear it.”
It took some time to get accustomed to the language, as some words and many cultures were invented for the story, but I was invested enough in the characters and movement of the plot that I didn’t notice when I quit having to work to understand pieces.
I don’t know the traditional structures and archetypes of fantasy, so I can’t speak to how The Wilderlands works within them or subverts them, but I can say that the journey our protagonists take (through the titular Wilderlands) is worth traveling. The story is complex, compelling, tense, endearing. The characters are dynamic and complicated and their interactions (and the way they build relationships) are interesting.
Our narrator guides us through a story “that began as all things do: in fire.” The opening scenes are during battle. Following the battle, a warrior and two children, siblings, and a disgraced man from another clan find themselves journeying together through an environment that is unhospitable to human life. The siblings care for each other but don’t trust anyone; everyone is willing to kill each other. Each part of their journey brings them close to death and never quite closes the gaps in their distrust.
THE STOry IS COMPLEX, COMPELLInG, TEnSE, EnDEarInG. THE CHaraCTErS arE DynaMIC anD COMPLICaTED anD THEIr InTEraCTIOnS (anD THE Way THEy BUILD rELaTIOnSHIPS) arE InTErESTInG.
Fantasy authors don’t just world build—they invent language styles. When I started The Wilderlands I felt like I had stepped into a storybook (note: this is absolutely not for little ones) because the language is so rhythmic and dynamic. Also, because the narrator addresses the audience as though we are gathered together in close proximity to hear this story: “Come away from the freezing walls. Gather harthward, hold close those you love, fill your cup. I have an oft told tale from the far west that can spin you away from warsome winter and the howl-hungry things at
traumas we each must grow through: “[A]ll you keep in any life after this one is your name and the names of those you knew and liked in life… they are etched on your soul like cracks in clay.”
—Sarah Elgatian
IThis book had so much depth and heart that I almost felt duped by the melodic language and colorful cover. I was reading about a journey, yes, but instead of a romp, I got a hike. It was a workout. And I needed it. I worry, now, what my genre-related blindspots are hiding and I feel grateful to be in a position where my reading patterns are disrupted. I hope that this book can disrupt that pattern for others.
I expected The Wilderlands to be fun. It was fun. But it was also layered and honest and heartbreaking. Bellesmith (the pen name of local indie author Isaac Hamlet, a former Little Village arts editor) clearly loves language and might be obsessed with story. This novel is a love letter to folktales and motley crews and the
constructs an atmospheric mystery that burns slowly until it is too late. On its surface, The Monsters We Make is a story about two kidnappings, two years apart, inspired in part by the Des Moines paperboy kidnappings of the 1980s. The book does not follow the impacted families, instead following Dale Goodkind, a police officer investigating the cases, and the adolescent Cox siblings, who live in the same neighborhood as the most recent crime. It quickly becomes apparent that the novel is using the missing children as a backdrop for a serial child predator’s heinous acts.
grew up in the era of stranger danger. I was a generally anxious child even on my best days, a veritable nightmare on my worst; my family loves to tell the story of my weeping refusal to approach Santa Claus at a school event, unable to recognize the costumed man as my own father.
Kali White’s The Monsters We
White performs impressive feats of juxtaposition and mirroring, showing both the repetitiveness of history and the sharpness small changes can make. Dale Goodkind and Sammy Cox are bookends for the cycle of abuse, both hiding their traumas from loved ones. Their experiences are hauntingly explored through italicized dialogue and lingering, innocuous imagery. It is only when the reader pairs these descriptions with a broader understanding of the world that they can see the true horror that is being described.
Dale’s loneliness in his trauma is highlighted by the presence of Crystal Cox, Sammy’s older sister, and her desire to understand her brother. Crystal stands on the cusp of childhood, her loss of innocence gradual. Crystal’s bildungsroman is based on her brother’s horror; the reader can do nothing but watch as the Cox children are jettisoned into adulthood while steeped in tragedy.
WHITE PErFOrMS IMPrESSIVE FEaTS OF JUXTaPOSITIOn anD MIrrOrInG, SHOWInG BOTH THE rEPETITIVEnESS OF HISTOry anD THE SHarPnESS SMaLL CHanGES Can MaKE.
Make (2020) plays with the primal fear of the threat strangers pose, following the lives of three people impacted by local kidnappings. The novel’s main undercurrents— the public versus the private, the community versus the individual, the concepts of victimhood versus survivorship —all circle the growing dread of an unsafe world. White
The book aches with its desire to place us in time, to the point that time itself becomes a character. Long after the setting has been established, time winks at the reader, be it the presence of jelly shoes or specific advertisement campaigns. The setting radiates Midwest suburbia to the point of toxicity, perfectly reflecting White’s thesis: The known is even more of a threat than the unknown, and everyone is at risk.
—K. Twaddle
r.E. BELLESMITH
The Wilderlands
KaLI WHITE The Monsters We Make CROOKED LANE BOOKS
20. Many a digital billboard
21. “Dibs on that!”
22. Fires
23. Hop onto, say 25. ___ hit (stat recorded when a Giant’s home run lands in McCovey Cove)
27. Street in London known for bespoke tailoring and the Beatles’ rooftop concert
32. Bled, in a way
33. Excitement
34. F in music theory class, e.g.?
36. Little bit
39. “Here Comes the Hotstepper” singer Kamoze
40. With 49-Across, work set in Paris and London
42. Actress Ortiz of Ugly Betty
43. One is found on either side of the sternum: Abbr.
44. “Mmmm ... I don’t think so”
45. Has a bias?
47. Official lang. of Liberia
49. See 40-Across
51. Hercule’s creator
54. What to do, per Dylan Thomas, against the dying of the light (you could also just buy a new bulb, I suppose)
55. “The Well-Tempered Clavier” composer
56. Word with blood or cash 59. Eponym of a titular underground “town” in an Anaïs Mitchell musical
63. One could result in an INT or a TD
64. Titular street child in a famous novel ... and a hint to finding that child in the streets of 17- and 27-Across
