Virtual Iowa City Jazz Festival to showcase local and national performers
Jenna Post, Arts Reporter
July 2, 2020
For its 29th year, the Iowa City Jazz Festival — organized by the Summer of the Arts — will be held in a virtual format because of the COVID-19 pandemic, from July 3-5. The switch to online includes some aspects of the classic version and some new inclusions. “It’s kind of a combination of th...
COVID-19 pandemic forces UI pianists to adjust to new dynamic
Madison Lotenschtein, Arts Editor
April 21, 2020
When Gustavo do Carmo heard that the University of Iowa decided to continue instruction online, he began to record himself playing English, Italian, and German songs, including opera arias and musical theatre pieces, and email it to the voice studio soloists he works with. The UI music-arts doctoral...
How Iowa-based musicians are coping with the loss of their normal lives during times of social distancing
Megan Conroy, Arts Reporter
April 21, 2020
From the nightmarish COVID-19 pandemic, musical project Quarantine Dream emerged. What was a collaboration between Iowa City-based bandmates on tour is now a virtually collaborative effort to continue to create music while social distancing. It’s a different way of producing music amid a pandemic w...
New ways to spice up your old playlists
Ashley Dawson, Arts Reporter
April 6, 2020
Music is recyclable, meaning listeners can hear the same song time and time again before tiring of it. However, throughout this quarantine period, music streaming apps are spiking in usage, and listeners are bound to grow weary of their overplayed songs and playlists. Fortunately for all music strea...
Guster entertains Englert audience with an evening of hit songs and musical improv
Addie Bushnell, Arts Reporter
March 8, 2020
The stage of the Englert Theater was bathed in blue and purple light as it welcomed popular ‘90s alternative rock band Guster and comedic master of ceremonies Connor Ratliff on Saturday for a night of crowd favorite tunes and musical improv. The band sat in a semicircle on the stage, as if casua...
Rebellious Russians bring Orchestra Iowa and Ballet Quad Cities joint show to Coralville
Samantha Murray, Arts Reporter
March 6, 2020
The main performance hall of The Coralville Center for Performing Arts will soon fill with the deep rumble of intense compositions sharing the stage with pale flashes of dancing ballerinas. Orchestra Iowa and Ballet Quad Cities will present their show Rebellious Russians tonight at 7:30 p.m. The Rebellious...
Mod Sun makes Iowa City a part of the movie of his life on tour at Gabe’s
Megan Conroy, Arts Reporter
March 6, 2020
The second floor of Gabe’s crowded with people while the bass kept the beat on Thursday night. Empty cups and audience members lined the ledges of the walls in anticipation of Mod Sun, the self-proclaimed “hippy rapper” whose songs tell stories of how his life has changed by making music. Audience...
Irish folk band The Chieftains bring Irish culture, joy to Hancher
Naomi Hofferber, Senior Reporter
March 5, 2020
A pitch from Paddy Maloney’s small tin whistle filled Hancher auditorium, light and fluttery, as his seat was lit by an overhead light on stage. One by one, instruments joined Maloney in his tune, and Grammy Award-winning Irish folk band The Chieftains made their presence known. The band, which...
Rock band Anthony Worden and the Illiterati awes Gabe’s with ’60s, ’70s nostalgia
Megan Conroy, Arts Reporter
February 29, 2020
The second floor of Gabe’s slowly filled with a crowd anticipating a night of excellent music. From 9 p.m. to around 11 p.m., the crowd at Gabe’s grew as friends and fans of Anthony Worden and the Illiterati arrived. Anthony and the band wandered through the friendly faces as they watched th...
Safari Room set to give their sophomore performance at Gabe’s
Pedro Barragan, Arts Reporter
February 26, 2020
Hailing from Nashville, indie rock band Safari Room will return to Iowa City tonight at Gabe’s at 9 p.m. The band currently seeks to differentiate themselves from recognized indie bands, something they hope to achieve by playing a few songs from their first full-length album that they hope to release...
Iowa City Dandelion Stompers to celebrate Mardi Gras with show at the Mill
Samantha Murray, Arts Reporter
February 24, 2020
Every Mardi Gras, the Mill lights up with music and dance. No one show is the same, but it is the same band every year bringing their unique sound. In celebration of Mardi Gras, Iowa City-based band the Dandelion Stompers will take their show to the Mill at 6 p.m. tonight. Chris Clark, the b...
The Quire tells the story of Bayard Rustin through song and narration
Ashley Dawson, Arts Reporter
February 22, 2020
Members of the Iowa City community came together at the First Presbyterian Church in Iowa City Friday to welcome The Quire, an LGBTQ+ choir group, as they told the story of Bayard Rustin, the chief organizer of the March on Washington in 1963, through song and narration. The Quire was joined by Io...