Thrust into a world of artistic change, Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore narrowly escaped the tumultuous downtown New York City arts scene of the early ’80s. But out of the chaos, they created a jewel,...

A combination of hanging and standing heavy antique doors surrounds a group of 15 dancers. Throughout the piece, the dancers build and tear down the structures. “[The doors] are all really old and have...

John Waters is not a typical filmmaker. In his 47 years in directing, he has cast porn stars, taught in prisons, pushed Johnny Depp out of his teen-idol image, and brought the pencil-thin mustache worldwide...

While passing through Baltimore last week, DeVotchKa’s frontman Nick Urata visited poet Edgar Allan Poe’s home. As a child, he was terrified by Poe’s short story “The Black Cat,” in which a man...

As a child, Julie Hanson began her life as a poet by jumping on her grandmother’s bed. Or more precisely, immediately afterwards, when her grandmother, upset about the noise, burst into the room and...

A strong selection of writers will descend on Iowa City this weekend, along with the numerous musical acts, for the annual Mission Creek Festival. Literature has played an important role in each of the...

Halfway through watching the play Ameriville, a play about Hurricane Katrina, people in a New Orleans audience walked out of the theater, only to return a few minutes later. The audience members didn’t...

Local band Blizzard at Sea will perform for the first time at Mission Creek this week. We spoke with band member Steven Douglas Ross to learn what to expect at one of the group’s performances and what...

The California Guitar Trio knows the true meaning of variety. In one show, the group plays anything from “Bohemian Rhapsody,” by Queen, to a classical piece by Johann Sebastian Bach. Each member of...

“American Idol” winner Lee DeWyze is inspired by such acts as Dave Matthews and Ben Harper — not only their music but their stage presence as well. The musician had the chance to meet Matthews recently...

Traveling to various countries around the world for 70 concerts every year is typical for the members of Calmus —a quintet of singers who do educational programs as well as perform for audiences with...

Dinner-table conversations at the Kjaer house consisted of politics, ideas, and “what was wrong in America.” Growing up near her Danish grandparents and a father who taught world history, life for...