If people ever try to say a single bad thing about It’s Complicated, you slap them right across their uncultured, slovenly and probably ugly face. Just a year old, Des Moines’ funk four-piece has quickly established itself as one of the best sounds in the city. Opening for the Flobots
Read More →‘God will surely punish us’ When I was growing up in Iowa, the Methodists, as the largest religious denomination in Iowa, controlled the state legislature. Since Methodism is a dry religion, the sale and consumption of liquor was severely restricted. Each bottle purchased at a state-owned liquor store was recorded
Read More →Being a geek doesn’t just mean sharing an interest in technology. Many geeks meet through a shared interest in film. Like literature and music, the cinematic experience is a way for our culture to tell stories and entertain, and movie theaters are definitely a strong influence to bring people in
Read More →
Posted November 07, 2012in Featured Story, Food Dude
The story of Schlitz is a hubris-laden Greek tragedy taught in the finest business schools. It was the most popular beer in America from the end of the prohibition until the mid 1960s, when Robert Uihlein Jr. became president and chairman. That polo-playing Harvard graduate decided to let Anheuser-Busch sell
Read More →
Posted November 07, 2012in Recent Posts, Sound Check
Kylie Minogue ‘The Abby Road Sessions’ Parlophone With 68 million albums sold and an Order of the British Empire from the Queen, Kylie Minogue is, for all intents and purposes, the Australian Madonna. However, while Madonna dourly refuses to perform her early work because she’s now somehow above it
Read More →
Posted November 07, 2012in Recent Posts, Sound Notes
Valley Junction is putting out the call for performers to liven up the mood of its “Jingle in the Junction” holiday events, which take place for three consecutive Thursdays, starting with Nov. 29. The Junction is looking for choirs, musicians and street performers to help liven up the seasonal commerce.
Read More →
Posted November 07, 2012in Civic Skinny, Featured Story
Gerry Spence put on a show last week in Judge Robert Pratt’s federal courtroom. The flamboyant lawyer is representing Terry Harrington and Curtis McGhee, who spent 26 years in prison for murder before the Iowa Supreme Court determined their trial was unfair. They were released in 2003 and never tried
Read More →
Posted November 07, 2012in Cover Story
FADE IN INT: AMHERST COLLEGE LECTURE HALL – DAY PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY addresses the student body. Rows of students sit quietly watching as the President speaks from a small podium. PRESIDENT KENNEDY “If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to
Read More →
Posted November 07, 2012in Game Day, Recent Posts
FIRST DOWN: And goal to go … Indiana in the Rose Bowl? The way the Big Ten’s been trending this year, why the heck not? After a come-from-behind win over Iowa, the Hoosiers pushed their record to 4-5 overall, 2-3 in league play. And get this: If the Crimson and
Read More →
Posted November 06, 2012in Featured Story, Iowa Watchdog
DES MOINES — Outside spending for presidential and congressional campaigns have skyrocketed across the country this election cycle to more than $1 billion, including the nearly $32 million that has flowed into Iowa, according to figures from the Sunlight Foundation, a non-partisan group that tracks political spending. Outside spending groups
Read More →
