The Vaudeville Mews puts together shows like a 4-year-old picks out its own clothes. Take, for example, last Saturday night: Brooklyn, N.Y., indie four-piece Grooms came through town, and Des Moines indie outfit In Rooms opened up for them. But the issue was the act that took the stage to
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Posted October 23, 2013in Joe's Neighborhood
“South of France.” I never thought I’d see those words in anything but a trashy romance novel. You know, that same old story where Blake, the Chicago fireman, says to Rose, a kindergarten teacher: “Darling, how can you leave me now after I’ve devoted my life to saving widows and
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Posted October 23, 2013in Cover Story
There is no substitute for a good book — the kind with paper pages harvested from trees. Despite their cute names and smart functions and convenient sizes, today’s electronic books lack that unique organic spirit, like cyborg versions of the original. But a book is a book, a safe keeper
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Posted October 22, 2013in Iowa Watchdog
WASHINGTON, D.C. — While harrying and stalling tea party groups seeking nonprofit status, the Internal Revenue Service mailed $4.2 billion in child-credit checks to undocumented immigrants. Critics say midlevel IRS bureaucrats continue to abuse the Additional Child Tax Credit program by dispensing $1,000 checks to families in this country illegally. “The law needs
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Posted October 16, 2013in Sound Stage
Gas Lamp was a sold-out venue last Saturday for Holy White Hounds’ EP-release show, and all who showed up got their money’s worth. Kicking things off in proper fashion were The New Bodies, a Des Moines rock outfit anchored by Chris Ford, Thomas Logan, Brandon Rushill and Dustin Harmsen, but
Read More →TLC “20” Epic Even though Left Eye died 11 years ago, and the group hasn’t really been relevant since the turn of the century, TLC still sits as the second biggest-selling female group of all time. (Bananarama is fourth on that list, by the way. Who knew?) The album “20,”
Read More →September was packed with the pop art of capitalism, an Anderson Gallery exhibition of vinyl record album covers and a Faulconer show featuring the art of supermarket aisles. October seems to be reverting to more elemental subjects. The Ankeny Art Center’s “Wonders of the Tallgrass Prairie,” featuring works of Gary
Read More →In 16th century France, the virginal Mary, Queen of Scots (Adelaide Kane), is swept up in palace intrigue. Her fiancé (Toby Regbo) cares less for her than he does for France, nattering on about the political advantage of their union. An evil queen (Megan Follows) plots against her, while her
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Posted October 16, 2013in Political Mercury
Former State Rep. Rod Roberts of Carroll says he plans to make a decision within weeks on a possible bid for the U.S. Senate. “Yes, I’m still seriously considering running,” Roberts, a Republican, said in an interview late last week. Roberts, who lost a GOP gubernatorial primary in 2010 to
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