Posted June 11, 2014in Belly Up To...
When the suggestion came to visit a gay bar for this week’s Belly Up, my first reaction was akin to the first words of Matthew McConaughey’s famous Oscar acceptance speech: “All right, all right, all right!” I’d never been to a gay bar before, never seen a drag queen up
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Posted June 11, 2014in The Sound
Abigail Williams is about as close to prog rock as a metal band is apt to get. Many bands are willing to tinker with their sound and evolve as time goes by, but there are few acts that go through as complete a transformation as the Phoenix-based black metal three-piece.
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Posted June 11, 2014in Political Mercury
Just days into her role as one of the more high-profile Republican candidates in the nation, Joni Ernst joined the top of the order for a statewide campaign swing. Ernst, fresh off a commanding primary win for the U.S. Senate nomination in Iowa, earned plaudits from three of the state’s
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Posted June 11, 2014in Cover Story
Last December, Zach Johnson had just shanked his golf ball into the water on the 18th hole at the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge. Prior to the disastrous shot, he and Tiger Woods were locked in a tie and Woods, not one to blink on a golf course, appeared nearly certain
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Posted June 11, 2014in Film Review
“Edge of Tomorrow” 2 stars Rated PG-13 113 minutes Action Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton All high-concept, but affording only minimal entertainment reward by way of its stale ghost-in-the-machine storyline, “Edge of Tomorrow” is the “Groundhog Day” of sci-fi movies. Based on a Japanese novel (“All You Need
Read More →Chrissie Hynde “Stockholm” Caroline I was never the world’s biggest Pretenders fan, but I’ve always enjoyed Chrissie Hynde. This is admittedly a hefty paradox because, more than any other component, Hynde WAS the Pretenders. As the years progressed, Hynde wrote more and more of the band’s output on her own,
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Posted June 11, 2014in Duffy
Courtesy of Beaverdale Books Review by Jim Norman Simon and Schuster June 3, 2014 $26.99 384 pages I confess that I love thrillers, but usually avoid short stories and anthologies. I prefer to have plots and characters fully developed over 300-400 pages. I also enjoy becoming familiar with characters and
Read More →I’m not what you would readily describe as a religious man. But it’s impossible to be in the presence of Tina Haase Findlay, to hear that singular voice, and not feel as if you’re basking in something bigger than yourself. She’s always been singing. Since the age of 3, she
Read More →Well, it’s finally happened. After an increasingly tense wait, the Des Moines Music Coalition has announced the rest of the 80/35 lineup, with the festival’s second day being anchored by Cake. Also added to the lineup are Surfer Blood, Those Darlins and King Fantastic, as well as local acts Gloom
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