Les Claypool’s Duo de Twang “Four Foot Shack” ATO Every once in a while the really talented people in this world will come up with something so off-the-wall, so inventive, that it kind of forces you to re-examine them and say, “Wow, they’re good.” Enter Les Claypool’s Duo de Twang.
Read More →
January 29, 2014 by justin
in Sound Check
January 29, 2014 by justin
in Belly Up To...
Jeannie’s Bottle brims with neighborhood nuance
Jeannie’s Bottle is one of those places that seems like it’s been there forever. Tucked away hiding behind storefront buildings along busy Merle Hay Road, it’s a spot where it seems only people who have been around forever go. But that’s just how it feels. In reality, it’s held its
Read More →
January 22, 2014 by justin
in Iowa Watchdog
Audit finds possible double dipping in Iowa’s Sixth Judicial District
DES MOINES, Iowa — The recently released state audit of Iowa’s Sixth Judicial District’s Department of Correctional Services found the department had inappropriately spent more than $500,000 over a four-year period to support a nonprofit organization, Community Corrections Improvement Agency. CCIA was founded in 1991 to support the work being
Read More →
January 22, 2014 by justin
in On The Tube
You go, ‘Girls’
Everyone without HBO keeps asking me: Is the third season of “Girls” any good? Does the series hold up as a satire of post-collegiate millennials grasping for meaning in New York City? Is creator-writer-star Lena Dunham really the voice of her generation? Yes, yes and yes. Take this week’s episode
Read More →
January 22, 2014 by justin
in Sore Thumbs
‘MAX: THE CURSE OF BROTHERHOOD’ (E10+) *** Microsoft Game Studios Xbox Live Arcade “Max” begins much like Jim Henson’s Labyrinth. Our protagonist — fed up with his kid brother—summons fantastical forces to spirit the troublesome sibling away, promptly regrets that decision and sets about on a magical quest to rescue
Read More →
January 22, 2014 by justin
in Political Mercury
Clinton paces the race with British oddsmakers
Ladbrokes, the British oddsmaker with a global reach into the betting markets, shows Hillary Clinton with Big Horse advantages in both a potential Democratic presidential nomination bid and general election. No other would-be White House candidate even comes close to Clinton, the former among formers (first lady and U.S. senator
Read More →
January 22, 2014 by justin
in Rap Sheet
On the clock
Play the “Name that Crime” Quiz! WHAM BAM AND JACK THE VAN Des Moines police assisted with a Polk County Sheriff’s Office investigation on Jan. 15. Deputies responded to a 3:15 p.m. call of a suspicious male standing in the roadway in the 9500 block of Northwest Beaver Drive
Read More →
January 22, 2014 by justin
in Sound Check
Against Me! “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” Total Treble Never doubt the power of transformation. Against Me!’s last release, 2010’s “White Crosses,” was a big, loud disappointment. The album was too glossy for its own good, and the band never seemed to get on track. In the ensuing four years, there have
Read More →
January 22, 2014 by justin
in Book Review
‘Life After Life,’ a delightful déjà vu
Courtesy of Beaverdale Books Review by Shirley Shiffler Back Bay Books 1/7/14 $18 525 pp. “What if we had a chance to do it again and again,” Teddy said, “until we finally did get it right? Wouldn’t that be wonderful?” “I think it would be exhausting…” replied Ursula. This exchange
Read More →