The Des Moines Music Coalition is accepting band submissions for this year’s Little BIG Fest until Monday, Aug 5. This year’s festival will take place in the East Village on Nov. 15 and will be headlined by New Orleans brass ensemble, The Soul Rebels Brass Band. Any local bands interested
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July 31, 2013 by justin
in Sound Notes
July 31, 2013 by justin
in Good Bad Ugly
The good Amanda the Panda Grief Center will host its annual volunteer appreciation event at its new facility in West Des Moines from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 4 The event invites the non-profit’s dedicated volunteers to be recognized. Mary and Mark Whitfield, Kelly Lester, Darla Jergens, Ryan Gansen and
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July 31, 2013 by justin
in Civic Skinny
Price of your Register is going up. Probably.
The price of The Des Moines Register is going up. Again. Here’s the gobbledegook start of a memo sent to all Register employees late Friday: “We wanted to make you aware of an important corporate companywide initiative that will be affecting our subscribers’ subscription rates starting on September 1, 2013.
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July 31, 2013 by justin
in Cover Story
Flip the Switch!
In primitive times, people of some cultures believed that the camera steals the soul. Some say that belief stemmed from the superstition that revealing identifying things, such as your name or likeness, gives the ill-intended all they need to work their voodoo on you. In that case, have any of
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July 31, 2013 by justin
in Sound Check
Buddy Guy “Rhythm and Blues” RCA Calling Buddy Guy a blues legend is to be simplistic and reductive. But sometimes an artist’s talents so far outstrip those of a humble scribe, that to be simplistic and reductive is all we’re left with. For “Rhythm and Blues,” his new two-disc release,
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July 31, 2013 by justin
in Your Money
Paid for by taxpayers in… Des Moines
Amount: $190 To: Medtech Forensics Inc. in Florida For: Purchase of blood test kits and evidence-collection swabs for the Des Moines Police Department. Amount: $975 To: Blur MediaWorks Inc. For: Cost of coordinating, scripting, filming and editing a marketing video for Des Moines Parks and Rec. Amount: $20,000
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July 31, 2013 by justin
in Locker Room
Barley PAR-TEE time
When is a game of golf not a game of golf? Is it still golf if you’re limited to two clubs, neither of which can be a putter? What about when tennis balls are used in place of golf balls? Or how about teeing off with a live band only
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July 31, 2013 by justin
in The Sound
515 Alive!… literally
The capital city’s music festival season — a period that unofficially runs from April to November — is remarkable in its diversity. From the hard rock of Lazerfest to Little BIG Fest’s eclectic jam/Americana/country mix to 80/35’s celebration of all things indie, if you’re interested in music in this town,
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July 31, 2013 by justin
in Film Review
The powerlessness of positive drinking
“The Spectacular Now” 1 star Rated R 95 minutes Drama Starring: Shailene Woodley, Miles Teller, Jennifer Jason Leigh “The Spectacular Now” is the work of inexperienced screenwriters. We know this because of their handling — or rather mishandling — of the film’s underlying theme of teen alcoholism. The sophomoric script-writing
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July 31, 2013 by justin
in On The Tube
Comedians at play
Lisa Kudrow and friends crack each other up in “Web Therapy” “Web Therapy” is a series where comedians amuse each other and, more often than not, the viewers (Tuesday, 10 p.m., Showtime). Lisa Kudrow plans a dumb, vain, manipulative therapist named Fiona, who communicates with people via web chat. Each
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