The good The Des Moines Symphony was presented the prestigious Bravo Encore Award at the eighth-annual Bravo Greater Des Moines Awards Gala last week. A record 1,300 people arrived for the celebration. “This is an especially great honor coming during the Symphony’s 75th Anniversary Season,” said Music Director and Conductor
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February 06, 2013 by justin
in Good Bad Ugly
February 06, 2013 by justin
in Belly Up To...
A comfy fit, Cooper’s on 5th is all heart
Every bar has its thing. Whether it’s a memorable bartender, a drink that can make you forget the unforgettable or an atmosphere that feels like home, every hole in the wall is so much more if you peer inside for a look. At Cooper’s on 5th, the bartender is memorable,
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February 06, 2013 by justin
in Sore Thumbs
‘HITMAN HD TRILOGY’ (M) ***1/2 Square Enix Xbox 360 It took six long years for “Absolution,” the latest installment in the “Hitman” series, to reach stores, so those new to the realm of stealth assassinations probably haven’t played the earlier games, which came out reliably at two-year intervals throughout the
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February 06, 2013 by justin
in Your Money
Paid for by taxpayers in… Des Moines
Amount: $179,240 To: Mid-American Energy Company For: Low-Income Housing Energy Assistance Program payments for 426 local residents — 386 for heat and 40 for electricity — through the Housing Services Department, Community Services Division. Amount: $944.85 To: Bi-Rite Furniture and TV For: Purchase of twin bunk beds (without the
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February 06, 2013 by justin
in Recent Posts, Sound Notes
Sound Notes Pick o’ the Week
Des Moines said goodbye to another local music great this past week. Iowa Rock-n-Roll Music Association Hall of Fame bassist Joe Hernandez passed away on Jan. 29 at the age of 62. Hernandez was a longtime member of Hall of Fame group The Cavaliers and had most recently played with
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February 06, 2013 by justin
in Civic Skinny, Featured Story
The Conlins and windows. Branstad and Dwolla.
When the rich and the powerful get pissed off (continued): When last we left the great vinyl-window-vs.-wood-window dispute, James and Roxanne Conlin had hired Doug Gross — yeah, that’s pretty interesting in itself — to sue the City of Des Moines over the weighty issue of whether the Conlins can
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February 06, 2013 by justin
in Recent Posts, Sound Check
CD Reviews
Tomahawk ‘Oddfellows’ Ipecac Recordings With a pedigree that includes some of rock and metal’s most creative and avant garde bands, Tomahawk has always been a wildly inventive band. “Oddfellows” kicks that creativity up a notch with the introduction of new bassist Trevor Dunn, formerly of Mr. Bungle. Dunn’s familiarity with
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February 06, 2013 by justin
in Center Stage, Recent Posts
With ‘Completeness’ comes two climaxes
After a long night of working on a computer algorithm and a tall glass of whisky, Elliot and Molly find themselves unable to resist one another. Molly easily removes Elliot’s shirt while he fumbles to undo the button on her jeans. The auditorium is silent as she seductively pushes him
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The honest problem of gun control
“Tin soldiers and Nixon’s comin.’ We’re finally on our own. This summer I hear the drummin,’ four dead in Ohio.” Those of us of a certain age might know these lyrics to the song “Ohio” by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young written in 1970. It was a very emotional time
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