“The Mr. Softheart show happened like this” – Little Village
Two valued team members from Principal Financial Group were delivered here to the LiFT — by the divine means of Court Ave, or maybe, Fong’s — and found themselves next to me. There was nowhere else to go. The place was packed on Aug. 1 to welcome Mr. Softheart (the band, not man) into the home stretch of their summer tour. This would be the first of four final shows in Iowa, following a dozen others that covered more of the continental United States than Culver’s franchise locations.
“Photo Gallery: Scenes from the 80/35 Music Festival, featuring Killer Mike, OK Go and more” – Little Village
The 80/35 Music Festival covered Des Moines’ Water Works Park in confetti on the first of two great (and hot!) nights of performances from national, international and Iowa acts alike.
“Album Review: Anthony Worden and the Illiterati — ‘Plain Angels’” – Little Village
Anthony Worden makes music that an archivist of 20th century music would make. His early albums were heavily influenced by the Velvet Underground. Since then, he’s branched out. On Plain Angels, he writes songs as winsome and pleasing to the ear as Badfinger and Matthew Sweet. The album title itself seems to reference Gram Parsons’ album Grievous Angel, or maybe Lucinda Williams’ song “Drunken Angel.”
“Album Review: Mr. Softheart — ‘Magdalene in Crisis’” – Little Village
Somewhere in the search engine results for “magnolia,” there is one of many paintings titled exactly that. It’s just a JPG of the original by Martin Johnson Heade, but thanks to the click-to-zoom functionality on slam.org, you can get close enough to see the wrinkles in the white paint. The digital placard is also doing its best to describe the “voluptuous blossoms.” Any hint of horniness, however, doesn’t translate through the screen.
“‘We have local acts that deserve to be on a stage of that size’: 100-year-old Hoyt Sherman Place theater to host GDP music festival on April 15” – Little Village
Gross Domestic Product sticks to the mission — but that’s about it. Since the all-local music festival first popped up in 2006, GDP has bounced between Des Moines neighborhoods to celebrate the various corners of both the city and the scene. That means no two years of the one-day festival look or sound the same.
“Contact Buzz: Create your heart out across Central Iowa” – Little Village
Few countries have monetized making an annual expression of love more than America. Thankfully, true love does not place the almighty dollar as the main ingredient for its most alluring recipe.
“50 ways to explore the state, from Council Bluffs to Lansing” – Little Village
Best town? Boring. Best restaurant? Hackneyed. Best tourist attraction? Nah. Little Village staff and contributors would like to draw your attention to these truly Iowa-y sites, stories and experiences. Some are recommendations, others cautionary tales, but all make our godforsaken state just a little more amazing. Introducing, the Independent Iowa Awards.
“Track and video premiere: Mr. Softheart, ‘Surface Tension’” – Little Village
It’s all part of the act for Mr. Softheart.
“Album Review: Mr. Softheart — “Caravaggio”/“Flower of Tomorrow”” – Little Village
“I suppose the new direction is another pandemic story,” Nick Fisher offers as the impetus for the recent pivot of the band formerly known as Hex Girls. “I had begun writing lyrics to songs that seemed to lend themselves to a new project: The themes were darker, perhaps more complex. Personal grief, as well as the collective grief and isolation of the time, had informed that shift.”
“Photo Gallery: GDP Festival 2022” – Little Village
GDP festival returned to Des Moines this past weekend with a lineup of heavy-hitting locals. The single-day festival played out on stages across Des Moines at a handful of venues, acting as a sort of musical tour of the city’s art scene.
“Video Premiere: The Hex Girls, “Cats With No Teeth (Catch No Mice)”” – Little Village
While live shows are effectively throttled in-person, it has become more important than ever for bands to come up with ways to maintain visibility on their fans’ radar. One such way? By releasing music videos. Once largely considered a necessary evil (albeit a potentially fun and creative one) to help boost album sales, videos are now placed as events in themselves, providing a way for fans to stay engaged with the bands.
“Album Review: Anthony Worden and the Illiterati — ‘Voilá’” – Little Village
Voilá, the latest from Iowa City band Anthony Worden and the Illiterati, is a record both timeless and out of time, drawing inspiration from an earlier era when bands focused not just on songwriting but creating an album as a full artistic statement.
“Just announced: 80/35 brings Nas and the Decemberists to Des Moines” – Little Village
Des Moines music festival 80/35, coming into its ninth year, has announced the first list of acts for its summer event, running Jul. 8 and 9. Headlining the festival are rapper Nas (Friday) and indie folk rockers the Decemberists (Saturday).
“Album Review: Holy White Hounds’ ‘Sparkle Sparkle’” – Little Village
The guys in Holy White Hounds have been kicking around the Des Moines/Ankeny area for a few years in other bands, but it was the 2013 reunion of high school bandmates Brenton Dean (vocals, guitar) and Ambrose Lupercal (bass) that started the path to their debut record, Sparkle Sparkle.
“Des Moines’ Holy White Hounds and Chicago’s Mutts are hitting up the Yacht Club” – Little Village
Des Moines’ Holy White Hounds are a rock and roll band with capital R’s. Lead by Brenton Dean, the three-piece have been playing since 2013 but have already built a reputation for crazy live shows with their in-your-face, tough-guy bravado. Their grimy, dim-lit garage rock will fit in very nicely with the Yacht Club’s grimy, dim-lit basement.