Reviews: a box set collects Marianne Faithfull's 1960s work, plus Robin Batteau and an anthology of early rock and rockabilly.| By Jeff Burger
Reviews: a box set collects covers of Bob Dylan songs, plus anthologies from Ray Peterson and Memphis Minnie, an America reissue, and a Clifton Chenier tribute.| By Jeff Burger
Reviews: Box sets collects work of England’s Pale Fountains and Kinks, plus the Feelies, and Kissing Other Ppl.| By Jeff Burger
The Iowa City Songwriters Festival (ICSF), an intimate three-day music festival centered around the craft of songwriting, premieres September 4–6 at the Englert Theatre and other small venues in downtown Iowa City. Showcasing world-class songwriters through cozy performances, the festival has a stellar lineup that includes Jeff Tweedy, Courtney Marie Andrews, Loudon Wainwright III, and… The post Iowa City Songwriters Festival: A Closeup Look at the Craft first appeared on Iowa Source.| Iowa Source
Community choirs are one of the simplest, most joyful means available to turn strangers into neighbors. These choirs lift moods, tune bodies into a shared rhythm, and give every participant a front-row seat to the miracle of harmony. As composer John Rutter says, “Choral singing is not a frill—it’s the heart of our humanity.” Walk into a… The post Singing Together Is Good For You: Join the Southeast Iowa Chamber Singers first appeared on Iowa Source.| Iowa Source
Lilly Hiatt wrote her first song when she was just nine years old. It was about a weeping willow tree. She still remembers the words and melody. “I’ve always loved the way the willow trees looked and found comfort being around them,” she said over the telephone from her Tennessee home. “They grow near water,… The post Lilly Hiatt: Music That Looks Back While Forging Ahead first appeared on Iowa Source.| Iowa Source
A box set explores the making of Nick Drake's Five Leaves Left and Eric Andersen delivers a live version of his classic Blue River LP.| By Jeff Burger
Reviews: Counting Crows delivers its first full-length studio album in more than a decade, plus Freedy Johnston and Mike Henderson.| By Jeff Burger
Hinterland did not just grow this year—it exploded. The festival grounds in St. Charles, Iowa, tripled in size, stretching over 1 million square feet and 250 acres, with more of everything: water stations, shade, camping, parking, and creature comforts. But the real headline at the August 1–3 event was . . . well, the headliners.… The post Hinterland 2025: Artists Groove on Audience’s “Iowa Nice” Vibe first appeared on Iowa Source.| Iowa Source
After a long wait, the Belfast-based quartet’s eponymous debut EP arrives with a clatter. Following on from two tremendous support| Chordblossom
Reviews: anthologies of Buck Owens concerts and rockabilly acts, plus Tami Neilson, Maria Muldaur, and Jeffrey Foskett.| By Jeff Burger
Lizzie No is both a musician and a political activist, and she doesn’t see a difference be-tween these roles. The job of the artist is to help people see their place in the world more clearly. As a queer Black woman and a self-described communist working in the larger white folk-country-Americana field, Lizzie No understands| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
Reviews: The Wandering Hearts cover CSNY’s Deja vu and Iron Horse covers Creedence Clearwater, plus CDs from Willie Nile and the Black Watch, and an expanded version of Christopher Cross̵…| By Jeff Burger
A beloved figure in the gaming world, Walter Day of Fairfield is the subject of a new movie, Arcades & Love Songs: The Ballad of Walter Day, now streaming worldwide. The founder of Twin Galaxies, an organization that tracks world records for video games and conducts electronic-gaming promotions, Day was dubbed the “Father of eSports”| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
Reviews of an excellent, previously unheard and unseen Frank Zappa concert, plus CDs from Janis Ian, Christian Parker, Eli “Paperboy” Reed, and Big Love Car Wash| By Jeff Burger
Jackie Venson was born and raised in Austin, Texas, and still lives there. Her music incorporates many of the diverse genres (blues, soul, rock, hip-hop, electronica) that have found a home in the “Live Music Capital of the World,” as the town’s official slogan proclaims. She said the Midwest is more responsible for the growth| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
I didn’t know I cared about jazz. Sure, I’d gotten caught in a “Heavenly” Harry Connick Jr. wave in the early ’90s—my teenage self swooned over his velvety voice and big-band sound—but it wasn’t until 1996, when a crew of chain-smoking college-age hipsters invited me to their poker game that jazz began to rewire my| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
When I was a kid, I was fascinated by blacksmithing - specifically, the process of smithing a sword. I think| Chordblossom
Drew and Ellie Holcomb have been married for almost 20 years and, for the most part, they have kept their musical identities separate. While Ellie began as a backup singer with Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors in 2008, she launched her own successful career as a Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) performer. She has won several| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
Every day is a holiday. Don’t believe me (or Katy Perry’s 2015 hit)—you can check for yourself. Just log on to your computer and ask what we commemorate today (or whenever). There’s always something being celebrated by someone somewhere. Most people know that February is the month of Valentine’s Day, Presidents’ Day, and even Groundhog| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
Let’s get one thing straight: Susi Pagel isn’t here to blend in. Belfast’s reigning pink pop princess has just unleashed| Chordblossom
While some artists are satisfied circling the shadows, TRAMP are poised front and centre, flaunting Bimbofication. Their sound is perplexing| Chordblossom
David Gilmour visits 1973 early in the set with a crowd-pleasing trio of "Speak to Me", "Breath (In the Air)", and "Time" from The Dark Side of the Moon.| PopMatters
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” —William Shakespeare The band Silverada is best known as Mike and the Moonpies, the former name under which the group recorded and toured for some 20 years. Country music critics consider it one of the best live| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
Winona Fighter is a power punk trio from Nashville that features frontwoman Chloe Kinnon on vocals, Dan Fuson on guitar, and Austin Luther on bass. The band enjoys a reputation for high-energy shows. Whether the group performs for 20,000 people, as at their recent opening gig for the Offspring, or at a small rock club| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
You don’t have to be a jerk to be an apologist. In fact, if you’re being a jerk, you’re not doing apologetics in a biblical way.| Timothy Paul Jones
Why do atheists see the problems of evil as such a problem for Christians? And is the problem of evil really as problematic as some atheists seem to think? Those are a few of the many questions that Timothy explores in this episode with Mary Jo Sharp. A former atheist who’s now a faithful follower of […] The post Mary Jo Sharp: A Former Atheist Looks at the Problem of Evil + “One of Us” (Joan Osborne) appeared first on Timothy Paul Jones.| Timothy Paul Jones