The Blog
Here you’ll find blog posts, photos, videos, and more, dating back to 2004.
- Palisades-Kepler State Park (Mt. Vernon, IA) ()
Photos taken October 27, 2024 at Palisades-Kepler State Park in Mt. Vernon, Iowa.
- AEW Collision (Cedar Rapids, IA) ()
Photos and video of AEW Collision shot October 26, 2024 at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
- Beach & Ocean Trip (Topsail Beach, NC) ()
Photos shot October 18, 2024 at Ocean’s Edge Restaurant & Event Center in Topsail Beach, North Carolina. Photos shot October 19, 2024 at and around the St. Regis resort on Topsail Beach, North Carolina. Photos shot October 20, 2024 at and around the St. Regis resort on Topsail Beach, North Carolina. Photos shot October 21, […]
- 2024 Photo Dump ()
Photos shot October 5, 2024 at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa. Photos shot March 9, 2024 at the Des Moines Art Center. Photos of In Loving Memory shot Friday, February 2 at Gabe’s in Iowa City.
- Lost Island Themepark (Waterloo, IA) ()
Photos taken August 2, 2024 at Lost Island Themepark in Waterloo, Iowa. Ride Rankings:
- Whitewater Canyon (Bernard, IA) ()
Photos taken July 21, 2024 throughout Whitewater Canyon in Bernard, Iowa.
- Heritage Trail (Durango, IA) ()
Photos taken July 5, 2024 along the Heritage Trail, starting at the trailhead in Durango, Iowa.
- Macbride Nature Recreation Area (Solon, IA) ()
Hiking photos taken March 30, 2024 throughout the Macbride Nature Recreation Area in Solon, IA.
- The Politics of Playlists ()
On the first day of June in 2022 I loaded up the last of my belongings into my car, signed papers closing on the sale of my house, and made my way to Highway 24, heading north out of Nashville. When considering whatever a “hometown” might be, Nashville was as much a hometown for me […]
- Gold Revere Interview ()
This is the villin podcast and this episode features an interview with Akash Gururaja and Ian Crumley of Gold Revere. Collaborating on music together all the way back to when they attended Linn-Mar High School in Marion, they’ve put out a tremendous catalog since then despite writing and recording out of separate locations for the […]
- Ira Rat Interview ()
This episode of the villin podcast features a conversation with Ira Rat. If you’re scanning his solo work, you’re going to hear some lo-fi experimental music, but as I learned in our discussion, he’s also released music as one half of Neon Lushell, which then led me down a rabbit hole where I learned of […]
- Lodge Cove Collective Interview ()
This episode of the villin podcast features a conversation with Mark from Lodge Cove Collective. On his website, Mark explains his goal for the project was to release original music written, produced, and recorded by himself and some of his friends. Quoting him, Mark writes, “I wanted to be able to put some of my […]
- 2023 Photo Dump ()
Photos from the 319 Hip-Hop Showcase, shot Saturday, December 30 at CSPS Hall in Cedar Rapids. Photos of Sam and Grace Locke Ward & Instant DeTh shot Friday, December 22 at Gabe’s in Iowa City. Photos of Haploid, Tires, and Zap Tura shot Saturday, December 9 at xBk Live in Des Moines, with a stray […]
- Thoughts on Razzle Dazzle Cedar Rapids: 2023 ()
I’ve never really written out what Razzle Dazzle is, or where it came from, but now seems like as good a time as any to do that. Razzle Dazzle Cedar Rapids LLC became a business on January 2, 2023, but the seed for the idea was first planted what feels like a lifetime ago. A […]
- On Henry Rollins… or: “Why I Don’t Believe in Horoscopes” ()
It was a nice day, I’d say, and I’d parked in the below-ground Music City Center lot. Heading north, I walked up the street several blocks to meet my friend for lunch. I had hot chicken to celebrate what might be the last time I might eat it in Nashville… or ever, if I’m being […]
- That Honorroll KID “Lunch Table Flow” (Singled Out) ()
KID PICASSO is the new full-length release from That Honorroll KID, bookending a series of three albums which the Des Moines MC says brings closure to a particular era of his life. The discussion that follows is certainly focused on this release, and in particular a standout track from it titled “Lunch Table Flow,” but […]
- Dan Tedesco “You Want Me To Stay (But I Have To Go)” (Singled Out) ()
Now on the tail-end of a series of shows which brought the Des Moines-based musician out to the east coast, Dan Tedesco will be returning to Iowa for a performance this weekend at the Village Theatre in Davenport. For this edition of “Singled Out,” Dan checked in from the road to discuss his recent singled […]
- Phil Young Interview ()
Phil Young is a Des Moines-based audio engineer and musician, and it’s hard to sift through the city’s music scene without his name coming up. He recently popped up alongside Greg Wheeler on an episode of Iowa Basement Tapes, for example, discussing their duo Night Stories, but he’s also active with several other acts including […]
- Mango “Hard to Hide” (Singled Out) ()
Singled Out is a feature focusing on the stories behind a song, as told by the artists behind their creation. In this edition, Mango discusses the music video for his song “Hard to Hide.” Shot and produced by Cedar Rapids‘ Young Creatives, the video combines live and road shots in creating a narrative that reflects the […]
- Dunning’s Spring Park (Decorah, IA) ()
Hiking photos shot Saturday, October 28 at Dunning’s Spring Park in Decorah, Iowa.
- Dave Helmer “Kiss the Sun” (Singled Out) ()
Singled Out is a feature focusing on the stories behind a song, as told by the artists behind their creation. In this edition, Dave Helmer discusses “Kiss the Sun,” a track from his debut solo album titled Such a Clown. Here, Dave contextualizes the song within the bigger picture of the release, contrasting Such a Clown […]
- Closet Witch “My Words Are Sacred” (Singled Out) ()
Singled Out is a feature focusing on the stories behind a song, as told by the artists behind their creation. In this edition, Closet Witch vocalist Mollie Piatetsky discusses “My Words Are Sacred,” the first track released from the band’s album Chiaroscuro. Featuring Dylan Walker of Full of Hell, the track encapsulates lyrical themes of social […]
- Flex Bormarr “Recovery Operation” (Singled Out) ()
Flex Bormarr’s new full length album, Admin, wordlessly encapsulates modern anxieties surrounding the what-ifs of potential technological collapse. More specifically, it captures the story of his own experience, documenting a hard drive failure by way of composition, speaking through sound to the range of emotions that accompanied the incident. In this edition of “Singled Out,” […]
- William J Locker “Between The Lines” (Singled Out) ()
Singled Out is a feature focusing on the stories behind a song, as told by the artists behind their creation. In this edition, William J Locker discusses “Between The Lines,” a track which grew out of the period of writing around his 2022 release, Brainwash. While its roots date back a little, “Between The Lines” has […]
- Early Girl “Evil Head” (Singled Out) ()
Singled Out is a feature focusing on the stories behind a song, as told by the artists behind their creation. In this edition, Aaron Longoria of Iowa City‘s Early Girl discusses the inspiration behind the band’s track “Evil Head.” In their explanation, Longoria recalls how an off-the-hand comment made in an argument grew to take on […]
- Display Case “Get Out” (Singled Out) ()
Singled Out is a feature focusing on the stories behind a song, as told by the artists behind their creation. In this edition, Des Moines-based four piece Display Case discuss their new single “Get Out.” The track is part of an upcoming EP, with vocalist Jordan Essy calling it a “hard, fast, and angsty anthem,” borne […]
- Sean Tyler “Drive Me Home” (Singled Out) ()
Singled Out is a feature focusing on the stories behind a song, as told by the artists who made it. In this edition, guitarist and vocalist Sean Tyler discusses the opening track from his NOR THERE EP, titled “Drive Me Home.” The song, as he explains, stands at a crossroads, bearing sonic inspiration from Link Wray […]
- Maquoketa Caves State Park (Maquoketa, IA) ()
Photos of Maquoketa Caves State Park shot September 20, 2023 in Maquoketa, Iowa.
- Glass Ox “Gaze of Colossus” (Singled Out) ()
Singled Out is a feature focusing on the stories behind a song, as told by the artists who made it. In this edition, guitarist and vocalist Bo Becker digs into the song “Gaze of Colossus” by Glass Ox. In our discussion, Becker touches the process of building the track, an update on the development of […]
- Teri Underhill “MONSTER” (Singled Out) ()
The first line of Teri Underhill‘s website bio frames the purpose of her music around advocacy work, particularly relating to mental health and autism awareness. This mission is felt with brute force when considering her latest track, a creeping pop anthem titled “MONSTER.” The song, as Teri explains, is a direct response to past experiences […]