Music
Essays, blog posts, playlists, and more focused broadly on music. For more playlists visit my Spotify profile.
- 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.
- 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 […]
- 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 […]
- 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 […]
- 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 […]
- Wxlley “Bussin” (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, Wxlley discusses the origins of the track “Bussin” and the purpose behind its creation, noting that he used it as a way to check in with himself to see if he could remain […]
- Lady Revel “Jeanette” (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, Jasey Rebarcak discusses the first track to be released from Lady Revel‘s forthcoming album, Mood Music, which is set to drop September 15. The song, she says, carries themes of overcoming pain […]
- Jazz Niehaus on “Heat Stroke” (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, director Jazz Niehaus provides commentary on the video for “Heat Stroke” by Annie Kemble. Having co-written the song with Annie, Jazz explained the inspiration which informed its lyrics and provided a foundation […]
- Lex Leto Interview ()
Composed and arranged in connection with a Melinda Jean Myers-choreographed UI Dance Company piece, Right Here is the latest release among a prolific string of work from Iowa City‘s Lex Leto. Over the past few years you may have seen or heard Lex via their work with Penny Peach, the Christine Burke Ensemble, or most […]
- DRXCULV Interview ()
DRXCULV is a Des Moines-based MC and producer, and his new album, SUBURBAN NIGH+MARE, is aptly titled, bearing a deeply embedded sense for the nightmarish terrors provoked through everyday life. There’s a heavy flavor of collaboration throughout the release, featuring the likes of Chino Vivid, Lil AR, HXD, King Luu, and fellow Blackshoe Inc. crew […]
- HU$H Interview ()
At 18 tracks, SKUNKWORKS is a sprawling release which does well to contradict prevailing trends catering to receding attention spans. This isn’t to say HU$H is remotely ignorant to the musical landscape around him, but only that he incorporates it into a mode which best reconciles with his own creative identity. Having already released a […]
- Kristian Day Interview ()
This week’s edition of the Iowa Basement Tapes radio show covers the bases of the underground, featuring noisy punk, hardcore, sound collage, electronic psych, thrash, and indie rock. The show is a passion project of filmmaker, writer, and composer Kristian Day, and began broadcasting on KFMG in Des Moines in 2018. It’s since expanded its […]
- Kelly Plumber Interview ()
Of the many hats Kelly Plumber has donned over the years, it’s his role with the Iowa Musicians Project that introduced us. Somewhere along the way in preparing for an interview with Ames scene mainstay Bryon Dudley, a comment jumped out at me from another interview mentioning how Dudley donated a copy of each of […]
- Midwest Mixtape Interview ()
Billed as “a podcast where two music lovers come together to explore the landscape of the music industry across the Midwest,” Midwest Mixtape issued five episodes this May capturing interviews with a diverse cross-section of musicians. Created by Emily Postlethwait and Natalie Novak, the project was borne out of the pair of friends’ mutual appreciation […]
- Strong Like Bear “The Slow Collapse” (Singled Out) ()
With the release of In The Future Only The Rich Will Live Forever in 2021, Strong Like Bear uncharacteristically waded into the realm of stoner fuzz. In exploring the dialogue surrounding the album, there’s an interesting contrast at play with it. Little Village commented on the band being “as silly as they are serious” in […]
- Aeon Grey Interview ()
Listen to the villin podcast via… Aeon Grey is one third of the Des Moines-based hip-hop group Maxilla Blue. Along with news of a forthcoming performance at the 80/35 music festival in Des Moines, earlier this year the trio announced plans of releasing an album of new material, which would be its first since 2012’s […]