The Blog
Here you’ll find blog posts, photos, videos, and more, dating back to 2004.
- 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,” […]
- Kelly Pardekooper Interview ()
Kelly Pardekooper‘s 3 SONG SLICES comes some 25 years after his first release, providing a document of the present while signaling to the journey that has delivered the Iowa City native to this moment in time. The trio of songs were recorded with Bo Ramsey sitting in on electric and slide guitar, and long-time touring […]
- 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 […]
- Dave Murphy Interview ()
Based in Des Moines, Dave Murphy has shared his thoughts on music (and life) across several notable online outlets this past decade, including Des Moines is Not Boring and his own Iowaves blog. His essay titled “80/35 2019: Creativity is Alive in DSM” wasn’t specifically mentioned in the following Q&A, but it articulates the practical […]
- 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 […]
- Thrash Panda Interview ()
Based out of Des Moines, Roman Gamble carries the torch for independent music and underground scenes through his photo and video work with Thrash Panda Media. Recently opening a studio north of the city, Gamble is dialing in on his mission to grow and support the local artistic communities by expanding his work into areas […]
- 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 […]
- Sterling Bidler Interview ()
Nestled soundly in the world of DIY, Sterling Bidler works within a musical space that might be best categorized as industrial. Incorporating electronic music within a heavy landscape of drum and guitar, his sound is at times abrasive, but one that makes more sense when recognizing his approach is built off influences ranging from Death […]
- 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 […]
- Lily DeTaeye “Hive Mind” (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, Lily DeTaeye discusses “Hive Mind,” the title track from her latest release, detailing the patterns in her life that surrounded the creation of the song and how they relate to a broader […]
- Starved Rock State Park (Oglesby, IL) ()
Hiking and trail photos shot August 31, 2023 at Starved Rock State Park in Oglesby, Illinois.
- Iowa Record Store & Music Venue Directory ()
The following is a directory of shops that sell vinyl, CDs, cassettes and more in the state of Iowa, as well as music venues, clubs, bars, and other event spaces that host concerts across the state. For a more detailed introduction to the state’s record stores, read this Little Village article titled, “Iowa’s record stores […]
- Mark Rushton Interview ()
Mark Rushton is both a recording and visual artist. This simple set of labels is a fine way of providing an overview of the “what,” but it fails to express the mammoth scope of his body of work. Since he began experimenting within the medium around the turn of the century, Rushton has amassed a […]
- Dirt Nasty Beats Interview ()
While regularly releasing music on his own, Dirt Nasty Beats has also been mixing it up across a variety of different genres and styles over the past several months in the collaborative realm. Working with artists both in and outside of Des Moines, where he’s based, a few notable credits from this phase of his […]
- 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 […]