villin
villin was an on-again, off-again music blog that ran from 2014 to 2024. Prior to moving to Cedar Rapids and turning attention to Iowa’s music scene, villin (the name: an abbreviated, symmetrically styled version of “Nashvillian”) began as a Nashville-focused music blog, which ran briefly in 2014 and again from 2017-2018. From 2022-2024 villin ran as a vehicle for playlists, the villin podcast, and articles focused on the Iowa music scene. Click here to read more about villin.
- Maitreya & Aquatic Cat Dolphin “Roses” (Singled Out) ()
Out a random night freestyling off each other came the foundation for what became the song “Roses,” with Maitreya and Aquatic Cat Dolphin ultimately bringing the song from conception to recording within the span of a day. On the surface, the song’s themes appear simple, with gratitude at its core, but a more complex and […]
- Scott Miller “Waters” (Singled Out) ()
Scott Miller is an MC and producer based in Iowa City. Today he’s marking the release of a new single, “Waters,” which follows last year’s 14-track Recovery full-length and speaks to where he’s looking to move creatively. With that album, he says he found himself gravitating toward building cohesiveness within style and themes. With that […]
- 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 […]
- Haploid Interview ()
“Prog punk” might be the closest thing to an appropriate label I’ve heard when considering the spirit and sound of Haploid‘s music, and it’s one that vocalist and guitarist Kaylee Rae Timmerman says appreciates. The Des Moines band’s album Villains Amiss certain takes on elements of both prog and punk, but the songs also reveal […]
- 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 […]
- Thoughts on villin, 2023 ()
It’s kinda funny, thinking about how this thing got from there to here. I’ve already unpacked all this to and for myself in great detail — of what my idea was with villin when it started, and how it died and came back to life a few times over the past decade — but it’s […]
- Nickk feat. Big Teo the Trap Man “Ghosts and Spirits” (Singled Out) ()
Nickk is a Cedar Rapids-based MC whose recently released full-length album, Closed Hands, explores themes of mental health and addiction. The album title itself represents the concept of self-sabotage, which is a theme that bleeds into one of the album’s standouts (and its lone feature), “Ghosts and Spirits.” For the track, Nickk teamed up with […]
- Brian Campos Interview ()
Over the course four years, or so, Brian Campos established his voice within the Des Moines music community; not strictly through his own music, but largely through his work as a podcast host. Then, with well over one hundred episodes of his Pants OFF! Podcast behind him, he pivoted slightly to work with Bo Becker […]
- Rome Oliver Interview ()
Based in Des Moines, Rome Oliver has made a push for himself within the city’s scene, regularly maintaining a presence online through a series of solid track and EP releases, while also landing on several notable bills, opening for the likes of Sada Baby. Dropping his most recent collection of songs, November Saints 2, this […]
- Aaron Hefel Interview ()
Aaron Hefel is a musician based in Dubuque who, over the course of the past two decades, has contributed to helping shape the city’s live music scene, largely through his role as booking agent for the Lift. In this Q&A, Hefel offers an overview of trends he’s noticed in the live music space following the […]
- VSA CHXCKY 333 Interview ()
VSA CHXCKY 333 is a rapper out of Storm Lake, Iowa; a fact in and of itself which puts him in rare air. Over the past year he’s stepped out of the small town, expanding his reach and connecting with other likeminded people by playing shows across the region, challenging his personal and creative comfort […]
- 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 […]
- Chase Schweitzer Interview ()
Chase Schweitzer is a musician and podcast host living in Des Moines, and his band, the Halloween Episode, will be playing Saturday, November 18 at xBk Live. Several months ago he and I first connected on the topic of a Q&A, but what materialized from the discussion was something that reached well beyond the questions […]
- Huxley Madeline Interview ()
When considering the sub-genre, a fundamental feeling conjured by lo-fi is a sense of tenderness. While music within the genre relies upon its own conventions surrounding presentation, it’s also regularly prone to rejecting artifice, expressing vulnerability by way of avoidance, or opting for subtlety in lieu of overwhelming production. While that’s what comes to me […]
- 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,” […]
- 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 […]
- 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 […]