Do you want a variety of great hip hop artists to come through the Iowa City area regularly for a cheap admission? I do! Thats why Im pushing to start a biweekly show every other Wednesday night in Iowa City as part of a Midwest Corridor of back to back weeklies Ive been working on with 10-12 other nearby cities. To really make this happen we need to support by coming to the shows. I have a roster of artists Im excited to see make appearances in our area including Vast Aire of Cannibal Ox and Akil of Jurassic 5 in October, Copywrite and Prince Po of Organized Konfusion in November, and many other artists lined up and excited to make their way through, from Def Juxx to Rhymesayers, from old school to new school, East coast to West. The admission will always be a mere 5 to 7 bucks, we will always have djs, live music, local acts, regional acts, and national acts. If you are interested in participating in any way, whether it be to help promote with the street team, get music to play on the radio, or any ideas you may have feel free to message me here. I really am interested in taking advantage of free speech while we still have it, and building community through these events. To start, please show your support by coming to the next show on Tuesday, September 16 with Raashan Ahmad of the Crown City Rockers, Bru Lei, and myself. I guarantee it will be cheap, and Raashan never disappoints live. After that it will be Wednesdays. It is very important if you really want these acts to continue to come to Iowa City that you come show your support on September 16th at the Picador.
ILLINOIS JOHN FEVER IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE'VE BEEN SELECTED TO APPEAR IN THE DEEP BLUES FESTIVAL 2008!! AND IDN'T IT WEIRD THAT WE HAFTA GO UP RIVER TO GET DOWN HOME? BUT THERE WE WILL BE, AND WE HOPE YOU CAN BE THERE TOO!!
Captain Beefheart's Ten Commandments For Guitarists:
1. LISTEN TO THE BIRDS...That's where all the music comes from. Birds know everything about how it should sound and where that sound should come from. And watch hummingbirds. They fly really fast, but a lot of times they aren't going anywhere.
2. YOUR GUITAR IS NOT REALLY A GUITAR...Your guitar is a divining rod. Use it to find spirits in the other world and bring them over. A guitar is also a fishing rod. If you're good, you'll land a big one.
3. PRACTICE IN FRONT OF A BUSH...Wait until the moon is out, then go outside, eat a multi-grained bread and play your guitar to a bush. If the bush doesn't shake, eat another piece of bread.
4. WALK WITH THE DEVIL...Old delta blues players referred to amplifiers as the "devil box." And they were right. You have to be an equal opportunity employer in terms of who you're bringing over from the other side. Electricity attracts demons and devils. Other instruments attract other spirits. An acoustic guitar attracts Casper. A mandolin attracts Wendy. But an electric guitar attracts Beelzebub.
5. IF YOU'RE GUILTY OF THINKING, YOU'RE OUT...If your brain is part of the process, you're missing it. You should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap that feeling, then you have something that is fur bearing.
Captain Beefheart's Ten Commandments For Guitarists: cont...
6. NEVER POINT YOUR GUITAR AT ANYONE...Your instrument has more power than lightning. Just hit a big chord, then run outside to hear it. But make sure you are not standing in an open field.
7. ALWAYS CARRY YOUR CHURCH KEY...You must carry your key and use it when called upon. That's your part of the bargain. Like One String Sam. He was a Detroit street musician in the fifties who played a homemade instrument. His song "I Need A Hundred Dollars" is warm pie. Another church key holder is Hubert Sumlin, Howlin' Wolf's guitar player. He just stands there like the Statue of Liberty making you want to look up her dress to see how he's doing it.
8. DON'T WIPE THE SWEAT OFF YOUR INSTRUMENT...You need that stink on there. Then you have to get that stink onto your music.
9. KEEP YOUR GUITAR IN A DARK PLACE...When you're not playing your guitar, cover it and keep it in a dark place. If you don't play your guitar for more than a day, be sure to put a saucer of water in with it.
10. YOU GOTTA HAVE A HOOD FOR YOUR ENGINE...Wear a hat when you play and keep that hat on. A hat is a pressure cooker. If you have a roof on your house the hot air can't escape. Even a lima bean has to have a wet paper towel around it to make it grow.
