Check out these end-of-summer events
MewithoutYou
Fresh off its fourth album release, It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's All Right, mewithoutYou will perform at the Blue Moose Tap House, 211 Iowa Ave., on Aug. 6. The show will begin at 5 p.m.; admission is $15.
On its new record, the experimental rock band uses a more melodic tone than on past albums while retaining many of the lyrical themes. In particular, the group still explores religion through music, incorporating many of the lessons and fables of Sufi teacher Bawa Muhaiyaddeen into the songs. Indiana-based rock band Murder by Death, which released its fifth album during the spring, will also play.
Bob Log III
Bob Log III is not a typical musician: a one-man band who simultaneously sings, plays slide guitar, and drums with his feet. His attire embraces the eccentricity — a full body cannonball-man suit and a helmet with a built-in microphone. Also adding to his unusual persona is the unconventional humor he instills in his songs, which have such titles as "Clap Your Tits" and "Boob Scotch" and contain subject matter matching the names. Log will take his style to the Mill, 120 E. Burlington St., on Aug. 6. The show will begin at 9 p.m.; Pork Torta and Wolf Wars will also perform.
HOTT
Want to see a rock band with a vocalist who dresses similarly to the Flash? Then check out the HOTT concert at the Blue Moose on Aug. 12. The show will start at 5 p.m., $6 in advance, $7 at the door. The longtime local band always has a contagious energy onstage that rarely fails to infect the audience. Also on the bill is local group Lipstick Homicide, which has a pop sound in its rock music that keeps the band's songs fun and danceable even when the lyrics explore dark topics.
Bugsy Malone
In the middle of August, the Englert Theatre, 221 E. Washington St., will put on a production of Bugsy Malone. The light-hearted mobster musical (yes, you read that right) will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 13, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Aug. 14, and 2 p.m. Aug. 15.
Bugsy Malone was originally a musical film created by famed director Alan Parker in 1976. The story is family-friendly, with guns shooting cream rather than bullets and the mobsters often breaking into song, as so often happens with Irish gangsters. The play is the first-ever collaboration between Footliters Act 2 Teen Theatre and the Englert School for the Performing Arts; it is directed by Saffron Henke. Tickets for the show are $15 for adults, $10 for students, seniors, a nd children under 12.
Blitzen Trapper
For the second-straight year, the popular Oregon band Blitzen Trapper will bring its indie-folk tunes to Iowa City. The group, known for its skillful storytelling and melodic sound, will perform at Gabe's, 330 E. Washington St., on Aug. 10. The concert will begin at 9 p.m. with folk artist Adam H. Stephens opening. Tickets for the show are $13.
Blitzen Trapper will undoubtedly perform songs from its new album, Destroyer of the Void, which has received praise similar to the group's widely acclaimed previous effort, Furr.
Lauren Gallaspy
Lauren Gallaspy creates a wide range of artwork, including functional and nonfunctional sculpture and paintings. She will exhibit her functional sculptures at AKAR Architecture & Design, 257 Iowa Ave., through Aug. 13. AKAR is open to the public 10 a.m. till 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon until 4 p.m. on Sunday.
The porcelain sculptures include cups, mugs, demitasses, jugs, and dishes. Each piece has a unique image painted on the surface — mainly objects in nature and paintings of anatomically correct human-body parts, such as hearts and lungs. Gallaspy uses little color in the works, and many of the images are done in black against the white backdrop of the porcelain. When color is used, it is minimal, often as an accent.
CD Release: Arcade Fire
In 2004, indie-rock band Arcade Fire released its début album, Funeral. Quickly, the Canadian group became the new face of the indie scene, and the record reached the top of many year-end lists. The band's second release, Neon Bible, squashed all fears of a sophomore slump and cemented Arcade Fire's place as one of the best bands of the decade.
Three years later, the band is set to release The Suburbs, which will hit shelves on Aug. 3. Like Neon Bible, The Suburbs promises to build on the momentum of the group's previous releases, and it has started to receive favorable reviews.
Movie Release: The Other Guys
Outside of an occasional miss, Will Ferrell's film career has been largely successful in producing the cheap laughs that almost everyone on occasion needs. On Aug. 6, he will unleash a new string of outlandish quotations with his film The Other Guys.
The plot, if it matters, is about two incompetent New York police officers, Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, trying to reach the level of success of star-cop duo Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The film is directed and produced by Adam McKay, best known for his work on other Ferrell movies, including Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and Step Brothers.
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