Ep 48 - Cover by Mike Newman

Mike Newman is a native Iowan and boyfriend to Washington (the state) transplant - we forgive you, Lisa - and Iowa classical composer/singer Lisa Leher. He doesn't have a website for his photography, but according to Neher, "he's just got a good phone camera and a nice eye!"

Original version of the photograph

Labels: classical, classical music, cover, covers, Ep 048, Lisa Neher, Mike Newman, photography

Ep 48 - Song 4: "Siren (Waterhouse)" written by Randy Wells and performed by Mariya Akhadjanova

"Randy Wells (b. 1992) began composing art music in 2012 after teaching himself keyboard and music theory during a winter of self-imposed exile after leaving a university science program. By 2013, he had finished his first compositions that were worth being cataloged, Coney Island Suite and a few guitar pieces.

"Randy’s music represents a continuation of the aesthetic philosophy of the Romantic era, and is characterized by emotional sensitivity and intensity, grandiose tendencies, and heavy influence of extra-musical ideas. Among his influences, Randy counts Mahler, Scriabin, Berg, and Shostakovich...

"andy enjoys playing guitar, piano, and organ, and is also an enthusiastic member of the UNI Varsity Men's Glee Club. Randy studies music composition at the University of Northern Iowa under Dr. Jonathan Schwabe. When not in front of a musical instrument, he can generally be found at the library, enjoying classic literature or reading up on the sciences (another source of musical inspiration)." - from Randy Wells' home page

"I believe that music must always invoke strong emotion, and I treat every job with great urgency and craftsmanship..."
- from Randy Wells' Upwork page

"Randy Wells specializes in Ultra-Romantic music of a programmatic or autobiographical nature. The music is characterized by hyper-emotionalism, grandiose tendencies, and heavy influence of extra-musical ideas. He considers himself an heir to the legacies of Scriabin, Borodin, Korngold, Berg, and Mahler, among others. For further listening, Randy invites you to visit www.randywellsmusic.com"
- from an email to Iowa Music Showcase

Lineup:
Mariya Akhadjanova - piano

Home page:
http://www.randywellsmusic.com/

SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/musicofrandys

Mariya Akhadjanova has no website that I could find!

To download the podcast, right click on the link below and hit "Save as...":
https://archive.org/download/Episode48IowaClassicalMusic/Episode%2048_%20Iowa%20Classical%20Music.mp3

Labels: 2010s, 2017, classical, Ep 048, Mariya Akhadjanova, modern classical, modern classical music, piano,Randy Wells, Siren (Waterhouse) (song), Ultra-Romantic classical music, Waterloo/Cedar Falls area

Ep 48 - Song 5: "Snapshots" Song Cycle: "Crocodiles"/"Rain"/"Sneaky Squirrels"/"A Simple Request"/"Turtle Fence"/"Tuesday and Thursday"/"Spoiler Alert!" written by Lisa Neher and performed by Olivia Betzen and Nate Salazar

"Mezzo-soprano and composer Lisa Neher thrives in the crossroads of the concert hall and the theatre stage... Lisa’s compositions are shaped by her keen sense of dramatic timing and feature aching, lyrical phrases, energetic rhythmic motives, and intensely dissonant pitch clusters...

"She is an active advocate for new music, frequently premiering new works as well as established masterworks of the last fifty years. Lisa is the creator of the One Voice Project, a call for scores, poetry, and prose which will be incorporated into a one-woman musical-theatrical performance in the fall of 2016. Through the call for scores, the project promotes the creation and performance of new works for unaccompanied voice...

Her compositions include solo and chamber music for instruments and vocal works in the operatic, song, and choral genres. Lisa is particularly passionate about writing works that set text and story to music, such as her chamber opera White Horizon, about a nineteenth-century Arctic expedition gone wrong, and her song cycle Snapshots...
- from Lisa Neher's home page

"A composer of unabashedly heartfelt, lyrical music, Lisa’s works include solo and chamber music for instrumentalists as well as vocal works in the operatic, song, and choral genres, which represent her deepest passion."
- from her Facebook page

Lineup:
Olivia Betzen - vocals
Nate Salazar - piano

Photograph by Alisabeth Von Presley
http://www.vonpresleystudios.com/alisabeth

Home page:
http://www.lisanehermusic.com/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/LisaNeherMusic/

SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/lisa-neher

Olivia Betzen's home page:
http://www.oliviabetzen.com/

Nate Salazar's home page:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nate-salazar-94209718/

To download the podcast, right click on the link below and hit "Save as...":
https://archive.org/download/Episode48IowaClassicalMusic/Episode%2048_%20Iowa%20Classical%20Music.mp3

Labels: 2010s, 2016, Cedar Rapids, Cedar Rapids area, classical, Ep 048, Iowa City area, Lisa Neher, Lisa Neher (composer), modern classical, modern classical music, Nate Salazar, Olivia Betzen, Snapshots (song cycle)

Ep 48 - Song 6: "Polymetric Phrygian Plainchant" written and performed by Paul Hertz

Many people, who know of Paul Hertz, usually know him from his horn playing in various Ames bands, best known probably being Mumford's. Or they may know him from hosting the local music program, "Ready, Ames, Fire" and his classical music program, "Morning Masterpieces" on Ames community station, KHOI.

But what some may not know, is that Paul Hertz, is a composer and performer of classical music. He has done some performances in Ames playing his material and having a choir perform it.

"Among Hertz’s many projects are playing bass trombone for the Ames folk rock dance band Mumford’s, playing keyboards for Jordan Mayland and the Thermal Detonators, and being involved in the Ames Choral Society. (He will be singing in an upcoming cabaret show called 'Down the Hobbit Hole'). He is also a composer and serves as the organist at Northminster Presbyterian Church in Ames."
- from an article on the Snap Twig website

"Paul Hertz is a composer, improviser, organist, trombonist, and pianist who lives in Ames, Iowa."
- from an email Paul Hertz sent to Iowa Music Showcase

Lineup:
Paul Hertz - all instruments and programming

Painting by Kara Hedge
https://www.flickr.com/people/poseidonsimage/

MySpace page;

https://myspace.com/paulhertz

To download the podcast, right click on the link below and hit "Save as...":
https://archive.org/download/Episode48IowaClassicalMusic/Episode%2048_%20Iowa%20Classical%20Music.mp3

Labels: 2000s, 2009, Ames, Ames area, classical, classical music, electronic, electronic music, Ep 048,modern classical, modern classical music, Paul Hertz, Polymetric Phrygian Plainchant (song)

Eps 48 and 60 - Iowa Music Showcase theme (classical version) by Jessica Villegas

"Founder and songwriter/singer/guitarist Trevor Holt said via e-mail that neither he nor bassist Jessica Villegas had played in bands before Foxholes formed. 'Jessica didn’t even play bass prior to joining the band, so it took some time to figure out how to put on a good show, how to network, etc.,' Holt wrote. 'Over the course of that time, we figured out what worked and what didn’t in terms of the set list and even the structure of the songs themselves. That was the biggest thing to come out of that first year – the development of the songs. Had we recorded this album a year ago, I can honestly say that it would not have been good. The sound would have been there, but it would have been an unfinished product. We really took the time to continually develop the songs ... .'"
- from a River Cities Reader article on The Foxholes

"You might know Jessica Villegas as the lone girl in Foxholes, slappin da bass. She also rocks a badass half-shaved hairstyle. Villegas was always destined to go down a creative path. Her father, Johnnie, DJs around Des Moines, that is when he’s not playing percussion for Canby; and her mother Susan was constantly working on different projects, like painting, when she was growing up. It was only right that she take up both mediums. While music is one of her passions, she’s also a visual artist who makes incredible paintings. In fact, the entire living room of her apartment is a studio, with one half devoted to music and the other to painting.

"She’s constantly at work on something and is now venturing out on her own with her debut solo performance tonight at the Des Moines Social Club’s Basement Bar. She joins Eden Stokka and Jennifer Hall on an all lady bill cuz girls rule and boys drool. The show will be a different vibe from Foxholes in that Villegas is taking a self-described more experimental route with her solo work."
- from Band Bombshell's 8 Tracks column

"Music. Art. Bicycles. Rabble rabble rabble. Foxholes, Honeycreeper, Treebranchtwig"
- from her Twitter page

Lineup:
Jessica Villegas - cello

Photo by Katie Hayward

Foxholes home page:
http://foxholesmusic.com/

Foxholes Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/FoxholesMusic/

Foxholes BandCamp page:
https://foxholesdsm.bandcamp.com/

Honeycreeper Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/honeycreeperband/

Honeycreeper BandCamp page:
https://honeycreeperdm.bandcamp.com

To download the podcast, right click on the link below and hit "Save as...":
https://archive.org/download/Episode48IowaClassicalMusic/Episode%2048_%20Iowa%20Classical%20Music.mp3

Labels: 2010s, 2017, alternative (genre), alternative music, cello, classical, Des Moines, Des Moines area, Ep 048, indie (genre), indie music, Iowa Music Showcase theme song, Jessica Villegas