Stephen Simmons is gigging tonight at Mason City Brewing, 28 East State, showtime is 8:00.

Tom Whalen and Family are doing tunes tonight at Lorados, 18 S. Federal in Mason City, with a 6:00 showtime, while the Memory Brothers are playing the Mason City VFW, at 1603 S. Monroe, from 7:00-11:00.

The Big Boz, Boz Scaggs, plays Arnolds Park tonight, in the Iowa Great Lakes Region. Expect to hear his hits, as well as selections from his new album, "A Fool To Care." Should be a great show.

Local favorites the Chocolate Crackers play The Outpost in Aredale tonight, from 8:30-12:30. 

Music right now!

Ruthless Ruth is gigging RIGHT NOW at the Des Moines Farmers Market, and the girl can sing. Stop by, pick up some fresh food, and enjoy the tunes by Ruth and her guitarmaster main squeeze.

An Interesting Site For Buddy Holly, Surf Fans

http://www.gambassa.com/public/project/5193/ResearchProjectbyRayKeithFA13.html

The Iowa Independent Film Festival Is Back!

(Courtesy: Courtney Fiorini~Mason City Globe-Gazette)

The Iowa Independent Film Festival looks to blend local talent, classic Hollywood and modern virtual reality (VR) in September.

The festival board with founders Tanna Fredrick and Richard Schinnow have changed the festival by waiving admission fees, film submission fees and taking away the competition element.

“We want to make sure everyone has access to this event, and we want to get the community involved,” Fredrick said.

By removing fees and competition, Fredrick believes that the event can be a true celebration of artistic accomplishment. “This way all of the films get equal respect and attention,” Fredrick said.

The festival, Sept. 16-18 at the Historic Park Inn Hotel in Mason City, sets itself apart from others by introducing two award-wining virtual reality experiences at the festival, uncommon for smaller festivals.

One experience will be the futuristic VR series “Defrost,” produced by Fredrick, a Mason City native.

“Bringing this to Mason City is super cool because it’s such a progressive way of storytelling,” Fredrick said.

Frederick attended the Sundance Film Festival, ComiCon and other events to show her virtual reality series this year. Cannes Film Festival just began showing VR last year.

“We’re playing with the big boys,” Fredrick said. “Mason City is my field of dreams.”

This was Frederick’s first producing project, and she became the first woman to produce a narrative VR series. John Randal Kleiser, known for “Grease” and “Flight of the Navigator,” wrote and directed the series.

Viewers will watch the film wearing a Samsung VR headset, as if they are in the seat of a woman who wakes up after being frozen for 30 years. Festival goers will see a brand new episode.

Each viewer will be helped by a VR expert to achieve the ideal VR experience.

Frederick and Kleiser will kick off the festival Friday with a discussion on the making of their series.

The second experience, which is about bullying, is directed by Garner native Ron Vignone. The film was made for the California education system.

“This is great because it shows what VR can do in terms of helping out a community and using it as a learning tool,” Fredrick said. “VR is entertainment through immersion.”

The festival will also bring actors and actresses to town, including Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss, who are both known for their roles in "Catch-22."

They will host a discussion, with several of their films shown throughout the festival.

Frederick said she's been trying to get Benjamin and Prentiss to come to Mason City for three years. 

"This is all so rare for a local festival," she said. 

Local filmmakers, films and talent will also be shown. The festival will premiere a bio-documentary on Iowa native Jean Seberg, "Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg.”

Viewers can also see the first festival showing of Paul Micich’s documentary, "MacNider Art Museum: 50 Years Eye-to-Eye."

The Red Willow Guys, Back To The Gig!

Our old friends, the Red Willow Band, out of Sioux Falls, SD, are playing a reunion concert at Strawbale Winery in Renner, SD. The show starts at 7:00 pm, but there are festivities, food, music and wine all day long. They are expecting 3,000 people and they say it's sold out - but worth a call if you want to go. Perfect weather for it! We fervently hope for a cancellation or two, so we can go.

Local Artists, Authors, Musicians, Vintners, Filmmakers, Photographers, and Chefs! We Want Your Stuff!

Local folks, we want to hear about your work! Send us your band's schedule of gigs, your book-signings, exhibitions, showings, food shows, etc., and we'll help publicize them for you. We'd love video of your gigs for our sites, and we do regular artist profiles, too, so be sure to keep us in the loop! Message our MusicArtLife Facebook page, or email us at MusicArtLife@mediacombb.net.