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Patresa Hartman, a one-woman wolf pack, will celebrate her new album with a release show at xBk Live

Patresa Hartman, a one-woman wolf pack, will celebrate her new album with a release show at xBk Live By Fred Love Iowa songwriter Patresa Hartman let the wolf run wild on her latest album, which she’ll celebrate with a release show at xBk Live on Monday, Oct. 20. The album, titled “Wolf in a Lady […]
Fred Love

NIVA’S STATE OF LIVE REPORT REVEALS THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF IOWA’S INDEPENDENT STAGES

Statewide Study Indicates $266.4 Million Contributed to Iowa State GDP and $59 million in Off-Site Tourism Spending from Independent Stages The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and the NIVA Iowa Chapter on Wednesday unveiled the economic impact findings from the regional The State of Live report — the first comprehensive national study examining the economic […]
Fred Love
The Monday Night Live Band performs on th xBk Live stage. The lead singer stands in front while singing into a microphone.

From Bright Star to Springsteen: Monday Night Live Plots a ‘Crazy’ 2025 Season

From Bright Star to Springsteen: Monday Night Live Plots ‘Crazy’ 2025 Season Words by Fred Love. Photos by Mark Lage. “How crazy are we?” Anne Ducharme-Jones asks as she describes the upcoming season of Monday Night Live, the long-running concert series that features a different singer-songwriter fronting the MNL house band. It’s a fair question.  […]
Fred Love

Skating Polly Came of Age in the Indie Rock Underground. Now They’re Bringing Their Intense Live Show to xBk on July 29

Skating Polly Came of Age in the Indie Rock Underground. Now They’re Bringing Their Intense Live Show to xBk on July 29 By Fred Love Stepsisters Peyton Bighorse and Kelli Mayo of Skating Polly got their start in indie rock early—Peyton was about 14 and Kelli just 9 when they made their first trip together […]
Fred Love