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xBk Annex provides central Iowa’s arts scene with a new living room

Fred Love

xBk Annex provides central Iowa’s arts scene with a new living room

By Fred Love

The Annex gives strong living-room vibes with its warm lamp light and overstuffed couches.

On a recent Friday night, the modest performance space hosted the New City Poets Open Mic, welcoming patrons and performers alike to get close and make connections—just like friends gathering in a cozy parlor. Performers and audience members mingled freely, with no barriers to separate them. Everything about the room—from its décor and furniture to its layout and flow—encourages ease, closeness, and connection.

Antwonette Shade performs during a recent New City Poets Open Mic at the xBk Annex.

xBk Live opened The Annex last spring to offer patrons a different kind of experience compared to the 250-capacity main xBk Live club next door. Located in a converted former fire station next door to the main club, The Annex hosts smaller, more intimate events that invite interaction and participation. It’s not just a performance space, but also a home for classes, games and listening parties.

Before the open mic began that evening, house music pulsed beneath the buzz of conversation and laughter as the room filled up. Pizzas from Dough Co.—the iconic Drake neighborhood pizza spot next door—appeared alongside snack bowls scattered across tables. A bar along the side of the room offered a thoughtfully curated list of beer and wine.

The night’s event featured the New City Poets Open Mic, a poetry slam showcasing mostly Black artists. Emcee Destinee Woodris acknowledged an undercurrent of anger due to current events, but she also called the evening a “celebration.”

“There’s a lot of seriousness and heaviness in this moment,” Woodris said. “But there’s also going to be a lot of cutting up and tomfoolery tonight.”

Two featured poets, Atwonette Shade and Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey, delivered powerful performances that drew shouts of encouragement from the crowd, which swelled to around 40 people—near the room’s capacity.

Woodris invited others to the stage throughout the evening, including a hip-hop artist visiting from Mississippi and a range of poets at various experience levels.

“These small rooms are powerful,” one of the participating poets remarked from the stage.

The Annex makes possible an eclectic range of events that wouldn’t fit in the larger main room. November’s lineup includes intimate singer-songwriter showcases, standup comedy shows, open mics and a salon featuring art of all kinds. Many Annex events are free to attend, making the space accessible to a wide audience.

The Annex has also become home to improv comedy and sewing classes—hands-on, participatory gatherings where the line between performer and audience often blurs to the point of disappearing.

Venue manager Derek Muse Lambert said offering a thoughtful selection of beverages, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic, is a key part of The Annex’s identity.

“We try to keep the selection interesting,” Muse Lambert said. “Instead of filling our limited space with standard domestic beers you can find anywhere, we stock local craft equivalents. We also keep an ever-evolving lineup of seasonal options, and we’re always open to trying out a case of something wild to see if people like it.”

Patrons can sample a fun selection of beers and wines. While the venue doesn’t stock liquor due to space constraints, the menu includes canned cocktails such as whiskey sours, vodka mules, and margaritas.

Among xBk’s top priorities in opening The Annex was fostering innovation and community within the Central Iowa arts scene. The space serves not only as a stage and performance venue, but also as a meeting place for community groups.

For Central Iowa’s music and performing arts enthusiasts, welcome to your new living room.

Upcoming events at the Annex

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