Reaching 73 degrees earlier that day, the last place I wanted to be was inside. But only once in my life have I ever woken up knowing I was seeing Bob Dylan that night, which quickly overrode the former feeling. March 25^th has been marked on my calendar for months, as Dylan quietly announced 6 weeks on the road on December 8^th, 2025. Never one for showmanship in recent years, or even a social media post promoting the tour, this gig still sold out in moments. Dylan often moves in silence, online and onstage. His Instagram, lacking any and all publicity for upcoming shows, has become a bulletin board for things he has recently enjoyed such as boxing highlights, over an hour of audiobook from Aaron Burr’s “On the Art of Survival”, and whatever he has been jamming with lately. Dylan is arguably the king of casual posting, and heavy is the head to wear that crown.

One extra note about his online presence, he has started a Patreon. In all honesty, I had finished this piece and was giving it a day to come back and edit with a fresh mind. I opened up his outlandish Instagram after re-reading this portion to find he has published a handful of posts under the title “Lectures From the Grave”, original short stories from famous characters in history. Bob has always been heavily interested in the past of America, especially considering his nearly 17-minute song “Murder Most Foul” about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. I will not be spending the money to find out what Bob has marinating in his mind, but feel free to invest the $5 if that’s within your persuasions.

Once inside the venue, phones were immediately placed into sealed pouches by venue staff. This was not the first time I have experienced this, but it was by far the strictest. In previous experiences with phone pouches, it has been done before entering the seating area of the venue, but because of this policy’s immediacy I entered into a talkative and lively Hancher lobby. This capacity crowd was shuffling into their seats around my arrival at 7:45 for the 8:00 show. No openers, not pre-show performance, just Bob.

Starting at right at the hour, there was no razzle-dazzle to Bob’s appearance. Put roughly 25 feet back from the edge of the stage, Bob Dylan waddled on stage preceded by Bob Britt and Doug Lancio on guitar, Tony Garnier on bass, and Anton Fig on drums. Donning an all black outfit with a matching baseball hat layered with a hooded gray rain jacket, there was nothing visually flashy about this performance. Large beige curtains towering the peninsula of the stage with an extremely basic lighting rig that did not change once. The lighting was so bare bones that the houselights were left on for the first two songs of the set, “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” and “Man in the Long Black Coat.” I am glad they were soon turned off but would not have been surprised if it was an ‘artistic choice’ by the Golden Globe Winner.

Dylan’s musical setup was minimal as well. A keyboard in the middle of this barren layout being used as a tabletop for four cups, two harmonicas, and a songbook for the nights setlist. Not all of the cups were used, not every sheet of music played, but both harmonicas were in circulation near the end of the set in “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” and “Every Grain of Sand.” There were no words spoken by Bob besides a muttered band introduction succeeding “Soon After Midnight.” He did have a small arsenal of ‘rockstar moves’ that included standing up while playing the piano and bending his knees to return to that beloved seat not long after that primary move.

This tour features his 2020 record heavily. Rough and Rowdy Ways is a solemn piece of work, where Dylan reflects on his final chapter being written. There is a balance between the self and world on this record. “I Contain Multitudes” feels like a journal entry of a man who knows the path he has walked down, and wouldn’t turn back for anything. “There is no love left behind,” Dylan croons near the end of the song with a serenity that some can only dream of. This record, although filled with lyrics reminiscent of what made Bob so famous, can be a little rough on the ears. His vocals have long been a barrier of entry to his work, and 60-plus years of touring and recording have not remedied the roadblock. This may truly answer the question of why there are so many Bob Dylan covers. From The Rolling Stones to Billy Strings, generations have taken this timeless tracks under a microscope to view what makes the songs so contagious and create their own version with the same inflections.

Was this a bombastic rock and roll revue that left the walls shaking?

No.  

Was it extremely cool to see this incredibly storied musician live as a bucket list act?

Yes.  

From The Traveling Wilburys to the Basement Recordings with The Band, Bob is arguably the most seasoned musician of the modern world. The infinite artists he has influenced and the thousands of covers he has been the author for, the world of music would not be the same without Bob Dylan. He is not high on my priority list to see again, but I am glad I was there. Dylan continues his Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour throughout the 2026, more information can be found here.

The post Bob Dylan: Rough and Rowdy in Iowa City, March 25th, 2026 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

This will be my final article as I am going to be transitioning into the position of Head of Marketing for KRUI! I have loved my time as a journalist and having the opportunity to review all of the great music I have, but all things must come to an end. This last column will be a review of NE-HI’s debut album, which is titled -*drum roll*- “NE-HI”! I am so glad this happened to be my final review, because I’ll definitely be going out with a bang! Let’s get the bean rolling!

What is your favorite genre of music to listen to?

“I guess I would say rock and roll or indie rock…my favorite bands are Twin Peaks and NE-HI, which is a band from Chicago and I’m super stoked about them. I like The Rolling Stones and a lot of classic rock, like The Beatles…not like Def Leppard or ACDC, I’m not into that, but for example, The Rolling Stones, they’re really mellow and I like that. The Velvet Underground is really cool too!”

How long would you say you’ve been listening to this genre?

“Kind of…forever, really. My dad is super into The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, and this band called The Band, which was Bob Dylan’s backing band way back when, in the 60s, I guess. That’s probably what got me into the genre. I used to like rap a lot. My favorite rapper used to be 50 Cent, like ‘The Massacre’ was the first album that I ever bought with my own money, in third grade. I found out about Twin Peaks in high school, probably during my junior year, so around six years!”

How would you describe your music taste?

“I listen to a lot of everything. I’ve been listening to Frank Ocean a lot recently. I also like a lot of modern R&B like SZA, she’s really cool. I still like rap a lot! I work at a liquor store and while I’m there, they always play rap because that’s what’s popular, so I hear a lot of Migos. It’s not really my ‘thing’, like I don’t listen to it for enjoyment outside of work, but it’s kind of fun. Gucci Mane, Wiz Khalifa, that kind of stuff is outside my realm, but I can dig it.”

What are you recommending that I review?

“What I had in mind was NE-HI’s debut. It came out a few years ago and it’s just self-titled. It’s super good. I don’t know if you’ll necessarily like it, but I’m a big fan of their sound.”

How long have you been listening to this band specifically?

“In October, it’ll be four years. I actually saw them open for Twin Peaks here at some venue and I was kind of blown away. I just felt like it was really relaxing and like I was on a beach. It kind of feels like good summery music to me. It’s really laid-back, structured, and the guitars are really buzzy, kind of giving it a crunchy sound. The vocals for it…they’re not good singers per se, but I don’t think that really matters. I think the music really matters and it just sounds really fun to me when I’m listening to it. They also have their ‘tender’ moments on the album. It’s good and short, it’s only a half hour.”

Shoutout to my ~bro~ for letting me interview him during his final finals week, and congrats on graduating! I hope you do more than sit in a dumpster and eat garbage…

So, as he mentioned, NE-HI is a group from Chitown, made up of four people; Mikey Wells, James Weir, Jason Balla, and Alex Otake. The band formed in 2013 after coming together to score a mutual friend’s film and just decided to stick it out. It seems to be working for them, based on what I’ve heard!

NE-HI has released two EPS, one of which I will be reviewing right here in just a few moments, and four singles. If you want to check out their site, here’s the link!

I listened to this album while studying for finals because frankly, I knew I would have no other time to get through it. I think it’s partly the reason for me passing financial accounting, so shout out to these dudes for getting me through it! Per usual, I’m going to review my favorite song, my least favorite song, and then the album overall. Let’s start off on the right foot.

My favorite song in “NE-HI” was “Since I’ve Been Thinking”. It’s the first track and really kicked my experience off in the right direction. I absolutely love the guitar in the intro and the background throughout the song. There isn’t a lot of lyrics in this song, just a chorus that’s repeated here and there, but otherwise, a fairly vocal-less song. I think I like its’ simplicity. It kind of made me feel like it’d be in the background of a Lindsay Lohan movie circa 2006. I’ve posted the lyrics below, along with the link to the song. Seriously. Think about Lindsay Lohan and it’ll come to you.

“It’s been awhile
Since I’ve been thinking
At all
It’s been awhile
Since I’ve been thinking
At all
It’s been awhile
Since I’ve been thinking
At all
It’s been awhile
Since I’ve been thinking
Of you”

(and repeat)

My least favorite song on this LP was the third track, “Time Wanna”. I don’t know why, I just wasn’t feeling it. There’s literally no other explanation. It still has that summer-chick-flick-background-feel to it, but I gave it a 6.5/10 and every other song had an average of a 7.5/10, so…this one was the least favorite! There isn’t a music video or lyrics posted anywhere, so if you’re desperate to listen to it, get to digging!

Overall, I really, really enjoyed this album. It has a laid-back feel to it and I cannot shake the dramatic film scenes that it would work perfectly in from my head. If you’re interested in listening to the entire album, here’s the link. I really recommend that you do. It’s a short one, it goes by fast, and you won’t regret it!

Final notes from my interviewee:

“Whaddup? My name is Liam, follow me on Instagram @liambrekke. Deuces.”

(Here’s the link to his Instagram. Go like his “meatball” picture. If you know, you know.)

Side-note from myself:

If you or any of your friends want to join my marketing team for KRUI during this upcoming semester, do not be afraid to reach out! My e-mail is bvolfson@krui.fm :) I look forward to hearing from you!

HAGS (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ ✧ﾟ･: *ヽ(◕ヮ◕ヽ)

The post The Rolling Bean: NE-HI appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Her album “Diamonds and Rust” was released in 1975 near the end of her singing career. Majority of her recognition before said album was solely focused toward either her covers or interpretations of other musicians’ songs. Which, were predominantly men. While this album also contains many renditions of different artists’ songs, Baez begins to focus on her own songwriting and what her voice can say that others cannot.

Baez worked closely with Bob Dylan throughout their romantic relationship that spanned throughout the first half of the 1960’s. The only album I have of hers is a compilation of the different songs she covered of Dylan’s. Baez didn’t start to delve into her own sound and singing her own words until she released “Diamonds and Rust,” which became the main reason it was placed on National Public Radio’s (NPR) list of 150 best women-led albums.

I haven’t listened to any music that Baez wrote on her own and I don’t know much about her personality; however, I do know that she changed the 60’s with her voice and her activism. I also know that Jenny from Forrest Gump wanted to be just like her and that she performed at Woodstock along with many other amazing and influential artists.

Joan Baez spent a good portion of her life trying to make the world a better place through her music. She performed the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome” at the March on Washington in 1963. She also sang the same song at the Free Speech Movement protests at the University of California, Berkeley, which took place the following year.

She participated in the Selma to Montgomery marches which advocated for the right of African-American’s to vote in 1965; the year after she founded the Institute for the Study of Nonviolence. She participated in numerous anti-Vietnam war protests, such as a free concert at the Washington Monument, which drew 30,000 people. While traveling to Vietnam as part of a peace delegation, she was caught in the “Christmas Bombing,” an eleven-day bombing of Hanoi in Northern Vietnam.

Baez has remained an activist up into the 21st century, speaking out for LGBT+ rights, against the death penalty and false incarceration, and against the United States’ invasion of Iraq. She wasn’t afraid to use her voice to change lives for people across the world or in the United States. She is respectable and strong and I admire the brave things she has dedicated her life to doing.

From the first track of “Diamonds and Rust,” her voice steals the song away. Even though the song is a little overpowered by the instrumentals, her voice permeates other sounds that layered on top of it. Since Baez initially built her career covering other artists’ music, it is only natural that her voice has stood out in a successful manner. There’s something about the lyric, “the Madonna was yours for free,” that gives me chills.

The meaning of “Diamonds and Rust” centers around Joan Baez’s relationship with Bob Dylan. The song narrates her feelings and memories as Dylan calls her about ten years after the events later sung about occurred. The song has a much more bittersweet undertone once I listen to it again with that knowledge. It is beautiful.

The next song Baez wrote for her own album doesn’t appear until about halfway through the album itself. “Children and All The Jazz” is really overwhelming to me. It doesn’t fit my tastes as much as the rest of her own songs, mainly because it doesn’t feature her amazing vocals.

“Winds of the Old Days” comes a few song later and it suits my own pace much more. It gives off the feeling of floating away and letting the past be over. Something very nostalgic comes from this song. There are some lyrics of her’s that really stand out from this track, such as, “Unguarded fantasies flying too far, memories tumbling like sweets from a jar.” Which, comes before “the winds of the old days will blow through my hair.”

The second to last song, “Didi,” is a duet between Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell concerning how the world got so lucky. I love this song despite the lack of actual lyrics and deep emotional reaction since it’s sole purpose is to showcase their beautiful voices.

The other songs on this album are covers by artists such as Bob Dylan (of course), Janis Ian, Stevie Wonder, John Prine and many others. They also sound absolutely amazing and I can definitely understand why the claim to her fame before her own songwriting was interpreting songs that weren’t her own. Her voice is enough to make anything about ten million times more meaningful and emotional.

My favorite tunes of these are her medley of “I Dream of Jeannie/Danny Boy” and “Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer.”

Something I want to start doing at the end of each “Stella” article is hyping up another powerful woman (in music or otherwise) that didn’t get a top-150-of list. This will be an amazing way to discuss even more women of different professions and walks of life that otherwise might not get as much recognition.

This week, that woman is Jen Kirkman, a comedian and writer that I’ve admired since I saw her stand up at last year’s Witching Hour Festival in Iowa (read my review of the event here). I anxiously await the newest episode of her podcast called “I Seem Fun” each week because her commentary on the world, politics, and the teeny tiny struggles of daily life makes me feel real again. Her Netflix specials are also hilarious, particularly “I’m Gonna Die Alone (And I Feel Fine).” I highly recommend watching or listening to her to treat your life.

Go ahead and listen to “Diamonds and Rust” on YouTube or Spotify below!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL40NQEtnq_AIwuM1AHn7ToUq769LQUB7t

Stella is a column surrounding analysis and appreciation of the 150 albums chosen by NPR as the best created by women thus far. Each week I choose an album from this list I’ve been wanting to listen to that either peaks my interest or seems like an essential thing to listen to and write about. The column’s goal is to provide female identifying readers with the empowerment that can only be obtained through a badass woman and her amazing music.

The post Stella: “Diamonds and Rust” by Joan Baez appeared first on KRUI Radio.

If you haven’t heard of the English indie rocker yet, you must be living under a proverbial rock. Being what some are calling the next Bob Dylan, Bugg has gained substantial momentum in the music world. At the ripe age of 19 years-old, the Nottingham singer-songwriter has managed to release 2 full length studio albums, and begin writing his third.

While his voice sounds eerily similar to that of a young Bob Dylan sans the American accent, Bugg claims that Dylan isn’t a influential artist for him. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Bugg said “Bob Dylan’s cool, you know, he’s great, but he’s not a major influence”. Which leaves the question, who is he influenced by? The English singerhas accredited The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Oasis, Donovan, The Everly Brothers and Jimi Hendrix. as some of his most influential artists in the same interview.

“Messed Up Kids” was released with the rest of the songs on the Shangri La album on November 18th, 2013. The song tells the stories of “messed up kids” like Johnny the drug dealer, and Jenny the prostitute, whom live in poverty and society has given up on. It is refreshing to find such a young artist writing real songs with lyrical depth and thought behind them. The entire is composed of great music accompanied by great lyrics.

Watch Jake Bugg perform our Track of the Week, “Messed Up Kids” below:

You can buy the entire album on iTunes, If you’re left wanting even more, check out his website, and follow Bugg on Spotify:

The post Track of the Week: “Messed Up Kids” by Jake Bugg appeared first on KRUI Radio.