*Disclaimer: This article contains material that may be deemed inappropriate for minors*

The description that Witching Hour gave for this event was “The best of new voices in comedy in the stand-up and improv worlds.” And they were right. The jokes were funny and the atmosphere felt very chill and comfortable. The show began with Super Talent Show doing a music number to introduce themselves. Super Talent Show consists of members Steven King, Nicky Martin, and Blake Burkhart. Their skit was about time travel.

The first step on our time traveling adventures was medieval times where the guys met a fancy king, Blake, who sang and had donut rings.

The next stop was in Los Angeles in the 20th century. Nicky happened upon a celebrity orgy that consisted of only Jack Nicholson and Randy Newman.

They then met Pinky Blinders who wanted to know about his Netflix show. Finally, Nick was an angry pencil who writes time. The angry pencil then started beating up Blake which resulted in Billy Mays, Steven, to pop up and ask, “Has this ever happened to you?” They then started praying to God so that they could return to their own time. This was the introduction to Cleveland Anderson.

Anderson got up on stage and admitted to having smoked weed outside of The Mill to try to calm his nerves. This received applause from the crowd and Anderson then told the crowd to clap for themselves because he hadn’t even said anything and he was already getting applause.

Anderson then told his jokes. He joked about weed, being in Ubers while high, Uber drivers wanting to talk to you and you wanting to murder them, and wanting to make good money. His plan was to be the guy that says the n-word for white rappers. The only problem was that he didn’t know who to send the demo track to.

Blake then came on stage as Shleppy Sinclair (I think that’s what he said). He made jokes that are the type of jokes that you know you shouldn’t laugh at but you still do even though the jokes are really stupid. After he finished, Fran Hoepfner came on stage.

Fran joked about how adults tend to have crushes on anybody who is nice to us. She talked about how she made a Facebook group and added all her crushes on it. She compared it to the Stanford Prison Experiment but called her Facebook group, “the cute version.” After Fran finished, Ghouldini arrived on stage.

He sang a song about vampires who eat ass. He then sang a country western song which featured the amazing lyric of “The confederate flag stands for corpse fucking.” That’s literally what the song was about. Him going down south, dying, and then getting his corpse fucked. He finished by saying, “Have unpleasant dreams.” Which after a song about ass eating vampires and corpse fucking, I probably will.

Arish Singh continued the jokes by pretending he was in August 2016. He wanted all the Republicans to yell what minority group they hated and wanted violence to be centered on when he shouted, “race wars.” He also wanted the Democrats to stand up and cheer when he said, “class wars.” The rest of his set was about Jeff Dunham and how he is 90% to blame for Islamophobia. He brought out a puppet and made some jokes before saying that it’s 2016 and “Ventriloquism is Terrorism.” The night ended with the President of 2020, Steveus, rapping making a parody of Kanye West.

I didn’t know what to expect when I showed up at The Mill. Even though, I didn’t laugh 100% of the time I still found the show hilarious. It was an interesting experience and I thought Super Talent Show and Friends had a great show. If given the chance, I would definitely see all of the performers again.

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Witching Hour, according to the festival’s website, highlight’s the “unknown, creative process, and new work.” During its second year, Witching Hour features a diverse lineup ranging from multi-media workshops to comedy shows to cinematic adventures. Here are the events KRUI can’t wait to see!

Music 

Psalm One

After opening for Saul Williams at Mission Creek 2016, Psalm One returns to Iowa City to perform some new art! She’ll perform at 10:30 PM at The Mill on November 4.

White Lung

At midnight on Friday night, White Lung will perform tracks from their fourth album at Gabe’s. Hailing from Canada, this punk rock band will impolitely rock Iowa City on November 4th at midnight!

Wu Fei

Combining cultural and musical influences from Beijing and Nashville, Wu Fei will deftly charm audiences with her new and original compositions on the guzheng. See her perform at 9:30 PM at the Englert on Friday, November 4th!

Jlin

Jlin is known for pushing the boundaries of the footwork genre. Her track “Erotic Heat” from the Planet Mu compilation Bangs and Works Vol. 2 announced her presence to the world. Having attracted critical acclaim for her 2015 LP Dark Energy, Jlin brings her production magic to Gabe’s at 11:59 PM November 4th.

 Rhys Chatham

Guitarist, trumpeter, and composer, Rhys Chatham can rightfully be compared with Philip Glass or Steve Reich, though he likes guitars a lot more (he has composed pieces for up to 200 guitars and more). While he has the minimal edge of Glass and Reich, he also occasionally engages in prog and fusion. We’ll be seeing him in a rare solo performance at 10:00 PM at Gabe’s November 4th.

Jack Lion

Jack Lion is an Iowa City band that blends jazz and electronica seamlessly. At times heady, at other times spaced out, but always in the groove, if you haven’t had a chance to see them live yet, you’ve been missing out. They will be playing at 11:00 PM at Gabe’s November 4th.

Writing/Spoken Word

Pussy Riot in conversation with Jessica Hopper

Radical Russian punk band member Maria Alekhina will join Jessica Hopper at the Englert at 7:00 PM on Friday to discuss music and activism!

Jason Sole: From Prison to PhD: A Journey of Pain, Promise, and Protest

Jason Sole will captivate audiences as he details his life journey from a three-time convicted felon to his personal redemption as a mentor, consultant, and assistant professor of Public Safety and Criminal Justice at Metropolitan State University. This event takes place at 5:00 PM at the Iowa City Public Library.

Jason England: National Anthem: The Sociopathic Nature of Racial Discourse in American Sports

Jason England, graduate of the Iowa Writer’s Workshop and full-time faculty member of the University of Iowa Rhetoric Department, will delve into the intersection of racial politics and sports in the United States with his presentation at 7:00 PM at the Englert Theater November 5th.

Writers of Color

Following last year’s highly successful event, visiting writer Rachel McKibbens joins undergraduate and graduate writers of color for a reading of new work at 4:00 PM at The Mill November 5th.

Comedy

Supertalent Show and Friends

Those familiar with Iowa City’s comedy scene will remember many of these faces. Iowa City’s own Arish Singh, now based in Chicago, is a major reason the Iowa City comedy scene is what it is today. A stand-up comedian (in every sense of the word “stand-up”), Singh has been putting together wonderful, politically aware comedy shows for Iowa City and Chicago for the last couple of years. He brings a group of hilarious improv actors and comedians to the Mill November 4th at 9:00 PM. (All images courtesy of WitchingHourFestival.com)

Jen Kirkman

Best-selling author and stand-up comedian Jen Kirkman, whose 2015 Netflix comedy special I’m Gonna Die Alone (And I Feel Fine) earned high praise from The Atlantic, New York Magazine, and The Atlantic, shares her wit and insights with Iowa City at the Englert Theater November 5th at 9:00pm. She will also appear In Conversation at the Mill November 5th at 10:30 PM.

Film

Romeo Is Bleeding

Set in Richmond, CA, Romeo Is Bleeding follows Donté, who, rather than get swept up in a violent turf war between rival neighborhoods, attempts to open up a dialogue about violence in the city by putting together a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. Will he succeed? Find out at FilmScene November 5th at 1:00 PM.

Tony Conrad: Completely in the Present

A film about, of, for, and by artists, Completely in the Present follows the legendary career of Tony Conrad. Conrad’s cross-disciplinary work has heavily influenced modern independent music, public access television, visual art, and film. Using intimate footage of Tony and collaborators over the last twenty-two years, Completely in the Present gives us access to one of the strangest artistic minds of our time. You can catch it at FilmScene November 5th at 3:00 PM.

Mixed Media, Workshops, and Panels

Hip-Hop Kitchen

Get into a discussion and performance on hip-hop history, cooking, and the art of freestyling. Featuring Sepehr Sadrzadeh, the Chef of Pullman Diner; The Cubist, legendary producer who has worked with Kendrick Lamar; Icon Amerie, rapper and hip-hop culture historian; moderated by André Wright, producer, artist, designer. This discussion and performance will take place at The Mill November 5th at 12:00 PM. (All images courtesy of WitchingHourFestival.com)

Broad Perspectives

This will be a panel discussion and workshop featuring Katie Roche, Rachel McKibbens, alea adigweme, and Teresa Magnum. The discussion will be about creating and maintaining female-only spaces, why it is necessary and important, and how they operate differently than other creative spaces. This panel and workshop will take place at Prairie Lights Bookstore on November 5th at 6:00 PM.

Beforeplay: An Exploration of the Art of Playtesting

Game developers of board and video games to make money come together in a panel discussing playtesting the relationship of dialogue it creates between gamer and make-maker. This event takes place at 2:00 PM at The Mill November 5th. (All images courtesy of WitchingHourFestival.com)

Will Duncan: The Art of Doing Nothing: A Deep Exploration of What Meditation Is and What It Is Not

Will Duncan will be easing us into a deep understanding of the relevance, usefulness, and spiritual potential of the ancient practice of meditation. Duncan completed a Three-Year Silent Meditation Retreat in 2014, and has returned to the world to share his insights with us. The Art of Doing Nothing will occur at the Englert November 5th at 11:00 AM, and he will be giving a lecture about his silent meditation retreat experience at the Iowa City Public Library November 5th at 3:00 PM.

Conclusion

Well, there you have it, folks. KRUI’s Guide to Witching Hour would like to remind you of a couple of things, however: (1) More than half of the acts are free, so if you’re not sure you can afford to go, think again, dear friend. (2) We have only provided highlights. Please see the festival website for the full line-up. (3) The festival spirit is one of exploration and coming out of our comfort zones, so be sure to explore, keep an open mind, and maybe go to something you normally wouldn’t go to!

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