For musicians, Iowa is often a place to begin, but not a place to end. This has been true for a long time, and it has left us in the difficult position of growing our own music culture. In an attempt to stanch the bleeding, the Old Factory Coffee Shop and Orange City Arts Council have joined forces, creating "Live at the Old Factory." Part recording session, part concert, part podcast, the project brings in artists who have chosen to live and create music in Iowa. Each artist performs at the Old Factory and contributes a song to a compilation album.
In October, Devon Cadwell was the featured artist. His music is cultivated in poetry-Stephen Crane's bestial creature consumes its bitter heart in one of Cadwell's songs, the image rising like fire above guitar chords-and in the experience of growing up in South Dakota and living in Iowa. Hearing him, the goals of Live at the Old Factory are immediately achieved. Listeners cannot otherwise feel but that this place, Iowa, is rich with talent and possibility. Their appetites for a music of here cannot help but grow.
