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Though Benjamin Wagner has no idea what he’ll face in Waterloo Saturday, he knows he’ll be coming full circle. When Wagner, a singer-songwriter who was born in Iowa and now lives in New York City, performs at Smitty’s Bar, he’ll fulfill his end of a bargain made months ago. Looking for some funding for his…

It was in the middle of rehearsal tonight when I thought to myself, ‘I am so fucking lucky.’ I landed in Des Moines at noon. Mike and Jason pulled up just as I walked out of baggage claim. They whisked me straight to lunch with the band at Royal Mile. Jason’s wife, Stephanie, and sometimes…

I feel a little like Greg hiding out from Mike and Carol. I’ve spent the balance of Thanksgiving Weekend in the basement of my father’s Indianapolis home. I was bumped from the premiere rooms at the inn by my brother, his wife and son, Ethan, who took top priority. Which is fair. And fine with…

My grandmother can die now. I mean, not that I’d want her to, but… well, you know. I just did an interview with Kelsey Holm of The Waterloo Courier. I talked her ear off for damn near an hour. Despite the countless interviews I’ve conducted, or the few I’ve been the subject of, I still…

Note to self: Never Go To Target Drunk. It’s actually something a bad habit of mine here in the Midwest. Somehow, I always end up at a Target, or a Wal-Mart, or a Sam’s Club, with a few beers in me. Of course, there’s a super-store of some sort on just about every corner, so…

In New York City, the world really is just outside your window. This was especially so last night. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade musters on 81st Street. All of the floats — Dora The Explorer, Garfield The Cat, Kermit The Frog, Chicken Little, Mr. Potato Head — begin their trip to 34th Street just across…