Namoli Brennet hosts album release party in Decorah March 21
DECORAH — An award-winning songwriter and vocalist/guitarist with a heralded career that includes touring Germany will host a release party on Sat., March 21, for her 16th album release. Namoli Brennet, a four-time nominee for the Outmusic award and an entry in the inaugural Trans 100 list, will perform starting at 7:30 p.m. at Impact Coffee, 101 Water St., with songs from her new album “Moving Pictures.” The album is inspired by paintings and painters including “Monet, O’Keeffe, Modigliani, and Basquiat.” Brennet describes its many musical styles as “much like walking through an art museum where you’ve got all these different styles housed in one building.” The album can be purchased at Brennet’s website, and you can give it a listen through Apple, Spotify and more. Learn more about Brennet at namolibrennetmusic.com. Saturday’s show is Iowa’s last chance to hear Brennet live until mid-May, when she will return from a seven-city tour of Germany.
LSA, Pride Sports League seek softball, soccer, cycling and walking sign-ups
LGBTQ+ sports leagues based in Iowa City and Des Moines are encouraging sign-ups for their upcoming seasons and clubs in four sports. The Pride Sports League of Central Iowa is seeking folks to join its free clubs for soccer, which meets starting March 28; for walking, which gathers starting April 4; and for cycling, which holds its first meeting April 11. Head to the group’s sign-up page here to learn more. Pride Sports League holds year-round activities in more than a dozen sports for LGBTQ+ people and allies in the central Iowa area. Lambda Softball Association (LSA) of Eastern Iowa also seeks sign-ups for its upcoming softball season. Practice and “skills days” happen April 18 and 26, for the season that starts May 3. You can sign up here for LSA, which typically holds its games on Sunday late mornings and afternoons. LSA hosts at least two softball seasons annually, teams that travel nationwide to other tournaments, darts tournaments and more year-round.
Kratom may become illegal in Iowa; House-approved bill heads to Senate
Kratom, a plant-based substance that some say helps ease anxiety and others say can be dangerously addictive, may soon be banned in Iowa (Iowa Capital Disdpatch). The Iowa House sent a bill to the Senate this week that prevents the sale of kratom in any form throughout Iowa. Avaialle at many gas stations and vape stores in powder or pill form, kratom is currently banned in seven states and some cities. It’s derived from leaves on trees that originated in southeast Asia and is used by about 1.7 million Americans for conditions including pain, anxiety, opioid use disorder and more, the FDA says. Concern has grown in recent years about 7-OH, a concentration of kratom that experts consider of increased addiction potential because it binds more strongly to the body’s opioid receptors.
