Amedeo Rossi (80/35)

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Amedeo Rossi (80/35)

As Des Moines experiences tremendous growth, my eyes tend to wander behind the scenes, in search of those who are working to facilitate the growth. Amedeo Rossi is one of those people. I talked with him last year and have been sitting on this interview for awhile, but it feels like a good time to post it with the music festivals coming up this summer. 

Ameodeo runs Vaudeville Mews and the Lift, helped found Des Moines Music Coalition, and was also one of the organizers of 80/35 Music Festival. I left our meeting feeling inspired and I think you'll leave this article feeling inspired, too. 

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Hinterland Magic

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Hinterland Magic

This was the highlight of my summer and one of the most enchanting experiences of the whole year. If you haven't been to Hinterland, I suggest you make every effort to go next year because it's only going to become more popular as time goes on. Unlike 80/35 - which I think could really take place anywhere - Hinterland is uniquely Midwest. More after the jump.

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80/35 Day One

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80/35 Day One

I've officially attended a musical festival, guys! Can you believe it took me this long to go to one? Sheesh. It was about time! 

I've been to concerts, but the ones I'm used to were usually at smaller venues and the stages were dimly-lit. So it was complexly different than 80/35! While I'm used to crowds of less than two hundred, almost 30,000 people attended the festival over the weekend. 

While it took some time getting used to the crowds, I felt very proud of my city throughout the weekend. We've hosted so many things over the years (so many festivals have been located on Locust Avenue!) and it was great to see everyone show up and support things.

Plus, it was only ten minutes from my apartment! Love you, Des Moines. More after the jump...

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