Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Saturday, August 15, 2026
Noah's Flood - Grant-Lee Phillips, 2013-05-15
Five years ago (June 13, 2008) the Cedar River crested at 31 feet in Cedar Rapids, causing over $2 billion in damage and displacing 24,000 people. CSPS Hall was one of the 940 businesses impacted by the disaster, bringing flood waters to nearly 12 feet inside the historic cultural center located in the New Bo neighborhood.
Americana singer-songwriter Grant-Lee Phillips performed at CSPS on May 15 of this year and was so affected by the story of the flood that he composed an original song before he went on stage that night. On the fifth anniversary of the flood, Grant-Lee Phillips and Legion Arts are making that song, “Noah’s Flood,” available free for streaming and download here.
The moving ballad also explores the singer’s earlier hopes of moving to Iowa after his band, Grant Lee Buffalo, opened for REM in Ames in 1995.
Since emerging in the early ‘90s as the front-man and songwriter for the acclaimed Grant Lee Buffalo, Phillips’ rootsy meditations on the American landscape have earned him a reputation as one of the most admired songwriters of his generation.
“When I arrived in Cedar Rapids a cab driver mentioned how the road we were driving on was under 10 feet of water five years ago when the Cedar River overflowed, flooding the entire town. ‘People ‘round here call it Noah’s Flood,’ said the driver, ‘it was so devastating and traumatic.’
Water is a source of sustenance, but it can also be destructive. Many cultures the world over speak of great floods at some point in their history. In recent years we’ve witnessed profound natural events. Maybe those tales weren’t such an exaggeration. That evening I was put up in the old firehouse next door to the CSPS Hall. It was there that I wrote ‘Noah’s Flood,’ inspired by the events that happened here and the perseverance of the Iowa people.” — Grant-Lee Phillips
