# @dmregister on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DVPfwr_DDw0
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/57749516-dmregister-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/91beef335c.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-02-27T01:00:10.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Des Moines Register (@DMRegister) — https://gondola.cc/DMRegister

## Caption

Billy Weathers has lived multiple lives. He played sold-out shows as the hip-hop artist B.Well. He launched a nonprofit to help support students and families in Des Moines Public Schools. He led Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

And, since November 2024, Weathers has owned The Contrary in Des Moines' East Village. It's a cocktail bar where the lights are turned down low and some kind of jazzy, funky, bluesy song is playing over the speakers. People lounge on the couches in the "conversation pit" while bartenders concoct their libations.

On Wednesday, Jan. 21, thecontrarydsm was named a semifinalist for a James Beard Foundation award, known as the Oscars of the food world. The bar joined 20 others nationwide as nominees for Best New Bar.

To Weathers, the honor doesn't just mean the bar has good drinks. It's a testament to the strength of his friendships in Des Moines.

Tap the link in our bio for more on this story. 

#DesMoines #Iowa #DesMoinesFoodie #DesMoinesEats #JamesBeard

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## Tags

jamesbeard, desmoineseats, desmoinesfoodie, iowa, desmoines

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