Article and photo of Utopia Park by Kendall McCabe
In the coming days, KRUI.FM will publish a series of articles which aim to highlight different music scenes in Iowa and illustrate how you can support them this holiday season.
We begin our 2011 KRUI Hometown Holiday festivities in Fairfield, Iowa.
Fairfield, a progressive town that is nearly ten thousand people strong, is located in southeastern Iowa, a little more than an hour’s drive from Iowa City. Home to the Maharishi University of Management, the town also boasts some of the strongest musical talent in the state.
• Utopia Park is Fairfield, Iowa’s premiere dance party/happy heart attack musical act. The band of brothers tour extensively, but they also manage their own tape label: Sweat Power. Any of their releases are worthy of stuffing your stocking.
• Little Ruckus is the youthful and frenzied power-pop side project of Utopia Park’s Dominic Rabalais. Little Ruckus is Iowa’s musical form of Red Bull, and it tastes damn good.
• Lane Weaver, the self-described “best white rapper since Natalie Portman,” recently rapped for 10 hours and 33 minutes to break the world record for the Longest Freestyle Rap. He is currently in the process of having Guinness deem the feat ‘official’. Weaver released a mixtape called “Being Broke Is More Fun Than It Looks” and has a forthcoming project entitled “Kanye West.” He also curates a zine called “Weird Life” with Dominic from Little Ruckus.
• Josie Overmyer is a folk songstress whose warm vocals are like a gust of summer air. Her arrangements are sparse, but harmony-filled, and always acoustic. Recommended for mothers, sisters, daughters, but also anyone with two ears and a heart.
• If you are looking to simultaneously give and get this holiday season, look no further than Fairfield’s venue The Beauty Shop. The Beauty Shop just launched its brand new Residency program, funded by donations. With perks like free music lessons, coffee, and admittance to shows at the venue, what’s not to love?
Do you have some more fantastic Fairfield, Iowa musicians to add to this list? Let us know in the comments!