It all started as a farewell show at Gabe’s. In July 2022, Anthony Worden and the Illiterati decided to host the musical equivalent of a celebration of life for their band. It was their final gig together, a doubtlessly bittersweet event. However, it was also an excuse to gather their closest friends, their favorite artists, and raise money for a vital cause, Inside Out Re-Entry Community, which supports people returning to Johnson County after incarceration.
The first Illiterati Fest was such a success, that like the band, it returned the following year, with a different location and beneficiary. The James Theater hosted, and all proceeds went to the South District Market, a vibrant food court experience that celebrates the diverse community of Iowa City’s South District. For the fest’s third iteration in 2024, we’re back to the future: Gabe’s is the venue once again, with United Action For Youth, a nonprofit which supports young people and families in Johnson County, benefiting from the community focused concert.
Illiterati Fest 3, which takes place on Friday, August 23rd, opening at 6:00 PM, promises to be another memorable night for Iowa City’s thriving music scene. Three local acts, Anthony Worden and the Iliterati, Psyop, and Daisy Glue, are joined by rising artists from across the country: Valebol of Chicago, Feel Free Hi Fi from Minneapolis, and California based Exotic Gardens. All that music, for just $15! I for one can’t think of a better way to spend a warm summer night in Iowa City.
Daisy Glue
Daisy Glue, as a collective, is relatively new to the Iowa City scene. However, the band members have been involved in many different projects in the area over the years. Daisy Glue has acted as a common meeting place for all these people to just jam together, and soak in the vibes produced from that. That’s how their songs and live performances are formed as well.
A 15-minute set of theirs could easily constitute just two or three songs, as they build out these sprawling, often improvised arrangements, adding on ideas. It’s a very free flowing act, dictated by whatever the feeling in the moment may be. Daisy Glue opening will help those wandering in acclimate themselves into the atmosphere of Illiterati Fest.
-John Glab
Psyop
Acting as representatives to Illiterati Fest from a burgeoning Iowa City hardcore scene, Psyop will most likely play the heaviest set of the night. As mainstays on the local label Pokeys Records, the band defines much of what the local scene stands for: consciousness of the injustices in the world, foundation of community, and unrelenting riffs that leave people throwing themselves at one another.
The band’s sets are quick, and with the immense amount of chaotic movement they whirl up, it feels like it can flash in and out of existence. In those fleeting moments though, there is an exciting euphoria where you can feel the presence of everyone in the room, probably because they’re all throwing elbows into you. Plenty of people will come out excited to see them.
-John Glab
Anthony Worden and the Illiterati
If you live in the Iowa City area, you’ve probably encountered the talents of Anthony Worden at some point. Along with putting on the yearly festival, he is often spinning vinyl at Gabes or playing with his band The Illiterati. He has been playing and creating music locally for 12 years. Worden and his band draw inspirations from many all-time classic bands like The Beach Boys and Sonic Youth.
Plain Angels, their most recent album, came out in May, but Worden and his band have kept busy in the time leading up to the third installment of the Illiterati Fest. Anthony Worden and The Illiterati’s music is distinctly emotional, connecting us all through storytelling and shared human experiences. Plus, their musical prowess makes their music and live sets thoroughly captivating.
-Savannah Haneline
Exotic Gardens
Exotic Gardens is the solo project of Aaron Coyes, who makes up half of the California based Peaking Lights. Their sound is reminiscent of music that could be played at the beachside in Bora Bora or in an underground rave in Berlin. The sound is a combination of reggae, dub, and ’80s synth making it the perfect dance music. It’s much akin to the tracks produced by Coyes with Peaking Lights but presented in a denser tone. The music makes dub slightly more applicable to the average festival goer, who will probably want a mojito in their hand by the end of the set.
-Savannah Haneline
Feel Free Hi Fi
Located in Minnesota, Feel Free Hi Fi is the aggressive industrial electronic union of Shawn Reed and Derek Maxwell. The duo uses digital techniques to enhance their dancehall tracks, equal parts abrasive and comforting.
Their most recent project, I was so far in I was out. contains eight beautiful tracks, all featuring metallic creaks, liquid like synths, and infectious drum loops. Unlike other Feel Free Hi Fi albums, this one features no guest vocalists, but instead serves as a beautiful, lush instrumental album. All these different aspects that the band can produce will create a transient experience, seeping from the stage to across the floor. Feel Free Hi Fi is an incredibly compelling project, and not one to miss this Illiterati Fest.
-Casper Bakker
Valebol
Hailing from the Windy City, Valebol are a superduo formed by multi-instrumentalist Vivian McConnell and drummer Daniel Villarreal. Their new project combines the intimate self-reflection of McConnell’s solo project, V.V. Lightbody, with the vibrant Cumbia sound of Villarreal’s band, Dos Santos. The result? A kaleidoscopic synthesis that the duo title “translingual express-pop.” Sink into the warm ocean, they propose, and discover a feeling:
“Maybe it’s finding an oyster on your maiden scuba dive and discovering it contains a kaleidoscopic disco pearl vibrating to polyrhythms from a forgotten cassette tape. Maybe it was buried in 1983. Maybe the club is still open. Either way, opening your new Polly Pocket sized seashell contains an iconic duo.”
While I will struggle to write anything better than their own wonderfully eccentric description, I can state unequivocally that their self-titled debut album is a gloriously serene listen. Released in April of this year, Valebol demonstrates exactly why the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) gave the duo an Esteemed Artist Award in 2021. It’s dreamy, breezy, and intricately layered. After multiple listens I had to check if the album’s running time really was 36 minutes, as it continually glides by in what feels like half the time.
Stand outs include the opener “Multivitaminas” and the album’s first single “Netuchepa!”, although this really is a project to be savored in its entirety. Their transnational charm render clean comparisons with other artists rather redundant. However, I’ll say this: if you like Denver indie pop duo Tennis, who graced Iowa City with a superb show last year, you like me will absolutely adore Valebol.
-Glenn Houlihan
Illiterati Fest 3 is at Gabe’s in Iowa City on Friday, August 23rd at 6:00 PM. Tickets are available for purchase here.
