Minneapolis indie rock band Night Moves is heading all the way to Gabe’s in Iowa City this Wednesday night, October 15th. They will be performing live on KRUI 89.7fm for a Big Room Show before their Gabe’s set from 3:30-4:30pm on Wednesday.
The performance at Gabe’s is put on by The Englert Theater as a part of their Track Zero Series, more information on tickets can be found here from the Englert Theatre (tickets discounted for students). Opening acts will be performed by Dearborn, a four piece alt-rock band straight out of Iowa City, and pianist Sam Blasucci, a founding member of California-based indie band Mapache.
Dearborn
Dearborn playing in someone’s basement, from left to right: Jonah Marcussen, Aaron Knight, Elijah Mickey, and Elias Smith. Photo via Dearborn.
The funky mask-wearing fellas in Dearborn are hot-on-the-block, forming just last year and released their first EP June 20th of 2025. Leaning heavy on resonance and reverb, Dearborn finds a balance between heavy noise and space to breath. The band features Elijah Mickey on vocals and guitar, Elias Smith on bass, Jonah Marcussen on lead guitar, and Aaron Knight on drums.
Sam Blasucci
Sam Blasucci comes from the avenues of Ojai, California, breaking off from his band Mapache in 2023 to pursue music as a solo artist. His latest album, ALL BLUE, was released last June 6th of 2025, a vulnerable album that invites love through smooth vocals and instrumentals that will fill your ears.
Night Moves
Night Moves has been turning heads since their inception in 2009, and with their latest album Double Life, whole bodies have been contorting to get closer and get their ears on the sound. John Pelant plays his beloved Gretsch guitar and belts out starry vocals, Micky Alfano slams down the bass, Mark Hanson bounces on the drums, and Charles Murlowski gets to twang his own guitar. It was with this ensemble that their latest album Double Life took shape, taking sound fonts from the likes of MGMT, Daft Punk, and Tame Impala. Pelant’s vocals reminds me of a younger version of myself, in a way, setting apart their vibe from those artists. But what is the vibe? According to Pelant, it’s “cosmic twang-rock pop sludge.” Makes sense to me.
Pelant graduated high school in 2009, his band moved away from the music scene in Minneapolis. Alfano and Mark Ritsema were in the same boat, so the three got together and started working on their vision. As they were on tour, drummer Jared Isabella was recruited to play after talking with Alfano. Two and a half years of work later, and Night Moves released its first studio album, Colored Emotions. They were quickly picked up by Domino Recording Company, an independent record label known for signing other acts like Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys. The next four years were swathed by tours, and it was during this time that Pelant discovered legendary indie music producer John Agnello. Agnello went hard on Pelant to push his voice and feel comfortable in it, resulting in their next album Pennied Days from 2016 and future vocal work. They kept on, adding drummer Mark Hanson and guitarist Charles Murlowski to release their third album in 2019, Can You Really Find Me. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic intercepted their momentum, leaving Night Moves paradoxically still. It would take six more years until their next and latest album, Double Life, which just released on July 25th, 2025.
I’m most excited to hear their new material from Double Life. The first track, Trying to Steal a Smile wastes no time busting a killer groove. State Sponsored Psychosis slows it down, eliciting the feeling of fading away, in a good way. White Liquor is a fantastic blend of folk-rock with their current style, being the main stand out for me. Especially with that soothing harmonica…. Though they have made no promises on their lineup, whatever they play is going to be mega swag money. It will be 3 years and 12 days since Night Moves has played at Gabe’s, so I think we should all be there to give them a warm re-welcoming this Wednesday the 15th.
Tickets are still available from the Englert Theatre (tickets discounted for students), or may be purchased at the door.
