Thursday:

Rachel Kushner (6:00 PM) & Kim Gordon (8:45 PM)

Kim Gordon will be coming to Mission Creek Festival on Thursday April 3rd, with two events. Her first performance will be at 6:00 PM at Hancher Auditorium. She will be coming to conduct an interview with Rachel Kushner, who is an author of many different novels and essay collections.  

Kushner is on a reading tour for her newest book Creation Lake. It’s a fiction work focused on a secret agent who is sent on a mission in London. The book was also long listed for the 2024 Booker prize. She is considered to be one of the biggest rising writers at this time. Rachel Kushner’s books are written with thrilling narratives and heart racing action that keeps readers enthralled. The use of heavy characterization is also employed throughout many of her stories. She has been praised for her use of the characters telling their own stories and how it differs from the traditional style of having them live through current moments. 

Kim Gordon’s second event of the night is performing with her band live at the Hancher at 8:45 PM. This was a last-minute change-up after previous headliners Julien Baker & Torres had to drop from the festival. Gordon is a music icon from her work with Sonic Youth that put her on the map, to her solo work that has continued to amaze, and her work as a music critic. Her solo work often has a very experimental sound to it that intrigues and amazes listeners. She released her second studio album The Collector in March of last year to wide critical acclaim. The album blends hip-hop, trap, dub, and many other genres. An all-time generational talent comes this year for Mission Creek. 

-Will Clair, News Staff

Friday:

Nat Baldwin (7:30 PM Riverside Theater)

Nat Baldwin is a New Hampshire born musician, improviser, and founder of the experimental music label Tripticks Tapes. He has led a storied and successful music career for over 21 years. A disciple of avant-garde jazz legend Anthony Braxton, Baldwin has trained amidst the best in his field to distinguish himself as a modern virtuoso of the electric and double bass. He has put out numerous solo records heavily featuring his performance on said instruments, along with a rousing demonstration of his compositional skills.  

Besides his rich solo career, Baldwin was additionally a longstanding band member of the indie darlings Dirty Projectors, wherein besides playing bass, he also served as a songwriter. Despite being a veteran in the industry, Baldwin hasn’t strayed from his avant-garde roots. In recent years he has released several free improvisational projects, the most recent of which being 01.30.22, a collaboration with fellow artist Stella Silbert, released in (as the title suggests) 2022. Baldwin’s performance is undoubtedly one you don’t want to miss. 

-Evan Raefield, Training Director

Mabe Fratti (8:00 PM Englert Theater)

Combining improvisational jazz and avant-garde experimental music with tinges of rock, Mexico City based artist Mabe Fratti is not to be missed on your Mission Creek Festival schedule for Friday night. About a year ago, KRUI received a promo for Sentir que no sabes, Fratti’s most recent project, and I was instantaneously captivated with its bold presentation. Superficially, that captivation was attracted to the vast sound landscapes that put synthesizers forward alongside the beautifully played cello, which in turn is elevated by Fratti’s vocal performance. 

Now delving deeper, I see the bold presentation of these farfetched elements captivating due to their perceived dissonance and how well it matches the album’s lyrical themes of uncertainty. Now if you don’t understand Spanish, sonically alone, Mabe Fratti is sure to leave you in awe by the end of her performance.

-Andrés Mora Mata, Music Director

Diles Que No Me Maten (8:30 PM Riverside Theater)

Diles Que No Me Maten is a quintet formed in 2017 from the Mexico City scene and will be gracing the stage at Riverside Theater for Mission Creek. Despite currently producing dreamlike jazz influenced psychedelia on albums like Obrigaggi, the band has roots in metal prior to 2020. Raúl and Gerardo Ponce, Jéronímo Garcia, Andrés Lupone, and Jonás Derbéz work together, on the spot, to generate atmospheric yet conscience music, bringing in elements of the Aztec language into their music to acknowledge their native connection to their Central American roots. The band are masters of their craft, bringing in diverse instruments and manipulating tension beautifully, drifting from reflective slowcore ballads to energetic anthems.

The members of Diles Que No Me Maten describe their local scene as spiritual, involved, and hyper-inclusive of varying genres. Their sounds pull from 1970s krautrock, along with post rock’s textures and poetic lyricism. They fuse it with their own droning, repetitive beats that have been compared to Oaxacan funeral marching music. Because of their improvising nature, a live show could be unpredictable, likely depending on the crowd’s energy. When it is time to get the audience moving, Jonás Derbéz shakes the crowd with spoken word on top of danceable alt-rock grooves. Their eclectic instrumentation and intimate performances resemble some of the projects that came out of the Louisville punk scene in the ‘90s and the current Windmill Scene in London.

-Julia Wilson, News Staff

Angry Blackmen (9:00 PM Gabe’s)

Formed in early 2017, Chicago based experimental hip hop duo Angry Blackmen consists of rappers Quentin Branch and Brian Warren. Their 2020 HEADSHOTS! EP opened with an audiobook style narration on the track “DREAM!” that introduced the prominent themes of their music: “Once upon a time, in a post-apocalyptic, racially divided white America, there lived two angry black men. The two embark on a savage journey to the heart of the American dream.” As Branch raps on the following track “PROPAGANDA!” this is, “Not that cotton candy rap. This that Dark Night, Batman vigilante rap.” Across the EP, the beats spit and sputter while the fiercely insightful words relentlessly flow. 

A similarly tense atmosphere is curated on The Legend of ABM, the duo’s full length 2024 release. It’s an intense, raw, and powerful listen, grabbing the listener’s attention with the explosive opener “Stanley Kubrick” and not letting go across the album’s brisk 30-minute runtime. Producer Formants absolutely nails the instrumentals, crafting a series of tight, thorny beats that refuse to let the audience settle. Clocking in at just over four minutes, the closer “Magnum Opus” is the album’s longest, and most introspective, song. Featuring the ethereal vocals of Abbie from Mars, it’s the perfect way to end the demanding project. With heavy beats and sharp lyrics, Angry Blackmen make Gabe’s the place to be on Friday night. 

-Glenn Houlihan, Editorial Staff

Mannequin Pussy (9:30 PM Englert Theater)

Hailing from the ever-innovative music scenes in Philadelphia, Mannequin Pussy is an indie pop-punk band that is just as melodic as they are hardcore. Their Mission Creek performance on Friday comes over a year since their last project, I Got Heaven released. Having cut their teeth on the underground scene for nearly a decade, last year’s record pushed them to a new stratosphere with popular online music blogs. It’s the band’s best album yet and is a deep well of emotional depth that manages to compellingly describe the human condition with a tinge of euphoric luster.  

Similarly, their performances complement their incredible discography and match the intense cathartic energy of their music. This show is a must see for those who enjoy performance art and creativity of any form in music. Mannequin Pussy represents the best of what alternative music has to offer in both sound and style. 

-Maurice Crawford, Editorial Staff

The post Mission Creek 2025 Preview: Thursday & Friday appeared first on KRUI Radio.

karennoid – “La Ideal”

Chicago local and cofounder of Agua de Rosas party series comes with her first single. Expect reggaetón, del bueno. – Andrés

Great beat and mixing, need more reggaetón on airrrr! – Eli

Hana Vu – “Care”

Soaring guitars and reverbed out vocals mark a cacophonous first single from Vu’s upcoming record. – Evan

Teethe – Tag / Lucky

Now That’s What I Call Slowcore! Dejected, yet heartfelt set of tracks from Teethe. Very nice. Very slacker. – Evan

Vampire Weekend – “Capricorn / Gen-X Cops”

Coming from one of the greatest indie rock bands to ever do it, these two singles certainly live up to their standard and is among their best material. Sonically, these songs feel like a natural progression from their opus, Modern Vampires of the City. “Capricorn” has a hazy yet groovy psychedelic vibe backed by a stellar piano track and punchy drums. “Gen-X Cops” is a nice grungy take on the traditional Vampire Weekend sound and lyrically focuses on generational regret. Both of these songs are stellar and should generate much anticipation for their upcoming album Only God Was Above Us. – Maurice

Elkka – “Make Me”

Some very solid, lo-fi deep house. Catchy and head-bobbin’. – Eli

Elkka comes around stronger on this single for her upcoming album coming out on the Ninja Tune record label. The hi-hat playing throughout the heavier parts of the track are uplifting and fresh, with well crafted contrast to the sample that calls out “Make me love you, all night long.” This is backed with string instruments bathing your ears. This single makes me look forward to the album. – An Andrés Pick

Bedbug – “postcard”

Bedbug moves beyond the bedroom in their latest album. They replace lo-fi padded drum machines and samples with live instrumentation, strings, and the whole nine yards. The results speak for themselves. One of the best emo adjacent releases of the year so far. Absolutely worth the add. – Evan

Molly Lewis – On The Lips

The soundtrack to a space station resort. Meandering, lush lounge escapes float through the listener’s ear ways. Not too dissimilar from Mild High Club. Pleasant front to back. Worthful for the potential nu-lounge resurgence. Also, you wish you could whistle like this. – Evan

Listen to our Main Rotation playlist below!

The post KRUI Spins [02/27/24]: Molly Lewis, Elkka, bedbug, and More appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Emily Wells and Lex Leto are analogous in many ways: both incredible singers, lenient on the use of sampling through their live performance, and display control over their instrument of choice. I would compare their match to PB and Jelly, toast to butter, tea and biscuits, and every other cheesy food analogy.

Lex Leto’s performance was deeply emotionally charged, as is staple from their original productions. Most of their performance was based on their Right Here album, released mid-summer. Just like the A24 movie with the similar name as the time of release, it sits in an unsettling yet comforting and beautiful spot on the musical spectrum. Leto evokes these feelings using seamless transitions, and soothing ethereal synths that are a joy to listen to. From time to time, these would be accompanied by Leto’s soft voice, as in “the dark alone it were my own”, where the use of foley-like percussion elements and vocal chops generated a clear contrast between the eerie and the beautiful. Leto’s performance complimented perfectly with what Wells was bringing to the table, using similar elements that draw inspiration from the headliner yet separating themselves as a local staple of live music.

Emily Wells stopped in as part of a three-show tour through the Midwest. Iowa City could not be more glad to have her perform within the walls of The James, described by Wells during her set as an intimate space that gave her the liberty to express freely. Wells compiles more than 20 years of her career, and the trajectory shows how intertwined she is with her instruments. Deliberate and delicate movements through out the performance displayed the emotions of her most recent release Regards to the End, which contains most of the songs in Wells’ performance. She presented the contrast of unsettledness and beauty through arrangement of synths or violin, evoking drums, and vocal mastery.

Image via Andrés Mora Mata

There is a certain aspect of vulnerability when performing a piece of music for the first time, that is hardly compared with any other vulnerable situation. During her performance, Wells prefaced a piece by setting a stage: an uncomfortable dinner where artists and friends are forced to wear a figurative mask towards a funder, and how this dynamic could either strengthen or diminish their relationship by voicing their true or constructed opinions towards a political issue. The piece, a part of an opera, takes you to an uncanny place with scarce, atonal keys layered with Wells vocals that sounded purposely frightened. Definitely one of my favorites of the show.

Wells dedicated an awesome rendition of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance to Leto, as an intimate and truthful exchange of artists sharing the same stage, and maybe the same experiences independently. That encapsulated to me what Track Zero strives for, and what it will be for the rest of the series: a curated match of local artists with their touring counterparts where barriers are basically non-existent.

The next Track Zero show is Kassa Overall, with support from Jack Lion & Tahjia Brantley at The James Theater on September 29th.

The post Emily Wells and Lex Leto are the Staple of What Track Zero Achieves appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Starting roughly four years ago, siblings Hadley, Logan, and former band member Campbell Nelson began making music through the realization of sampling and the doors it can open. Stripping palpable elements of electronic music translated into indie pop, through the use of Amen-break-like drum elements, strong synth leads achieved from vocal or sample chops, additional guitar elements, all topped with energetic vocals from the siblings; Silver Cup poses as a band with some of the most interesting sounds indie pop has to offer.

As Logan, who is responsible for producing the songs, explains, “My mindset has always been sampling. Digging into crates, recording that snippet of the record; or even finding something in the public domain that has an interesting sound to it. That is how we try to make the sound of Silver Cup stand out.” Sampling is highly relevant now, due to its universal application, making it one of the most accessible ways to make music, yet not an easy task to master. Logan says that he has drawn major influences on the creativity that comes from sampling as well as sound processing, “It was sort of a before and after when my brother showed me how Madlib and J Dilla used to do it: just some old records and an MPC controller. It marked the way I approach production. Another huge influence is the sound design coming from Four Tet, able to take acoustic sounds and crumple them up to compose beautiful pieces of music.”

Silver Cup’s vocals rest in the hands of both siblings, but Hadley’s writing and voice stand out as they are emotionally filled with themes established early in their formative years, “Since the beginning, Silver Cup as a project has had this coming-of-age feeling, which comes naturally to us as siblings. So, a lot of the influences we’ve had are based on what we used to listen to with our mom in the car. Personally though, Imogen Heap and The Postal Service are the two staples in that regard.” As the siblings grew older, they have established their music taste and extracted clear sonic profiles from current artists, as Hadley explains, “translating the same sonic profile (from Imogen Heap and The Postal Service) to the modern day, Caroline Polachek has played a big influence as well, especially as a vocalist and how she combines her voice with the electronic elements of her music.”

Even though a lot of the musical history the siblings have is strongly intertwined, both Hadley and Logan have had their respective experience when it comes to listening and writing music. Hadley has been performing on stage since an early age. Whether it be in musical theater, or to their family and friends as a kid, there was always a musical element that called out. “I was in college when Logan reached out asking to start Silver Cup, and starting the project played a big part in how I listen to music.” Hadley explains that the call to write her own pieces very much influenced her approach to listening to music. “We all listened to music throughout high school and college, but sometimes it was my brother who would send me stuff to listen to. It was throughout the course of last year that I started to develop an individual taste; either from finding artists on my own or rediscovering some that I used to listen to as a kid. For example, Imogen Heap, an artist who I listened as a kid, is a completely different experience 15 years later”

As with any other person within the music industry nowadays, social media plays a big part in how your music will engage with an audience. It is not a new thing, as Logan describes, “Since the beginning of pop music as we know it, musicians have always been personas. The only difference from previous years is that then the main medium was TV. Artists would go out of their way and make an appearance on TV because they wanted their music to be successful, even if they didn’t want to be there.” Silver Cup’s music has benefited from some virality, as Hadley explains, “it has been a catalyst for Silver Cup’s growth which I am super grateful for.” Their goal when it comes to social media is to not overplay it, but rather show authenticity. “We would rather take our time to share our music through an authentic lens, showing a bit of ourselves hoping that it would ring with people who are interested in our music and through that mean build a community”, Logan explains. As far as I can tell, the fruits of their efforts are palpable through the connection between the people who are familiar with Silver Cup’s music and the band itself.

When preparing for their now ongoing tour, Hadley mentioned that their new set up consists of mostly MIDI controllers, a pair of guitars, and a wireless headset mic for Hadley (like those NSYNC would wear on stage). “This setup is more compact since we are going on the road. Usually, we would have a drummer with us, but we would be compressing it down to an electronic set up which requires a whole different preparation itself.” When talking with the band, they said that they only took one day off after practicing their performance for the greater part of a month, “mainly because we are not a band who wants to take shows lightly. You can find bands that would just hang out, jam for an hour or two the day before their show and they would do just fine, but Hadley and I never settled for average when we played live. We want to make sure the audience has a good experience, regardless of them knowing our music.”

The show Silver Cup played in Iowa City was only their second of the tour they are currently on, as a support to Flamingos in the Tree. I was looking forward to listening to what they had in store. From my perspective, the practice paid off. You could clearly sense the energy and enthusiasm they were wanting to transmit. They did an incredible job in setting the scene, clearly delimiting their performance from the one from the previous band. It came as a surprise how they were able to control the strobe lights on stage, mapping its actions with the MIDI signals sent by some of the electronic elements within their digital audio workstation (DAW). When the show went on, you can clearly see how the preparation paid off. Their set up can seem gimmicky (and may lead to a just few technical issues), but each part played an important role on their performance. Hadley’s delicate yet powerful movements on stage are enabled by the headset mic, Logan playing guitar increases the energy of the performance, and the sibling’s ability to arrange the songs live through their MIDI controllers allows for distinctive energy build ups that can be hard to achieve with a regular set up. Their ability to engage with the audience is second-to-none. I have no doubt that later dates would benefit from a spotless performance, after ironing out the technical issues.

Image via Silver Cup

The band played multiple unreleased songs that still engaged with the audience. All these, in addition to the three most recent singles (Away, Bizarre Love Triangle, and Kill For You) are part of the upcoming mixtape from the band, titled “Songs from a broken laptop”, coming on early August.

“In the process of moving from Utah to New York, having struck some luck with virality, we had multiple meetings with people within the music industry. They always asked, “where is your 10? where is that hit?”. We became obsessed with that idea, which allowed us to grow and write cool music. But having that as a forefront is not sustainable, especially if your hard work is not received as expected. After scrapping for that “ten”, exhausted from the burden, we changed our mind, reaching a point of us just wanting to have fun. This mixtape was created over the course of two months, on a broken laptop that was run over by a car on tour, in a time when there wasn’t much gas left in the tank. The title of the mixtape, “Songs from a broken laptop”, is true in more ways than one. Is the most honest work we have made to date and we hope people like it as much as we do. “

I have resonated with their music, especially their most recent releases. The three singles pose as the band’s most electronic-forward music yet. Their truly infectious rendition to New Orders’ Bizarre Love Triangle is a fun modernization that maintains the same gloomy feeling from the original. The themes touched in Away are true to the band’s core and ethos, growing up and changing. And Kill For You, which is probably my favorite of the three singles coming from the mixtape, is an energetic way to tell your significant other you would do anything for them. The sample played in the chorus paired with Hadley’s vocals are spot on, with everything brought together with the Reese bassline and the drum break made famous by The Winstons. 

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