When it comes time to choose shows to review for Mission Creek, I automatically seek the music that would live here, in this happy place. This year’s festival was no different, though I admire the music scene all around Iowa City. This is a special time of year where, somehow, magic happens and there is affordable merch available after sets.

This magic is the reason I go to these concerts blind, in this case Pink Neighbor and Ratboys, without knowledge of the band members or their music. I don’t want reviews or already recorded releases to be my learning material; I want them to teach me in the moment, with their instruments and their voices. And so they do, every single time.

The first band of the night was Pink Neighbor, a band from Grinnell, Iowa, started by Katie In and Erik Garvis. They make music they describe as, “Groovy. Intimate. Loungey. And of course, neighborly.”

Pink Neighbor made music that would fit in perfectly on the soundtrack of a murder mystery about a battle between rock stars and jazz musicians. There are probably aliens involved as well. It would emanate from the cassette player of a car travelling through dreams of pastel-colored sand dunes. They are what you would see if you imagined a band in a lava lamp: iridescent suits, tasseled jackets, sequined tank tops paired with fishnets and thigh-highs, a metallic-shimmering-swirly pink drumset. I was mesmerized. I still was in the morning.

As the name “Pink Neighbor” suggests, the band makes music that feels like home, but one that lives in an imagined place rather than a sentient one. There is jazz from a saxophone, the universe from a keyboard, the rock n’ roll from the guitars, the intensity from the drums.

There was a set of lyrics from a song called “Nebula” that solidified the feeling of communal acceptance and care. They weren’t only sung, but spoken to the audience before the band began to play:

Get down with your neighbor,
shake your hips, wave your hands
and float it on you.

When I drive home for my father’s birthday this weekend, I will bring the copy of Time Driving I bought after the show with me. I can imagine that the car is flying and there is a sherbet-hued desert below me. That’s what this music does. I only wish it could last forever.

Between Pink Neighbor’s set and Ratboys’, Iowa City band, Halfloves, took their place on The Mill’s stage. You can read Caley’s review of their performance here to learn more about what they put out this year for Mission Creek Festival.

As Ratboys took the stage, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I knew them. They look and sound just like the people I have come to surround myself with in my time here. They share our jokes and maybe even feel what we feel. They made me hear what Paramore might sound like if they had been born and raised in Iowa City (not to insinuate that I am anywhere near the realm of surrounding myself with the members of Paramore). Ratboys isn’t too far off, either; the band came to visit us for Mission Creek from Chicago and will also be going on a gigantic tour for the next few months to spread their sound across the country.

An excerpt from my notes at the beginning of the performance: From the tuning, I knew I was in love. Harmony! Melody! I would sit and listen to a band tune forever, if it ever took so long to get the strings to strike perfectly. It never lasts long enough, and Ratboys let their notes slide.

The set started off emulating the thesis Ratboys gave to Mission Creek Festival: to “write songs that tell stories and honor the intimacy of memory.” The first was called “Molly,” about lead singer Julia Steiner’s sister of the same name. The second was “Elvis in the Freezer,” about her cat, who passed tragically at the age of six and was kept in the freezer until a proper funeral could be performed. As a cat fanatic, this one hit my heart hard.

I was struck by the confidence of Steiner’s vocal confidence. It is always impressive to see an artist belt into a microphone without hesitation and with such intense control over their own voice. She was perfectly in rhythm, and the audience had the honor of being introduced to her new, deep-blue guitar. We were the first to hear it on stage.

At the end of their performance I went to Ratboy’s merch table and bought an indigo-sky blue shirt featuring white horses outlined in hot pink. Julia was at the table and I got to tell her what a great show she put on. I could feel the genuine joy she felt in being there, in Iowa City’s happy place of a venue, playing for people who so wanted to be there, listening and learning.

Mission Creek is far from over, so head over to the online schedule and see what shows are coming up! Snag a ticket and support an artist or author if you can.

The post Pink Neighbor and Ratboys @ The Mill 4/3/2019 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Our equipment is growing more outdated by the year, and if it breaks in the near future we will not have the financial ability to fix it. We need help soon, or the station’s livelihood will be in jeopardy. This bill is the key to KRUI staying alive and continuing to help its members find their voice.
We have fought for this funding before, and are doing it again now.

This college radio station has helped its members refine the skills they will need in their future careers, realize their goals for the future, and has created a community of students and community members who care about raising recognition for alternative media. I can speak for this myself; KRUI is where I began making my writing public almost exactly three years ago as a freshman.

KRUI’s members have gone on to work as ESPN correspondents, authors, screenwriters, Olympians, and, of course, radio broadcasters. More than that, they become leaders, thinkers, and communicators with confidence.

Please, if you love our radio station, our online content, our sports coverage, or any other entertainment KRUI provides you with, voice your support for us on Twitter (our handle is @KRUI) or by coming to the Black Box Theatre in the Iowa Memorial Union at 7pm tonight to see what happens next.

We appreciate everybody who is already tweeting in support, and those who have always supported the radio station by listening. KRUI has been a gift, and we want it to continue as a valuable resource on the University of Iowa campus. We truly believe we can make this happen.

The post Support KRUI’s Future! appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The Alloy Orchestra took the stage at the Englert last Saturday night to musically accompany the German silent film Varieté.

As much as the evening was focused on the musical performance, there was a layer of wonder in the air at the Englert. A group of people were crowing the building to see a silent film in an era where special effects rule all.

Everyone was visibly excited to see the film as much as they were to hear the original music created for it by the orchestra. It was almost as though we had been transported to a time when a silent film was the most magnificent thing to ever have happened.

The plot of the film was simple and thrilling enough: a helpless women shows up on the doorstep of a circus’ bossman. He leaves his wife for her immediately and they go to perform trapeze around the world together.

I am an old soul, so viewing the movie in itself would’ve been a perfect night. The crackly black and white, the first visual effects available to filmmakers, the costume. It was all perfect. What truly made the viewing complete, without a doubt, was the Alloy Orchestra.

The Alloy Orchestra consists of three men: Terry Donahue (percussion), Ken Winokur (percussion), and Roger Miller (keyboards). The group has been making “new music for silent films” since their first performance in 1991, and their decades of practice have clearly paid off.

There were countless times throughout the film I had to remind myself that the music was being performed for us live, in front of our eyes. The arrangements were so stunningly perfect.

As a trapeze artist made it safely into the arms of another mid-air, their cymbals crashed in perfect time. As the camera showed hordes of people enjoying their time at the circus, the accordion created the best series of playful rhythms. As the climax of the film took place, and as the audience realized what was happening, the orchestra built suspense in precise time.

The performance was the best event for a chilly night circa Halloween. The movie had just enough chilling elements that made it great for this creepy time of year.

It was a night of transportation. It was hard to remember that we were in the 21st century. The film and the orchestra didn’t need bright colors or CGI to make the viewing experience into something really special.

The Alloy Orchestra visits the Englert every year to perform alongside a silent film. In the past they have accompanied A Page of Madness, The General, and Metropolis. I can’t wait to see what they decide to build at the Englert next year. I will be right there with them as though we’re in the 1920s.

Keep up with the Alloy Orchestra and where they’ll be next here. You can also purchase their records on their online store or find some performances by searching for them on YouTube.

The post Alloy Orchestra Presents: Varieté @ The Englert Theatre appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The post Listen to KRUI Live from the Homecoming Parade! appeared first on KRUI Radio.

To read a review of the local readers at the Writers of Color Reading Series, check out Onae’s article on krui.fm

I first hears Asghar’s name on a podcast. She was a guest on VS, hosted by Danez Smith (who visited Iowa City for last year’s Writers of Color Reading Series) and Franny Choi. This is where I heard her read her poem “If They Come for Us” and completely fell in love with her voice. I went to Prairie Lights and bought her book of the same title the next day.

Her track record is, to say the least, entirely impressive.

Asghar wrote “Brown Girls”, an Emmy-nominated web series about friendships among women of color. She has published two books, “After” and “If They Come for Us”, the latter of which she read from at the Englert. She created a spoken work poetry group in Bosnia and Herzegovina named REFLEKS.

Her work has been published in POETRY Magazine, Buzzfeed Reader, Gulf Coast, and many more. It is an honor to have such a talented writer in Iowa City, reading on the Englert stage.

When she gets on stage, she starts with her poem “Old Country”, which is about her family eating at Old Country buffet extremely often, and how that bridged her way into understanding more about American culture.

“Here we learned how to say I too have had meatloaf & hate it“. “Here we loosened the drawstrings on our shalwaars & gained ten pounds.” Asghar makes it known early on that her poetry is both comedic and raw, and that she knows how to blend the two perfectly. After she is done reading, she proudly deems herself a “buffet ass hoe”.

Next, she addresses the crowd. “Is anyone here Muslim?” When there is loud silence, she just responds with “Crickets, huh?”

Then she reads “Halal” and “Partition”, delving deeper into herself as a Muslim woman through her words. Before she reads “Partition”, she provides for the audience an epigraph describing what the Partition of India in 1947 was and what it did.

The British government split India into two countries, India and Pakistan, to split Hindus and Muslims, aiming to limit bloodshed. 14 million people were forced into migration. 1-2 people died and an estimated 75,000 to 100,000 women were abducted and raped.

In Asghar’s poem “Partition”, she writes “When he leaves we sit at the base of the blue wall & I laugh loud so Auntie A knows I’m alive & ok & she laughs loud so I know she hasn’t left.” She relates a gigantic tragedy to her own family, and perfectly relates how long a historical tragedy can impact people, within or outside the context of their culture.

She reads her next two poems. “When the Orders Came” was first, prefaced by a Trump administration quote announcing the Muslim travel ban. “Boy” was second, about hyper-masculinity and the damage it can cause.

“How is everyone feeling?” Asghar asks. “Kind of sad?”

Her last poem of the night was the same I was introduced to her through, “If They Come for Us”. It was even more incredible than hearing it through car speakers as I had the first time.

I would deeply recommend finding Asghar’s book at the Public Library, University Main Library, or at Prairie Lights. I learned so much from Asghar’s poetry, and that experience was only widely expanded from seeing her say it aloud.

Here is a video of Asghar reading another one of my favorites of hers, “Pluto Shits on the Universe”

The post Witching Hour: Fatimah Asghar @ The Englert Theatre 10/13/2018 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Writers of Color Reading

Fatimah Asghar, a Pakistani-Kashmiri-American poet and Fulbright fellow, leads with Writers of Color Reading Series for this year’s Witching Hour. Asghar co-created and wrote an Emmy-nominated web series called “Brown Girls”. Other readers include Natalia Reyes, Siyanda Mohutsiwa, Bruna Dantas Lobato, Aimee Fredericksen, Leon Pan, and Joe Emanuel.

This reading series will take place at The Englert Theatre on Saturday night starting at 8pm.

Julie Byrne

Julie Byrne, performing a concert co-presented with UI student organization SCOPE, is an atmospheric guitarist and vocalist. She has released two albums and two EPs in her career, the most recent titled “Not Even Happiness”. This recent album is inspired by Byrne’s first time witnessing the Pacific Northwest, and it is clear that nature drives her as soon as the album starts playing. Along with being a musician, Byrne is a seasonal park ranger at Central Park in New York.

Byrne will begin her set on The Mill’s stage Friday at 9:30pm after Squirrel Flower plays at 8:30pm.

Puddles Pity Party

Puddles Pity Party is described as “the sad clown with a golden voice.” He remains completely silent when he isn’t singing in a deep, melancholy voice, which caught public attention after his cover of Lorde’s “Royals” went viral. Puddles has performed his acts around the world and was a runner-up on America’s Got Talent. Puddles is an entirely emotive artist, and his work can reach everybody’s heart in some striking way.

The event will begin at The Englert Theatre at 8:30pm on Friday night.

Jack Lion and Jaimie Branch

Electronic, jazz-infused trio Jack Lion will be opening for Jaimie Branch, an experimental jazz trumpeter. Jack Lion, based in Iowa City, draws from each member’s formal jazz training for musical inspiration. Jaimie Branch, also a recording engineer and presenter will be performing with a band full of long-time collaborates for Witching Hour.

The concert begins with Jack Lion at Gabe’s on Saturday at 10pm.

Janelle James and Liza Treyger

Janelle James is a comedian, providing hilarious commentary on aging and family life along with her raunchy storytelling. Liza Treyger recently released her first half-hour Netflix comedy special, used to work on Chelsea Lately, and was a cast member on MTV’s “Joking Off”. The two female comedians’ sets will meld together to create a perfect, humorous evening.

James and Treyger will perform at The Englert Theatre starting with James at 9:30pm on Saturday night.

Parts Unknown Dinner

In the wake of chef Anthony Bourdain‘s death earlier in 2018, the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program and the Chef de Cuisine of St. Burch Tavern, Gabe Branch, collaborate to present the Parts Unknown Dinner. Bourdain was not only the host of a food-based television show, but made an extreme effort to fully appreciate and understand the people who showed him cuisine from across the word. He wanted to know the people, not commodify their food.

The dinner will take place at St. Burch Tavern on Saturday at 5pm, but has sold out in advance.

Passes are still available, and some events have individually priced tickets. For the first time this year, Witching Hour Festival is also selling student passes at a discounted and very affordable price. If you’re interested in attending the festival, check out passes here!

The post Witching Hour: KRUI’s Top Picks appeared first on KRUI Radio.

If you’re interested in learning more about what KRUI has to offer, come to either of our recruitment meetings from 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 12 and 13th in Room W228 of the Chemistry Building. If you’re unable to make it to either meeting, use this link to express your interest in working with us.

The post Join Us at KRUI! appeared first on KRUI Radio.

This is the first installment of what I’m choosing to call the next chapter of my column, “Stella”. Every other week, I will be highlighting a new incredible woman, genderqueer, or non-binary artist. “Stella” became my goal when I noticed these voices weren’t showing up on my playlists; neither the playlists I’ve created for myself or those made for me by Spotify every day.

As a die hard feminist this was upsetting, but it was even more embarrassing. Men were the default, even for someone who finds a deeply rooted connection with women. The more I put effort into choosing female artists, the more I realized just how much I’d been missing out on. This was empowering. I have to make this stretch further than just me.

“Music does a lot of things for a lot of people. It’s transporting, for sure. It can take you right back, years back, to the very moment certain things happened in your life. It’s uplifting, it’s encouraging, it’s strengthening.” – Aretha Franklin

Equality on the airwaves doesn’t come with just choosing cis women. This is why I’m also going to be highlighting transgender women and genderqueer or non-binary people. These groups are far too often ignored, and while cis women aren’t the default, we have the privilege of always being a part of the conversation.

Every other week, “Stella” will be published on krui.fm. Each week there is a “Stella” published, I will be hosting a radio show on KRUI 89.7fm from 7pm-8pm highlighting the artist I have written about. If there wasn’t an article that week, I’ll still be on their air playing only music women, genderqueer, and non-binary folks. Please tune in or listen by streaming on our website!

Today’s article will be about one of the all-time most influential women in the entire music industry: Aretha Franklin. She redefined R&B, jazz and gospel music throughout her life.

Born in 1942, Franklin was born in Memphis, but relocated to Detroit by the time she was five. Though her mother died when she was young, her father was supportive of her singing career, acting as her manager.

Franklin released her first album, “Songs of Faith”, when she was 14 years old. She signed with Columbia Records when she was 18, and released her single “Today I Sing the Blues”. It got her to the top ten of the Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Sellers chart.

One year later, in 1961, she peaked at number seven on the Billboard R&B chart with “Won’t Be Long” and was in the Top 40 with “Rock-a-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody”. Through the mid-60s, Franklin was quickly gaining momentum, releasing seven more albums and regularly appearing on Billboard charts before 1967. Then she would skyrocket.

After signing to Atlantic Records, Franklin recorded her first top ten single on the Billboard Hot 100, “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)”. Shortly afterward, she recorded her signature song, an upbeat cover of Otis Redding’s “Respect”. This song was later deemed a feminist and civil rights anthem.

She recorded one of my favorite songs, covered by many artists, “(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman”, on her debut album with Atlantic, “I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You”. This album was her first to go gold and also had another one of my favorite songs of hers, “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man”.

During the early 70s, she released the single “Spanish Harlem” and one of her most famous albums, “Young, Gifted & Black”. “Day Dreaming” and her cover of “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” were featured on this album. She also went back to her roots in gospel with the album“Amazing Grace” and recorded the most lovely rendition of the titular track.

Throughout the 70s, Franklin’s albums started to dip in sales and on the charts. Even with this bad luck, she still topped the R&B chart with “Something He Can Feel”.

In the later years of her career there was a clear stylistic shift in Franklin’s music. She released her first platinum album “Who’s Zoomin’ Who?” and recorded “I Knew You Were Waiting for Me” with George Michael. She also released a song produced by the incredible Lauryn Hill titled “A Rose is Still a Rose”.

“Being the Queen is not all about singing, and being a diva is not all about singing. It has much to do with your service to people. And your social contributions to your community and your civic contributions as well.” – Aretha Franklin

Franklin has performed at the Royal Albert Hall for Queen Elizabeth, at a gala for Elton John’s AIDS Foundation, and at the Super Bowl. She was also the first woman and woman of color to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 by Keith Richards (after 13 men had already been inducted).

She was also a teen mom giving birth to two sons by the time she was 14. She had two more song later in her life. Two of her sisters, Erma and Carolyn, sang backup for Franklin in her recordings. She escaped a violent marriage. She was given an honorary Doctorate of Arts from Harvard. She was Whitney Houston’s honorary aunt after becoming close with her mother, Cissy.

She has received both a Grammy Legend Award and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. She also has earned a National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She is first on the Rolling Stone’s list of Greatest Singers of All Time.

When she sings you can feel it. She takes her entire life and puts it into her music. She has mastered R&B, gospel, soul, pop, and jazz genres. She has given them new life over her 62 years of releasing music. There is no one like her.

She was the best. She is the best. She achieved more than any other female musician in the 60s and 70s, though she did have some stellar competition. She has been immortalized through all of her achievements, and she is still performing. She was the perfect person to start off my new “Stella”.

Be sure to catch “Stella” on the air Friday, July 13th from 7pm-8pm to hear Aretha Franklin’s music!

“Stella” is a column dedicated to highlighting women and people who identify as genderqueer or non-binary. It is essential that we begin hearing these voices in our playlists. We will delve into their histories, significance, power, and talents. “Stella” is accompanied by a radio show, airing every Friday from 7pm-8pm on 89.7fm. The shows that fall on weeks a “Stella” article is published will highlight the specific artist I have written about, while each other week will feature a variety of women, genderqueer, or non-binary artists.

The post Stella: Aretha Franklin appeared first on KRUI Radio.

I knew very little about female rapper Psalm One when I arrived at the Englert. I’d never heard a song of hers and I had no clue what to expect, but as the theatre filled up with twenty-somethings, I knew I was in for something great.

As Psalm One’s DJ for the evening, Angel Davenport, got on stage, there was immediate applause. As she introduced Psalm One, the audience automatically seemed happier.

As she strolled on stage, one of the first things she said was “if you’re ever feeling the mood in here and want to dance or move, please do.”

Then she began rapping and I was instantly entranced. As I watched her start her set, I thought to myself “she was really born to rap live”. She is clearly in her element.

Psalm One’s music reminds me of a combination of Princess Nokia, Missy Elliot, and Noname, but it was still all her own. It was rhythmic, it was impactful, it was moving.

Both Angel Davenport and Psalm One made a point to engage the audience as much as they could in a fun way. It wasn’t just a thank you three or four times through a set. There was something personal about how they chose to interact with the audience.

At one point, Psalm One explained that she doesn’t rap or sing, but instead she “saps.” She and Davenport also interacted with the little girls dancing to their music in the front row, which was entirely too cute.

The chemistry between Psalm One and Angel Davenport fueled the performance. It created an empowering, positive environment that filled the theatre.

They were constantly hyping each other up like they were best friends dancing around their room at a sleepover. It felt like as they were getting more comfortable on the stage, the audience was more comfortable expressing themselves.

The notes I took during the performance confirm it: “Something emotional happened here.”

There was an entire audience standing and dancing. There were two women on stage owning their presence, confidence, talent and sex positivity. It was like magic watching people interact with the moment.

If women could live in a world that was just like Psalm One’s concert, I think it would be a much better place.

While I thought that the venue would be a barrier for the artists performing, it never was. The Englert gives each attendee a seat, and all the artists that night make moving music. Still, people still got up to dance and move along with the music, but it was sometimes odd to remember we were in a theatre.

She has also performed at The Mill, Gabe’s, the Blue Moose, and the Yacht Club in the past, so it’s likely we’ll see her again in one of these venues.

This year’s Mission Creek was an incredible success and I already can’t wait until next year’s!

Make sure to listen to some of Psalm One’s albums below and watch for her to come back to Iowa City in the future!

The post Mission Creek Festival: Psalm One @ The Englert 4/8/2018 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

I attended the concert with my aunt and uncle. They specifically drove to Iowa City from around forty-five minutes away just to see S. Carey live again. The way they talked about hearing his music was contagious. I was giddy for the concert to begin.

S. Carey is a musician from Wisconsin trained in jazz originally. His vocals on his three full-length albums (“All We Grow”, Range of Light” and Hundred Acres”) are smooth and impactful.

He’s worked with other acts such as Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens, and The Tallest Man on Earth throughout his career, but is now focused on his solo career.

When we arrived at The Mill, the venue was full of people waiting for the first opener, Extravision. It was even more packed when the second opener, Gordi, came on stage.

By the time Gordi’s set was finished, The Mill’s bar was packed, the booths were filled, and the floor was covered with people sitting, looking up at the stage.

There was a gigantic variety of people there. Those of all ages seemed to be very enthusiastic about seeing him perform.

The energy in the room noticeably changed when S. Carey took the stage. The venue was loud and buzzing with conversation before, but their voices all dropped.

While I’d heard a few of S. Carey’s songs in the past, I knew that the full immersion of hearing them live would be much better. I was completely right.

S. Carey makes driving music. It feels so innately connected to the earth, and nothing made this clearer to me than his performance of “True North”. It was so light, but it filled up the room. It echoed around the audience, bouncing around the walls.

It was also great to see S. Carey switch from instrument to instrument.

He was playing the guitar at one point but would move to the drums for the next song. He moved with his instruments with so much intention. It was so clear that he’d spent an abundance of time perfecting his songs.

Along with all of this, I got to see a pedal steel guitar be played live. The sound this instrument makes is one of my favorite sounds on earth, and I’m a sucker for any song featuring one.

S. Carey also suggested that they play a “tuning song”, and they chose “Sleep Walk” originally performed by Santo & Johnny. I guarantee you’ve heard it before, but not the way S. Carey played it. Hearing it live, in their specific style, was surreal.

If I had one critique for the show, it would only be that it ended far too soon. I was so wrapped up in what the music was telling me that when S. Carey thanked us for coming, I wasn’t prepared. I will be sure to look out for him the next time he’s near Iowa.

If you haven’t heard S. Carey’s music before, it’s the most soothing experience I’ve had the honor of having. Listen to their newest album, “Hundred Acres” below!

The post Mission Creek Festival: S. Carey @ The Mill 4/6/2018 appeared first on KRUI Radio.