Before discussing their actual performance, I think it is worth noting their stage set-up. When I arrived at the Englert and sat down in my seat, my eyes were immediately drawn to the vacant stage which was full of anywhere between 15–25 massive amps and speakers facing menacingly towards the crowd. These amps, besides a handful of lights sitting behind them, were really the only things on the stage. I was aware of their incredibly loud stage presence before the show, but seeing the comical amount of speakers on stage set the scene for the night I was about to have.

Before sunn O))) took the stage, Gentry Densley–a Salt Lake City based experimental metal artist–played a 45 minute performance. This performance was unlike any live show I have been to at this point in my life. Densley stood in the middle of the stage with one guitar and played songs that mixed drone metal guitar playing and heavy metal throat singing. Each song blended into each other, making it hard to tell when one song ended and another began. It was an incredibly interesting and innovative performance that I would love to see again some day. How one person was able to create such a rich soundscape alone, I have no idea.

Densley was loud of course, but nothing could’ve prepared me for the sensation I experienced once sunn O))) finally took the stage. Through a heavy cloud of fog produced by fog machines off stage, and deep red stage lights, O’Malley and Anderson came on stage in their signature black robes. The crowd cheered after the long wait, and only stopped when both performers strummed a chord out on their guitars – a chord so loud that you could feel the sound waves rattle throughout your entire body. I cannot stress enough the power that each of their guitar strums had–it is not only that you felt the vibrations of sound throughout your whole body, but that it was truly unescapable. You could feel your chair, the walls, the ground, all rattling to their blaring music.

Their entire performance, which lasted around 90 minutes, consisted of just 5-6 songs that were stretched out as long as they possibly could. The performers would strum their guitars, slowly raise their hands up in the air, and strum their guitars again. This pattern, along with the lights continuously changing throughout the course of the night, lasted the entire show. Despite the repetitious nature of the music, I never found the performance boring or got the the sense that it was dragging on. O’Malley and Anderson’s stage presence, as well as their inventive music, was enough to make the show interesting from start to finish.

Even if you are not a drone metal fan, or even a heavy metal fan, I still think missing a sunn O))) performance would be a huge mistake. Rarely at this point in my life do I get the opportunity to say ‘that performance was truly unlike anything I have ever seen before,’ but in this case it genuinely was. I think that is reason enough to check out these performers live. With their stage presence, their near-deafening music, and their incredibly devoted fanbase, the energy in the room was palpable and undeniable. Solely given the sensation that their thunderous music gives you, sunn O))) makes the case that music, as much as being heard, is to be felt, and experiencing that sensation in person was a one of a kind experience.

The post Iowa City Left Shaking After sunn O))) Concert Review appeared first on KRUI Radio.

I certainly had specific expectations going into the reading, but at same time I was excited as I had never gone to a poetry reading before or something related to it like a slam poetry night. I’d assumed that the poetry read aloud would contain somber themes and the whole thing would be defined by a seriousness to it. However, Smith made the whole ordeal feel more like an they were the energetic opener that was getting us ready for the act after them, which was a performance from the Branford Marsalis Quartet. 

Smith started off with (and retained really) a cheerful attitude and surprisingly wanted the audience to react loudly. They started off with the classic “Hello, Iowa City!” expecting we would cheer loudly back. Of course when that didn’t happen, they demanded we do try again. Naturally, the audience (and myself) did cheer louder, and Smith remarked on how that was an improvement. I found myself shocked as I didn’t think you were even allowed to cheer at a poetry reading. I never thought I’d see a poet actively wanting to hype up their audience. Nevertheless it was a pleasant surprise and made me intrigued into what was coming next.

For the poems themselves, I really admire the selection Smith had gone with. The first poem was about Sioux City, another city in Iowa that was a nice way of adding something special for the Iowa City audience. I liked how the poem used the location to discuss something more serious like colonialism, which didn’t feel unnatural in the overall poem. Certain lines that stuck with me were “naked strangers,” and “evidence of evil,” just to name a couple. 

Smith followed those poems with a few love poems as well, I remember one was dedicated to their husband which of course when Smith mentioned that made me and some audience members audibly go “aww!” and of course Smith followed it up with a joke. I also recollect that Smith shared a poem which detailed how their barber had found out they were queer, which I found impactful and well well written. 

This reading if anything at points did feel like a stand-up show of sorts, Smith wasn’t afraid to crack jokes every now and then. Some that really stuck with me and had me laughing was their joke regarding the recent revelation made about former Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s husband, and one later that came when Smith had asked the lesbians in the crowd to cheer and unfortunately no one had cheered. I remembered Smith’s exaggerated shock and reminded the audience we should love lesbians before they moved on to reading a poem about lesbians. 

Overall, I would say Danez Smith’s poetry reading was quite literally the most memorable fifteen minutes I’ve experienced thus far. Smith’s poetry reading really showed that poetry readings don’t always have to maintain its serious flair and can be lighthearted. After the reading had ended, it definitely sparked an interest in checking out more of Smith’s work and maybe even attend another poetry reading in the possible future. I can only hope they can capture my attention that Smith did but as of right now, that’s gonna be pretty tough to beat.

The post Playful Poetry, Danez Smith Reading from Stop/Time Festival appeared first on KRUI Radio.

My day at Stop/Time actually started with a completely separate event. Waking up and knowing I had a few hours to kill before my sets started, I decided to check out Public Space One’s Ice Cream Zine Fair. Even as someone who rarely engages with art in this medium and actively avoids anything resembling a crafts show or farmers market, I thoroughly enjoyed sifting through the various tents and seeing so many different unique and talented artists captivating work. From diy magazines, to more traditional printed art, to experimental short film video compilations, this was living proof of the depth of quality and variety living within Iowa City’s vibrant arts community. And I’m more than happy that I got to experience this the same day as another fantastic arts festival. 

Unfortunately during the zine fair, I misplaced my Stop/Time badge which led into a minor panic. Frantically searching my whole dorm and car with 30 minutes left on the clock before Evicshen began, I ended up biting the bullet and returning to the festival’s headquarters at The Graduate hotel and begged them for another one. Thankfully they abided and graciously gave me another one before I could miss more than I already did.

Evicshen

Walking in a few minutes late I immediately took in the piercing buzz saw like noise and pulsating energy even from outside Gabes’ building. This enticing feeling carried on as I walked upstairs to the dark flickering lights shining on a crowd of people completely entranced by something completely alien in sound and performance.

As mentioned in my preview, Evicshen can be better described as a performance artist instead of the more conventional musician. She focused more on creating these extremely enthralling atmospheres using various sound distortion techniques and visual experiments. These techniques included bending records, scratching them with blades, and outright spinning them building into the occasional moments of harmony and rhythm. She created such an unpredictable environment, anytime I thought I had her next move pinpointed, I was sidestepped. 

After a shockingly beautiful moment of horn playing during her set, we returned back to the full-effect harsh noise as her body became wrapped in a tangled mess of cords, torn up records, and recording equipment scattered across the dance floor. Finally, the set ended with possibly her most shocking act: a large strong twirling of a real whip in the middle of the audience floor. It twirled only inches away from the closest audience members (myself included) as the distortion blared at its highest. With one final splitting crack of her whip, the distortion stopped and the lights turned on, capping off an incredible performance.

Sharp Pins

Coming into the next set I was already extremely excited, I’ve been a regular listener of Sharp Pins and the Kai Slater canon ever since discovering a Lifeguard track on our lovely KRUI music staff new-adds back in September. It’s very easy to get drawn into his catchy songwriting and quirky 60s aesthetic (both musically and visually), but the band keeps you staying with consistently great music. I had high hopes for their performance and was more than pleased for those to be completely fulfilled.

The three piece started their performance with Every Time I Hear, one of their most popular songs off of my personal favorite album of theirs, Radio DDR. The song perfectly kicked off the set with this gorgeous twangling guitar riff and simple but effective drum pattern, coming at a modest volume, but not enough to completely drown out the band’s beautiful three part harmonies. Almost instantly after the song ended, the band transitioned into You Turned off the Light, another catchy lo-fi pop rock banger off of their debut Turtle Rock record. The repeating bar chords and “girl, oh girl,” during the chorus continued to raise the light, abrasive energy of the concert into new heights while Kai Slater does his classic little rock kicks and jumps. 

As Sharp Pins seamlessly shifted from song after song of warm, lush musicals textures and lovable songwriting I realized I was losing myself in the performance, not wanting it to end. Unfortunately, as all good things do, it had to. They ended the setlist with I Can’t Stop, undoubtedly one of their best works. Their usual soft yet gorgeous sonic palette is no different on this track with the repeated lines “when I think of you don’t forget it,” tickling my eardrums in the best possible way. The song finishes with little instrumentation and the layered chanted chorus graciously fading into the background, ending a phenomenal concert experience.

From the loud and visceral Evicshen to the warm and soft Sharp Pins to even the Zine Fair, it was truly incredible getting to see such a unique and strong array of artistry across Iowa City that day. A true testament to this city’s talent and commitment to all forms of art. Thank you Hancher for bringing all these talented artists to Iowa, and thank you Stop/Time for a great first year.

The post Evicshen & Sharp Pins at Stop/Time Festival, April 4th appeared first on KRUI Radio.

In Tempe, I met up with the guys Eve 6 as the came out of hibernation for Innings Festival, 2026. This one gig stood alone in a blank calendar from October to April, and although rehearsal time came at a premium, the band sounded as good as ever. Entering year 31 of the bands storied careers, Eve 6 continue to impress anyone with ears. Max Collins (bass), Jon Siebels (guitar), and Ben Hilzinger (drums) took some time after their slot to discuss their early days playing gigs at small cafes all the way to a racetrack.

Logan Melia: This is my first time seeing you guys it was an absolute blast you’ve been on my list for a while This set, this environment, a little baseball combination, is this a unique environment? Have you played anything similar to like this guy before? 

Max Collins: I’m trying to think if we’ve ever played anything baseball. 

Jon Siebels: I don’t know. We did something. We did some NASCAR thing years ago. 

Max: We played in Rochester in that baseball field. 

Jon: Oh, yeah. But I think that was just in the field though. I don’t know if that was like a theme. 

Ben Hilzinger: That’s true. Oh, so this is a theme? 

Max: Yeah, this is a theme. This is the kickoff of spring training. 

Logan: Well, for Friday, Sox Cubs. Sox be from like 11 to 1, I think. So we’re off to a good start here. Did some research, on you guys and you played some really cool gigs way back in the day. Cobalt Cafe and Coo’s Cafe. Does that sound familiar? Back in LA, do you remember anything from those days? 

Jon: I remember Coo’s Cafe. 

Max: Yeah, I remember when that Jason guy pepper sprayed our friends. 

Logan: What happened there? 

Max: We were like in high school and people started moshing and he got like afraid, I think. 

Jon: For us, like for the band?

Max: I don’t know. And yeah, he pepper sprayed. 

Logan: Do you have any venues that you’ve loved playing since any any standouts in your mind?

Ben: I actually like the Middle East, the downstairs. It’s the downstairs, the bigger club of two venues in Boston. And it’s almost like there’s a ramp next to the stage and some people are kind of… It smells like poo. Yeah, it smells very bad. They have good, what is it? 

Jon: Indian food. 

Max: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Really good food. But it smells like this, but it’s always like a very punk venue. It’s cool. 

Logan: Nice. Are you guys big foodies on tour? Are you checking out local spots in the city as you go? 

Jon: It sort of depends I guess uh we don’t do a lot of like long tours now we’re doing really like stuff like like this like one-off stuff yeah so we just stay by the hotel yeah you know and just eat like the airport yeah. 

Logan: That’s what life’s all about right there is eating junk food and sitting in a hotel. When you’re sitting in a hotel what’s on the TV are we are we talking Pawn Stars, Cash Cab, Family Guy? 

Ben: No TV ever in a hotel yeah I never really watch TV in a hotel TV always is turned off 

Jon: Yeah if anything I’ll watch it like a show on on my iPad or something. yeah I never actually turn on a hotel room TV really well

Ben: I definitely doom scroll and focus on my phone I love the Forensic Files is is definitely on HLN Network absolutely it’s just like an old school like half an hour who done it stuff. 

Logan: If you’re in and out, you get the answer within a half hour, which I don’t like those long docuseries that are four two hour things. I want to know who did it now. When you guys are on the road, are you writing at all or are you just like there to do the show? Or does inspiration strike? 

Max: I mean, the way that we do things now, when we’re doing shows, we’re there to do the show and writing is a different thing that we do when we’re back in our respective homes. ‘Sweet Pea’ starts with… Jon, ‘Sweet Pea’, makes like tracks and beginnings of songs, basically, and then we get together and lyrics and stuff, and then plays all of them. But yeah, so that’s all happening when we’re not traveling. 

Ben: I guess we’ve always sort of been that way. 

Logan: Really? It’s two very separate things. 

Jon: Sometimes like if you have like a new song or whatever, like sometimes we’ll play something at soundcheck or whatever, but we’re not really working on it. 

Logan: What is the first thing you guys play when you pick up your instruments? Either alone, as a group, what’s the first thing? 

Max: I mean, for me, if I’m picking up a guitar before a show, I’m playing, what’s it called? 

Jon: Little Red Light. 

Max: Little Red Light by Fountains of Wayne. That’s been my warmup song for probably, I don’t even know how many years now. 

Logan: Really? What about some good warmup for you? Is it just getting the wheels turned? 

Max: It’s a really nice place. It’s in E. It’s, yeah, it’s just, it’s a great song. I don’t know, it gets my, it moves, and it moves my voice from kind of a low range to kind of a higher range. It’s a good warm-ups. 

Jon: Oh yeah, what about the rest of you guys? I think Tom Petty riffs just always naturally come out when I pick up a guitar. 

Ben: Yeah, I guess for me it depends on if I’m doing a… show like this, I’m just trying to figure out that kit because usually we fly with no kit, so I have to learn the kit. So I’m doing just like six stroke rolls to kind of see where I’m at with everything. But if it’s like an actual, like my kit, probably Fool in the Rain by Led Zeppelin, that kind of shuffle. Because you can dictate, I know where I’m at. If my shuffle feels good, then it’s going to be a good day.

Logan: What do you do if it’s a bad day? What do you feel off and you got to show that night? Do you do anything to correct yourself? 

Max: Red Bull. Two to three Red Bulls. And large ones, not like the baby ones. 

Logan: Tallboy Red Bulls. 

Max: Well, I want to keep it a buck here. If it’s a large Red Bull, I’m going to do, if it’s like the really big one, I’m going to do like maybe one and a half. But if it’s a small Red Bull, I’m doing three. But today I only did one Red Bull before the show. 

Jon: Because the freeze dried espresso. 

Max: But we also had freeze dried espresso right before that. So I was going to say, I had a good show on one Red Bull, and so maybe I don’t need three anymore, but I didn’t weigh. You don’t freeze dried. I didn’t weigh the conclusions. 

Jon: Let’s not be rash. Yeah, it could be a one off. 

Ben: This is actually like some baseball player stuff. Like, yeah, like if they like, you know, pitcher like wins a game, he won’t like change his hat or like won’t shave or whatever. 

Jon: “He thinks flies are lucky”

Logan: We’re talking numbers real here, real quick here. I saw in an old interview, you said, ‘we were too young to be calculated’, in referring to your very early years. Do you guys feel as though you have a calculation for these shows now, or do you still fly by the seat of your pants a little bit? Do you think there’s a bit of an equation now?

Max: No, I think when we’re like making music, together, it’s just very much about that moment, moving ourselves in that moment and not, I don’t know, I guess when I think of the word calculated as it relates to like making music, I think of, oh, we want to try to make this to have this outcome or something like that. Like we know what the outcome is going to be. 

Jon: And I think for shows, it’s like we’ve been playing some of these songs for so long that there’s just little things that naturally evolve, but we don’t ever sit down and be like ‘hey, you should say this at the point of the set, or anything like that’. It’s just sort of evolved over the years. 

Logan: How does the rehearsal process look like going up for one-off here?

Max: A what?

Logan: A rehearsal process? You got me, you got me. Do you guys get together beforehand, or do you guys just say, Hey, we’ve been playing these songs for a good long time? 

Jon: No, not much. 

Max: We don’t rehearse. We don’t need to rehearse. I mean, there’s on occasion, Ben is a working drummer, he plays with other artists sometimes, so if we need to bring in, if he’s on a tour, we need to bring in someone we’ll do a rehearsal but I mean we’ve all been playing these songs for a long time now they’re it’s just

Jon: Yeah we did yeah we did like a anniversary tour uh in 2018 so like we were playing the full record so a lot of songs that we’ve like basically never played yeah so we rehearsed like for two days for that. 

Logan: Two long days.

Jon: A skinny 2 days. Yeah, it was forty-eight whole hours. 

Max: Yeah, that’s the thing. I’m using the word conspiracy incorrectly. But it’s um okay I don’t think I don’t think bands need to rehearse really I mean especially if you have a soundcheck yeah you want to run a new song or something like that run it a soundcheck why would you need to go and the thing is too is if you show up knowing your own personal material it just takes one little run through and we’re like cool a lot of people show up and just assuming rehearsals just like where you learn the song yeah and then it’s apparently that’s the British way you heard that no I forget who was telling me that like yeah that in in the UK when you go in no one’s expecting you to have learned the songs you like learn all the shit in rehearsal. 

Ben: Interesting I mean I do like that way better because right now in America I have there’s so many days of learning songs that are not paid for yeah sometimes people tell you like a like a few days worth of day that’s a good point that’s probably why yeah yeah it’s like I’m not on the clock learning these songs but now I do it just because it’s so a good gig so scarce so I’ll say yes to whatever you all yeah I’ll work for a week for free just learning songs yeah absolutely yeah it’s the industry 

Eve 6 were alive at Innings Festival, hitting five tracks from their self titled record. The crowd was loving this 3-piece outfit as they threw everything they had at the wall for this one-off gig. The California rockers will be hitting the south with Fastball this April for a handful of gigs, you can find tickets here. Their latest record “Dream Fist” is out now and you can follow Eve 6 for future updates.

The post Interview: Eve 6 at Innings Festival appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Marked on folks calendars for the past six months, Luke Combs announced his “My Kinda Saturday Night Tour” in October spreading across North America and Europe over the span of 23 nights. These shows have been selling out quickly, becoming one of the hottest tickets of the year, and for good reason. The country star has showcased his iconic sound across the worlds biggest stages, introducing countless audiences to the genre. Coming off the heels of a busy year with headlining slots at Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo, and more, there’s never been a bigger time for Combs. Three weeks removed from his sixth record’s release, The Way I Am, this wave has been high for the singer/songwriter.

Appearing from the tunnels in the north end zone of Jack Trice Stadium came Luke and his band underneath the deluge of cheers as “Ain’t No Rest For the Wicked” played. Making a pit stop for a quick drink before his entrance to the stage, Luke and his Wild Cards all stepped up to their stations. Shaking the stadium from the start, Combs began with the song sharing the titular honors with the tour “My Kinda Saturday Night” as the crowd jumped to their feet. There was no slowing down in Ames, hitting qiuck with “Lovin’ on You” and “Hurricane” following it up. After, Combs dialed back the speed but not the hits, “She Got the Best of Me” brought all 60,000+ voices into one.

Coming in at #1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart this past week is “Sleepless in a Hotel Room.” Combs’ 20th song to reach that milestone proves he still has the secret recipe for a hit after a dozen years in the industry. “Sleepless in a Hotel Room” was one of ten songs performed from his latest record The Way I Am, holding over a third of what was played that evening. Tapping into other tunes from the record like “Back in the Saddle” and “Be By You,” these were some of the most entertaining numbers in the show. For the third night on the tour, the band made these weeks old songs sound like staples in the set.

Although there was a heavy dose on the new album, Combs didn’t forget what songs got him to stadiums. Sweetheart’s favorite jam “Better Together” was a catalyst for fans holding each other close and swaying as the temperature dipped into the 50’s. In the middle of the set, Combs and his band took to some barstools on stage as they sang some more heartfelt ballads. Speaking about the range of emotions it takes to write a song, these introspections were a welcomed addition to the set. Whether tapping into the love in his heart for his wife, or a sadness that sometimes feels paralyzing, this honest chapter in the night was a nice breath. “I Ain’t No Cowboy” and “Wish Upon A Whiskey” were absorbed into the crowd at Iowa State during this breakdown.

The lovey-dovey and sadness eventually scampered off and Luke was back to his rocking chart-toppers like “1,2 Many” and “When It Rains It Pours.” During the former, a Luke Combs tradition is following the lyrics of the song to a ‘T’ and shotgunning a beer. Joining the 2019 Country Artist of the Year was Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball legend Georges Niang to blaring applause. The Indiana Pacers draftee of a decade ago was an eager participant and it was delightful to see him back on home turf. While there was no competition on loudest song throughout the night, closer “Beer Never Broke My Heart” would have taken the gold medal. A killer end to the main set, Combs had the audience in the palm of his hand.

The encore was a trio of arguably Combs biggest songs. Beginning with his cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” bringing the crowd back down to earth after that bombastic finale. Chapman’s tune was first covered by Combs in 2023 for his record Gettin’ Old. Tracy came out for her first live performance since 2015 to accompany the North Carolina native on stage at the 2024 Grammy’s, where Chapman has walked away victorious four prior times.

Luke Combs finished the extensive evening with “Where the Wild Things Are” and his song for Twisters, “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma.” The finale was grand and included all the jostling a song about tornados in the home of the Cyclones should cause. Despite the threat of rain, all 5 performers put on a knockdown show at Jack Trice Stadium.

Dierks Bentley

This was very much a country concert. Every musician was country, everyone was dressed country, but if I had to put Dierks Bentley into a genre, it would be ‘Dude Rock’. The definition of ‘Dude Rock’ is very vague, but the main idea is that its just a dude who rocks. And let me tell you, Dierks rocks. Hitting 14 songs spanning his 23-year career, there was everything a super fan, casual fan, and soon-to-be fan could want in the set. Classics like “Drunk On a Plane” and “Free and Easy” got the crowd going by the fourth and final opener of the evening. There was a invigorating and joyful energy put into the air by Dierks and his band as their banter and bits kept the smiles coming in between songs. Dierks Bentley will be on the road this year for his “Off the Map Tour“.

Ty Meyers

The youngest performer on the docket was Texas’ own Ty Meyers. At 18 years of age, there is a long and exciting road ahead of the “Thought It Was Love” singer. With a beat up stratocaster in hand, Meyers pulls on bluesy influence for the lead licks in his songs. His 2026 record Heavy on the Soul made up almost half of his setlist. Other notable plays included two covers, “Valerie” and Tyler Childers’ “Feathered Indians“. A busy year awaits Ty Meyers as he will continue a mix of opening sets and headlining dates across Europe and North America.

Jake Worthington

A little honky tonk never hurt anyone, and Jake Worthington is a prime example. Another Texas native was the second to hit the stage on Saturday, bringing his southern charm to Iowa. We heard four tracks from his 2025 record When I Write The Song including his closer “It Ain’t The Whiskey“. Worthington has already created an extensive collaboration list, including Miranda Lambert and Marty Stuart. This brief look into the the musicians young career was catchy. You can take a much deeper dive into Jake Worthington as his headlining “Intent to Tonk Tour” takes flight later this spring.

Thelma and James

The first band of the busy evening was faced with a slight rain delay, although that didn’t shake Thelma and James. Their hit “Happy Ever After You” spurred them into the spotlight as the two songwriters looked into their own careers on the stage much more seriously. The duo has one album out, Starting Over, released in 2025 and are just over a week removed from their latest single “Alternate Ending” dropping. A fun and sweet sound that welcomed folks as they filed into Jack Trice Stadium. Thelma and James will continue opening for Luke Combs on the rest of his North American dates throughout his “My Kinda Saturday Night Tour”.

Throughout all 5 artists, big and small, there was an energy pulsing in the stadium that was a joy to be apart of. I hope more artists will take advantage of the massive stadiums on college campuses, along with their passionate fan bases. Artists like Luke Combs, Zach Bryan, and Coldplay are paving the way for more collegiate stadium shows in a time when high capacity venues are selling out in minutes. Luke Combs will continue on his “My Kind of Saturday Night Tour” for the remainder of the spring. Jack Trice Stadium will host Post Malone in July.

The post Luke Combs: Live in Iowa appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Out of everyone on the talented KRUI Online Content team, I am probably the last person who should be reviewing experimental jazz. I’m the stand-up comedy reviewer—it’s what I know best—and in terms of how it works as art, stand-up is probably the opposite of jazz. Stand-up routines are meant to be done in pretty much the same way every time, tweaked and tightened in small ways until the set runs like a freshly-oiled machine. It’s also an art form meant for the largest possible audience, as comics will often take the same set to different cities, states, even countries.

After listening to a lot of jazz over the past week, culminating in an amazing performance by renowned trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and the PUBLIQuartet last Friday at the Stop/Time Festival presented by Hancher Auditorium, I’ve come to the conclusion that most jazz isn’t meant for an audience at all. Instead, it serves as a forum for the performers to express themselves abstractly, turning pain and love into a confused, revelatory experience for audience members to hear, but never really understand. 

For Akinmusire’s performance, we sat on the Hancher stage in a small row of bleachers; I was less than five feet away from the nearest performer. The stage was bathed in a display of shifting, zebra-patterned lighting, which changed to a singular spotlight as poet and UI English professor Donika Kelly opened to the floor for a reading of her poems.

Kelly’s poetry was excellent, as expected, but what really struck me about this opening performance was the rhythmic, almost percussive quality of her delivery. Her first poem, “Its gone be what it is,” hops back and forth through familiar phrases like a record skipping. Kelly even incorporated snapping into her performance to punctuate certain moments—which, I later discovered, is written into the text. The poems were a beautiful way to ease into the performance that followed. Poems have more structure than jazz, but they still encapsulate that same spirit: art as a playground for the artist, rather than a product for the audience. 

After Kelly had walked off, Akinmusire and the PUBLIQuartet joined us on stage, along with several accompanying artists. Akinmusire and his band seemed totally in sync as soon as they entered, and would often laugh with each other in quiet, stolen moments during the show. It felt a bit like I was intruding on a secret conversation they were having through their instruments.

A highlight: drummer Elijah Revell, the heart of the performance, giving it rhythm with a steady beat and creative embellishments. Roughly halfway through, just as the concert was beginning to drag, Revell snapped the audience back to attention with a drum solo I can only describe as “sick.” When he stopped, Akinmusire could tell we liked it so much that he nudged him to keep going.

In fact, Akinmusire seemed to be radiating with pride the whole night. He smiled, laughed, and stared deeply at his fellow performers like he was coming to life. As pianist Sam Harris poured himself out onto the keys, Akinmusire would peer at him through the gap in the piano lid and nod to the rhythm, as if acting as an extension of the audience. When improvisational vocalist KOKAYI stepped to the mic to deliver fast and powerful rhymes, Akinmusire reacted to each new bar with a gentle contentment, full confidence in KOKAYI’s masterful wordplay and control of the beat. Players would often look to him as a guide to the song, making him the quiet leader of the show, but never in a way that overpowered or overshadowed anyone else. Even though he got top billing that night, I never got the impression that he thought of himself as the lead performer. He was just a fragment of the greater story.

The PUBLIQuartet gave the performance a raw, unfiltered feel. They did things to their instruments I had no idea strings could do until that day: sharp plucking, creaking, shrieking, and groaning. Usually cellos, violins, and violas automatically make a piece feel more classical to me; in this show, they actually made the music feel less refined, unrestrained in a way that complemented the rest of the music. In contrast, artist chiquitamagic lent the night a slightly psychedelic quality with their synthesizer and haunting backing vocals. The two styles may have clashed at times, but overall, the layering felt intentional, and added a new dimension to the sound.

But I know that I can only guess at what the meaning of the music actually was. KOKAYI’s vocals touched on anxiety and betrayal, and Akinmusire said before the final song that this performance felt like reaching the other side of impending doom. But watching these artists perform felt almost joyous, slightly muted, like watching a house party from outside the house. Akinmusire’s trumpet playing never formed a cohesive song; rather, he gave us short bursts of emotion that we could not decipher. Only he and the other performers know what he meant by his instrument’s passionate wails and moans. It was an experience only understandable by its creators.

The concert was not for me, but for them.

The post A Conversation Between Artists: Ambrose Akinmusire and PUBLIQuartet, Friday of Stop/Time Festival appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Friday at Hancher Auditorium

Donika Kelly, 6:30pm

A fitting opener for a festival about exploration and discovery, poet and University of Iowa English professor Donika Kelly will kick off the Stop/Time festival with a short, fifteen-minute reading at Hancher. Kelly’s poetry is reflective and expansive, covering themes from consuming love to blinding pain and everything in between. Her first book of poetry, Bestiary, won the 2015 Cave Canem Poetry Prize, and her most current book, The Natural Order of Things, was released in October 2025 to positive reviews. Many of her individual poems have been published in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and The Paris Review.

–Bailey Vergara

Ambrose Akinmusire, 6:45pm

Hey, you. Do you like jazz? Let’s hope so, because renowned trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire is coming to Hancher Up Close to bless your ears with musings that combine avant-garde jazz, post-bop, hip-hop, and more. With music, Akinmusire hopes to break down the educational barriers surrounding classical jazz and uplift community stories; he borrows from tradition, but is not constrained by it. His newest record, “honey from a winter stone,” is an exploratory journey through a variety of moods, from slow and meandering to restless and lively. And in case you aren’t already sold on his talent, his 2023 album “Owl Song” was nominated for a 2025 Grammy award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album.

–Bailey Vergara

Mei Semones, 8:45pm

24-year-old guitarist and singer Mei Semones will bring her technical talent and playful songwriting personality to Club Hancher in Strauss Hall of Hancher on Friday. Her songs blend indie rock, bossa nova, jazz, and dreamy pop, with lyrics in both English and Japanese. Despite their intricate layering, you’ll still find them easy to hum along to, and you may not be able to stop. Semones’ newest full album, “Animaru,” is dedicated to her trust in her own instincts, built through years of practice and demonstrated by ornate guitar riffs and refined, breathy vocals. Her upcoming EP “Kurage” — which features Liana Flores, John Roseboro, and her own dad — releases April 10th.

–Bailey Vergara

Saturday across Iowa City

Evicshen, 4:30pm at Gabe’s

Tapping into the weirder side of the Iowa City music community, Hancher brought in San Francisco based experimental noise artist Victoria Shen. Performing under the name Evicshen for the past eight years, her music uses powerful walls of sound and intense textures that assault your sonic palette. This often is used with extremely creative ways of bending or playing her records, such as comb filtering and folding records with her nails. 
Within her live shows, she combines this extremely well with creative art installations, and the use of weaponry and other eccentric performance antics to create a vibrant visual experience, and assault on the senses. Watching some of the recorded concerts was a beyond fascinating experience, and something I hope a lot of you guys can enjoy. 
Artists like her aren’t interested in growing a large audience, or mass producing their music. They’re interested in performing for a niche crowd who understand their artistic version, and are open to hearing music on the more experimental and macabre side of the isle. If this intrigues you, she’s playing at Gabe’s at 4:30PM, come with ear plugs.

–Tarik Krob

Sharp Pins, 6:00pm at Gabe’s

Sharp Pins, an exciting new voice in the music underground, is a one man band combining elements of classic rock with more modern indie and alternative stylizations. The side project of Kai Slater, lead singer of fellow Chicago band Lifeguard, has been picking up steam in the last few years with some incredibly unique and high quality albums.
His most recent album Balloon Balloon Balloon is a jangly hallucinatory odyssey connected by three different tracks simply labeled Balloon 1-3. Wearing his influences off his back with zero shame, the album takes the trippy, other worldly sounds of psychedelic bands of the 60s like The Beatles and The Zombies with a more stripped back DIY sound, similar to post punk bands like Joy Division and The Velvet Underground. Their previous release Radio DDR has a similar vibe, but with a more varied song lineup and more pop-centered approach to songwriting. If Balloon Balloon Balloon felt like listening to your grandparents old low fidelity radio, then Radio DDR feels like sifting through random singles in their vinyl collection. 
If any of this at all sounds interesting to you, check them out at 6PM at Gabe’s. Start listening before it’s cool to say you’re a fan.

–Tarik Krob

Danez Smith, 6:45pm at the Englert Theatre

On April 4th, queer, non-binary poet and performer Danez Smith will return to Iowa City to perform at The Englert Theatre for the Stop/Time festival. Smith previously led a workshop and hosted the Writers of Color Reading series in 2017, which was also produced by The Englert. Smith was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, and later earned degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Michigan. They’re best known for their poetry collections Boy (2014), Don’t Call Us Dead (2017), and Bluff (2024). Their work has won multiple awards, such as the Forward Prize for Best Collection, the Minnesota Book Award in Poetry, and the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry, just to name a few. Smith has also performed with rapper Macklemore, back in 2016 on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, along with Chicago-based poet Jamila Woods. 
For those interested in attending a poetry reading or specifically in Smith’s poetry, they will also being hosting a reading at Prairie Lights at 3:15 pm that same day. This reading is presented by Stop/Time Festival, but entry at Prairie Lights is free for all.

–Ria Das

The Branford Marsalis Quartet, 7:00pm at the Englert Theatre

The Branford Marsalis Quartet is a jazz band, closer described as a chamber group, headed by American saxophonist Branford Marsalis. Marsalis is a composer and the leader of the band. He has played with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Sting, the Grateful Dead, and Dizzy Gillespie. He has been playing the saxophone in bands and solo since the 1980s. The quartet officially formed in 1986 with members Kenny Kirkland on the piano, Jeff “Tain” Watts on drums, and Robert Hurst on bass. Pianist Kenny Kirkland died in the 90’s and was replaced by Joey Calderazzo and Robert Hurst was replaced by Eric Revis on bass. Later Tain left the band and was replaced by Justin Faulkner. On Saturday night they will be featuring their newly released album Belonging, which came out last March. Expect an experimental yet classic jazz sound from this quartet. As Marsalis notes, “it doesn’t really matter where our journey goes, as long as we keep the dance going.”

–Moira Grant

Golomb, 8:00pm at Gabe’s

Golomb is a alternative rock band from Columbus, Ohio and are made up of three members, two of which are married (members Mickey and Xenia Shuman). The third member is Xenia’s brother, Hawken Holm who plays drums while Xenia and Mickey sing and play bass and guitar. They have a dream-like/indie sound, leaning into noise and experimental rock. They write their own songs and were formed in 2018. Expect a lively show with folksy-sounding guitar riffs and country elements such as a pedal-steel guitar, especially in the song “Sweet Release (Ain’t No Devil)” but also a loud, lively, and heavy sound from the song “The Beat Goes On.” This band is experimental as well. The lead singer Mickey sounds just like Stephen Malkmus, the lead singer of Pavement. Xenia often does the background vocals and harmonizes excellently with Mickey. Perhaps being unified in marriage also transfers to being unified in sound and music? Find out this Saturday.

–Moira Grant

Tortoise, 9:15pm at The Englert Theatre

The post-rock Chicago legends Tortoise join us in Iowa City to close out The Englert Theatre’s share of events this weekend. This is one of those bands that people on the internet debate about at such a mighty length that this discourse can only be achieved through the means of doctorate dissertations or through Reddit. But at their core, they’re a rock band built from atmosphere. Influenced by electronica, krautrock, and jazz, their music is this kind of eclectic and wondrous mish-mash. It feels a stretch to call it “rock,” the sound is so minimal yet so captivating in how it pulls a listener directly into this world they’re creating. They’re current tour follows the release of Torch, their newest album from last year released after nearly a decade record hiatus, yet still ringing out the same quality as their 1998 landmark TNT album. I’d truly recommend seeing this band, they’ve played such a major part of the post-rock foundation and seeing them at this festival really encapsulates the exact artistry that Stop/Time Festival is creating space for.

–Pauly

Frankie and the Witch Fingers, 10:30pm at Gabe’s

Punk-rock band Frankie and The Witch Fingers performs at Gabe’s for Stop/Time Festival and as part of their tour for their newest album, Trash Classic. The band was originally formed in Indiana by founding member Dylan Sizemore, the band’s vocalist and rhythm guitarist, and later relocated to Los Angeles. Currently, the band consists of Josh Menashe (vocalist, lead guitarist, and synthesizer), Nikki Pickle (bassist), Nick Aguilar (drummer), and Jon Modaff (synths). Frankie and the Witch Fingers evolved from Sizemore’s original solo act into a band, signing to record labels such as Permanent Records, and released their self-titled first album in 2015 with their psych-pop/acid-rock second album Heavy Roller out a year later. The band has since released more albums, with their most recent Trash Classic in 2025, described as plunging, “into a sewer-slick fusion of proto-punk venom, fractured new wave, and industrial grime. Brimming with wiry synths, angular melodies, and grooves that squirm and bite.” If any of that sounds interesting to you, consider attending their show for the chance to rock out with them live!

–Ria Das

There’s plenty more to see at Iowa City’s first Stop/Time Festival this weekend, with a huge spread of incredible local and touring artists, authors, and poets presented by Hancher Auditorium. For more information on further events and to purchase tickets, check the Stop/Time website here.

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Reaching 73 degrees earlier that day, the last place I wanted to be was inside. But only once in my life have I ever woken up knowing I was seeing Bob Dylan that night, which quickly overrode the former feeling. March 25^th has been marked on my calendar for months, as Dylan quietly announced 6 weeks on the road on December 8^th, 2025. Never one for showmanship in recent years, or even a social media post promoting the tour, this gig still sold out in moments. Dylan often moves in silence, online and onstage. His Instagram, lacking any and all publicity for upcoming shows, has become a bulletin board for things he has recently enjoyed such as boxing highlights, over an hour of audiobook from Aaron Burr’s “On the Art of Survival”, and whatever he has been jamming with lately. Dylan is arguably the king of casual posting, and heavy is the head to wear that crown.

One extra note about his online presence, he has started a Patreon. In all honesty, I had finished this piece and was giving it a day to come back and edit with a fresh mind. I opened up his outlandish Instagram after re-reading this portion to find he has published a handful of posts under the title “Lectures From the Grave”, original short stories from famous characters in history. Bob has always been heavily interested in the past of America, especially considering his nearly 17-minute song “Murder Most Foul” about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. I will not be spending the money to find out what Bob has marinating in his mind, but feel free to invest the $5 if that’s within your persuasions.

Once inside the venue, phones were immediately placed into sealed pouches by venue staff. This was not the first time I have experienced this, but it was by far the strictest. In previous experiences with phone pouches, it has been done before entering the seating area of the venue, but because of this policy’s immediacy I entered into a talkative and lively Hancher lobby. This capacity crowd was shuffling into their seats around my arrival at 7:45 for the 8:00 show. No openers, not pre-show performance, just Bob.

Starting at right at the hour, there was no razzle-dazzle to Bob’s appearance. Put roughly 25 feet back from the edge of the stage, Bob Dylan waddled on stage preceded by Bob Britt and Doug Lancio on guitar, Tony Garnier on bass, and Anton Fig on drums. Donning an all black outfit with a matching baseball hat layered with a hooded gray rain jacket, there was nothing visually flashy about this performance. Large beige curtains towering the peninsula of the stage with an extremely basic lighting rig that did not change once. The lighting was so bare bones that the houselights were left on for the first two songs of the set, “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” and “Man in the Long Black Coat.” I am glad they were soon turned off but would not have been surprised if it was an ‘artistic choice’ by the Golden Globe Winner.

Dylan’s musical setup was minimal as well. A keyboard in the middle of this barren layout being used as a tabletop for four cups, two harmonicas, and a songbook for the nights setlist. Not all of the cups were used, not every sheet of music played, but both harmonicas were in circulation near the end of the set in “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” and “Every Grain of Sand.” There were no words spoken by Bob besides a muttered band introduction succeeding “Soon After Midnight.” He did have a small arsenal of ‘rockstar moves’ that included standing up while playing the piano and bending his knees to return to that beloved seat not long after that primary move.

This tour features his 2020 record heavily. Rough and Rowdy Ways is a solemn piece of work, where Dylan reflects on his final chapter being written. There is a balance between the self and world on this record. “I Contain Multitudes” feels like a journal entry of a man who knows the path he has walked down, and wouldn’t turn back for anything. “There is no love left behind,” Dylan croons near the end of the song with a serenity that some can only dream of. This record, although filled with lyrics reminiscent of what made Bob so famous, can be a little rough on the ears. His vocals have long been a barrier of entry to his work, and 60-plus years of touring and recording have not remedied the roadblock. This may truly answer the question of why there are so many Bob Dylan covers. From The Rolling Stones to Billy Strings, generations have taken this timeless tracks under a microscope to view what makes the songs so contagious and create their own version with the same inflections.

Was this a bombastic rock and roll revue that left the walls shaking?

No.  

Was it extremely cool to see this incredibly storied musician live as a bucket list act?

Yes.  

From The Traveling Wilburys to the Basement Recordings with The Band, Bob is arguably the most seasoned musician of the modern world. The infinite artists he has influenced and the thousands of covers he has been the author for, the world of music would not be the same without Bob Dylan. He is not high on my priority list to see again, but I am glad I was there. Dylan continues his Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour throughout the 2026, more information can be found here.

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Wednesday evening was exactly what I wanted, a rock and roll show. Isbell and his band did not hold back throughout the evening, and without an opener there was no time to blink. Touching on four records with The 400 Unit and all four solo LP’s, this was a career spanning performance for the group. Through Isbell’s first solo hits like “Dress Blues” from 2007’s Sirens of the Ditch through his latest record Foxes in the Snow with the tune “Bury Me,” it all felt as though these musicians had all been playing these tunes for decades.  

This concert was an approachable and engaging performance as someone who has never seen Isbell before, showing me a mix of the entry points I knew, and the deeper cuts that kept fans coming back. The show felt close, as though you were in the same rehearsal space as the band as they discussed the ever-changing setlist on this tour. Iowa City was treated to a heavy dose of Weathervanes with five tracks making an appearance compared to a few nights before in Pittsburgh where they received only 3 in exchange for some more Drive-By Truckers tracks. Isbell recently reunited with the Truckers for a performance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert after his departure in 2007, and showing even more love as every night on his recent leg covering “Decoration Day.”  Near the end of the set, the icing on this very sweet cake was a cover of Paul McCartney’s “Let Me Roll It'” which fit The 400 Unit’s voices nicely, echoing the same force The Wings had when it released in 1973. This was the first time Isbell and The 400 Unit have ever played this live, but it sounded like a classic from the cabinets of their discography.

The casual and laid back approach Isbell and company had is what I loved so much about this gig, as they dabbled in more jam band tendencies than most. Songs with solos lasting upwards of 3 minutes as the musicians on stage traded bars back and forth. Jason Isbell taking plenty of solos for himself, sauntering around the stage with a rotation of a red Fender Telecaster, gold Gibson Les Paul, and a sunburst Gibson ES-335. While these beautiful instruments made the soundtrack to the evening, an circular gold plate caught the attention of most. Multi-instrumentalist WIll Johnson, Isbell’s latest edition to the band, was shadowed by a gong for the show. While jumping between drums, guitar, and whatever else the band needed, the gong remained untouched. That was until the back half of the setlist, when Johnson graced bronze ring to the satisfaction of the crowd and band alike. Isbell went on to calm and hopes that this would be a recurring instrument stating “if you hit the gong more than once, you’re not hitting the gong, you’re playing the gong.” I can’t fight that logic. 

Headlining the 1,800 seat palace was not the only feather in Isbell’s cap during his time in Iowa City as he spoke of his placing third in Tuesday Night Trivia at Joe’s Place. He let out some frustration that bronze was all they got, claiming a few folks may have been googling answerers on competing teams. These are serious allegations leveled to the patrons of Tuesday Night Trivia, but I can confirm there were far too many phones out for a fair competition. Nevertheless, trivia and a headlining gig sounds like a good 48 hours to me. Isbell and his band were electric in Iowa City once again, and I hope its much less than 30 months before we see his return. Jason Isbell is touring throughout the rest of the year, you can find tickets here.  

The post Jason Isbell’s Loud Return to Hancher, and His Bronze Medal in Trivia appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Even with hearing a bunch of amazing songs I had never heard they showed a master class in crowd work. They kept a high energy and talked to the crowd, guiding them through songs with different gestures. You can also tell they are just having fun, with great chemistry within the band and walking out into the crowd just to be with their fans. At one point they asked if anyone in the crowd had seen them before, and only three people raised their hands, but still everyone was singing along and new all the lyrics.

I had a great time at their show. I think that the intimate setting of Gabe’s helped capture an outstanding sound and environment for this show. If you have a chance to see Laundry Day live.

I would definitely recommend seeing them in person. It provides a different sound than their recorded songs, and their presence is commanding, drawing everyone into the show. Their songs can go from upbeat fun songs that have everyone jumping around making the floor shake to heartfelt songs that leave the crowd in tears. Overall they put on an amazing performance.

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