When I first walked in the back of Blue Moose around 10 the crowd was nearly non existent, with just a few groups milling around the area. At 10:15, Owen Bones began. I was a little confused at first because Bones set up his stage in a way I had never seen from a DJ before. He had a screen placed in front of him that covered floor to ceiling, and displayed visuals of a man dancing and/or djing. At the beginning of his set he was only playing cliche hip hop and rap songs so I

wasn’t even sure if he had come on stage yet. It didn’t take long to figure out that he had, and that he would be remaining behind this screen for the entirety of his set.

Bone’s entire set consisted mainly of various popular hip hop and rap songs from Chance the Rapper’s “Mixtape” to Sage the Gemini’s “Gas Pedal” and Kendrick Lamar’s “M.A.A.D City”. While these are of course jams that the whole crowd can get down to, it seemed a bit boring to me. Bone’s did not play any of his own music until the last two songs of his set. He has a very differentiated, calm electronic that coupled very well with his visuals.

The Cool Kids took the stage at 11:10 and started the night with their song “Connect Four”. I couldn’t help but instantly notice their sense of fashion. Mikey Rocks was dressed in a half zip sweatshirt and blue jeans, while Chuck Inglish was wearing a black Death Row Records jacket coupled with gray sweatpants and a camouflage bucket hat. The casual fits matched well with their chill personalities and vibes they projected.

The Cool Kids were unbelievably skilled at interacting with the crowd, specifically Chuck Inglish. As a typical Iowa City show, majority of the conversation focused on beer and weed, according to Inglish “Iowa has the best weed” which brought a good laugh from the crowd. Inglish also shared several cans of beer with people in the front row who he “didn’t like seeing without a beer in their hand”.  I’m not sure if it was due to me being close to the stage, or due to their incredible personas but the set made you feel as if The Cool Kid’s were your friends and you were just there hanging out with them.

Among the many songs they played my favorites were their newest single “TV Dinner” and a single from 2016 “Running Man”.

Both members of The Cool Kids and Owen Bones are Chicago natives. I didn’t know this going into the show but once I discovered this it was an ‘ah that makes sense’ moment. I’ll always have a special place in my heart for Chicago native artists, especially ones that are in the hip hop scene. I have found that Chicago artists across the board bring a sound and passion that can only be formed in Chicago. Not to mention, Chicago artists always have a killer fashion sense.

I came into the night only knowing a few of The Cool Kid’s most popular tunes. Here it is the next day and I have already added many of their songs to my playlist. Overall, the show was great and I look forward to see where The Cool Kids go from here.

Want to hear these artist’s for yourself? Check out The Cool Kid’s Soundcloud and Owen Bone’s Soundcloud.

The post Mission Creek: The Cool Kids @ Blue Moose Tap House 4/7/2017 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

It’s lit.

That was a common thought that kept entering my thoughts when three talented and powerful artists took the stage. They were Meka Jean, Flint Eastwood, and Mykki Blanco.

The night began with Meka Jean who immediately jumped right into singing her songs. She was quite impressive and I definitely enjoyed listening to her. She performed on the floor in front of the stage instead of actually on the stage which in turn created a great atmosphere but terrible video angles. Below is her music video for her song, “Too Good For You.”

After about 10 minutes, Flint Eastwood took the stage and brought back the energy left by Meka Jean. Their style of play was like a genre of rock and pop. I could be totally off but that’s what it sounded like to me. Let me tell you though, Flint Eastwood had one of the greatest stage presences I’ve ever seen live before. I found myself captivated not only by her presence but by her passion.

It’s pretty easy to tell when someone has passion for something and it’s even easier to see when someone doesn’t have that passion. Flint Eastwood, like Meka Jean and Mykki Blanco, had amazing passion and it made me enjoy her songs even more. One thing that I thought was endearing was that after every song she performed, which was like 6 or 7, she would say “Thank you” to the audience. One of my favorite lines from the night was when Flint Eastwood told the audience to purchase some merchandise but if nobody did then she understood because “we’re all broke, so fuck it, let’s have fun.”

This lead into her closing song which really brought some high energy into the Blue Moose Tap House. It was a great song to end on. Listen to Flint Eastwood’s song “Queen” below.

After Flint Eastwood finished her set, people were buzzing and ready for Mykki Blanco. However, it wouldn’t be until about 40 minutes later that Mykki Blanco arrived on stage. The audience didn’t mind one bit. When he ran on stage, he was meet with loud cheers and applause. Blanco’s entire performance had me saying, “it’s lit” and “I’m shook.” I didn’t know what to expect when I entered the venue but I was surprised and awed.

The energy that Mykki Blanco created was insane. It was something that I had never been apart of and I loved it. It felt amazing. What was even more amazing was that Blanco was trying to get a point across. To speak about queer issues in a way that doesn’t immediately turn people off. My favorite quotes of this evening were said by Mykki Blanco. They were:

“Happiness and compassion are birthrights.”

“It’s 2017, educate yourself.”

“Protect trans woman, Protect Black children.” (This line was said twice. Because that’s how important it is.)

Mykki Blanco was nothing like I expected and it was perfect. Listen to Mykki Blanco’s song, “High School Never Ends” below.

All three created an atmosphere with so much energy and passion that I didn’t know what to do with it but enjoy it and be happy to be in the presence of these talented and powerful artists. I would highly recommend checking these artists out because all three were straight-up badasses who gave zero fucks.

To look at the Mission Creek Festival schedule click here.

The post Mission Creek: Mykki Blanco @ Blue Moose Tap House 4/6/2017 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The night started with Oakland, California native, Sayer, whose performance I was unfortunately only able to catch part of. For the part of the set I did see I was in awe of the way his soundscapes seemed to completely fill the space around you. The crowd also seemed to be quite into it, which isn’t always the case for openers in the Iowa EDM scene.

Sayer was followed up by the legendary Yheti, who is just an odd dude that you can’t help but love. Not to mention he makes bad ass music. On the night of the show G Jones sent out a tweet in regards to Yheti stating

“Yheti is the truth. Carving his own lane is an understatement”

After watching his set, I must agree. There is something about the way Yheti sculpts his sound that seems incredibly unique. At some points during his set he would be playing a slower, experimental tune but was able to transition so effortlessly into heavy, grimy dub. The guy is incredible. I was nearly on the rail for his set so I had a great view of him and the passion he puts into his music was very apparent. I went into the night excited to see him, but I left with a whole new appreciation for him and his music.

G Jones came on just after midnight. He performed multiple tracks from his recently released EP Visions. He also of course played one of my personal favorites Mind Tricks, his track with Bassnectar. Throughout his set he talked on the mic a minimal amount of times and also played hardly any remixes of over played songs, both of which were appreciated.

I also was impressed with his consistently high energy throughout the set, he was constantly bouncing around and getting into his music. In another tweet G Jones sent out the night of this show he stated

“imo [in my opinion] challenging an audience with something unfamiliar is important in ways that aren’t immediately apparent”.

His dystopian like tunes and conceptual beats did just that. This wasn’t just like any typical heavy bass set, it was one of a kind.

I will be seeing G Jones again this summer when he headlines Thursday night at Bonnaroo. I’ve been told G Jones is a master at keeping all of his sets one of a kind, so hopefully this will hold true. I’m also looking forward to experiencing one of his performances in a festival atmosphere versus a small venue. If given the chance everyone should attend a G Jones show, after his show at Blue Moose I can confidently say he will not disappoint.

Music by these artists can be found here: G Jones – Yheti – Sayer

The post Show Review: G Jones @ The Blue Moose Tap House 3/02/2017 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

First up was Silent Hope, a duo from Munich, Germany. They describe their genre as “tragic lullabies” and after listening to them I understood what they meant. The music had a very dark and almost eeriefeel to it; it was not my cup of tea at all. There weren’t many people there yet when they were on, but people seemed to enjoy them.

Up second was Straight Up!, a band straight out of the Quad Cities. Out of all three of the bands I enjoyed them the most. They were a very upbeat pop punk band so it was pretty difficult not to have a good time.

They released a new single a couple months ago off their debut full-length album “Trials” called ‘Snow Day’ that I really liked so check it out. Not only did I love them but so did the crowd, they got everyone pretty pumped up.

Headlining was Every Time I Die, a popular metalcore group from Buffalo, New York. The majority of the crowd was there to see them. They had a pretty broad fan base because they have been around since 1998 and are relatively popular. Out of all the bands Every Time I Die had the highest energy and really knows how to get the crowd moving. The band even tweeted about there being no barricade at the show and encouraged the audience to “get in their faces.”

Don’t be afraid, Iowa City. No barricade tonight so get in our face. If you know the words to a song, it’s yours! pic.twitter.com/exovbFwB99

— Every Time I Die (@everytimeidie) December 6, 2015

Overall, it was a really fun show and I encourage anyone to go see any of these bands if they ever get a chance. Blue Moose Tap House is also another great venue we have here in Iowa City.

If you’re interested, here are more dates on this tour.

The post Iowa Music Review appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Maxilla Blue were the first group to perform. Consisting of Emcee Asphate Woodhavet on the mic, and DJ TouchNice behind the turntables. Maxilla Blue has been a staple of Des Moines music since their first release in 2008. Maxilla Blue started the show with their high energy rap, (or, as Asphate called it, “that rhyme shit”). Asphate rapped over beats that tended to be on the smoother side, sampling horns and jazz melodies. The duo also performed from a new release out later this year.

Up next were AWTHNTKS from right here in Iowa City. The four-piece group is made up of emcees ION, johndope, and Romulan and are backed by DJ Johnny Sixx. The three emcees took turns taking the lead on songs, which consisted of a mix of solo songs, and newer tracks that have yet to be released.

With the show being the only rap concert at Mission Creek, it was nice to see 2/3 of the acts as Iowa natives. It’s pretty obvious that Iowa doesn’t a have a booming hip-hop scene, but Maxilla Blue and AWTHNTKTS were good representations of the flourishing scene that can only grow.

Shortly after AWTHNTKS’ set, main act Freddie Gibbs took to the stage armed with a full bottle of vodka and his crew. “Y’all could of gotten anyone for this festival”, Gibbs addressed the audience after a few songs into his set. “But ya’ll went with motherfuckin’ Gasnta Gibbs!” And there was a good reason for that. From beginning to end, Gibbs was relentless. It seemed pretty obvious that Gibbs wasn’t really working with a set list, rapping a capella and leaving the DJ to jump in on his own. But with the amount of times he had us yell “fuck police” during the set, it was clear that structure isn’t really Gibbs’ style.

Not long into the show, Gibbs asked for the lights to be turned off. From then on, Gibbs performed in almost total darkness, with nothing but lighters and phone lights to light the stage. After the show, Gibbs returned not for a typical encore, but for a dance party where fans were invited to join him on stage. Leftover beer cans were sprayed by Gibbs’ crew over the audience, as fans tried to get as close as they could to Gibbs and the stage. It was a pretty fitting ending for a night of “that rhyme shit.”

There’s still plenty more acts to see from Mission Creek, get the full schedule here on their website.

The post Mission Creek: Freddie Gibbs @ Blue Moose 4/2/15 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Sunday November 2, Atmosphere brought their “North of Hell Tour” to Blue Moose Tap House.

Emcee Slug’s highflying rhymes more than pleased the eager Iowa City crowd—one that felt like home for the Minneapolis bred tandem. DJ Plain Ole Bill joined the group on stage, trading off tweaks & scratches with DJ/producer Ant.

The Rhymesayers extravaganza bill included Dem Atlas and Prof, both Minneapolis born, as openers for the legendary hip hop act.

Dem Atlas was the first to hit the stage. Positivity, screaming, and flailing dread locks created an electric energy on stage. The 22 year old emcee’s material consisted mostly of his Charlie Brown EP, culminating in a passionate performance of “All We Got”—a call to arms to today’s youth to stand up and fight for all that’s good and just in the world.

Rhymesayers Entertainment’s second act of the night was Prof who made sure to bring the party. Dressed in a honey badger t-shirt, his tenacious demeanor reflected that of the vicious mammal. Playing his energetic tracks “Farout” and “Me Boi,” his passionate storytelling meshed with DJ Fundo’s mixing were nothing short of hype. 

Wasting no time at all, Ant and Plain Ole Bill spun the crowd right onto Lake Street, literally. The house lights went black and a piano-driven beat dropped. Slug emerged from the corner of the eerie lit stage–stepping into Hell possibly? Or maybe a little North of it? You be the judge:

Atmosphere didn’t pause to chat it up with the crowd as Slug jumped quickly into their lyrical history. Covering everything from their days before Rhymesayers Entertainment with “God’s Bathroom Floor,” to their latest single “Kanye West,” Slug’s poetic lyricism meshed with the cohesion of Ants classic mixes created an exciting evening. 

Rooted in northwest hip hop culture, Atmopshere’s music consists of heavy lyrical content over alternatively influenced beats. No better example would be the track “Flicker,” from their eighth studio album Southsiders. Written in memory of label mate, fellow rapper, and close friend Eyedea, Slug’s emotional performance was met with a see of flickering lighters and cell phone screens. While the rest of the show Slug is backed by Ant and Plain Ole Bill on the 1s and 2s, Slug is left alone for this one with just the background track playing. This choreographed move makes for a meaningful tribute to their lost Minneapolis brother.

Closing the night, Dem Atlas joined Slug center stage to trade off freestyles–A signature move that is the mark of this true hip hop legend.

Checkout some photos from the show below.

The post Show Review: Atmosphere @ Blue Moose 11/2/14 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

As I walked out of Van Allen Hall after class at 2 pm on April 11th, I passed by the Blue Moose, to see girls camped out, in the rain, waiting in line for the doors to open at 5:30. This did not shock me at all however. It didn’t shock me because I knew who was playing there that night. The Take It Or Leave It Tour was coming to the Blue Moose Thursday night, and the fans were ready.

The sold out show began with the six member, Boston native band, Lions Lions. The Rock/Post Hardcore group shared with the crowd that they had missed the last two shows on the tour, due to a car accident they were in. According to lead singer Joshua Herzer, that made them determined to make this the best show of the tour, and they did not disappoint.

They opened with an original song called Killing Your Grace. The set took a more serious turn when Herzer shared with the crowd the story of his father’s passing, which occurred eight months earlier. Herzer said his father was also a musician, telling the crowd that he was his inspiration and that, “He didn’t die a wealthy man, but he died a happy man.” Following his story the band played, The Undertow. Herzer ended the set by jumping off stage, and singing the final lines of the song on the railing of the raised seats on the sides of Blue Moose, towering over the cheering crowd.

Newly signed to Rise Records, Dangerkids from Dayton, Ohio followed Lions Lions. This five member group, have a female drummer, Katie Cole, which I found very refreshing. Although their Facebook page classify their genre as simply, “Rock”, I would have to say their sound is much more complex than that. They are an amazing mix of Electronic, Rock, and Screamo. The group has two lead singers, Tyler Smyth being one, and Jake Bonham being the other. Smyth delivers spoken rap lyrics, while Bonham delivers the Screamo aspect of the songs. It was a fascinating mixture to watch. I would absolutely encourage going back to the Blue Moose on May 5th to see them open for Attack Attack in the Back In Action Tour.

During their set at Blue Moose, they had the entire crowd off their feet. So much so, that halfway through their second song, We’re All In Danger, the show had to be stopped for an injured woman in the heart of the crowd. Blue Moose security was quick to remove the woman from the crowd to safety. Dangerkids continued their six song set, ending with overwhelming applause.

Conditions,  from Richmond, Virginia  preceded the headliners, Sleeping With Sirens. The four member Rock band seemed to draw older fans, (mid-late twenties), to the show more than the other bands, opening with The End Of Progression. Lead singer Brandon Roundtree was very funny, charismatic,  and engaged the crowd throughout their performance. The group’s set ended on a high note with Better Life. However, I would suggest checking out, Walking Separate Ways, from their newly released album, Full Of War.

Finally, a little after nine o’clock, (and a tease appearance on stage of lead singer Kellin Quinn during sound check), Orlando Florida natives, Sleeping With Sirens  took the stage with an overwhelming response from the crowd. Kellin Quinn’s stage presence and passion on stage lived up to the hype.

The set took on a heavier vibe when they played,  A Trophy Father’s Trophy Son. The emotionally fueled song is an anthem for those who had parents who weren’t there for them, like singer Kellin Quinn’s own father. The song ended with the audience singing along acapella with Quinn, “Is this what you call a family?”. They followed with a song they’ve never sung on tour before, because they “need to get rid of old songs, to make room for new ones.”, according to Kellin, called Fire.

The show continued on a lighter note, with  Quinn telling some slightly inappropriate, (for the boy I saw no more than 11 years old in the crowd), but hilarious anecdotal stories. Sleeping With Sirens closed the show with a two song encore; playing their two most popular songs off their 2011 album, Let’s Cheers To This, Do It Now Remember It Later, and If You Can’t Hang.

Overall, the Take It Leave It Tour definitely brought high energy, musical talent, and a great experience overall.

If you wanted to catch Sleeping with Sirens, but couldn’t make it to the show, they will be on tour all summer with the Vans Warped Tour.

The post Take It Or Leave It Tour Rolls Through Iowa City appeared first on KRUI Radio.

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The beautiful thing about live shows is the ability for a band to get everyone in the audience on the same high level of energy. Doomtree accomplished this on March 7, 2012 at the Blue Moose Tap House. Doomtree’s aggressive energy was felt by all through their unique punk/hip-hop style.

DJ Lazerbeak began his set melting the faces of the audience by jamming out, creating his own live beats. Then the beat dropped for the groups hit song “Bangarang”, as the group headed through the audience to get to the stage. It was a bit of a disappointment to find out that emcee and producer P.O.S. was not going to be performing after going back to his hometown to be there for his newborn baby. Nevertheless, Doomtree’s Mike Mictlan, Dessa, Cecil Otter, Sims, and Lazerbeak rocked the show.

Sims’ verse in their song “Bangarang” sums up the band perfectly “They hate, they petty/ They say we too heady, too heavy, too many, too much punk/ Much too drunk, too much luck, love too much/ Yup/ But we earned it all”. Doomtree is not afraid to be aggressive and true to their roots, as they deliver unfiltered music that is created right from their hearts.

Even though the group had four different emcees rapping, there was a sense of unity between this group. The rappers had each others’ backs, as throughout the gig, one after another would step up and have their own time in the spotlight as the others rapped along in the background. This performance style created a sense that everyone in the group looked out for each other and did not let egos get in the way. When the show was over, everyone left with the same vibe of what unity can really do: Doomtree has created an unstoppable force, that together, nothing will get in their way.

The post Concert Review: Doomtree at Blue Moose Tap House appeared first on KRUI Radio.