*Disclaimer: This article includes language that may be deemed unsuitable for minors*

The first day of Mission Creek Festival is finally here! The next five days will be filled with concerts, lectures, literary events, etc. all around Iowa City. The Mill kicked off their series of Mission Creek concerts with Caroline Smith, joined by openers Karen Meat and Quilt. Doors opened at seven, and the festivities began.

When I got to the Mill fifteen minutes before doors opened, there was only a very nice middle-aged couple before me that were there to see Quilt. When we got inside, they grabbed the booth closest to the stage and invited me to sit with them since they had no one else coming. For the remainder of the hour waiting for the first opener, Karen Meat, we talked about music and about what we knew of the bands performing. The rest of the audience seemed to be college-aged/twenty-somethings with a few older people scattered around.  The restaurant and bar held around 30-40 people at this point, and it was pretty quiet. (Tip: If you ever go to the Mill, for a concert or otherwise, order their coffee. It was unexpectedly very good.)

When Karen Meat took the stage at eight, the only thing I knew about them is that they were from Des Moines. Within the first thirty seconds, it was easy to tell that the band had chemistry. They were goofy in the way that they played and collaborated with each other’s energy, but I noticed that it took them a few songs to really get into their music and performance. They reminded me a lot of the sound that The Frights have (which I’ve started to get more into recently), but Karen Meat had cooler lyrics, a unique female voice, and more electronic elements. Those electronic aspects of the music were translated really well live. One of the musicians had some kind of digital, touch screen guitar that was used to make synth elements come alive on stage.

You can definitely tell that the group genuinely has fun performing together, and as their set continued, they drew people onto the floor in front of them to have fun as well. They laughed on stage as they silently shared inside jokes with each other, and they then gave that joy to the audience as well. I probably would not continue to listen to this band’s music if the performance hadn’t gotten so entertaining. If Karen Meat is playing anywhere near you (here’s their website), I would highly recommend going and seeing them.

Next up was Quilt at nine, and I was instantly interested in their sound because of the members of the band themselves. Each member had A+ fashion sense, and each seemed to hold their own stories and their own secrets. I was excited to see how those personalities would transfer over to their music. The transition from the tuning at the very beginning of the set and the first song was super interesting. It was like they were trying to draw you in just from the sound of their instruments and then turned that fiddling into a song. Those transitions between songs continued throughout the entire set. I don’t think there was any point in the set where an instrument wasn’t being played.

Quilt was clearly very well-rehearsed. When the tempos in their songs changed immediately from slow to fast, there wasn’t a flaw in the beat of the music. That is something that can be really hard to accomplish (or at least it was in high school orchestra). Their vocal harmonies were absolutely perfect. For the first half of the set, I thought that they were using a synthesizer for the second or third harmonies, but found out that they were all happening live.

The band had several exchanges with the audience that made the connection between musician and viewer seem more real. Once, the guy standing next to me yelled to the band after they said this was their first time in Iowa City. He shouted, “The weather doesn’t make sense, but you guys rock!” The lead singer then replied, “The weather doesn’t make sense? Why, because it’s April and it’s cold as fuck outside?” It was a small exchange, but everyone laughed. Those interactions can make a huge difference in the quality of a concert experience. Overall, I don’t know if I would continue listening to the band’s music because it isn’t perfect for my taste, but their set was well worth attending.

It was finally the time that everyone had been waiting for: Caroline Smith, the headliner of the show. From the time that Quilt’s set ended and Caroline got on stage, the floor had filled up so much that I was pushed from further back to the very front of the stage, right in the middle. (I’m not complaining.)

As the stage was being set up, the band’s chemistry and love for each other and what they were doing was evident. They were laughing together, talking and telling stories, and they were excited to get started. Caroline Smith had this light to her immediately. When she got on stage, she went straight to the microphone and started the set with the most powerful pose and the nicest smile. Her voice sounded exactly like it does on her album; it has the same jazz and R&B feel to it. Her backup singer had the exact same level of talent as well. A few songs in, she told the audience “I promise to give you everything I’ve got tonight if you promise that you’re going to feel good.” The entire band had such a life to them along with so much pure enthusiasm, and they truly wanted everyone that was there to have the time of their life. Their cover of Alanis Morissette’s You Oughta Know also didn’t harm anything. (Early 2000’s me was screaming.)

What made the performance so meaningful was that, as a human being, Caroline Smith was so strong. It exuded from her and her music so openly. During the performance, she kept talking about gender equality in ways relevant to her music, and she kept making sure that everyone knew that they should be happy, during the concert and for the rest of their lives. When she sang her second to last song, Walking Off Strong, she handed her mic to different people so that they could sing along with her. As she handed that mic to me and let me sing part of the song that she wrote, it was the most empowering thing that I’ve experienced in a long time. I know that everyone else in that room could feel that confidence that Caroline had and could feel it in themselves.

Let’s just say that I’ve heard the phrase “post concert depression” multiple times in my life, but have never understood or felt it until I attended this concert. There was amazing music, amazing people, and an amazing vibe flowing through everyone that was there. I will think about last night for a long time, and I know that the other amazing performances during Mission Creek will have the same amount of passion in them.

Listen to Caroline Simon’s album below:

The post Mission Creek: Caroline Smith @ The Mill 4/5/16 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

California band !!! (pronounced “chk chk chk”) was accompanied by Trouble Lights and Caroline Smith at Gabe’s on Friday night for another fun and energetic Mission Creek show.

Iowa duo Trouble Lights kicked off the night’s events.  The electro-pop duo quickly brought the up the energy with their catchy synth beats.  When singer Adrien Daller’s voice wasn’t soaring throughout the venue, she was dancing and jumping around the stage.  The group played songs from their newest and so far only album, The Endless Prom.  They closed with “Stay With Me”, the debut single, and my personal favorite on the album.

Trouble Lights’ liveliness put the night to a great start, but Caroline Smith decided to tone it down a bit.  This isn’t to say Smith was boring–far from it.  Smith and her band gave a fantastic performance of soulful R&B indie pop.  Smith’s smooth vocals radiated throughout as the audience danced right along.

Smith played a few of her older songs but focused on her new album, Half About Being A Woman.  Crowd favorites such as “Magazine”, “Half About Being a Woman”, and “Buy Me Something” made an appearance.  I found myself pleasantly surprised and very happy as Smith started rapping of verse of Kendrick Lamar’s “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” to her song “Bloodstyle”.

I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect as !!! took the stage as the final act of the night, but the band  grabbed me and the rest of the audience right from the beginning.  The Californian dance-punk band used electronic style beats to build and build until the final breaking point.  !!! also utilized fast and bright keyboards, saxophone solos, and a variety of percussion instruments to add to their already unique sound.

But as fun as they were to listen to, !!! was just as fun to watch.  Lead singer Nic Offer took advantage of the entire stage, jumping around, flailing his arms, and using vogue-style dance moves that kept the energy going.  Offer even took the floor, stepping off the stage weaving throughout the tight crowd.  A few members of the audience even made their way onto the stage to dance with Offer.  It was, essentially, one big party.

There’s still events left for Mission Creek Festival.  For information on their lineup and schedule, visit their website.

The post Mission Creek: !!! @ Gabe’s, 4/4/14 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Mission Creek takes place the first week of April every year (the 1st-6th), and brings music, food, lit, and film fans from all over the country to Iowa. This year will be no exception, with indie headliners such as Warpaint, The Head and the Heart, !!!, and Kishi Bashi.

Here’s what you shouldn’t miss at Mission Creek 2014:

The Head and the Heart

The indie folk group’s show at the Englert Theatre Friday, April 4th is sold out, so if you’re lucky enough to come across someone with extra tickets, thank your lucky stars. The Head and the Heart have been on indie fast-track since their debut self-titled album was released in 2010. With the release of their new album, Let’s Be Still last year, THATH have grabbed some serious attention, booking not only Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, but also Coachella, the Governor’s Ball, and world famous Milwaukee Summerfest.

Check out the official music video for their single off Let’s Be Still, “Shake”.

Kishi Bashi

Fresh off his set at SXSW in Austin and the Middle of the Map music festival  in Kansas City just before Mission Creek, Kishi Bashi’s show at The Mill on Friday, April 4th should be an excellent one. With praise like World Rock Magazine‘s stating, ““. . . if God had an iPod, he’d be listening to Kishi Bashi.”, one can only expect a beautiful set from the 38 year-old Seattle native, who is also a member of the group, Of Montreal, who also headlines Mission Creek, (Thursday, April 3rd at Blue Moose Tap house).

Check out the brand new official music video for “Philosophize In It! Chemicalize With It!” of his upcoming album Lighght.

Hannibal Buress

The Mission Creek comedic headliner is a former writer for NBC’s Saturday Night Live, currently stars in the Adult Swim faux-talk show The Eric Andre Show, has a set at Bonnaroo, and is a returning cast member of the new Comedy Central series Broad City. Buress’ show Wednesday, April 2nd at the Englert Theatre will leave you with sore abs and  a smile on your face.

Check out his hilarious set about New Orleans on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon last month.

Warpaint

The indie rock,  all female group will be playing the opening night of Mission Creek, Tuesday, April 1st at Gabe’s. Much like The Head and the Heart, Warpaint has booked an impressive amount of spring and summer festivals, Snowball, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Coachella, Boston Calling, Pickathon just to name a handful. The group has been together since 2004, and has three successful full length albums. Their newest album is self-titled, and was released in January.

Check out their live performance of “Elephant” from their debut 2009 album, “Exquisite Corpse”, at PitchFork music festival in Paris last December.

 Caroline Smith

While she’s not a headliner, Caroline Smith will be soon enough with her smooth and soulful voice. Smith will be on at 11pm just before !!! at Gabe’s on Friday, April 3rd. Her pure talent and flawless voice is something you cannot miss at Mission Creek this year. You can also catch Smith at the Middle of the Map festival in Kansas City.

Check out the music video for the song “Magazine” off of Caroline Smith’s 2013 album, Half About Being a Woman.

For a full Mission Creek 2014 calendar of events and ticket information go to Mission Creek’s website.

The post Mission Creek 2014: What KRUI Thinks You Shouldn’t Miss appeared first on KRUI Radio.

“Magazine” is the second track of Caroline Smith’s recently-released album, Half About Being a Woman, a slow and mellow blend of indie, pop, and R&B. “Magazine” begins with a three-part harmony of Smith’s voice, soon joined by a drums and an irresistible beat your head will bob along with naturally. The addition of a subtle bass and occasional guitar blend with Smith’s harmonies and drums to create a full, layered sound.

Caroline Smith will be performing with Max Jury and Sleepy Kitty on Saturday, November 2nd, at Gabe’s in Iowa City.  The show is 19+ and begins at 8:00 PM.

Buy Half About Being a Woman on iTunes and check out “Magazine” below:

The post Track of the Week: “Magazine” by Caroline Smith appeared first on KRUI Radio.