Opening his set with the title track “This is a Photograph” grabbed the audience right away and even got us dancing, if only for a brief moment. From here, we stood for the whole show. Morby often got the audience to dance even if his music doesn’t quite lend itself to it.

Morby took a sharp turn by going right into “Bittersweet TN”. Not only was this an amazing performance, he even brought Erin Rae on stage to sing with him. Each song built into a beautiful bang of a conclusion, getting the audience jumping or at least swaying by the end of each song.

At one point he even threw his guitar backstage and Mission Creek staff caught it without hesitation. This goes to show both how cool Morby is and how on top of things the Mission Creek staff is. Another highlight from his show was “Piss River.” Getting the audience to scream “Oh My God” with him was beautiful, and sounded even better with the Englert’s acoustics.

He ended his set with “Harlem River”, a much-needed chill track to wind the audience down and let us take everything in. Each one of his band members brought high-energy performances, with his saxophone player being a highlight of the performance. Morby and his band brought hair metal energy to a folk show that was very refreshing to see. Seeing Morby with a band behind him was a very unique and fun experience that I would highly recommend if you get the opportunity. 

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“I kicked my guitarist out of the band like, two days ago… so f*** it! Let’s do it,” lead vocalist Lindsay Jordan cracked before her set. “And I got a new guitar! All for you guys.” She flashed her Fender with a glossy wood body.

After playing two familiar tracks, “Heatwave” and “Ben Franklin”, she remarked that she “felt like [she] was just in Iowa, [but] it’s been 2.5 years!” After a couple of slight hiccups, the band reached their full stride. Jordan kicked, shimmied, and grooved around the stage, interacting with bandmates, but always making it back to the mic on cue for her next line.

“This one is brand new, you haven’t heard this before,” Jordan quipped before starting the riff to “Thinning”. Her guitar strap snapped during the song. She continued to play the riff with no interruption someone from Englert’s production team swiftly replaced it. The audience cheered at the feat. The guitarist was without her strap for a few seconds, but when something goes wrong at a show, each second matters. Jordan and the stagehand’s combined experience ensured the show went on without interruption.

Banter was common between songs. After “Sailing (Forever)”, an eagle-eyed fan noticed the keyboardist using a banana as a shaker. Jordan squinted at the patron’s phone. “Guy… banana?” She asked. The audience member replied, “Nice banana!” The keyboardist told Jordan that “They’re talking about me.” “Oh,” Jordan replied dryly. “They’re talking about you at my show?” Laughter rippled through the audience. Jordan continued. “[The keyboardist] is my friend now. He didn’t used to be, but this next track is about him.” The song “Full Control” played next.

The keyboardist kept up. After the track, he challenged Jordan. “She can’t do pushups.” Jordan shook her head. “That’s bullshit. You wanna see?” Led by the keyboardist, the crowd counted as Jordan did ten pushups.

After playing “Headlock”, Jordan added a new twist to “Valentine”. Her pedal effect on the guitarist had a slashing sound to it reminiscent of the questioning chorus. Then they left the stage, never to be seen again.

A lone barstool stood on stage when Lindsay Jordan returned for the encore. “This is a song about friendship,” she said. “I rewrote this, like, 40 times so sometimes I don’t remember the right lyrics.” Her solo rendition of “c. et. al.” was a somber reflection embedded in a lively set. After the song, her backing band returned and unleashed a double track of “Dirt” and “Slug”, seamlessly connecting the songs into each other. To end the show, she played the crowd-pleasing “Pristine”. Unlike the lyrics, “It just feels like / The same party every weekend”, Snail Mail mixed up the city’s routine with a late-night concert at the Englert.

The stage is a playground for Lindsay Jordan of Snail Mail. She radiates an infectious bubbly energy that won over the audience during Mission Creek. Problems sprouted during the show, but the group was able to roll through them and connect with the audience. The group ran with the buzz Sudan Archives created for an impressive double feature Friday night.

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Snail Mail’s 2018 release “Lush” is a great listen as spring slowly blossoms into summer. Jordan’s crisp yet thoughtful guitar rings through the album over bittersweet lyrics. Lines like “The morning bleeds into golden dream / Just like before” from the song “Golden Dream” wash over listeners like a cool night breeze over sunburnt shoulders from the beach. Tracks from “Lush” evoke a sense of nostalgia in listeners. Jordan writes with a clarity that evokes memories of late summer nights and lost love.

Armed with a jangling guitar in her first two albums, Jordan’s sound matured into a darker blend of synths, keyboards, and strings in her 2021 release “Valentine”. This shifted her from the Liz Phair comparisons but added depth to her songs. Intricate layering caused attentive listeners to pick up on new touches on tracks. On “Headlock”, synths emit a ghostly woo during the chorus. This project switches between songs adjacent to dream pop rooted with a driving guitar (“Valentine”, “Glory”) and somber reflective songs (“Mia”, “c. et. al.”) without compromise.

The “Valentine” music video depicts a queer revenge story set in a Victorian-era setting. The chorus “Why’d you wanna erase me?” soars over the track. Jordan gorges on cake to defy stuffy socialites and ends the video in a bloodbath reminiscent of “Carrie”. A golden retriever puppy steals the show in the “Ben Franklin” music video set in a New England home that matches the brighter poppy sounds of the track.

If you enjoyed Soccer Mommy’s set at last year’s Mission Creek, or artists such as boygenius and Japanese Breakfast, check out Snail Mail’s set. Artists bring an extra burst of energy on the start of their tours. Snail Mail performs on Friday, April 7^th at the Englert Theatre. See Mission Creek’s website for tickets, schedules, and more.

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If I had to choose one word to describe this performance, it would be raw. At all stages in the show, you could feel the vulnerability, the power of these dancers. The performers presented their hearts and minds in a web of art forms – interlocking movement, comedy, poetry, and music. Their roles as performers, but also their individual identities, were never hidden from us.

As audience members trickled into the Englert, handpicking their seats on the floor, we watched the dancers stretch and warm up. Their bodies bent and contorted in impressive ways, but not in a boastful way. It was a glimpse into the world of dance and the community built between performers. They rehearsed moves and conversed with each other, occasionally waving to the audience as they spotted a familiar face. Immediately, the audience was immersed along side them on their stage – no boundaries or exclusivity.

The show was divided into three acts, all directed and choreographed by Jennifer Kayle, associate professor at the University of Iowa. Kayle also co-directs the university’s MFA program. The three acts were titled “Nocturne for Sleepwalkers,” “Turns at the Intersection,” and “Another Stage of Staging Ourselves.”

When the first act began, you could feel the dancers shift into focus. The performers delivered their moves with unmatched liveliness. The audience laughed and grinned as the performers tossed pillows back and forth – a visual expression of the energy exchanged between them. They delivered comedy exclusively through motion, calling Charlie Chaplin to mind.

The second act, “Turns at the Intersection,” maintained the first act’s palpable energy, but expanded its influence beyond choreography. The back curtain of the Englert’s stage lifted to reveal two sound technicians who worked in tandem with the dancers to create an improvised performance. The hypnotic, pulsing soundtrack intermingled with the dancers’ intermittent narrations. Taking turns at the mic, some performers briefly detailed their experiences. Others ventured into the audience, asking for our experiences to narrate the movements unfolding onstage. The musicians then remixed and echoed these sound bites, creating a surreal atmosphere of total truth.

The experience was severe in its simultaneous approachability and intimidating rawness. The act concluded with two duets, inspired by weightlessness, which we had just seen be developed, reworked, and finalized. These overlapping art forms captured the human experience in a stunning and inspiring way. I have so much respect for the creativity, vulnerability, and genius of these artists.

Brady Van Patten and Zachary Bird performed the third and final act. The duo once again immersed the audience in their creative process by combining choreography and dialogue. The pair effortlessly transitioned from comedy to vulnerability, raw movement to narration. You could never guess their next step. Each phase revealed a new truth about the performance and the performers.

Brady and Zach boldly retold the intricacies of queer identities and relationships. They tore open the pushes and pulls of life – the forces that act on all of us but seem so personal. The performance capitalized on the anticipated intensity and the liberation of honesty.

All three acts of this performance completely blew me away. Its intentional mystery left the interpretation of this piece to the audience. Every moment infused centering and reflection. The performers silenced our minds and awakened our hearts, forcing us to acknowledge how unique this night was, that there would only be one performance like this. “Another Stage of Staging Ourselves” perfectly encapsulated the humanity of movement and art.

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“Another Stage of Staging Ourselves” is a dance performance directed by the University of Iowa’s very own Jennifer Kayle – associate professor and co-director of the MFA program. Kayle’s dancing is known for its “muscular presence” (Dance Source Houston) and her past works have been praised for their “distinct…affecting scenes” (Hampshire Gazette, MA). According to her website, Kayle’s works aim to combine “both personal and political lenses to engage choreography as ‘public art.'”

The University of Iowa’s Dance website describes this program as “Three music and dance tragicomedies, a multi-gender-race-age ensemble, some complicated queer relationships, spontaneous dances, sleepless fits, and badass moves.“

The program will feature Brady Van Patten – an undergraduate and current MFA candidate at the University of Iowa. Van Patten has worked with Kayle previously on several projects, including the Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival, where he performed with Kayle + Company. Since then, Van Patten has moved to Chicago and worked with groups such as 500 Clown and the Neo-Futurists.

“Another Stage of Staging Ourselves” is a part of the Englert’s Witching Hour festival. The program will take place at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 29 at the Englert Theatre. Tickets are available for purchase on the Englert’s website.

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Chromic Duo is made up of Asian-American composers Dorothy Chan and Lucy Yao. The two artists are third-culture-kids and create sounds that describe the road to self-discovery. In their bio, the phrase “inspired by the small wonders of the everyday” encapsulates their inspiration for the music-making process.

In an interview with Little Village Magazine, Yao stated “A toy piano… might be something that you think is just for a kid to learn. But then when you start to look a little bit deeper, you notice that the toy piano actually has this beautiful character and all these different toy pianos are characters in themselves.” A sense of playfulness is at the heart of Chromic Duo’s pursuit to connect with those trying to find a sense of belonging.

Chromic Duo is no stranger to new modes of storytelling and delightfully integrate sound and visuals in their 2020 YouTube video entitled “Chromic Nightbloom.” The piece demonstrates multidimensional art and music production. Live generated visuals of pastel skies move cautiously along with the melancholic plucking of piano strings. Then, the mood changes to a more lighthearted composition and transports you to a tranquil dimension. Chromic Duo’s ability to reimagine everyday musical instruments will have you smiling and reminiscing on childhood curiosity and creativity.

The musical duo will bring their soundscapes to the Englert Theatre’s annual Witching Hour festival. Chromic Duo performs at the James Theater in Iowa City on October 21st at 7:30 P.M.

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For the first forty minutes, Tatsuya Nakatani kept the audience engaged in a solo show. Nakatani brought a plethora of sounds out of a gong, ranging from a gentle hum that reminded me of a violin, to a brassy tune that sounded like a trumpet, to a rattle that seemed like a snake calling out a warning.

The vast range created by Nakatani’s hands forced me to feel a wide range of emotions throughout the show. At times, the music was eerie and foreboding; at others, it was sad and reminiscing. It only took the change in a bow stroke or a mallet strike to alter the mood.

It wasn’t just the sound that drew the audience in, it was the way Nakatani played the instruments. He wasn’t just some person sawing away at the gong in hopes that it sounded okay. Using such precision and grace, it appeared as though Nakatani was dancing with the instruments. He played as if he felt every vibration in his soul, and he let that vibration carry him. The emotion that he gave off as he tended to the gong was a beautiful thing to watch.

Following a fifteen-minute intermission, the show returned, this time adding a touch of home. Nakatani was joined on stage by fourteen members of the Iowa City community who had been under his instruction in preparation for the show. During this part of the show, Nakatani took on more of a director role, guiding his students through the music.

From what I could see, none of the fourteen performers had sheet music in front of them. Their eyes stayed on their instructor, only straying to focus on the bow’s movement. The group worked in unison, and while they didn’t have nearly the experience Nakatani has, the performers still created a sound worthy of the master himself.

“Good” is not a word I can use to describe such a show – it simply doesn’t cover it. “Mesmerizing,” “otherworldly,” “haunting,” or “beautiful” might work, but even then, words don’t do it justice. There’s something about the way that Nakatani plays that sticks in the back of your mind.

It’s a feeling that you can’t quite put into words.

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The contemporary scene is flooded with familiar instruments like the piano and the guitar, so a gong – yes, the big, metal, cymbal-looking thing – seems out of place in that part of the music world. However, that doesn’t mean you should skip the performance. The Nakatani Gong Orchestra will indulge your ears with metallic sound waves.

The multiple gongs under the expert leadership of the percussionist and composer Tatsuya Nakatani creates a unique, eerie and ethereal feel. Nakatani is so dedicated to his craft, he spent ten years rehearsing with the group before their first performance in 2011. While Nakatani includes elements of traditional Japanese music, such as dramatic pacing and space, he also strives to create a more contemporary sound that leaves the listener with something that is from both the past and the present.

Not everyone wants to spend their evening listening to gong music (even though it sounds pretty cool). If the music alone doesn’t intrigue you, the performance itself should. The second installment of this year’s Witching Hour festival, the Nakatani Gong Orchestra is something you don’t want to miss. After ten years of preparation, the masterful Nakatani and his skilled musicians are ready to deliver.

The Nakatani Gong Orchestra is something out of this world. You can listen to the group on Spotify, or join them live at the Englert Theatre at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 2.

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But what about a Mayan flute? Drawing a blank, huh?

Mexican-American DJ and producer DEBIT conjures up more than just music in her new album, “The Long Count.” Using obscure sonic material (archival recordings of ancient Mayan flutes, for example), DEBIT explores the sounds within sound.

The album’s eighth track, “4th Day,” is free of melody, beat, motif, and virtually any other musical component that one might expect. Casual listeners and audiophiles alike are forced to make sense of something different. Easy listening? Not at all. The experience requires feeling, not just active/passive listening.

Her newest work departs from 2018’s electronica-driven “Animus”, her debut effort, but they share much of the same DNA. From the beginning, DEBIT has strived to avoid repetitive tropes and canned sounds, instead finding unique sources of inspiration. In a recent article, The Guardian deemed her music “deliciously strange.”

Her polymorphous, soundscape, and ambient work challenges many Western music concepts. While you could compare her to some well-known ambient artists, like U2 or Moby, DEBIT occupies a liminal space that’s all her own.

DEBIT has DJ’ed across North & South America since 2010. She has appeared at Ghetto Gothic, MIXPAK, and performed with Kode9, ARCA, Nick Hook, Jubilee, and more. Join her at the James Theater in Iowa City at 7:30 p.m., Sept. 17.

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Beach Bunny had had their first performance of their tour at the Englert Theatre on Friday, April 8. As the night progressed the theater filled with excited young bodies thrilled to see Beach Bunny live. Their performance was refreshingly youthful and effortlessly talented. Even though guitarist Matt Henkel was missing, as Lili Trifilio said, “The show must go on!” She went so hard on the guitar that her finger started bleeding. Bassist Anthony Vaccaro and drummer Jon Alvarado equally rocked out, jumping around and bringing playful energy to the set.

The stage had vintage televisions lit with static and projected stars. The colorful pink, purple, and red lights glittered off of Trifilio’s glittery, silver outfit and the backdrop.

At the start of their performance, Trifilio asked everyone to stand, which sent the crowd rushing to her feet at the front of the stage. They opened with her single “Oxygen.” A smile erupted on Trifilio’s face when people started to sing along. During her song “Good Girls (Don’t Get Used)” the audience was asked to sing backup vocals, bringing them into the performance. Everyone sang along. Beach Bunny had the younger students who sat beside me mesmerized, one even accidentally smacked me during “Blame Game” because they were so taken by the song.

Although the venue was seated, and the crowd was smaller than anticipated for future venues, and they were down a guitarist, the performance was all the more genuine and personal. The crowd participation and emotional vulnerability of Beach Bunny’s music made the entire show approachable and fun. If I could go back in time and be there again, I would in a heartbeat.

Beach Bunny will go on to play the Mo Pop Festival in Detroit and Lollapalooza in Chicago later in the year along with artists like Green Day and Big Sean.

For more information about Beach Bunny, see our previous article here.

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