Cut Worms

The Ohio-turned-Brooklyn soft rock act Cut Worms had been touring with Father John Misty for the past several weeks, and Des Moines was their second to last show together. I can at best describe Cut Worms as: nice. If you took a dude from Ohio with shaggy hair and threw him into Pueblo, AZ for like 2 years, then chucked him into Brooklyn for another 15, that’s the kind of music Cut Worms makes. It was nice, it sure was soft indie rock! If you could be so bold as to imagine a group of five dudes in t-shirts and jeans, every one of them possessing locks of hair within that so gentle manipulative chin-to-shoulder length range. I think the moment the first strand of hair grows just slightly past the clavicle, there would be in-fighting and perhaps a coup d’état,. I got the chance to talk with a couple of them at their merch table at the show. I asked why they chose to play a cover of The Velvet Underground’s There She Goes Again, the front-man’s words being that “it’s a good song and we like it.” Fair point lad, cheers. One could argue they were too lost in Val Air sponsored beers for an effective interview by that point. I also had nothing more interesting to ask–my bad!

After stepping outside between sets for a doodle break, I reentered Val Air to find a brand new crowd. Even compared to when the Violent Femmes played there, it was the most packed I had ever seen the venue. Only the greatest inhabitants of Iowa showed up for this event: dudes hauling their man bun burdens, antichrists, eunuch sluts, vegans, low-risk anarchists, and maxi-skirt participants all pooled within that hall to celebrate being an individualistic asshole, together!

Father John Misty

This tour follows the release of FJM’s most recent album, the title is sourced from the Sanskrit word Mahāśmaśāna (महाश्मशान) defined as “great cremation ground, all things going thither.” Mahashmashana oozes an Old Hollywood jazz with wild terrors blended into the soft rock. It navigates themes of mental health and death on a jarring rollercoaster of psychedelic jazz, to sweeping strings, to uptempo rock n’ cowbells. It’s genuine and spiritual in a way that (historically) Father John Misty once tended to subvert.

The stage was just as packed as the crowd. Instruments were crammed in together across the stage, two saxophones, a mellotone, four keyboardly contraptions, a full drum kit, at least six or seven guitars, and one flute squished together against the stage borders. Introduced by a Beach Boys song, all eight musicians walked out on stage into their respective places with a casual air. With a distant wave to the crowd from Father John Misty, and barely a glance between each other, the saxophone queued in, blaring.

All jazz, all rhythm, the ensemble left me astounded. From the first crying tones of I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All, the band played smooth with a perfect balance of light and dark tone. I was so distracted by the ensemble it took a few moments to notice Father John Misty was also singing. The group played by jazz rules, solos taking over while FJM moved in an impossibly smooth dance, suave rolling movements so clean that his jacket and microphone cable flicked along like choreography.

They played the eponymous Mr. Tillman, into a slight emotional intermission during Goodbye Mr. Blue. That song is devastating, it’s the one and only song I have completely blocked out from my music streaming. FJM and the band played it with a very sweet gentleness, with a country twang touching the bitter tang of last times that come too soon. I was still recovering between the songs Nancy From Now and Chateau Lobby No. 4. Both are songs that I adore, but neither me nor FJM were terribly invested in the performance of these, though perhaps for separate reasons.

Over the course of the show, there was a noticeable shift in energy between old and new. Songs from Mahashamana were played with a casual liveliness, relaxed but with a jazzy drive powering through it. They had fun, and felt like the loose destructive indie folk people love FJM for, both the band and Tillman playing with vigor and a practiced energy, but almost dragged through the older songs from his discography. I can’t blame him, this show occurred on the tail following 6 full months of touring the same songs from 2012, setlist.fm reports that he has been counted to play I Love You Honeybear a full 604 God Damned times. It was lovely to hear some of these songs live, Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings and Chateau being an iconic backdrop for many of us sad pretentious suckers for a decade, but I can completely understand being sick of playing the same shit over and over. In all, the full ensemble did an excellent job performing the Mahashamana songs, still having fun and energy following their six months of tour (the oddball She Cleans Up leaving everyone dancing with a cool bounce). I’m excited to see what FJM releases next in the coming years, if he will continue in this jazzy Hollywood direction, and if he will perhaps someday be released from these Honeybear shackles.

I appreciate your composure, dear reader, and your patience for my hyperbolic (frankly unethical) use of hyphenation thus far. That night, I felt freed to live as the most pretentious version of myself. With one hand holding together a notebook precariously leveraged against my (9-U.S.-Dollar) beer, I notated illegible scribbling across my notebook pages. Swatched in the crushed velvets of a new nicotine addiction, I was comforted by the vague gaze of the security guy distracted packing his cheeks with Zyns, as if he were the world’s largest hamster. Despite the lack of a ranting monologue, the thing I had been most praying for, it was still a wonderful show. I felt cradled in that Val Air Ballroom corner by FJM’s smoky voice and the jazz surrounding me, and flowing throughout the crowd into all of the worst versions of ourselves, both acceptance and pretentiousness was embraced between everyone on the floor. Wherever you fell under that tender narcissistic ego-death misandrist-slash-nihilist umbrella, you were welcome under the ballroom lights in Father John Misty’s cradle that evening.

Father John Misty’s tour has since drawn to a close, but will perform at festivals coming up in the next few months in Arizona, California, Idaho, and is featured on the recently announced Primavera Sound 2026 lineup. More information on upcoming events at Val Air and throughout the DSM/Davenport area can be found from First Fleet Concerts here.

The post Father John Misty played “I Love You, Honeybear” for the 602nd time in Des Moines at Val Air Ballroom, October 1. appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Interview has been edited for clarity.

Harry Epstein: To break the ice, how’s the tour been going?

Ben Zito: Good!

Dan Rickabus: Good! Day 4, yesterday we played Prince’s birthday, at the venue that they filmed Purple Rain in, so that was a good thing.

Emilee Petersmark: He didn’t curse us, so that’s good.

Dan: We’re not haunted by Prince.

Ben: Word’s out on if he blessed us or not, though. He’s a benign Prince, so we’ll see. 

Emilee: If he was neutral, I’d take that as a win.

Livian LaVine: Have you been able to check out Iowa City at all? See the Arts Fest? 

Kate Pillsbury: Oh, that’s what’s happening? Yeah, we’ve only just loaded in, and then sound checked. We just got done with the sound check. 

Ben: Two hours ago, got the stuff in. 

Emilee: We usually see everything from the window of the van on the way in.

Harry: Did it look nice? 

Emilee: It looked really nice! I went to the comic book shop next door, which was great. It’s nice to be able to get these little moments of humanity in.

Livian: Elephant in the room, you guys just recently released new music with your song “Arcturus Beaming”. What was some of your inspiration behind that song?

Kate: That’s a big question. That song was kind of a convergence of a long period of survival mode, and the coming out of that into more of a hopeful era. It’s a song about coping with the overlap of those things. The grief of losing something, but also the hope of a new future. I don’t know how deep to go into the influences.

I used a little bit of Plato’s allegory of the cave for inspiration for that song. And obviously the star Arcturus is a huge influence on the song. That’s the fourth brightest star in the sky, and it’s based off of a conversation that I had with someone about like, “What if there are aliens out there, looking at our sun?” And it was just like, “I need to fit that into a song!”

Livian: What did the songwriting process look like for that piece, or for other songs on the upcoming album?

Dan: It was cool to hear about Kate’s process because you had to just trust it, and for us that was like one big poem, nothing repeats in it. So I think it’s really fun because Kate’s guitar part holds it down, and Ben’s bass part creates the energy and rock-solidness of it, and as the song progresses, every time there’s an instrumental, Emilee and I go a little crazier, so there’s this release feeling in the instrumentals. But that’s more in the arrangement side of things. When we write, usually Emilee or Kate will write the chord structure, lyrics, flow, verses, and choruses of a song, and then we’ll all build it out. But this time, writing this new album, we tried a lot of different stuff. We just tried to challenge ourselves and try stuff.

So, we have a song where the main guitar riff, Ben wrote on an acoustic guitar and kinda passed it around. We have stuff on this album where I had a chorus and a beat for a song, and then Emilee wrote the verses. So, for this time I think we got back to like, when we were first a band, we would do, “Oh, Emilee and I are writing a song, but we’re imagining Kate singing it,” and stuff like that in the early days. But in the middle period we didn’t do a lot of that, so we kind of brought some of that back. One of the songs, Kate wrote for me to sing, so it’s all this trading around.

Kate: Also, when we released our first album Safe Ship, Harbored, immediately after our album release show, we went to a little cabin and worked on new music. We were so invigorated. 

Ben: Literally the next morning! Partied all night after the show, then got up and drove.

Kate: We were so youthful! But we decided to summon some of that, because y’know, we’re older now, and we each have our own houses and our own lives, so we said, “Let’s have a little retreat together.” So this past July, that’s where we worked on a lot of the music for this album, including Arcturus. We just hung out in a cabin and did what we called it a “hot tub retreat” with some songwriting on the side. We just hung out and bonded and worked on a bunch of music, I think seven songs?

Dan: Mhm, seven at the first retreat, and then we did another retreat in December that was shorter, where we did two big songs, and then two of the other ones kind of were old. Well, not old, but from this era where they didn’t belong anywhere yet, so we got them up in fighting shape and added those two. So, there’s 11 tunes.

Harry: As you kind of mentioned, it’s been a long time since the first album release. How does that feel? 

Ben: Weird.

Dan: Weird.

Emilee: It’s odd. It makes me feel very aware of how long we’ve been doing this. I think when we started the band, there wasn’t any expectation of what we had envisioned for the long-term future. I think we were all just in it as long as it felt right and comfortable, and so long as the pieces fell together, everything aligned. But to look back and realize that you’ve been doing it for 13 years is kind of like a “wow” moment. I don’t think I planned on doing this for over a decade, but it’s a huge part of our lives, and it’s really cool to see that there’s been a real evolution between album one and album five. 

Kate: We’ve been through so much life parallel to each other, really enmeshed in each other’s lives, that it really is like a marriage of a kind. All of our partners, and all of our life kind of overlaps, and we really have to work with each other to make sure that we can shape a future that works for everyone involved, and I don’t know, I think there’s something really special about that.

Livian: You mention as well the evolution between album one and, this is now album five I believe, how do you think your sound has changed between some of the last music you’ve released and now?

Dan: Last music?

Livian: Like, maybe your live album from 2020, for example.

Dan: Oh yeah! That was kind of like the new electric era. Here I Am is kind of what captures the electric Crane Wives. Obviously our first album is just acoustic folk, eventually it just felt better for the show, and both Kate and Emilee seemed so excited to play electric guitar. With them having such a thick tone, and then also not having to switch different acoustic instruments around, we were loving just the energy that being an electric 4-piece gave us. That’s definitely a big part of this album, y’know, it’s fleshed out. We invited two string players that are our friends from Michigan to play, and there’s lots of other like, sonic depth that we added. But a lot of it is excitement about being a 4-piece electric band. 

Ben: You know, we do incorporate some acoustics, and try to stay true to that earlier sound, but it’s considerably different. It’s a super natural progression, though. It’s been nice. 

Emilee: We’ve just kind of been doing what feels fun, exciting, and interesting to us, and I feel like as we’ve gotten older, our music interests have changed a little bit. The things that we’re interested in exploring are grittier riffs or more complex sounds, and it’s been really exciting to have an avenue as a 4-piece to explore how big and how thick of a sound we can create with just the four of us, and then adding in extra little ear candy bits just to add a little bit of magic to the music. It’s really exciting. 

Ben: It’s really a product of us chasing what is interesting to us. Like, in quite a few of the songs, there’s a specific pedal that was very exciting to us, like, “Oh, that sounds cool on this too!” It just happens to be everywhere, just because we thought it was sweet, and chasing what was interesting. Picking up an electric guitar, it’s a lot more interesting than an acoustic. You can make a lot more different sounds with it. There’s a lot more freedom to run. 

Harry: I mean, doing what you think is interesting, that’s music, so it’s good to hear that you guys are continuing to do things that you enjoy, even as The Crane Wives has gotten bigger, at least from the outside.

Dan: One of my favorite parts, as we’re talking about this, is just being a huge fan of each of these three. Obviously we have a lot more sounds, but the way some of those electric guitar parts interweave, it’s just like, “Woah!” It’s also just really fun to note that Ben recorded it in his studio and mixed it.

Emilee: He built that studio with his two hands. 

Ben: These two. (Holding up his hands) 

Dan: Those two!

Harry: There they are, right there!

Livian: In the flesh!

Dan: Yeah, there they are!

Emilee: But it’s like a dream to be able to work in a studio environment that is not only super comfortable, but was also crafted to fit the songs that we make. 

Ben: That’s where we practice, too.

Emilee: Yeah, it’s very convenient. 

Dan: In that studio we kind of became like a four-headed producer, where some decisions were made without speaking.

Livian: As you guys said, you have your own lives outside of this band, so I’m curious, what individual projects have you been working on or are excited to work on in the future?

Kate: I think right now, we’re all very excited about The Crane Wives and very invested, but the three of us me, Emilee, and Dan do have solo music we work on as well. But it kinda creeps on over time.

Emilee: Ben and I, over the lock-down, like during pretty much peak Covid, we recorded—

Ben: You about to make news?

Emilee: We recorded a solo record with a bunch of my solo music that’s just kind of been like, I don’t know, we’ve been waiting for an opportunity to let it out into the world, but it just hasn’t felt right.

Ben: We’ve got it done, but we’re like, “Okay! Crane Wives album,” and then that has just been…

Emilee: Yeah.

Ben: It’s awesome.

Emilee: But it’s one of those things where it’s exciting to come back to it and kind of use the influences we’ve gained by performing, and by working on this record together. I feel like it’s kind of like a trading off of inspiration, right? When we work together I think we inspire each other to do more on our own as well. I know Dan also has a solo project as well, and we write music individually. Sometimes that music just doesn’t fit with the band and that usually just ends up in a Google Drive folder somewhere, so it’s nice to give those songs a home as well.

Livian: I feel like every creative has something of a similar experience, just like—

Emilee: Just a dump site?

Livian: Exactly, exactly.

Dan: I actually saw a hat that you can get today, and all it is are just the words, “Untitled, Unmastered.” Something for artists, y’know?

Emilee: Version 5: unfinished.

Dan: Yeah, yeah, I have a solo record that all three of these people were on, and I’m also in a band called Moss Manor, and yeah, like Emilee’s saying, there’s a really cool exchange where you get out certain ideas that don’t belong in different projects. You get them out in different projects, or then you get inspired to do something, and then your playing changes by the time you come back to the band. We’re all just fans of each other’s projects, so it’s just a big old, I don’t even know what you’d call it. Just a generative… 

Harry: Soup?

Dan: Yup, it’s a soup!

Harry: This is gonna be a kind of big on the spot question, but what do each of you guys, or as a whole, think your biggest influences creatively or musically are? Like I said, big question.

Emilee: That is a big question.

Harry: If it’s easier, you could just say favorite album or whatever.

Dan: That isn’t any easier.

Livian: Yeah, that might be harder!

Emilee: Hmm, I’ve been listening to a lot of Mitski. It’s been really exciting seeing her kind of pull that like, Kate Bush, avant-garde card a little bit, and see that you don’t have to do the mainstream thing to be recognized, which is really comforting. We also listened to a lot of Boygenius around the time we were in the studio. 

Kate: I’m obsessed with Adrianne Lenker, and Big Thief in general, but particularly Adrianne. I wanna say that’s a huge influence, for us all I think, as well as just other art forms. Emilee’s a visual artist, and I like that overlap in visual media and music, which you can see in art that Emilee does for us, and we have Rebecca Green on this new album again, who did the art for our last four albums as well. But then another huge influence has been, especially on this album, space.

Emilee: We love space!

Kate: Yeah!

Emilee: But back to influences, The War on Drugs. Really interested in the guitar sounds there.

Dan: There’s like a Venn diagram, y’know? But it’s so cool cause there’s some stuff in the middle of the Venn diagram of the four circles that we all agree on, but there’s all sorts of stuff in the wings.

Harry: Well, obviously with the new album coming out, is there any chance we’ll be hearing some upcoming songs tonight?

Dan: Oh, yeah! (Reaches for the setlist)

Ben: Hide it, quick!

Harry: I’m not looking, I’m not looking!

Livian: I was right next to it and I didn’t even notice!

Dan: We’re playing “Arcturus Beaming” at every show this tour because we’re very excited to have it released as of this week, and it’s so cool, even the first three shows, I heard people singing along. We’re playing “The Well” tonight, which is our recent single that came out in December, which is just a standalone piece of art, and not actually part of the new album’s music. We have too much music! The way the album flowed and fit together thematically, it felt like it would just be kinda tossed in there. We will play, tonight anyway, one more song that will be on the new record.

Livian: You mentioned the themes of the album as well, and listening to “Arcturus Beaming”, it seemed like it was kind of the title track for the album, singing “Beyond, beyond, beyond.” What felt right about making that part the name of the album?

Emilee: Finding a name for your record has got to be the most torturous experience because no matter what you say it sounds dumb. Every time that you verbalize that it’s like, “That’s dumb. That’s a dumb name.” It’s like that with band names too, like you scrutinize any band that exists. Red Hot Chili Peppers, stupid name. The Beatles, stupid name. Like all of those are dumb. Anything under a magnifying glass sounds so dumb and pretentious. So, we went through a huge process of attempts to label this record. In the past we just kind of spitballed for whatever felt right, like sometimes things just hit.

Ben: There were a few contenders, Dan had a list.

Emilee: Yeah, Dan had a big list.

Ben: There were about 15 in the drive, and they were all pretty good, y’know?

Emilee: But like, “Beyond, beyond, beyond,” that moment in “Arcturus” for me anyways, as somebody who’s just listening to the record and trying to be a casual listener in my mind, that just felt like the pinnacle moment of us saying what we need to say. The theme of the record is that yes, things are hard, but a lot of our music over time has focused about the ugly things that people try to keep pushed down and repressed. This is more like, yes those things exist, but also this other thing exists, which is hope and the future, and this idea that there is a world outside of the hard things and hurting.

Ben: Emilee brought that to practice. She was like, “What about beyond, beyond, beyond?” Without thinking, I was like, “Yup!” I had a feeling, and then we all thought like, let’s all sit on it for a week or whatever. Then in another practice we brought it back up, and it was like, “Yeah that’s it!” Beyond, beyond, beyond felt good, y’know?

Emilee: It just takes you further away from where you start, and I like that this album kinda gives us a view of the veil between, and this idea that there is something on the other side.

Kate: The whole album too just has this sort of trudging energy of making it through the difficulty, and we liked imagining what comes after.

Ben: That doubling down on the unknown, because whatever’s beyond beyond is, beyond. Unknown, unknown, unknown. Picture what’s beyond, and the alliteration at least anyway. It’s just perfect. Nailed it.

Dan: Nailed it! I can’t say what it is, but I have an alt band/alt album name that would be like our early 2000s post-hardcore album name. Has a comma in it, y’know? It’s like way too long.

Emilee: All lowercase letters in it.

Dan: I had so many ones where I would say “That’s our blank-blank album name, if we wanted to be something other than what we are.” So yeah, we got the right one.

Livian: Maybe after the album releases, you make a post with all the other names.

Dan: Then we can make faux press photos, change our look.

Harry: Radical shift for The Crane Wives!

Emilee: I vote for really bad photoshop, with Jojo Siwa makeup on all of us.

Harry: Speaking of Jojo Siwa, that’s not something I thought I’d be saying today, how do you guys feel about the fact that so many queer people really enjoy your music?

Kate: It’s such a gift.

Emilee: It feels like we’ve really found our people. We spent so long playing like, I don’t wanna badmouth venues or other people obviously, but like to people that I felt were not our people.

Ben: We played a lot of breweries. People there for the beer, and then the music. Maybe a little too much of the beer. 

Emilee: Exactly! And now we have these amazing, deep-feeling fans who wanna know what the meanings of the songs and visuals are, and like they’re artists! They’re creators! Which is also such a huge thing to be able to write music for people who make things. It’s such an honor. It feels so great to be in a room full of people who you can trust to hold a drink.

Ben: Not to generalize too much, but like every town we go to, the people that run the merch table are the most polite humans I’ve ever met. Every night it’s like the nicest people.

Kate: Our openers on our tours have said the same thing, they’re just an attentive audience of kind people. It’s almost scary being on stage, cause everyone’s listening so intently, no words are exchanged. It’s such a polite crowd, and our fans make friends at the shows. I know people do in the wild, but like there’ll be people who have never been to a concert, they’re scared to go to a show where they don’t know what they’re gonna get out of it, and they’re like, “Ugh, how do I do this!” There’s a Discord server that we have where fans will like sync up before the show, and plan to meet each other. It’s just this little safety net of people who are open, kind, and loving, so it feels amazing to play to audiences like that.

Dan: Mhm. Yeah, we get lots of stories about people finding belonging, and we always say that we didn’t do this or propagate it, but they found our songs, and we’re just so happy that our songs can mean so much to people’s lives.

Emilee: I always think as an adult, that grew up queer and didn’t have safe spaces or a safe community necessarily, it feels like a big responsibility, but also important work, to be able to provide that for our fans as well. It’s really good to know that the way that they’ve cultivated themselves has been to such an extent where we feel comfortable saying that this is an all ages show, and we feel comfortable bringing you here. It’s been really meaningful and important to me to be able to do that. Particularly for the kids, cause I remember being 16, going to my first concert, not necessarily old enough to be there, a lot of Warped Tours. 

Kate: I will say too about the emotional content of our songs, when we were younger and writing these songs which are very cathartic, and like they’re not about love, they’re not love songs, they’re identity songs, but there was a lot of influence from the music industry, and from like brewery fans y’know, to kind of change our sound—

Emilee: “Play Rihanna!”

Kate: Yeah! To play, what other people wanted. It’s really poetic that we aren’t able to veer from our course, we just wrote the songs we had to write emotionally. But in doing so our fanbase needed those songs, they found those songs, and it’s just really poetic to have this alt fan base that is not mainstream, and to just be able to have this beautiful community together, instead of changing who we are to be what the mainstream demands.

Emilee: Fuck the patriarchy.

Ben: You could make that the title of the article if you want.

Livian: We’ll remember that one.

Emilee: It’s nice to be able to speak our minds as well. It’s just nice to know that our fans are not going to send mean emails to us anymore about like, being pro-feminism. The bare minimum.

Harry: Well, if those are the people who are sending you mean emails, they suck.

Emilee: Y’know, that’s alright, we don’t play for them anymore, which is wonderful. It’s been really nice to have that shift.

Harry: Are you looking forward to Omaha?

Kate: I think the last time we played in Omaha we played to, two people?

Harry: Two?!

Dan: I think it’s our first time in Omaha, but it was in Lincoln. It was the bar staff and two people. It was a Monday, it was bad.

Kate: This’ll be a little different.

Harry: Fixing the first impression, I suppose.

Emilee: But also it’s nice to go to these spaces where I feel like we don’t know what these communities are like, and figure out what the vibe of every town is. Every place is a little different, and it’s exciting to hit a new spot and kind of see what they’re about.

Harry: I can tell you one thing, there is a huge hardcore music fest going on right now, Pokey’s Fest.

Emilee: So we’ll fit right in.

Livian: I saw that most shows on your tour right now are actually sold out. That’s gotta feel pretty amazing.

Dan: It does, it’s crazy.

Emilee: It doesn’t really feel real, until we show up and there are people. Cause I think in some part of my brain I keep thinking, “The bar staff and those two people are gonna have a great time tonight!” I hope people come!

Dan: It’s wild too. You go out, you see all those people, and you’re like, “Alright, time to do something that deserves that.” What we end up doing is the same thing we’ve been doing the past 13 years, but they love it!

Emilee: Thank goodness they like it, cause that’s all we know how to do!

Dan: They either like it or they’re too polite to boo.

Ben: There’s a feeling I had last night. I can’t identify this feeling, cause we walked out and it was our biggest show ever last night. 1,600 people, and it was like me doing this with my instruments, is that what you wanna hear?

Harry: Is there anything you wanna add, or wanna mention at all?

Emilee: We’ve got a couple singles coming out, we’ll release one in July and one in August, before the record comes out.

Dan: Record releases September 6th.

The post Fuck the Patriarchy: An Interview with The Crane Wives appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Originally a breakthrough from the burgeoning world of Soundcloud, Bollinger started off her career through uploading her music on the platform from the vernal age of sixteen. She grew up in a household where her mother was a music therapist, and her two brothers both played in bands. Around this juncture of time, she had already established her serene tendency for embodying the now euphoniously dulcet symphony evident in all of her songs. Springy, blithesome, and affectionately maudlin, Bollinger’s musicality withholds an aptitude for a laid-back, subdued sentimentality that extends itself lyrically and instrumentally. In another single “Running“ released in 2022, aspects of her musicality provide the feel for epiphanic reflections, as if accessed through the breach of her secret garden of a diary, and all met in the bridge that ties indie pop to folk rock. With the adjunct compliments of chimerical synth lines and delicate ringings of the saxophone, Bollinger blurs the line between what is intimate and grandiose.

Image via Kate Bollinger

On the 3rd, Bollinger will be accompanied in the roster by special acts, courtesy of Sam Burton and 24thankyou. Touring with Bollinger, Burton possesses the similar kinship to folk rock, at which his tracks reminisce upon longing and discovery. This is all illustrated within the backdrop of rural, country scenery within context of a road trip or a search for truth. 24thankyou brings a more vogue edge to the program in their music. With its occasional glitch and distortion for tonality, it expresses a nostalgia for circuit-bending break-core intonations that descend upon a path of forgotten memories. Close to remembrance, but not quite.  

Kate Bollinger, alongside Sam Burton and 24thankyou will make their Track Zero debuts on Tuesday, October 3rd at 7:30 PM, at Gabe’s. Other upcoming acts within the catalog of Track Zero include Tennis, Madison McFerrin, Sen Morimoto, and ZORA.

The post Track Zero Preview: Kate Bollinger To Set the Bridge That Meets Indie Pop and Folk Rock  appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Before the show, Mission Creek co-founder and director of the Englert Theater, Andre Perry, came on stage to speak with the director of Hancher, a new addition to the venue lineup for the festival. They talked about the history of the two organizations along with the benefits of partnership in our community. None of this would be possible without the help of many sponsors from around our area, and their collective excitement in contributing to the culture of Iowa City.

My Brightest Diamond came out with only two members. Shara, the songwriter and core of the project, started out on guitar alongside the same drummer that would go on to play in Andrew’s band later in the night. They explored different sounds and transcended genres with just the two of them, a feat that was pretty cool to see in person.

Shara is a unique character, with a style and grace all her own. From the movements of her arms to her classically trained voice, she can really capture an audience just by being something we probably haven’t seen before. In today’s music world, in which a surfeit of bands are grasping for spotlight, it’s great to see someone who really deserves to stick out from the rest.

Her stage presence was great, too. She was funny, and you could tell she was having fun too. She’d gone to high school somewhere else in Iowa, and made a few jokes about coming to Iowa City because we threw the best parties. Shara even asked the crowd to participate a little bit with some singing and clapping at different points. Asking the crowd to clap is a risky move; most performers try to avoid that at all costs.

She was also politically outspoken, mentioning Trayvon Martin and the Flint water crisis between songs, with solidarity and an exuberant want to change the course of things.

After a set that I wish would have lasted just a bit longer, Andrew Bird finally took the stage.

Let me take the time here to mention how BEAUTIFUL Hancher is. It was my first time there and–it just escapes words. Go see something there. Ok. Back to it.

He came out by himself, starting with a solo jam on violin using his looper, a friendly tool that would become the most utilized on his musician’s tool belt.

Andrew played a mix of old and new material, I assume per usual. He’s quite prolific, not only in his immense solo catalog but in his lending of talent to other peoples’ projects. “The Naming of Things” and “A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left” were some of the tunes he pulled from his old songbook, while “Capsized”, from his latest record, was one of the many fresh ones.

But even his old ones felt brand new: Andrew Bird has the magnificent habit of improvisation. You’ll never really hear him play the same song the same way twice. All of my favorites that he performed I hardly recognized at first, as he’d changed some things around and reinterpreted the music.

He put on a nearly perfect performance that would impress the snottiest of critics along with the average music listener. He played so many instruments! Bird would begin a song by looping picked notes on his violin, go over and pick up his guitar, sing while he played it, whistle like a god, then get his violin out again and take a solo. He even played some bells! His undeniable talent was captivating, and everything that he gave to us, the audience gave back.

Andrew Bird brought on Shara and Margaret Glaspy at different times as well. Bird is no stranger to collaboration.

During “Plasticities”, the lights along the balconies of Hancher came alight, and an audible “wow” could be heard from the audience. I didn’t even know they were lights.

Apparently, Bird’s parents met on the steps of Currier Hall. Just a little thing he mentioned, no big deal.

Finally, he played “Pulaski at Night”, a song I’d been hoping for weeks that he would play. It was his closing song, but he came back out for an encore, and even ended up adding a song he didn’t plan on playing just because the audience was revved up and wanted more. His actual last song was “Fake Palindromes”, a hit song that drove the crowd wild.

I don’t take this lightly at all: this is one of the greatest shows I’ve ever seen in my entire life.

This is going to be a great Mission Creek.

The post Mission Creek: Andrew Bird @ Hancher 4/4/2017 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

His back-up band was none other than The Felice Brothers, longtime collaborators of his. With a conventional folk-rock band lineup, the band compliments Conor’s unshakable control of the stage and never overpower him. They also opened up the show with a set of their own music, and even though they looked like the didn’t really care, the music was fine and didn’t cross any barriers for opening bands.

Before Conor came on, the crowd got a little bigger and continued to grow through the small delay, caused by a malfunctioning piece of equipment which had to be replaced. By the time he played it was pretty packed, rightfully so for someone of his stature.

He opened with a newer song that quickly transitioned into a Bright Eyes classic from their album Cassadaga called “Four Winds,” which featured the full-length violin solo from the original recording, served up with the same urgency and vitality that comes across on record. I’ve seen Conor a few times and this rendition of the song seemed more unhinged than any other instance. It fit with the sound because he used more electric guitar than acoustic or piano.

One of his latest albums, Ruminations, resonates with its title by being a solemn album featuring low production and small instrumentation: Conor on the guitar or piano with a harmonica slung around his neck. These songs are introspective and the songs surprisingly hold up as an album despite being very local to a certain sound. His most recent album, Salutations, contains 10 full-band fleshed out versions of Ruminations songs plus some brand new ones.

“Gossamer Thin,” a song that exists on both of the albums, was the best performance of one of his new songs. It’s catchy as a solo song and even better expanded, using the Felice Brothers in their fullest extent.

Conor reached back into his own solo career, playing “Time Forgot” before reaching back even further and pulling out a Monsters of Folk song. Monsters of Folk is a super-group band that Conor was in featuring Jim James of My Morning Jacket, M. Ward, and Mike Mogis, a longtime collaborator of Conor’s and a member of Bright Eyes.

It was interesting to see him pull from different points in his life while trying to tie it all together. He played the songs with a practiced certainty but still remained open to the sometimes improvisational nature of his singing. Unlike the Felice Brothers, Conor did not seem bored at all, and responded very well to the large crowd, who continually let him know how much they loved him.

His talking with the crowd was sometimes humorous, asking us at some point “What did you guys do all day? Have barbecues? Write poems?” He even took some time to make a jab at the president, following suit with his anti-Bush songs during that era.

“Poison Oak” and “Train Under Water” were two of the Bright Eyes classics he pulled out, feeling as emotional as they day he wrote them. He was called on for an encore, per usual, and closed out the set with “Napalm” from his latest album.

The most evident part of Conor’s current creative head-space is his seeming attachment to his back-up band. He seemed musically in love and very connected to their music and to their interpretations of his songs. Will these be the people he’s making music with in five years? We’ll see.

The post Concert Review: Conor Oberst @ Englert Theatre 3/26/2017 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The Strumbellas, a Toronto-based folk rock band, released their third studio album in April. The group consists of six members: Simon Ward on guitar and vocals, David Ritter on keys and vocals, Jon Hembrey on lead guitar, Isabel Ritchie on violin, Darryl James on bass guitar, and Jeremy Drury on drums. As someone who is not too familiar with the band, I found the new album, Hope, to be quite enjoyable. They have a fairly standard and approachable folk sound that is very easy to listen to, but has enough variety in the instrumentation and vocals that the songs never get too repetitive.

The album’s beginning and end are its definitive strengths, starting with the most popular song from the album, “Spirits.” The song is extremely anthemic, meaning it is somewhere between catchy and almost monotonous, but in a good way. The main theme is repeated many times throughout the piece, and thank goodness it is such a treat to listen to! You will no doubt  find this song sticking somewhere in the back of your brain long after you have turned this album off. The lyrics are appropriately somber and somewhat confusing, which seems par for the course with many folk albums. You could find yourself simulaneously uplifted and deeply saddened by many of the songs throughout Hope. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D2sviKmRPvY

The next two songs, “Shovels and Dirt” and “We Don’t Know,” follow a very similar structure to “Spirits.” They contain a very repetitive chorus and will be likely to stay with you well after you finish the album. The difference between the two is in tone and vocals. “Shovels and Dirt” gives itself a much darker tone primarily through its lyrics. While the majority of the songs on these albums are at least somewhat melancholy, “Shovels” is the darkest of the lot. In spite of this, it ended up as my favorite out of the three opening anthemic songs. “We Don’t Know” almost feels like a retread of “Spirits,” but its slightly more poppy feel and awesome violin riff in the bridge section make this song work on its own.

“Wars” takes a slight turn from the chanting vocals of the first three tunes, and it is a welcome one. The singing becomes less layered, which at least makes for a more unique listening experience. “Wars” also features both a very catchy solo guitar line in the first half and an acoustic section in the second which act as nice flip sides to the same song. The next tune, “Dog,” has a nice shuffle feel that takes a large departure from the previous four songs. Listening to “Dog” makes it feel appropriate to call The Strumbellas not only a folk band, but also a group that leans toward different genres such as bluegrass. This departure not only in style but in tempo, rhythm, and general feel makes “Dog” a favorite for me.

“The Hired Band” slows things down to take the form of almost a pop ballad. This makes it very easy to listen to, but does not make for a particularly replayable or enjoyable song. To get out of the pop ballad funk, The Strumbellas turn to “Young & Wild.” It not only picks up the tempo, but adds a simple rock beat and the layered vocals of the earlier songs in order to get some energy back. Sure, it still remains repetitive as most songs in the album, but most good music is!

“The Night Will Save Us” follows “Young and Wild” and dials the energy back a little bit with an acoustic-fueled song that has a very unproduced sound. All instruments are featured appropriately with the violin getting a brief but affecting solo and simple harmonies and guitar chords acting as the driving force of the song. “I Still Make Her Cry” is probably my least favorite piece from the album, but it’s mainly because it is just not my kind of music. Once it started with solo mid-range vocals and piano I knew this one wasn’t for me. The only other instrumentation found in the song is the very occasional symbol roll. Even those are so few and far between that you can barely even call that a feature of the song. So far though, “I Still Make Her Cry” was the only song where I did not find something to enjoy. Luckily for me however, the best song of the whole album was up next!

I loved “David,” and no, it’s not just because I’m a narcissist (although that may have had something to do with it). “David” reminds me of those old pseudo-blues Bob Dylan-inspired songs that I always find myself to going back to. From the slightly harsh vocals to the twangy guitar and gently lifting beat, I absolutely love this song. It even has an approprately simplistic guitar solo that rocks just hard enough to give the tune a definitive rock style. “Wild Sun” rounds out the album and I makes me wish, just a little, that “David” was the last song.

“Wild Sun” returns to the chorus-centered structure of the first three songs while gently shifting between somber and lonesome vocals with acoustic guitar and the only barely memorable chorus. Obviously these anthem songs are The Strumbellas bread and butter tunes so I suppose it is typical that they would finish with a song that fits right in with their style. Still, slightly sluggish middle and ending aside, I greatly enjoyed this album from a band I don’t usually find myself to listening to. And seeing as I still have some of these songs stuck in my head well after listening, I think this one will stick with with me for awhile.

The post Album Review: “Hope” by The Strumbellas appeared first on KRUI Radio.

“Sleep On The Floor” is the opening track of Cleopatra and opens with some strong base and your typical folksy cymbal action. It’s an excellent choice to preview the album– it’s bold, it’s a little quirky, and it’s definitely The Lumineers.

The second song of Cleopatra is entitled “Ophelia.” Even if you have not listened to the rest of the album, you can tell that “Ophelia” is a winner. Combine some slightly jazzy piano with The Lumineers usual bass-themed vibes and you have got yourself a hit.

“Cleopatra” comes third in the lineup as the title track of the record and offers a little bit of a different beat than the previous two tracks. The guitar drives a little more here, and overall the track is extremely successful. Here’s your dancing song, kids.

The fourth track on the album is “Gun Song,” which opens with the odd lyric I don’t wanna own a single gun / But if I did you’d be the one. The song is catchy despite the haunting lyrics and feels like one should be running through a meadow of flowers whilst wearing a fedora when listening to it. There really is no better way to describe the vibe.

“Angela,” “In The Light,” and “Gale Song” are some of the central tracks of Cleopatra and are extremely similar in nature. These are chill songs– you’re just going to want to sit back and listen to these. “Angela” and “Gale Song” are pretty sad and mournful, but “In The Light” is just a really easy jam.

“Long Way From Home” is the eighth track of the album. This song is passionate and has some really nice guitar work. It doesn’t stand out as a hit, but still has a lot of merit. This one is not going to get stuck in your head, but it is enjoyable to listen to.

“Sick In The Head” comes up next on Cleopatra and experiments a little bit with some echoing vocals. This one is pretty sad, and the repeating guitar pattern is a little much, but again, it’s not bad to listen to.

The tenth track, “My Eyes,” is the peak of The Lumineers moodiness and melancholy. The track is a little haunting, but also has more upbeat moments of excitement during the chorus. There’s some spooky piano work, which makes this song shine amongst many other chilled-out ballads on the record.

“Patience” is up next, and is a real shortie, coming in at 1:37. This track is solely instrumental, featuring a really beautiful piano melody that complements the tone of the album as a whole.

“Where The Skies Are Blue” is the first of the additional bonus tracks on the album. This song is a little more light-hearted than most on the record, which is probably explained by the title of the track. “Where The Skies Are Blue” almost feels like a carnival or a picnic vibe. It’s cool, happy-go-lucky, and fun to listen to.

“Everyone Requires A Plan” is another bonus track on Cleopatra and mimics the melancholy of earlier tracks like “Angela” and “Gale Song.” Once again, this track is nice to hear, but doesn’t exactly shine.

“White Lie” is the final bonus track of Cleopatra and kicks off with some really clean, deep vocals. This track combines the pretty piano melodies that were experimented with earlier in the record with The Lumineers’ signature driving guitar. It’s pretty morose, but has some building appeal. This one is a winner and an excellent choice to wrap up the record.

So what’s the consensus on Cleopatra? It’s folksy, it’s soulful at moments, and at others it’s very chill. Unfortunately, it doesn’t shine all the time. In terms of cohesion, this album does well, but individual songs have a hard time standing out in memory. Especially in the middle of the album, songs start to blend together. However, there is technical precision and attention to detail here, as a well as attention to the larger theme of the album. The songs are good, they just don’t stand out on their own (with the exception of “Ophelia” and “White Lie”). This record is definitely worth giving a listen to, but don’t put it down for album of the year.

Album Rating: B+

Check out The Lumineers on Twitter and Facebook, if you’re into that.

The post Album Review: “Cleopatra” by The Lumineers appeared first on KRUI Radio.

In January of this year, the 22 year old released her debut album Songbird, which she recorded at Flat Black Studios just outside Iowa City. At the time of her album’s release, Moen had been writing her own lyrics and music for just 5 months, and to date a shockingly short 8 months.

Moen is a bleached blonde, very slender woman, who you’d be surprised to know has hidden in her the pipes of seasoned soul singer. She’s been playing guitar for eight years, and singing since she was very young.

Though Moen is not one for clichés, she does however fit the bill for one: a big fish in a little pond. She grew up in the small pond of Vinton, Iowa, just an hour northwest of the larger pond of Iowa City. Her home town consists of less than 5 square miles, and has a population of roughly 5,200 people.

Now Moen’s in a much larger city, and opened for indie rockers Houndmouth at the Englert in April.  She landed the gig after the band listened to her album and loved it. Now, every weekend she plays at least two different shows in Iowa. The momentum she’s gained in the Midwest music scene is almost unheard of. So what is it about Liz Moen that has everyone talking, and why did she just start writing now?

It was 8:30 on a Sunday night at Short’s in downtown Iowa City. Liz Moen, walked in in her black platform high heels with two guitars and an amp in tow, with her bleached blonde curls draped over her black leather jacket. When she plays Short’s she always carries her equipment from her apartment which is just around the corner above the downtown Iowa City restaurant, Basta. Once she had set her stuff down in front, she strutted to the back, and sat at the bar.

Liz is usually behind the bar of Short’s bartending, but tonight, she’s playing a two hour set. Her coworker behind the bar, asks if he can get her anything before she plays, “Can I get a glass of Jameson, and a water?” she asked him. This is her order before every set she plays. The water is for her throat, the Jameson is to mellow her out. Though she says she doesn’t get nervous before sets.

However she was scared to initially start writing and performing her own music, “I think I’ve had the potential to write for a long time, I was just too scared to.” She said, “And now if I have that artistic ball rolling, I should just stick with it. I really don’t know why it’s been happening so fast, but I don’t mind it.” Moen said as she sipped her Jameson. “It feels right. I finally feel like I’m doing the thing I’m supposed to be doing. And now that I getting paid to do it, this could be my job, ya know?”

Music as a profession was in no way Moen’s plan up until very recently when she began writing her music, and got a very strong response, “Originally I was doing it as a hobby, until just very recently, it was just a hobby. Then I recorded this music, just to have it. But then it started to take off. And ya know people responded well, people come to the shows, other musicians want to collaborate, so it’s like why not ride this wave sort of thing?” she said.

She strutted back to the front of Short’s to perform in the poorly lit corner, with her back turned to the window that looks out to Clinton Street. She seemed bizarrely calm as she strapped on her guitar, adjusted her mic, and played a few notes on her newly purchased vintage 1968 Gibson ES-340 electric guitar, and gave her coworker a thumbs up and sparkling smile.

As she begins to sing, anyone who has heard her album will realize that it does not do her voice justice. The raw yet pure quality of her bluesy, soulful voice is something you do not hear at a local bar. A couple sitting at Shorts drinking beers at a table stopped mid-conversation as she began to sing a cover of the Kings of Leons song, “Use Somebody”. The man said to the woman, “She’s not bad” with a very pleasantly surprised look on his face. Though that is possibly the understatement of the century, it shows that you don’t necessarily get what you expect with Liz.

Her set consisted mostly original songs she’s written from Songbird, as well as a few new ones, and covers of everyone from Bob Dylan with “Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright”, to one of Justin Bieber’s latest hits, “What Do You Mean” which she prefaced with a shutout to her coworker and friend Andrew who was working the bar. Her slowed down bluesy cover of the 80s hit, “Dancing with Myself” by Billy Idol, is possibly the best you’ll ever hear.

Moen says she likes to switch things up with her covers, “I really enjoy taking songs that are not particularly the style of music I play, but then I turn it into it. Like taking old 80s upbeat fast songs and like playing them kind of slow, and like more soulful type of stuff. My favorites to cover from my genre, definitely like Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, yeah those are my go to.”

After getting a round of applause from the filled bar/restaurant, she took a break, and came back to the bar. After a stellar performance that left patrons staring at her curiously, she discussed what’s on the horizon for her.

Moen, who is also a full time student, outside of her music and bartending gig, will graduate from the University of Iowa in May with a BA in French and a minor in Spanish. But she’s going to stick around Iowa City for a little bit longer, “I signed my lease for one more year. Just stay here, and really write as many songs as I can. Get better, with my instruments, just like try and grow as much as I can, just because it’s so cheap to live here and save up.”

A summer tour is next she says, “This summer I want to do a big tour of the Midwest, like just me in my car. Just do a gig in Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, Minneapolis, and then Omaha, St. Louis, Kansas City.”

Next year this big fish will be off to an ocean. “Preferably I want to go to either Austin or LA. Just somewhere where like the folk, blues, bluegrass, rock, indie, all these different genres that I’m toying with that I like are.”

Moen says she feels pressure to pick a genre and label herself as an artist, but that’s not always so easy to do. “It’s hard for me to find a certain genre to be in because it varies within each song,” she said. “Even within songs themselves sometimes it sounds bluesy, sometimes it sounds folky, and I don’t even know, I’m just writing a song to write it.”

For now she’s just trying to graduate while working, and being a full time student.

“At this point I’m just trying to graduate, to graduate.” She said. Now instead of throwing all of my pain and power into my grades, it’s put into music. And bartending it doesn’t take too much. Especially in place like this where we’re not constantly making cocktails, martinis, intricate drinks. It’s just simple.” With so much on her plate many would wonder how Moen can do it all, and she doesn’t have an answer for them, “I don’t know how I’m doing it, but I’m doing it.”

In the end Liz Moen is by far the brightest star shining in Iowa City right now, but she’s just going with the flow. Whatever happens, happens. The only thing she knows for sure, is that she’ll hold her ground and remember who she is as an artist as her star rises. She says what she’s most weary of as attention accumulates around her are the people in the music industry.

“I’m weary of people, just because I’m a young female, them trying to control me or think “ah just some silly Blonde girl from Iowa with a guitar. I’m not going to let someone take advantage of me just because they think I don’t know what they’re doing. Because maybe I don’t know like what their game is with it, but I want to try and hold my own, and play music I want to play and not try and conform.”

Liz Moen is a bombshell of a woman, ready to master her craft, and take on the music world. If you’d like to hear her killer pipes for yourself, she plays local gigs frequently, including Shorts in downtown Iowa City, from 9-11 p.m. on Sunday nights. She also just recorded a session at Daytrotter, so check that  out as well as her full debut album available for streaming below.

The post Artist Profile: Iowa City’s Own Elizabeth Moen appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Well, this probably isn’t the album for you. But if you are looking for some laid back, structurally sound tunes for a peaceful night in, you’re reading the right album review.

Ouroboros is Ray LaMontagne‘s sixth album, and was released on March 4, 2016. Ouroboros is the follow-up to Supernova, which was released in 2014. LaMontagne’s new album combines his usual breathy tones and gentle, yet driving, beats. It’s the same-old, same-old for LaMontagne, with a bit of electronic play, but Ouroboros is still good. 

It should be noted at this point that the term “breathy” will most likely be used often in the following article. After all, Ray LaMontagne is one breathy dude.

The record is divided into “Part 1” and “Part 2,” which were intended to be played as two cohesive pieces. LaMontagne wanted Ouroboros to operate like a vinyl record– one half fully played, and then flipped over to the second half. Both parts hold the easy-going vibes that any Ray LaMontagne listener is used to.

The record opens up with, “Homecoming,” a first glimpse back into the super breathy voice and soothing rhythms that define Ray LaMontagne. First things first, this track is LONG. We’re talking eight and a half minutes long, the length of two, if not three, full songs long. This song could be described as a whimsical, spiritual journey through springtime. A LONG, spiritual journey. (But a fulfilling one.)

The second track of Ouroboros is “Hey, No Pressure,” which was originally released as a single. LaMontagne’s rock undertones are more visible here than in the first track– we get some super smooth electric guitar and bass thrown into the mix. ‘Ol Ray’s usual breathiness is transformed into an edgier breathing gap between each word, which adds some nice variation to the record thus far.

“The Changing Man” is the third track of the record and opens up with some really sick guitar, which carries through the majority of the song. There aren’t many vocals here, but this adds to the mystery of the track and of Part 1 in general.

“While It Still Beats” closes out Part 1 of Ouroboros and feels slightly more intense than the previous tracks. Rest assured, there is still some super breathy stuff in here, but LaMontagne also adds a deeper undertone. This intensity fades into nothingness towards the end of the song, bringing Part 1 to an almost angelic close.

Part 2 of Ouroboros opens up with “In My Own Way.” This one is also a doozy in terms of length, closing out at around six and a half minutes. The track as a whole is pretty laid-back and easygoing, with a few instances of some grimy electric guitar. The gentle guitar line carries through, and since it is combined with LaMontagne’s simple vocals this track is soothing to listen to. Apologies in advance, but this could be LaMontagne’s most breathy track yet.

The second track of Part 2 is entitled “Another Day.” This track will make you want to spin dramatically in an open field. The opening lyrics are Spring is here / Spring is past / The sounds of summer settle in / The snake slips through the grass. “Another Day” comes off light-hearted and easy to listen to.

“A Murmuration of Starlings” comes up next and kicks off with some really neat guitar work. In fact, this track is almost entirely guitar work. It’s a non-vocal, with some tasteful drums and synth thrown into the mix. As a cohesive part of Ouroboros it blends well, and flows almost like an intro into the next track.

Ouroboros comes to a close with “Wouldn’t It Make a Lovely Photograph,” potentially the best track on the record. This is the summation of all previous elements: Ray at his most breathy, smooth guitar, and gentle, yet driving drums. This is the best possible track to end an album of cohesion and harmony.

Ouroboros is reminiscent in the sense that it draws inspiration from vinyl record culture, and yet there is more reminiscence somewhere in this album. It’s almost indescribable, but this record feels like LaMontagne is calling to older roots.

So, what have we learned here? Ray LaMontagne is one super breathy dude. His signature vocals cannot be matched. In combination with his easy-going guitar work and gentle beats, LaMontagne’s voice has made a cohesive, beautifully simple record that will withstand the tests of time.

Album Rating: A

Check out your old pal, Ray, on Facebook and SoundCloud.

The post Album Review: “Ouroboros” by Ray LaMontagne appeared first on KRUI Radio.

As the night unfolds and the audience immerses themselves in the melodies and rhythms of the performance, the concept of real estate finance might seem worlds away. However, for those navigating the complexities of buying or selling property, understanding the nuances of home appraisal becomes paramount. Factors such as the condition of the home, its location, and recent sales in the area all play a significant role in determining its appraisal value.

Amidst the melodies and cheers, considerations about appraisal factors like those detailed by eXp Realty in their insightful guide become essential knowledge for homeowners and buyers alike. By arming oneself with this information, individuals can navigate the real estate landscape with confidence, ensuring that every transaction reflects the true value of the property involved.

Transitioning from focusing on single-property investments, understanding property valuation becomes even more critical when diving into multifamily syndication. In multifamily syndication, investors combine their resources to acquire and manage larger properties like apartment complexes or multi-unit buildings. This collective approach opens up more investment opportunities and diversification.

However, mastering the details of property valuation is crucial in this setting. Key factors such as the property’s overall condition, its location, and potential rental income significantly influence its value and return on investment. Amid the dynamic real estate market, grasping the intricacies of syndication in real estate can help investors make informed decisions. Just like with single-family homes, valuing multifamily properties involves a careful assessment of various factors, including current market trends and comparable property sales. By understanding these nuances, investors can confidently navigate the multifamily market, ensuring their investments are both profitable and strategically sound.

Just as the appraisal value captures the essence of a property’s worth, the aesthetics and functionality of its design speak volumes about its allure and livability. Whether it’s the sleek lines of contemporary architecture or the cozy charm of traditional craftsmanship, finding the perfect balance is paramount. This quest for the ideal home finds its fulfillment with the expertise of new home builders. With their mastery of architectural trends and dedication to craftsmanship, they transform dreams into reality, crafting beautiful, modern homes tailored to individual preferences. With the guidance of skilled professionals, homeowners embark on a journey where every detail contributes to the creation of their envisioned sanctuary, ensuring a harmonious blend of style and comfort.

Concertgoers trickled in lazily throughout the 7:00 hour, drifting between seats and conversations about how long to sell house. There was no clamor for front-row seating, no mad sprint down the aisle for the privilege of getting moshed against the stage. Teenagers and adults alike settled in comfortably, for once at peace.

In the serene setting where concertgoers settled in for a relaxed evening, homeowners can similarly find peace of mind by choosing Premier Property Buyers for their property transactions. Whether you’re contemplating selling your home in Anaheim, CA, or seeking a swift resolution in a different market, Premier Property Buyers offers a streamlined process designed to ease your journey. Their expertise in purchasing properties for cash ensures a smooth, efficient sale, allowing you to transition effortlessly from one chapter to the next without the usual complexities and delays of traditional methods.

Ryley Walker sauntered out just after 8:00 PM, cutting a shaggy figure through blue stage light and the damp breath of fog machines. Anton Hatwich followed, a tall, bespectacled man, predestined by his name alone to become a double-bass player.

Walker took a seat before the monitor speakers, and began tuning his guitar. His frazzled hair mirrored the instrument’s uncut strings.

“Wow. A lot of damn people here” he said, looking up from the strings to peer into the crowd. “It’s awesome to be back in Iowa. Last time we were here we played in a basement venue, I think it was called, uh” – Walker trailed off momentarily as he finished tuning.

“Viking ****house.”

The audience cracked, and quickly died down again as Walker and Hatwich eased into their set.

The majority of Walker’s performance was comprised of songs from Primrose Green, his album released earlier this week on Tuesday, March 31^st. The young songwriter’s oft-cited ‘70s folk-rock influences, (Van Morrison and Tim Buckley, among others) are certainly audible in his delicate finger-picking and drowsy vocals; but Walker truly comes into his own during live performance. His voice climbs and soars with an abrasive edge not heard in his recorded music. Occasionally, he yelps like a coyote in the sheer joy of playing a good tune.

Listening to Walker in the damp, machine-exhaled fog was like taking a morning cruise down the Mississippi with an eccentric local guide seated at the head of the boat. It was surprising to hear that he grew up in Chicago.

Walker closed out his set with a fitting cover of Van Morrison’s “Fair Play,” to applause.

The theater’s began to pulse with energy as the five men of Real Estate took over, following a brief interlude and equipment check. Fans quickly filled the space between the stage and the front row, trailing back into the center aisle and forcing the second and third rows to stand and peek over the newly-sprouted crop of heads.

“We played in a basement last time we were here too,” bassist Alex Bleeker quipped. “Public Space One!” He took the role of band spokesman throughout the night, exuding calm, every-man demeanor. Like a cool dad. Real Estate seem like the guys down the cul-de-sac you’d have a beer and talk about Star Wars with on the front lawn.

The show was a treat for both new fans and old, gently undulating and nodding along to the New Jersey rockers’ tales of suburban boredom, and the ache of middle age. Melancholy, yes, but not relentlessly dour like Arcade Fire’s “The Suburbs.” The band’s clean, buoyant melodies kept the crowd’s feet moving, and their heads above water.

Much of the set was taken from Real Estate’s 2014 album Atlas, played in direct order – including singles “The Chancellor,” “Had to Hear,” and “Talking Backwards.” The highlight of the show was the eminently sing-along-able “It’s Real” from the band’s second album Days, leading even the most casual fans through a chorus of “ooh-ooh-oohs.”

“You can move,” Bleeker encouraged, smiling while his fingers held up the song’s bass line. “We give you permission to get up and move!”

Real Estate’s Atlas is available on iTunes, as is Ryley Walker’s Primrose Green. Check out Walker’s title track and Real Estate’s “Had to Hear” below.

Keep it on KRUI 89.7FM all weekend for your Mission Creek Festival coverage!

The post Mission Creek: Real Estate @ Englert Theatre 4/2/15 appeared first on KRUI Radio.