The Heavy Heavy introduced themselves with an explosion of noise. The instrumental track “Parakeets” immediately captured the audience in their full-bodied rock sound. With the crowd already up and dancing, the band catapulted into “Man of the Hills” – my personal favorite from their new EP “Life and Life Only”. The track showcased the undeniable strength of the band’s rhythm section. The Heavy Heavy rocked the audience with their reverberating bass line and full drums. Singer Georgie Fuller took lead on vocals, shaking the rafters with her effortless belting. The group’s sound and balance were outstanding already, and they only seemed to get stronger as the set continued.

For the rest of the show, The Heavy Heavy alternated between original tracks and creative covers. The covers won hearts with their familiar tunes, but each song was decorated in something distinctly Heavy Heavy-esc. It’s almost wrong to refer to them as covers at all; they existed more along the lines of reinventions. The band tackled “Gold Dust Woman” by Fleetwood Mac, a daunting track to remake, with unwavering confidence. Each musician contributed to their vision of the song instead of meticulously recreating the pre-existing tape.

But the stand-out parts of the show came from the original selections. The Heavy Heavy’s EP boasts a variety of styles and sounds, displaying the variability of each musician on stage. “Go Down River” shrouded the space in a dreamy, summer haze – a perfect homage to our warming weather.

The folk vibes continued into “Why Don’t You Call?”, a faster paced song that showcased the band’s skill. The instrumentals fit together like puzzle pieces as the rhythm bounced across the stage from member to member, never once falling in the complex arrangement. “All My Dreams” delivered on the psychedelic influence, introducing a reverberating, hypnotizing sound. The featured guitar melody filled the space, swirling up and around the dancing audience. The trance seemed to spread on stage as well, with every member rocking to the same beat. As the harmonies took flight, the whole space became magic.

To have a full, five-member ensemble who are just so unbelievably solid in their techniques is a rare treat in today’s music scene, and The Heavy Heavy takes full advantage of it. Their full sound gives flare to their quiet moments as well as in their rafter-shaking ones. Each instrument contributes to a balanced, complex sound that would be impossible without the group’s size.

There’s often an unfair ultimatum put on up and coming rock bands today like The Heavy Heavy. Embracing the sound they love could mean being written off as copy-cats or a doomed thing of the past. Pushing themselves too far in a “new” direction could mean losing the beloved genre’s authenticity and soul. But The Heavy Heavy seems to be ignoring that pressure all together. On Saturday I saw a band who knew who they were. They were halfway across the world from home, stranded in the middle of Iowa of all god-forsaken places, and they still played with as much ease, joy, and talent as you can hope to see in a band. Their sound and passion are thrilling to witness. I hope that this first EP will be the start of a long and beautiful career.

I got a chance to speak with a few members of the band after the show, gathering a few comments on the night’s performance and their ongoing “Life and Life Only” US tour. The band seemed just as pleased with the night’s energy, saying they were pleasantly surprised by the audience’s dancing and singing within the sit-down venue. They’ve had similar warm receptions across the US so far, playing to a diverse set of venues, audiences, and climates. With more successful shows on the horizon, it seemed natural to ask if a second album was underway.

“Oh, it’s definitely in the works, we’re just slow cooking it right now,” remarked lead singer and guitarist Will Turner. “It’ll taste better that way!”

Singer Georgie Fuller added that their second release could be expected some time next year. With the exciting thought of new music, and a possible tour returning to the midwest, be sure to listen to “Life and Life Only” and be on the lookout for more Heavy Heavy news.

The post The Heavy Heavy: Mission Creek Festival 2023 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Luckily, I was indeed right, and just before artist Dana T. went on at a 9, the audience swelled with lots of people, crowding the upstairs of Gabe’s into a proper audience. Even more people came just in time for the start of Younger’s performance. I remained, if I had to guess, the youngest person there by several years, which was readily apparent as the other music goers all held beers and I held a cup of water (sigh). Water and all, the atmosphere was very fun and enjoyable, just as I expected it to be when listening to some women jamming out to their songs under the blinking lights at Gabe’s.

As I was reading about Iowa City-based Younger on the Mission Creek festival website, I found it funny that the band, composed of members Sarah Mannix on the drums, Amanda Crosby on the bass, and Rachel Sauter on guitar, “accidentally” wrote their first album as a sort of experiment, diving into what collaboration really means. I’m not sure how that happens in the first place, but I’m glad it did. Younger’s songs are simultaneously “feminine and tough” and tackle such topics as crappy experiences with men, frowned upon behavior, complicated relationships, and more.

What I noticed the most about Younger throughout their 35-ish minute set is their ability to maintain the initial energy established with the first song all the way to the end. Some other artists or bands may start strong, but then play a song that slows the room down, deflates the audience, and ruins the overall upbeat vibe. This was not the case with Younger – each song was lively and fast, fitting together cohesively, yet unique at the same time.

The very first song they played immediately reminded me of “Reputation” from the original Shrek soundtrack (side note: what a masterpiece that soundtrack was); awesome drums, strong female vocals and unapologetic lyrics. The audience, myself included, was compelled to jump around and bop our heads to the infectious song. I believe the second song they played was “Trash,” a crowd favorite for its funny lyrics and somewhat outrageous concept of using such an unappealing title. They later threw in a cover song, which I unsurprisingly did not recognize since they prefaced it with “this will show you old you are.”

The titles of their other songs are pretty straight forward, such as “20s,” “Art School,” and “Divorce,” highlighting the band’s upfront honesty about the topics they are exploring. Bold and energetic, Younger is yet another band to keep an eye out for as they promote their second album. Read more about them here.

The post Mission Creek: Younger @ Gabe’s 4/4/2019 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Gaelynn Lea began the set with “Medley in D Major,” which is an amalgam of all the traditional fiddle tunes she knows that are in the key of D Major. Since she uses a loop pedal, Gaelynn was able to combine and layer all of these tunes together to create a harmonic wall of sound that was truly beautiful.

She followed that up with the first tune she ever wrote, “Watch the World Unfold,” which is about wishing we knew what was coming down the pike, but we never know until we get there. She asks us, what makes us think we have a right to know what will be? What makes us so special? The song was haunting, beautiful, and vivid.

Gaelynn Lea followed that tune up with “Swallowtail Jig,” which is an Irish folk song. She told us that many traditional fiddle tunes have been passed down for hundreds of years, without even having been written down: they were just passed on from one person to another directly. “Swallowtail Jig” appears in the film Titanic, when Rose and Jack dance together with all the poor people.

Next, she played another original of hers, “Let It Go,” which is not from the film Frozen. She wrote that tune before Frozen came out. This song is from when she was in the band Murder of Crows (with whom she still occasionally collaborates).

Next, Gaelynn Lea performed an arrangement of “Boys of Bluehill,” which is on her new EP, The Songs We Sing Along the Way. Her arrangement created a warm, ambient soundscape but was nevertheless very dancy.

Next Gaelynn Lea performed the song with which she won NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest, “Some Day We’ll Linger in the Sun,” a very deep song about how love can be beautiful even when difficult. Gaelynn Lea wrote this song after a medical emergency that made her stay in the hospital for some time. Her husband stayed with her every night, and this song is about their love and going through this difficult time together. I’m pretty sure it was in a harmonic minor key. It had a longing to it, but the harmonies also created a strong sense of peace.

Gaelynn then treated the audience to a preview of a song that will be on her next record, which she plans to release in 2018. The song is “Bound by a Thread,” and features a pizzicato rhythm with a legato lead. The song is very contemplative. The message is that we’ll see the fruits of our labor, maybe not now, maybe lifetimes ahead, if only love will be our guide.

Then she asked the crowd for help with another Murder of Crows song, “Birdsong.” She asked the audience to sing the lines, “Bird, why do you sing? Fate has clipped your wings,” while she sang and fiddled over the top. She played a few more traditional tunes arranged for solo violin with loop pedal. But Gaelynn Lea also played a cover of the Melvino Reynolds tune “Little Boxes,” which you might remember from the show Weeds, and a cover of the Pigface song “Point Blank.”

The second-to-last song was a spoken word poem of hers, “Breathe, You Are Alive,” which is also featured on The Songs We Sing Along the Way. She speaks over a pizzicato rhythm she has plucked. She reminds us that we make ourselves up, put ourselves out there, and we don’t really know how others are going to react to us. This was the second time I wept during the performance. She finished up with a Scottish farewell tune, “Parting Glass,” as a way to say thank you and good night. As usual, her fiddle chops were on point.

Gaelynn Lea plays music that heals the heart. It is deep, and seems to express a longing for something, a longing so profound we don’t even know what we are longing for. Yet the music is also joyous, uplifting and triumphant. There is no doubt about it: Gaelynn Lea sings with voices from the ages, and through her our ancestors speak to us. She blends the ancient and the contemporary seamlessly. She has tapped into something deep, universal, and ancient. She is a wonderful presence to be around, and I feel lucky to have seen her show.

The post Concert Review: Gaelynn Lea at the Mill 03/05/17 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

S. Carey played a phenomenal show at The Mill Thursday night.   But first, Jack Lion, a band based out of Iowa City, warmed up the stage.  The band consisted of three guys, mainly playing drums,  bass, and trumpet.  The focus was instrumental rather than vocal, and impressively donned a complex rhythmic structure and experimental electronic sounds.

A member of Golden Birds played next.  Kicking it with just a rented acoustic guitar, the Golden Birds memeber sang a number of relaxed vocals.  The first couple songs were edged with nervousness, but eventually he got into the flow.

At last, S. Carey captured the stage, and it was a performance to remember.  Eloquent and aesthetically pleasing, the band played from their new album, Range of Light. Sean Carey played the piano, percussion, and sang the entire show.  His piano playing was captivating, to say the least. Even in the bar scene of The Mill, there was a respectful ease as people swayed to the mellow strums and beats.

The idea to record his own music struck Carey while on tour playing drums as a member of Bon Iver.

When I asked him how he differentiates himself from Bon Iver in S. Carey, Carey replied, “Our sonic landscape is the same, but we approach songwriting differently. I’m new to songwriting.”

Nevertheless, the lyrics in the songs played from Range Of Light were well crafted and poetic–a perfect match for Carey’s delightfully smooth voice.

The instrumental ability of all members of the band were sincerely profound.  As one of the bass players, Jeremy Boettcher, put it, “We are all working our own thing to make one cloud of music together.”

According to Seas Carey, this is the band’s fourth time coming to Iowa City.  He said it’s just on the way to everything.  “Plus we do well here.  I think it reminds me of my hometown.”

The band used Mission Creek festival as the birth place to an exciting tour that will take them to the west coast and all over Europe.  Like them on

Facebook and listen to their music on soundcloud here.

If you like S. Carey, be sure to check out Caroline Smith, with whom Jeremy Boettcher of S. Carey has played with.  Caroline Smith performs as an opening act for !!! at Gabe’s Friday the 5th.

The post Mission Creek: S. Carey @ The Mill, 4/3/14 appeared first on KRUI Radio.