Saturday night The Blue Moose Tap House hosted Mission:Beat, a DJ-led dance party presented by Little Village Magazine. Now, I will be the first to say that I really do not know much about EDM or dance parties, I honestly didn’t even know half the music played at school dances. That being said, Mission:Beat was definitely an interesting experience.

The Blue Moose in general is a pretty cool venue; the staff is pretty chill as are the patrons. The doors for Mission:Beat were said to open at 8 PM, with the show starting at 9, but when I arrived at the bar at a cool 8:45 PM there was like no one there (and by no one I mean like 8 people). As still being underage, I have only been on the ground floor of the bar (generally upstairs is 21+ only at all times) so I hung downstairs for a while seeing if people would start filling in (they didn’t really). The event was being held upstairs, so around 9 PM venture upwards into the unknown I did.

Upstairs was slightly less dead than downstairs, but only by a few people. However, it was like ascending into a whole new dimension. I watched the DJ’s do their last sound checks and by the metallic sounds coming from the speakers and strange alien images scrolling along the screens by the stage, the theme of the evening seemed to be, Futuristic Space?

People kept filtering in as the time passed and I was surprised to notice that the median age of attendees seemed to be around 30, which I guess makes sense seeing as rave culture was pretty big in the nineties and early 2000’s, but it was still a bit jarring in the moment. However, at this point in the night, the Cubs and Diamondbacks game playing on the television above the bar was slightly more interesting than the actual event.

As it got closer to 11 PM, the dance floor was at least crowded enough to squeeze into and have a bit of cover if you wanted to go a little wild to the beat, and I uncharacteristically actually did on occasion. It is weird listening to electronic dance music in the sense that you don’t actually know what is going on, but you feel like you know what’s going on. In the slower beats, I stood off to the side and people-watched, which turned out to be a pretty entertaining experience. You could see nearly everyone on the dance floor just casually bobbing with the music, and then look a little deeper and see one person just feeling it and going all out.

Overall, I spent the majority of the evening stuck in a limbo between wanting to leave and being mesmerized by the music and atmosphere. I don’t know if I would personally re-attend this event next year; I decided it just isn’t my thing. Maybe it is just one of those things you can’t go through completely sober, which I did. However, if dance parties are your thing then I’d say definitely give it a go next Mission Creek season. Just maybe don’t go sober.

Glow stick count: 6

Light up yo-yo count: 1

People feeling it: 4-5 at any given time

The post Mission Creek: Mission:Beat @ The Blue Moose Tap House 4/9/16 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The crowd lept up into a standing ovation that lasted for several minutes when he took the stage in his trademark backwards baseball cap and wearing a hockey jersey with his own face in the likeness of the Chicago Blackhawks. Kevin Smith immediately launched into a story about an interaction he had with a pair of fans during his trip to Iowa City. In this story, Kevin shows the kind of humble celebrity he is by attempting to pay for his fans meal after having a nice conversation with them. Instead his fans had already paid for his meal as a show of how much they appreciated the work he has done in his life in film.

While watching Kevin talk about his interactions with his fans it is easy to see how much he loves what he does and how much his fans really mean to him. Kevin strives to be a real person to his fans much in the same way one of his early inspirations, Howard Stern, was when Kevin was growing up. Kevin Smith told stories and gave advice while answering questions with the familiarity and tone of a long lost friend catching up, mixing raunchy jokes with sincere messages of the importance of self-expression and the wonders it can bring in life.

At one point midway through the well over four hour show, Kevin said self-expression is like a big dog that wants to give you love: there are really only positive things that can come out of it. He attributed much of the success of his career to simplicity and getting involved with the things he loves and like a conversation with friends, one story led into five more and several hours had passed before he had answered a single question. Though not many questions were asked and answered, it was absolutely amazing to see how the audience hung on his every word. The change between raucous laughter and hushed silence while the crowd listened to his stories was an amazing contrast, the excited energy in the room was infectious.

Kevin Smith had only positive things to say about his love for podcasts and his friends. He is featured on several different podcasts with a wide range of content and severity and passionately urged the audience to get involved and share content they create with the world. Kevin spoke about upcoming projects and work of his like Clerks 3, an episode of The Flash he directed, and a movie he described as Jaws, just with a moose instead of a shark.

Though his jokes were the highlight of the show, Kevin Smith also made sure to leave us with some wisdom. Throughout the night he used his platform to stress the importance of the arts. “The closest I’ve ever been to figuring out who I am has been in a movie theater, not a church or a school, but somewhere I’m looking at art.” He stressed the importance of self expression and making the most out of life without letting fear get in the way, “Never what if something bad happens, what if something amazing happens!”

I would absolutely pay good money to see Kevin Smith again. His performance was fantastically over-the-top and far more than necessary, and his passion for his career and the love he has for his fans were the absolute best parts of the night and the highlights of my Mission Creek Festival experience. Thank you, Kevin Smith, and please come back soon!!

The post Mission Creek: Kevin Smith @ The Englert Theatre 4/9/2016 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

I arrived at the Trumpet Blossom Café two hours early to meet with Daisy Chains and get a sense of the atmosphere of this lovely and cozy place. I like their warm lighting, dedicated ornaments in the house.

Around 8:30 pm, Daisy Chains came to my table, and we started our conversation. “We did a ten-day tour in Midwest, and now it is about time to perform in my hometown” said Iowa City native, Drummer Walker Neudorff. The guitarist, main vocalist E.A. Bambery, and bassist Allison Gunderson are from Minneapolis.

Country-inspired, garage, post-punk music group Daisy Chains is the sweet, warm and down-to-earth band when it came to answering my questions. “I like the softness and feminine of the name ‘Daisy.’ Daisy is also a name from my favorite salsa jar” Beth described the band name excitedly. “We love being on the road, doing live show” the three of them agreed, and they enjoy the tension on the stage.

Before the headliner, Daisy Chain played, The Savage Young Taterbug was the first band that started out. When they were playing tunes on the stage, a crowd of people suddenly came closer to the stage, and stood in front of my table. I figured if you want to have a good view of the band, you could only stand between the tables and bar.

The Savage Young Taterbug has a guitar, cello, and electronic keyboard.

They had a soft, thick country-mixed rock feeling. The addition of the cello gradually built up the atmosphere that impressed me a lot. “We got a beautiful feeling, whisper, stash to my baby” got stuck in my head. The third song “The Paperstud” was my favorite song from them. But the keyboard did not play it smoothly in the beginning. The audience laughed a little and waited for them to keep it back on. The sound of the keyboard is liked raindrops falling to compose a beautiful, sad folk rhythm. The Audience seemed enjoyed their performances.

After a short wait, Gem Jones came on the stage with their basses. The main vocalist wore a polka dot shirt with his flamboyant blonde hair: I think they had a good fashion taste.

Their song has the Lo-fi garage rock or punk rock feeling of which I am not a fan. It is fuzzy and loud, and the lyrics were not what they wanted us to listen to, but the beat was awesome. After hearing one song, I felt I lost my hearing a little. I tried to stand in the second row to follow the crowd; I saw people in the first row were moving their heads following their music.

Finally, around 11 pm, the central part of tonight, Daisy Chains, began to set up. Some of the people in the front were gone, and other audiences went to have a seat near the bar. They started with two songs, not on their album. At first, the drum part overpowered Beth’s vocals; later her voice became powerful, but softer at the same time. When the second song “Don’t tell me” played, people started to lean toward the stage. I loved Beth’s voice so much; it is versatile, and she conveyed the bitterness of the lyrics. The ending part featured a radical drum solo that stood out.

The third and fourth song were from their album “Above Abroad.” “Slack Jawed” featured some jumpy bass chords. Between the chords, Beth sang, “let go” and yelled it out. There was a feeling of leaving the ungrateful people. In the middle of the song, Beth paused and softly  thanked the chillness that Walker (drummer) brought, which differed from how she sang on the stage.

I liked their song “Bye Babe” the most. The Bass lead the song. Beth’s voice was emotional when singing “my babe.” It rose and fell and made you want to hear more songs like this. The last song was “Your Heart Out” by the Fall. They added a guitar that added a more smooth feeling.

They ended the show with more and more people coming to the front. When they wrapped up, some people came and asked if they could buy an album from them. I felt the time passed relatively fast and I wanted to hear more from their lyrical songs and sink in the atmosphere again. Their music speaks for them. I wish they would release an LP and maybe record a video so that people who cannot see their live performance can hear it.

The post Mission Creek: Daisy Chains @ Trumpet Blossom Cafe 4/9/16 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Musician, artist, poet and actor visited Iowa City on the fifth day of Mission Creek, and he blew our minds. After performing at prestigious venues like the Sydney Opera House, The Louvre, and the White House, Williams joined Mission Creek artists at Prairie Lights and The Mill to perform his craft.

While most of the other events I’ve attended during the festival have highlighted music, with or without words, this event mixed spoken word art, singing without music, and hip hop music. The night began with local spoken word artist Lovar Davis Kidd, whose pieces discussed issues of art, blackness, and family. In one piece, he impressively tap-danced and performed his poem at the same time!

Rather than moving from one artist to another, Lovar Davis Kidd and the second opener, Akwi Nji, made the choice to switch back and forth between the two creating a more fluid performance. Their pieces found similarities in each other’s and together, and working together they previewed the rest of the night well.

Nji performed several pieces about raising two daughters in today’s political climate. She encourages them to create within a world that insists on destruction of their self-esteems, and prepares them for the nature of society. Nji also performed a piece regarding the reputation of her neighborhood in Southeast Cedar Rapids, which intrigued me. She pointed out the problematic assumptions about the area, mocking people who called them “thugs” and “gangsters.” However, the most powerful part of the poem was portrayed through her interpretation of the interconnections between neighborhoods and the world. She argues that people isolate areas and separate themselves from problems, when in reality, the problems in Southeast Cedar Rapids extend to many other parts of the world.

After the two spoken word poets, I assumed the next opener, Psalm One, would also perform poetry. She hung a banner on stage behind her which read “Psalm One Loves You” which led me to believe her art would consist of positivity and love. When they came on stage, the woman whose face was on the banner was accompanied by another woman in a bra/bikini, skirt and skimask: I was pretty excited at this point.

Although only two women stood on the stage, the performance was the most engaging show I’ve seen at Mission Creek. The woman in the ski mask, Angelica, operated the computer and provided the vocals, while the rapper, Hologram Kizzie, owned the rest of the stage. The Chicago group sang songs which empowered women, opposed the government, and roused the audience as they danced and jammed along.

While I loved listening to Psalm One, I’m not sure if organizers made an informed decision about the order of the show, or asking them to open for Saul Williams who only performed spoken word. The crowd thoroughly enjoyed Psalm One, but the stark difference between Williams’ show and the previous performance was jarring.

That being said, Mr. Williams was incredible. One of the first things he said when he came on stage was that he wished he had brought his computer if he had known Psalm One would perform music. However, despite the contrast, audiences settled into the new art form.

I wanted to write down every word he spoke, but my pen couldn’t move that quickly. He incorporated such visceral body images and connected them to diction about geography and the earth, conveying his theme of unity. His first piece encouraged people to “hack into” various social constructs, systems and institutions which combined technology and anthropocentric themes.

In the middle of the show, Williams paused to perform some short poems, which were some of my favorites. “I for one am glad they keep casting white actors in old testament films” and “I’ve never fucked a louder bitch than freedom on her cycle” were some of my favorites.

After these short pieces, he sang a song called “Burundi” and a few others. Throughout the show, he paused in the middle of pieces to discuss the meaning of certain lines, but he spoke so poetically that I often couldn’t differentiate between a poem and his regular speech. For example, a line from his poem about whitewashed history: “fuck your history teacher, I have never been a victim.” A quote from his casual speech: “a leaderless movement cannot be quelled.” The night was filled with inspiring words like that, and “the greatest Americans have not been born yet.”

Williams hosted a great show last night, despite the audience’s rude behavior. A woman in the front row insisted on reciting some of his poetry with him, and interrupting him, and even filling in lines if he inserted pauses in a piece. Other people refused to sit with the silences he so deliberately placed, and asked questions and threw out unnecessary comments.

Williams remained gracious throughout the night, but as a reminder to show-going populations: these are not interactive events. People came to see Saul Williams perform, not you. Please be respectful to performers and let them portray their art in their way!

To learn more about Saul Williams, visit his official website and stay updated on his activities and art on Twitter!

The post Mission Creek: Saul Williams @ The Mill 4/9/16 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The Des Moines-based open their set with a mystically captivating intro, which immediately transitions into a catchy beat, and their alternative folk self-proclamation is evident straight away. Their style feels familiar but unique as they dive right in upbeat melodies. By the end of the third song, they’ve hooked a larger, more excited crowd.

Throughout their set, it’s hard to ignore that Stier could easily be better trained vocally and probably enunciate his lyrics in a stronger manner. I’m a sucker for the experience of hearing lyrics I’ve never heard live for the first time, and his delivery just didn’t cut it for me. But what he lacks in extensive vocal abilities, Stier makes up for in unrestrained emotion that he’s able to transmit through his acoustic guitar play.

As a small band (whose music is not even provided on Spotify, to my utter displeasure), Extravision are a very humbling presence on the stage. They take several song breaks to cordially thank everyone who makes Mission Creek possible. “Including you guys,” lead musician and vocalist, Ryan Stier, adds with an outward gesture to the crowd. And later, “the music community depends on the people who listen,” clearly very grateful to have such a wonderful crowd who feeds off their equally wonderful sounds.

Next is someone the crowd has been obviously awaiting anxiously: petite Esmé Patterson, who enters amongst backing band members. She displays herself as adorably commanding as the front-runner onstage, even if at first she did shy away from the microphone in talking to the crowd between songs. Nonetheless, Patterson and her band lead into the set with a strong rock vibe.

“Don’t let your fear bury you,” are words Patterson courageously sings in her second song, one that particularly showcases her strong vocal power. Her third song she introduces to be about getting older, while trying not to get stupid. Warming up to the crowd before her she admits she doesn’t know how well she’s doing in that respect. But by the middle of the set, Patterson is introducing a new theme. She explains her album that is based on popular songs that are written about women, in which she attempts to humanize them. An intriguing conceptual irony—to try to humanize the subject of a song with another song. I get particularly excited when she introduces an emotional rendition of Eleanor Rigby’s character.

Feel Right is her final song, the first she’s released from her upcoming album, and the song that gets the crowd chanting for one more after an energetic finale with the band huddling their soulful rock playing around the drum kit. But to everyone’s dismay, and with a sincere hand over her heart, Patterson says she has nothing left to perform, leaving the stage with the audience contradictorily musically satisfied and begging for more.

Before long, the stage is ready for San Fermin to make their Iowa City live debut. The band coolly and casually snakes through the crowd from the back of the venue up to the stage, where all eight members gear up. They lead the anticipatory crowd in with and instrumentally diverse intro. Every member and their area of expertise are being showcased—from the violinist Rebekah Durham building up to the verse, to the sax player Stephen Chen jumping to front, center stage for a solo. Where Allen Tate opened with his vocals, the second song is primarily Charlene Kaye’s time to shine, showing more diversity in their vocal instruments as well.

This baroque-pop band from Brooklyn is out to make a statement during a live show. The stage is crowded with musicians and it’s a treat to be able to witness so many musicians embracing their individual elements, while still harmonizing their vast differences. Aside from their individuality and uniqueness in instruments, their interaction during every song is just as noteworthy. The way Chen and Durham sway with one another’s notes, or Tate and Kaye’s tendencies to exchange atmospheric chemistry in harmonizing with one another.

Standout moments for me included one of their new songs August, which holds itself as probably my favorite vocal performance by Kaye, extremely melodic in a comfortingly upbeat way. Another song, Dead, was pleasantly surprising in the way the bands energetic manner of performing the song obviously starkly contrasts the title. It contributed to one of the band’s many moments of breaking into a full on frenzy at the final chorus, a chaotic outbreak of liveliness.

Before long, the band was wrapping up with one of their better-known hits, the title track from their newest album, Jackrabbit. The audience went mad, provoking another two songs to be played, and it was clear both parties on and in front of the stage were thriving on every second of it. San Fermin is undoubtedly an act that keeps you on your toes with their way they portray their spontaneous musical style and animated personalities in a live environment.

The post Mission Creek: San Fermin @ Gabe’s 4/8/16 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The stage was already set up for the opener, Everything Everything. Red and magenta stage lights were embellished by billowing smoke pouring off the stage. I could already tell this was going to be a much different concert experience than last night at The Mill.

Of the people who showed up early, there was no single “type.” Most people chose to sit near the front; all ages and all styles. For example, on one side of me was a polished young girl reading a novel, while the man on the other side had dreads, ruffled tie-die clothes, and a mysterious large bag in his lap.

When the mysterious bag man noticed me writing notes, he said, “oh, I hope you didn’t catch me talking baby talk!” Um, no? I was confused. Turns out, there was a cat sitting in the bag on his lap. A CAT. I’m all for therapy pets, but I never expected to enjoy an alternative rock concert in the company of a feline friend. Luckily he never let the cat out of the bag (ba-dum-tsss). Oh, Iowa City–never change.

The lights dimmed, and Everything Everything made their dramatic entrance to the stage. My first reaction to their matching tan outfits was basically this: so this is what would happen if Kanye West’s fashion line and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band had a baby. Their music had similarly unique flair.

The British rock band kept high energy despite the small, mostly sitting crowd. At one point between songs, the lead man remarked, “Silence? This show is much different from the rest of the tour. PLEASE clap.” I was already clapping, but other people seemed to take the hint to loosen up. A small crowd rushed to the front and starting dancing in the pit. I couldn’t help but wonder how the cat was doing with all the loud, flashy stimuli.

So far everything (everything, ha) about the show had me feeling kind of, well, weird. I can definitely respect Everything Everything’s performance, but they are not a band I would enjoy listening to regularly. It was fun to dance along to the synth and feel the thundering bass in my chest, but I wasn’t overly fascinated. And it drove me crazy that the drummer couldn’t keep a steady beat.

The Englert was an awesome venue for this show! I really loved all the different light effects. The colors changed seamlessly during or between songs, and the lights really helped the bands create bad-ass stage presence.

While waiting for the headliner to take the stage, I found a spot in the front row next to krui.fm‘s lovely editor-in-chief, Alex Restrepo! She’s a busy lady, so I felt honored to experience a concert with her before she graduates from the University this spring. Several other KRUI directors and staff members were at the show, so I could tell it was going to be a good one. And boy, was it!

The Joy Formidable took the stage; the rocking trio Ritzy Bryan, Rhydian Dafydd, and Matt Thomas united in Wales in 2007. I was amazed at the power and volume the three of them made. After one especially extreme guitar riff by Ritzy, an audience member exclaimed, “Face melting!!” She thanked him by blowing a kiss; that with her elegant accent made her adorably hardcore!

The band had fun with a varied set list, playing Ostrich from their first EP as well as Passerby, a song from their newly released album. Passerby’s message is to make your own way in life, no matter if it’s not what others expect of you. I usually couldn’t make out the lyrics over the deafening cymbals and electric guitar, but I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Matt, the drummer, liked to interact with the audience with widened eyes and a waggling tongue. Other than the drumset, he played a huge gong and delicate wind chimes throughout the show. I lost track of the number of drumsticks he went through; chips of drumstick were flying all around. Rhydian would occasionally “assist” Matt by flicking or even kicking the little splash cymbal. Little playful moments like that made me smile and get even more into the music.

When the band first left the stage, the entire crowd screamed for an encore. They came back with beers and played a fairly long encore set. Even the “balcony party for two” that Ritzy giggled about continued to dance until the very end. I loved seeing The Joy Formidable, and I’m excited to see what else Mission Creek 2016 has in store!

The post Mission Creek: The Joy Formidable @ Englert Theatre 4/7/16 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The featured photo collection was entitled “X-Offenders,” and most of the photos were taken 40 years ago, in 1976, when Persky still lived in Greenwich Village and was just beginning her career as an artist. Entirely by coincidence, in this 40th anniversary showing there were forty photos on display.

Most of the prints hung around Persky as she spoke chronicled a time in her life when she was in a relationship with Gary Valentine, the bassist for Blondie in the 1970s. As a result, many of the photos featured Blondie’s founders, Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, in their most organic settings.

Persky decided on the name “X-Offenders” for the exhibit because “X-Offender” was the name of the debut single that Valentine had written for Blondie. The collection acted as a tribute to their time together, and Persky’s time with Blondie as a whole.

The photos were up close and personal; many were head shots and all seemed honest and raw. The prints were almost as raw as Persky herself– when she opened up the talk to audience discussion she confidently said, “If you ramble, I will cut you off like a cancer.”

Though this exhibit was focused mainly on 1976 and Blondie, Persky also talked about life as an artist in general. She emphasized the importance of being true to oneself and creating. “What you create is so much more important than anything else,” she said, “Just keep making the work.”

Creating is just what Persky has been doing since she was a teen in Greenwich Village. She discussed the first play that she acted in, written by HM Koutoukas specifically for her, and her stint as a writer for The New York Rocker.

What seemed to create Persky’s genius was her environment. She spoke of the influence that Greenwich Village had on her upbringing often throughout the hour. It was a place of artistic creation for people of all sorts, though “the Village was empty back then.” Greenwich seemed to be a hub for creation.

Persky described walking out on the streets of New York to find props and materials for her artistic endeavors. “All of the stuff we used was just trash that somebody brought in, but then again, we were trash that somebody brought in.” The artists of Greenwich made art of anything and everything they had.

Throughout Persky’s talk, she was brutally honest and open. The range of topics she discussed spread from finding out she was weird at the age of five, to traveling to Los Angeles with Blondie for one of their first major gigs. It is clear that she has had a life full of adventure and experience.

This morning’s talk was an insightful and exciting view into the daily endeavors of a person with a true talent for art, as well as a vehement appreciation for the impact that art has on our world.

The post Mission Creek: X-Offenders Artist Talk @ The Englert Theatre 4/8/16 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

I sat around the bar area in the upstairs of Gabe’s, enjoying the light show and upbeat music playing. The music stopped and a tall man jumped on the stage and stood behind the mic, keyboard, and laptop. “What’s happenin’?” He spoke into the mic, which echoed throughout as he started playing some techno beats on his keyboard.

The tall man in the blue striped shirt and Matthew Gray Gubler haircut went by the name Cubicle. He bobbed his head up and down to the rhythm as the bass shook the entire room. The stage was foggy as the blue, purple, and pink lights shone through. His EDM type music flowed through the veins of the crowd, causing them to sway their hips and nod their heads. Most of the crowd was sitting to the sides, but some ventured over to the front, where Cubicle would look up and smile.

After his futuristic sounding set, up next was a band from Fairfield, Iowa called Utopia Park. Right off the bat, their music was very upbeat dance music mixed with some angsty pop punk influences. Utopia Park consisted of two guys: one was one vocalistswith round glasses that sat on the bridge of his nose, and a guitarist/vocalist who sported tattoos down his arms and wore gym shorts.

Their songs were catchy, but the sound was very scratchy and immature with a few prepubescent screams thrown in here and there. They had some silly lyrics, such as “See ya later, alligator, I ain’t never comin’ back!” Nonetheless, it was enjoyable to listen to and watch people gather around the stage to rock out with these guys.

“Be evil; don’t let anyone else’s morality get in the way of who you are.” The guitarist said before they launched into a song about pro-life and sexuality.

The guitarist then jumped into the general admission area and ran around the area like it was track and field day. He definitely resembled a kid who had had too much sugar.

Once Utopia Park was finished and took down their set, the lights dimmed down except for the twinkling lights that hang from the ceiling of Gabe’s (personally my favorite decoration out of the sticker-covered building). The house music faded, and a Siri like voice filled the room: “Hello Iowa City. Welcome to Yacht.”

The bright lights suddenly flashed around the room, their red, pink, blue, purple, and orange colors fading into each other. The lead singer of Yacht stepped out, a woman that looked like a mix of Kristen Wiig and P!NK. Techno music filled the room as the lead singer, Claire Evans, sang with a strong voice along with the beat. By now, they were drawing a larger crowd. Before, people were sporadically standing around, and now they all gathered towards the front of the stage. Claire wrapped the mic cord around her wrists.

Good vibes flowed through the rooms just as they did through the starry lights on the ceiling. Claire Evans danced all around the stage as if no one was watching her. Her exuberant stage presence made the crowd feel comfortable as they danced all around the GA area.

“That song was about death, this song is about sex.” She said before she launched into their song called “I Wanna Fuck You While I’m Dead.” The crowd definitely got a kick out of this one.

The light show and bass from their techno/EDM music made my fatigued body perk up. Claire Evans talked to the crowd a lot between songs, mostly saying things like “Y’all are great,” and “Thanks for coming out guys!”.

As it neared midnight, the music dwindled down and the crowd started to disperse. If you missed this show, you missed one hell of a concert.

The post Mission Creek: Yacht @ Gabe’s 4/7/16 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Adia Victoria, who performed at The Yacht Club on Wednesday night, was born and raised in South Carolina and discussed the effects of growing up around white people. She explained that she creates art to “fight against the narrative pushed on me” and how she used to associated blackness with only shame. Growing up around white kids led her to constantly compare herself to them, which created a “deficit” in her mind.

She explained that after realizing this in her 20’s, she has spent a lot of time “unpacking my internalized racism” which is an issue that many people of color share when they grow up with the indoctrination of Eurocentric ideas.

Victoria describes her feelings about blackness now to be “a liberation” from her previous ideas. She hesitantly confessed to a crowd of mostly nonwhite people that she “feels blessed” she wasn’t born white, because of the vantage point that has helped her to understand the world better.

After her answer, the audience looked back at Martin, lead singer of PHOX, whose eyes brimmed with tears. Adigweme asked her about her feelings, and Martin disclosed an important moment in the decolonization process: “I feel behind in many ways.” She elaborated, saying that because she hadn’t critically examined her blackness the way that Victoria has, she feels that it’s not her place to comment on black experiences until she has “thoroughly educated” herself.

This represents a feeling that I have definitely experienced, earlier in the learning process. I felt like my friends had so much more knowledge than me, and they had read theoretical arguments and feminist literature that I hadn’t heard of, and I invalidated my own position as a brown woman living in a white space.

However, Adigweme responded with my exact thoughts. “It is your place, though.” As a black woman living in America, as a musician creating art in a white space–her experiences are just as valid and she deserves a voice.

The panel continued, as Martin brought up issues of colorism in the black community. Victoria spoke against the limiting definitions of blackness. Both artists discussed their frustrations with wanting to create art meaningful to them, but the white music industry expecting them to make pandering music that appealed to “the NPR crowd” (otherwise known as white hipsters).

Victoria explained how she has learned to deal with those people: learning to say no. When people try to change her creative process or her political activism, or tell her she isolates herself by creating a certain kind of art, she reminds them, “you work for me.” She finished her answer by defiantly declaring “I’m not going to take a position of subservience in my art.”

Black Art/White Space Pt. II was the most powerful Mission Creek event I have attended so far, and I applaud the organizers for including this in the festival.

Check out my review of Adia Victoria’s show here, and PHOX’s show here!

Keep updated on Mission Creek events at missionfreak.com.

The post Mission Creek: Black Art / White Space pt. 2 @ ICPL 4/7/16 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The show began with openers Subatlantic and The Wandering Bears, but I already felt impatient about seeing PHOX

which probably affected my opinions of the first two bands. The first group, Subatlantic, composed of older members, began with their set, which I found to be pretty homogenous. Each song sounded similar to the previous one: a cliche mix of folk/indie with some aspects of country sprinkled in. They had longer, awkward breaks in between each song during which they definitely lost my attention.

However, I really loved the variety of instruments they used, like a cello and an accordion! They competed for my attention with the drunk people yelling next to me and lost most of the time.

I appreciated that members from PHOX and The Wandering Bears both showed up to watch the first performance, which headliners often don’t do.

While the first band seemed to be largely unknown, The Wandering Bears definitely had a fan base. After a 5-year hiatus, the band appeared to be surprised that some audience members knew every word to many of their songs and even the names of the members!

I liked this band’s style more than the previous opener, mainly because of the three vocalists. Each of them shared the vocals pretty equally and clearly had individual talent, but blended together so well. Their three-part harmonies transitioned from complex to unison with ease, and they sounded so smooth. Unfortunately, I found myself ignoring the rest of the band’s instrumentalists because I was so impressed by the vocals. During the last song, one of the two women precariously crowd-surfed (such is the nature of crowd-surfing) and they left the stage.

Finally, PHOX began to set up for their long-awaited performance. The lead singer, Monica Martin had participated in a panel earlier that day called Black Art / White Space to discuss her perspective as a racialized woman creating art in a mostly white arena, and the event was very powerful. I was excited to see a different aspect to her persona as an artist.

Aside from Martin, the band members looked like really cute nerds. Thick-framed glasses, matching tattoos, and an energetic stage persona contributed to their lovable nerdy nature. A few minutes before they began to play, the band squeezed past me yelling “we’re gonna pee first!” Thinking ahead. Smart people.

They began with the song “Calico Man,” and the audience immediately quieted down to listen to Martin’s flawless voice. The people next to me repeated “she’s got the voice of an angel” all night, and I agree! When she sang “Blue and White,” I may or may not have shed multiple tears.

The band played four new songs which showcased a starkly different style than their older music. Their first new piece, entitled “Lack of You” discussed the dilemma of being hit on by a person who is in a relationship. The song seemed to stray into R&B genres, with hints of jazz-iness. Their newer style reminds me a lot of Allen Stone: relaxed R&B sounds with smooth vocals.

Other new songs included “Fight or Flight,” “Stocked Liquor Cabinet,” and “Pillow Case” and the crowd seemed to love all of them. I can’t wait to hear their newest creations!

The night was complete when Monica Martin looked directly at me and recognized me from an earlier event. SHE WINKED. I died. It was amazing.

PHOX’s performance tops all other concerts I’ve ever attended! Stay updated on the band to listen to their newest music!

Check out the PHOX Facebook page for band updates and silly selfies, and listen to some of their great music here!

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