The performance at Gabe’s is put on by The Englert Theater as a part of their Track Zero Series, more information on tickets can be found here from the Englert Theatre (tickets discounted for students). Opening acts will be performed by Dearborn, a four piece alt-rock band straight out of Iowa City, and pianist Sam Blasucci, a founding member of California-based indie band Mapache.

Dearborn

Dearborn playing in someone’s basement, from left to right: Jonah Marcussen, Aaron Knight, Elijah Mickey, and Elias Smith. Photo via Dearborn.

The funky mask-wearing fellas in Dearborn are hot-on-the-block, forming just last year and released their first EP June 20th of 2025. Leaning heavy on resonance and reverb, Dearborn finds a balance between heavy noise and space to breath. The band features Elijah Mickey on vocals and guitar, Elias Smith on bass, Jonah Marcussen on lead guitar, and Aaron Knight on drums.

Sam Blasucci

Sam Blasucci comes from the avenues of Ojai, California, breaking off from his band Mapache in 2023 to pursue music as a solo artist. His latest album, ALL BLUE, was released last June 6th of 2025, a vulnerable album that invites love through smooth vocals and instrumentals that will fill your ears.

Night Moves

Night Moves has been turning heads since their inception in 2009, and with their latest album Double Life, whole bodies have been contorting to get closer and get their ears on the sound. John Pelant plays his beloved Gretsch guitar and belts out starry vocals, Micky Alfano slams down the bass, Mark Hanson bounces on the drums, and Charles Murlowski gets to twang his own guitar. It was with this ensemble that their latest album Double Life took shape, taking sound fonts from the likes of MGMT, Daft Punk, and Tame Impala. Pelant’s vocals reminds me of a younger version of myself, in a way, setting apart their vibe from those artists. But what is the vibe? According to Pelant, it’s “cosmic twang-rock pop sludge.” Makes sense to me. 

Pelant graduated high school in 2009, his band moved away from the music scene in Minneapolis. Alfano and Mark Ritsema were in the same boat, so the three got together and started working on their vision. As they were on tour, drummer Jared Isabella was recruited to play after talking with Alfano. Two and a half years of work later, and Night Moves released its first studio album, Colored Emotions. They were quickly picked up by Domino Recording Company, an independent record label known for signing other acts like Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys. The next four years were swathed by tours, and it was during this time that Pelant discovered legendary indie music producer John Agnello. Agnello went hard on Pelant to push his voice and feel comfortable in it, resulting in their next album Pennied Days from 2016 and future vocal work. They kept on, adding drummer Mark Hanson and guitarist Charles Murlowski to release their third album in 2019, Can You Really Find Me. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic intercepted their momentum, leaving Night Moves paradoxically still. It would take six more years until their next and latest album, Double Life, which just released on July 25th, 2025.

I’m most excited to hear their new material from Double Life. The first track, Trying to Steal a Smile wastes no time busting a killer groove. State Sponsored Psychosis slows it down, eliciting the feeling of fading away, in a good way. White Liquor is a fantastic blend of folk-rock with their current style, being the main stand out for me. Especially with that soothing harmonica…. Though they have made no promises on their lineup, whatever they play is going to be mega swag money. It will be 3 years and 12 days since Night Moves has played at Gabe’s, so I think we should all be there to give them a warm re-welcoming this Wednesday the 15th.

Tickets are still available from the Englert Theatre (tickets discounted for students), or may be purchased at the door.

The post KRUI Big Room Show & Concert Preview: Night Moves at Gabe’s this Wednesday, Oct. 15th! appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Carl Sagan: This song is very easy to listen to. It has a really good melody; not too fast, not too slow. And the mix of the instruments slightly reminds me of something that would be played in the seventies. The lyrics are clear and easy to make out, which is really important to me. The vocals are why you want to listen to this song, though. It has a lot going for it, but the vocals are amazing. The way the singer travels between his chest voice to falsetto is utterly impressive.

Denis, Don’t Wanna See you Cry: This song starts off with the instruments sounding like someone is screaming, which I thought was fitting based on the title. This whiny sound is kept through out the piece. It gives it a techno feel, while maintaining it’s Indie rock identity. This piece has long instrumental solos, which I don’t particularly care for. And when the vocals do come back in, they just repeat the same verse over and over again. Granted, it is a good verse, but I would have liked the song more if it had more substance.

Leave Your Light On: This song has more twang than the others. The first time I heard it, I imagined it being sang in a run down bar with only old men drinking their beer to listen. It just has that far away sound that you find in a live performance. The vocals are crazy good. He is able to travel through his range without any hesitation. The music aspect of this song is really great, but I had a hard time understand what it was about. Which of course isn’t always necessary, but I do enjoy that aspect. I think if I could really understand what was going on, it would have really sold me on the song.

Border On Border: This song starts off with a great and poppy electric guitar solo. It really got me pumped up for what was going to come next. The vocals are a lot more whiny in this song compared to the others, which some artists can’t pull off, but this band really makes it work. My favorite part in this piece was when the instruments died down so the vocals could really stand out, then a few seconds later, the same poppy electric guitar came back in. It gave me goosebumps.

Kind Luck: This song reminded me of something behind it’s time. The vocals reminded me of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA,” because they both have that raspy feel to it at the beginning. This song was one of my favorites from the album, mostly because the lyrics are so crispy and easy to make out. Everything about this song really works, whether it is the clear lyrics, great  vocals, or the subtle acoustic guitar in the background.

Hiding in the Melody: This song features the high falsettos as well. Seriously so good. I can’t get over how well he changes his voice. There is even a part in the song where he creates a full but whiny sound. I think this song is my favorite on the album, mostly because of the insanely impressive vocals, but also because the melody keeps you on your toes and the lyrics are touchingly poetic. This song is by far the longest in the album, but I promise you will enjoy all seven minutes of it.

Staurolite Stroll: The beginning of this song really reminded me of the song by Maxine Nightingale, Right Back Where We Started From. Even the vocals kind of take you back in time. Really a great song. Understated yet excellent.

Alabama: I love the way this song starts, it is all high, airy falsetto and it is so well done. I can’t even put into words how good the vocals are in this song. It goes from high falsetto to something that sounds like Elton John to something entirely different. Seriously, everything about this song is utterly beautiful. Even the lyrics are touchingly insightful. If you are to check out any song on this album, check out this one. You won’t regret it, I promise.

Only To Live in your Memories: I loved this song as well. It had the airy vocals, like some of the songs at the beginning of the album, but the lyrics are so much more thought provoking and clear in this song. I can see why they saved this for last, because it truly made me feel something. “And I held on cause I feel love.”

This album was great. I may not listen to every song everyday, mostly because I like to sing along with what I am listening to and I had a hard time making out every lyric in some of the songs, but it definitely made me feel something, which is all you can ask for in an album. There were a few that I down right loved, but all of the songs on the album had something great about them, whether it be the impressive vocals or the fun instruments. If you like what you hear or just want to know more about the band you can follow them on Facebook and Spotify. If you want to see them in concert, their tour dates are on their website.

The post Album Review: “Pennied Days” by Night Moves appeared first on KRUI Radio.