No, but seriously. The crowd will be going wild, so why not be a part of it? A $15 ticket gives you access not only to them, but also Psalm One and Jamila Woods, so think about it.

Ancient Posse is a synthetic R&B duo based out of Des Moines. There isn’t a lot of information out there about the pair because they like to keep their personal lives separate from their professional lives, but what we do know is that it’s made up of Kamillah Camp-Bey and Steve Bergeron. They came together about four years ago, and ever since then, it’s been a complete partnership. They both sing, they both write songs, they both produce, and they perform together. Talk about “goals”!

As far as background goes, Steve has had years and years of musical involvement. He has been playing violin since he was a child, and can also play the piano. Comparatively, Kamillah had little experience in the music field. She performed in musicals throughout high school and wrote her own music, but never showed her true talents. Here’s a music video for their single, “Windless”, that’ll show you how truly gifted these two are when creating music together.

I really like the use of Kamillah’s vocals in the intro of this song. She has a mesmerizing voice, that’s for sure. Throughout the video, you can see her just letting loose, getting into the beat and dancing away. I wouldn’t call her moves “cute” or “adorable”, but it gives you that sense, you know? She’s just doing her!

Steve has an awesome range that pairs really well with Kamillah’s. I like how they split the vocals evenly; she has a part, he has a part, then they come together. Sometimes groups aren’t good about that; one person will be over-bearing and you, as the listener, don’t have the opportunity to hear what the other members bring to the table. Good for them!

The lyrics are pretty short (if you didn’t notice) so here they are.

come w me, moony one

have no fear

u can be whoever u want

’cause the water, it moves ur way

don’t let it escalate

take my hand bloodless skin

let it fill u don’t know how to fall

but u will

’cause the water, it moves my way

don’t let it escalate new hearts r windless storms

put ur hand in mine

I like these lyrics! They give good visual-aid if you don’t watch the music video. They’re short and sweet, but I think it’s appropriate for this song. If you did watch the music video, it’s pretty simple, not too intricate. I like the use of lighting and fog, it’s kinda funky.

I think Ancient Posse will put on a really good show, I definitely do not recommend missing this one! If you want to read more about this group or buy tickets, go ahead and get ’em here!

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Moen is an Iowa native and graduated from the University of Iowa recently. She is a self-taught guitarist and jazz/blues singer alongside growing in popularity with the general public.

She wrote, recorded and released her first album locally and often returns to Iowa City to venues such as The Mill and Big Grove. Moen writes her own music, inspired by artists such as Stevie Nicks, Angel Olsen, Lake Street Dive, Joni Mitchell, and the Alabama Shakes. All of these are also conveniently bands I love listening to, and their influences definitely emerge in her music.

She has released two albums, her self-titled album in 2016 and “That’s All I Wanted” in May of 2017.

Her first album showcases her vocals more than anything else, but I don’t know if it’s possible to keep them hidden. It holds so much power. Stevie Nicks’ influence definitely comes out in “Keep Your Love,” particularly vocally. Lake Street Dive also has a very strong presence throughout the album. Although it is easy to spot Moen’s inspirations here, it’s also very clear that she has something entirely her own going on in songs like “Lost It” and “Songbird.” It’s personable, almost like the listener is one-on-one with her. Moen and her voice have built a home.

Though her self-titled album is astounding, it is clear that Moen has developed her musical talents and songwriting abilities by “That’s All I Wanted.” The album features twelve other Iowan musicians such as William Elliott Whitmore (folk and country singer) and Dana Telsrow (guitarist, also performing at Mission Creek Festival 2018!).

I also personally love Moen’s cover of “I Put a Spell on You,” originally popularized by another jazz and blues singer Nina Simone. Her deep, rolling voice captures the song perfectly and adds a new layer of movement to it.

She also released a cover of Daniel Johnston’s “True Love Will Find You In the End.” This cover really showcases Moen’s voice in a folky Americana tone in a way not overtly noticeable in her other songs. Listen to both below!

Moen has had the honor of performing with a lot of other really talented artists, such as Caroline Smith, Lake Street Dive, and Lucy Dacus. She will be playing alongside The Weepies at Mission Creek Festival 2018. I haven’t even seen her live yet but she’s already made her way onto several of my playlists. I can only imagine how much more powerful she would be on an empty stage.

Check out who else is coming to Mission Creek here or on KRUI’s website!

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A winner of four Pushcart Prizes, she is currently an associate professor at the University of Texas, also actively involved in the education program she started at a local prison.

Unferth is a rebel. She ventured to Central America after dropping out of college at 18 years old to “join the revolution,” as she says in an interview on Stop Smiling Online. After hopping from El Salvador to Nicaragua to Panama to El Salvador to Costa Rica, she finally came

back to the states to begin her writing career.

She is known for her unapologetic fiction and nonfiction—vinegary, dark, and humorous. For instance, Voltaire Night, which appeared in the Paris Review, narrates a tradition of a teacher and her adult-ed class has, in which they share their terrible experiences, starting as a “recent bad experiences” to “worst ever.” One can imagine the strange places to which this narrative would lead.

In these stories, one might notice Unferth’s omission of names. In The Rumpus interview, she ascribes this choice to the feeling that names make a story sound synthetic.

I always felt that putting names in a story is artificial. It feels like, Oh, now I’m writing a story when I include a name. It feels phony. If I use a name, I have to feel like it’s almost in quotes. Any name that I use has to be doing other work. The work cannot be that it’s just a name for my character. It’s never that easy. –from “It’s Never That Easy: Talking with Deb Olin Unferth”, The Rumpus, 24 Jan 2018. 

Though not many would describe their writing or reading experience as auditory, Unferth does. In an interview with Nate Martin on Stop Smiling Online, she describes remembers how reading biographies of Frank Lloyd Wright involved sound—”the hum of the words on the pages were coming up at me and making almost a song.” –-“The Contestant: Deb Olin Unferth,” Stop Smiling Online, 17 August 2007. She further depicts her writing experience as not a result of one sound, but “It is more like I hear the story before I start writing it. Sometimes I hear the entire story before I write it down.”

Also reading at Prairie Lights that evening is Andrea Lawlor from Massachusetts, who teaches creative writing and edits fiction for Fence.

Lawlor has published a chapbook, Position Papers, and the recent Paul takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Rescue Press. According to an interview in the Vesto P.R. and Books, Lawlor mentions that this debut novel is a “thinly veiled memoir” –“A Q & A with Andrea Lawlor,” Vesto P.R. and Books, Claudia Acevedo, Jan 2018.

Written by a devoted professor and enthusiastic human being, Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl is the product of personal experience, meticulous research, and years of rich stop-and-go writing.

The major part of this book and Lawlor’s efforts are the LGBTQ experience, and Lawlor has often spoken about how the writing scene can become more accessible and friendly to up and coming LGBTQ writers, voicing the hope that

“Once people are writing and getting support to write, maybe the biggest challenge is to make something good, to be an artist rather than a content producer? That’s a good problem to have.”

I advise you not to miss seeing these thrilling authors read at Prairie Lights—mark your planners! Calendars! Put up a sticky note!

Check out this and more events the Mission Creek Lineup Page.

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The band name was based on, “those sort of old movies that were called weepies, where you could basically be guaranteed that if you needed a good cry, you could go and see one of these and bring your hankie and have a good time,” said Talan. “We want to make music that touches them and moves them in that way; the place where tears come from, for joy and for sorrow.

Two years after releasing their debut album Happiness in 2003, The Weepies recorded their sophomore album in their bedroom in Pasadena California. Shortly after performing a sold-out show at The Living Room in New York City, The Weepies signed with Nettwerk Record Label. With a widening fan-base and label support, Say I Am You peaked at number one for most downloaded folk albums in eight countries.

Their third album Hideaway found immediate success by selling 14,000 copies in the first week. A few of the tracks from the album were featured on Sex and the City, Life Unexpected, and The Fosters, among others. Their fourth album Be My Thrill emulated their previous success by peaking at number 34 on the Top 200 Billboard Charts.

The Weepies have sold more than a million records and have accumulated over 30 million views on YouTube and 90 million streams on Spotify.

After Talan announced she was in remission from stage-three breast cancer, The Weepies released Sirens which stands as their most successful album to date. The 16 songs hang together as, “a musical photo album.”

“We didn’t write specifically about anything that happened – it’s much more satisfying and interesting to just be open in the moment and see where the music goes,” said The Weepies. “The songs that made it to the surface are all informed by what went on below.”

Talen and Tannen describe working together as musicians while being married to one another as, “the best of times, it is the worst of times!” they said. “There’s really nowhere to hide – everything comes out in the open quickly, so things can’t fester.  It makes for a healthier life overall probably, but there is also bloodletting.  We still enjoy each other, and making music together, and raising kids.”

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