Of course, my parents and other authority figures warned me about raves. They figured nothing good could come from young people choosing for themselves which drugs they took. Instead they told us to take Prozac and Ritalin and go to school and be good kids, rather than unifying our minds with the universal consciousness through dance, whether or not we were on drugs. They didn’t know dance and rapture are effective forms of therapy.

As with most generations, we did not really listen to our parents. We threw our raves, grew our own drugs, made our own music and music production equipment, and our music evolved so fast it became difficult to track the genres as they continually evolved. While parents and others stressed the dangers of being drugged, or losing one’s mind or becoming lost in the forest, my experience of raves was the opposite. When people would get too out of it, others would notice, give them some water, encourage them to rest, and care for them.

I know this sounds just like something a crotchety old hipster would say, but honestly you sort of had to be there. I’ve very rarely experienced that kind euphoric unification with fellow human beings and the universe itself. There was a certain feeling at those early raves that I continually look for, and occasionally find. Last night was one of those nights where I found it.

Mission: Beat is in its fourth year. The event is organized by Ben Mealhow, also known as bTsunami, an erstwhile Iowa City DJ now residing in Denver, my hometown.

The night began with Lazarus, who is from Cedar Rapids. He played a really vibey set. Still definitely dance music, it had a feeling of cool all over it. People familiar with Larry Heard know what I am talking about. There is this magic about being up tempo and simultaneously cool that Lazarus flawlessly displayed. I was very pleased with his set. But I don’t want to sell him short, either. He definitely played some bangers.

How to change from one DJ to the next is always an interesting question at shows like these, because you want to keep the vibe going but recognize the differences between the DJs and their styles as well. However, the transitions were quite smooth. They let the audience know when one performer was finished so they could be appropriately cheered, but they never let the beat die down.

After Lazarus went on, Iowa City’s own Attentat performed. I must admit I don’t quite know what genre to place him in, but I would call it straight up techno with occasional elements of house. His set was incredible. It was lit, bangin. By the time he finished, Yacht Club was filling up, and love permeated the air.

The first two DJs did their spinning electronically. But when Alala.one came on, she changed things up. Alala.one has been spinning techno for nearly 20 years, all on vinyl records. As a vinyl DJ myself, I was taken away by her ability to flawlessly mix track after track. I was also struck by the way she utilized effects, and the quirky half-smile she would sport right before dropping the hottest beat you’ve heard. After initially blending in with the style of Attentat’s set, Alala.one shook things up by hitting us with some uptempo breakbeats (to much applause).

By the end of her set, she took it back to hard-hitting techno, which paved the way for bTsunami. I have been to several parties planned by bTsunami, and they rank among the best parties I have ever attended. This is as much because of the music as it is because of the people and the vibe. It can be really awkward at dance parties. Sometimes there are creepers. Sometimes there isn’t enough room to dance. Although the ceiling at Yacht Club are too low to really allow for hoop dancing, there was always plenty of room for regular dancing, and everyone seemed to be having as good a time as I was (or better).

bTsunami’s set was killer techno with the occasional foray into deep house. The techno he plays has more of a groove to it than the usually repetitive forms of techno. By this time Yacht Club was absolutely raging. I spoke briefly with one of the best dancers of the evening, and he told me that he had not danced for years. If sets like this can make a person who has not danced for years begin to dance and shine like that, you know the DJs have done their job. In addition, someone who had been a wallflower all night finally got up and got down, and we all cheered her on.

As the set went on, the house lights slowly went up, and I kept thinking that at any time it would all be over, but it still kept going for several minutes. Once bTsunami was done, he encouraged the crowd to clear out, at which point I ghosted out of that piece.

All in all, Mission:Beat felt a great deal like those very early raves. The night was full of mutual recognition, appreciation, and acceptance. I ran into several close friends, and made several new ones. If your mind is in the right place, a party like this can be the highlight of your year. I was very happy that I happened to be in the right place in the right time in the right mindset.

The post Mission Creek: Mission: Beat @ Yacht Club 04/07/2017 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.