Collaborating with University of Iowa’s Scope Productions, The Englert Theater brought Lip Critic back to Iowa City as a part of their Track Zero series. With the band’s unique and unconventional blend of various music styles and this being their second visit to the world city, it’s no surprise that they’ve quickly gained the cult following of punks, raver’s, alt kids, hip hop heads and music lovers alike all across Iowa. Joined by local powerviolence act Recess and punk rockers Ascended Master, it was bound to be a great show.  

Recess was the first opener and started the night off with some incredible energy. Lead singer Sir Anne Wrappe has dipped their toes in several forms of performance art including drag and burlesque acts which makes them a very unique but exciting hardcore front-man. This juxtaposes perfectly with Powerviolence’s usual style of fast paced, aggressive guitar solos and murky, sludgy bass riffs to make Recess really stand out amongst a sea of copy-cat metal bands. Another highlight of their performances for me was their undeniable chemistry as a group, from the consistent swap of vocalists to the way the drum fills compliment the guitarists, you can tell this is a group of highly skilled and experienced musicians. Excellent set and I can’t wait to see more from Recess, they don’t have any released music so make sure to check out a show from these rising stars in the Iowa City music scene!

Next up was Ascended Master, the “unc band” of the lineup. Due to how strong their performance was, I was surprised to find out that they’ve only been playing shows for the past few months, but it made more sense knowing how stacked the group was with music scene veterans. Namely their lead singer Oliver Weilein of City Council and BOOTCAMP fame. At one point in between songs he went around the crowd asking people what they would want to change about Iowa City and actually listening to their responses. It’s really great to see a local musician who’s so dedicated to uplifting their own community and just goes on to show why Oliver is such a local legend.

Even speaking exclusively about music, the set was such a blast, just punk bangers back to back with such a keen understanding of performance and crowd control. I think my favorite was a cover of Descendents iconic song Hope, with some really fun mic grabs and crowd pile ons throughout the track. Unfortunately they have no social media, so make sure to continue looking out for them popping up on some local flyers!

The simplest and most accurate way to describe Lip Critic’s music is experimental. The eccentric four man multi instrumentalist group combines elements of rock, hip hop, punk, electronic, and industrial music to make these incredibly produced tracks that are equally aggressive as they are danceable. This was reflected perfectly within this show’s moshpit which ebb and flowed between rave style dances and more traditional push pit moshing. 

You can’t help but shake ass to the grooveable rhythms of Toxin Dodger, thrash your head to The Heart and sing your lungs out to the choruses of Milky Max and In The Wawa (Convinced I Am God). And none of this would be possible without the band’s incredible stage presence. Their lead singer Bret Kaser is an absolute maniac who will do anything to bring up the crowd’s energy whether that’s running into the pit, bringing people on stage or screaming random things between sets. With such high energy performers it’s hard to not reciprocate that energy and want to move with them, which I believe everyone in the audience (me included) felt for the whole set. If you want to hear more about specific tracks, check out my review of their latest album Hex Dealer. If you love what you hear, definitely anticipate the group’s upcoming album Theft World, out on April 30th. But for now, thank you Lip Critic, for an amazing performance.

While not available for a full interview after the show, I did get the really great opportunity to have a conversation with the lead singer at the merch booth and here’s some of what he had to say.

Tarik: Hey thanks for a great set, really loved it.

Bret: Thank you man, thanks for the energy.

Tarik: Did you actually meet your wife in Iowa? (Referring to earlier in the show when he shouted between songs that he met his wife at Gabe’s)

Bret: Nah I don’t even have a wife.

Tarik: Wait what, why’d you say that then?

Bret: I don’t know, I just thought it’d make people excited.

Tarik: Do you always make up stuff like that during shows?

Bret: Yeah, just something funny that gets people going.

Tarik: I was gonna say, cause I think last time you were here you said you were going through a divorce.

Bret: Haha yeah, did you come to our show here with White Reaper?

Tarik: Yeah no it was so fun. I didn’t know who y’all were before the concert, and I came and you guys put on such a great show I had to come see you guys again.

Bret: Do a lot of people around here just kinda like coming to shows, even if they don’t know the artists?

Tarik: Yeah, a good amount of people, we got a pretty solid music scene.

Bret: Yeah that’s sick man, we really didn’t know Iowa City was like that before our first show here, but we were really sleeping on it, you guys go crazy.

Tarik: Thanks, y’all should come back.

Bret: Yeah, we definitely will next tour.

Tarik: When’s that gonna be?

Bret: Probably around fall after we release our new album. This was kind of just a mini tour to test out new songs live and create some hype around the album.

Tarik: Well I’ll definitely show up man, see y’all next time.

Bret: Yeah thank you!

And this conversation is where I found my story. I thought back on October 4th my first time seeing Lip Critic, and what I initially thought was gonna be an average night out with some fun music, but what turned into one of my favorite live music experiences and a newfound love for an extremely talented emerging group. All resulting from me just choosing to take a chance on seeing a lineup of bands I knew next to nothing of. Like Bret stated “People here just kind of like coming to shows, even if they don’t know the artists.” Similar to how Lip Critic took a chance on playing in Iowa City for the first time and now it’s becoming a tour staple for them.

I talk to music fans on a daily basis, many of which you would almost never catch at a local show. Usually saying something along the lines of “Well how do I know if I’ll like it if I don’t know the artists?” Well my question is what if you DO love it? It’s a common trend to see online music lovers post performances from their favorite artists at the dawn of their career. Playing to small crowds at local restaurants, venues and basements. A far cry from their later critical acclaim and global success. You’ll see these comments flooded with people talking about how much they wish they could’ve been there to see these amazing acts for cheap in such an intimate environment. Well what’s stopping you from doing that now? Every city is flooded with performances from talented, hungry young artists looking to make something special and one of them might just be a new favorite of yours. I found that with Lip Critic, and you can too.

The post Concert Review: Lip Critic, Ascended Master, Recess, and why you should go to local shows. February 19th at Gabe’s. appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Much of the same was the case when we at KRUI reached out to Cousins ahead of the urika’s bedroom performance at Gabe’s in Iowa City on February 25^th in partnership with SCOPE. He was deliberately aloof and answered questions in a short, vague manner. With this all we have for a mission statement from him is, “I was inspired by love, crime, and Modest Mouse.”

In the absence of information though, there can be ideas for an explanation. It could be a matter of wanting to keep a low profile in the digital age where seemingly any information about you can leak out into the world, even if a lot of that information has already seeped through. This is perhaps why when asked about other artistic projects he was working on outside of urika’s bedroom, he only said, “Personal things just for me.” 

It could also just be another aspect of the art itself. In his music videos for songs on his album Big Smile, Black Mire are several cryptic like images, clipped and spliced together so they’re flashing in even more obscurity. They all are derived from early 2000s inspired visuals with sharply colored backdrops filmed through older grainy digital cameras. The images are often of a suburban type of decay between fields of concrete and tall brown grasses. The same is true with the marketing, using images behind raster lines paired with washed out graphics. About the visuals, Cousins said, “I don’t know if pairs at all. I guess the graphics are washed out because I am. It’s like a Millennial brain rot thing.” 

These degraded digital images do combine with the music to bolster this meticulously crafted persona and presentation. On Big Smile, Black Mire the songs are gritty as the textures are battered in the recording. It’s an effect that Cousins strives for as he writes and records everything himself directly into cracked copies of Ableton. Dreary guitar tones are bit crushed and followed by whispering digital artifacts.  

They form anguished slowcore compositions dragged around by tumbling trip hop beats, a style that has been very popular in indie scenes recently. A track like “Circle Games” adds to this by having strings swell and fade at the song’s breaks. Cousins’ lyrical delivery is dejected and sounds like it’s hissing through tinny cheap speakers. Together it’s all very murky, and listening to it leaves an acidic taste in the mouth. The music of urika’s bedroom gives into notions of a cynical view of the world where anything comfortable or righteous seems to be deteriorating. It’s like it’s dealing with the ramifications of lost hope in sifting through the rot that has been left behind. 

For Tchad Cousins, this isn’t the first time that he’s playing at Gabe’s or coming through Iowa City. He was here about two years ago as the touring bassist for Youth Lagoon on the Heaven is a Junkyard tour. There he looked like he was thrilled to be performing. He said he didn’t remember much from the show, but he did remember exploring a collection of Neil Young pedals at the house he was staying at that night. He’ll stand on stage at Gabe’s again this Tuesday. Behind all the constructed mystery, maybe there something about urika’s bedroom will be revealed. The performance is free for anyone to see. 

The post Show Preview: urika’s bedroom at Gabe’s appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Their resplendent approach is immediately noticeable throughout the immaculate buildup of the opening track “She Looked Like Me” with relaxing, pulsating synths that build up to explosive horns in the middle of the epic song. Despite making more grandiose musical choices, they still haven’t lost the catchy melodies and bridges that have always laid at the core of their music. This is best exemplified on “Death & Romance”, which might go down as the best pop song of the decade. The bright keys and catchy hook of this track centered around themes of eternal love is close to perfection with its psychedelic backdrop. “Image” is another catchy pop song with amazing bass lines that makes it nearly impossible to resist dancing.

There are many ways to objectively review an album, but the most absolute way to determine the quality and appeal of is to hear it played live. Fortunately, many students at the University of Iowa, including myself, were blessed with the opportunity of seeing them play live during the annual homecoming concert put on by SCOPE. Not only did the performance live up to my high expectations of the group, but they exceeded them by a large margin. Mica Tenenbaum’s vocals were ethereal, and the instrumentation was also cosmic with Matthew Lewin delivering on the keys and guitar.

Hearing songs off the album such as “Killing Time”, “Fear, Sex”, and a more punk like rendition of “That’s My Floor” with live guitar and drums showcased the artistry that is sometimes overlooked in their discography. The quality of the live vocals and rhythm sections were show stopping and gave new life to the songs as they evolved from the studio versions. The set was incredible with colorful, gleaming lighting fitting of their music, and came to a perfect end with the triumphant and bouncy track “The Ballad of Matt & Mica”, which gives a euphoric synopsis of the duo’s own personal lore.

In what has seemed like a major year of pop revivalism, Magdalena Bay deservedly stands at the forefront of a year of music loaded with incredible releases. It is one of the best things to witness in music when musicians at their artistic peak manage to effectively translate a cohesive, yet opulent vision to an album both conceptually and musically. This record delivered on all fronts and improved upon their first album in almost every way possible. In case you’ve never heard anything like it before, this album is pop music fleshed out at its highest level, balancing thoughtful and introspective songwriting, maximalist song arrangements, and catchy melodies that will be permanently inserted into your brain.

Official Maurice Crawford Score: 9.0 / 10

The post Magdalena Bay at an Artistic Peak, Live in the Flesh appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Raised on pop classics, Evangelista fostered passion for music while exploring vulnerability through his songwriting. Mars hojilla draws their stripped-down sound from acts such as NoSo, who performed at this year’s homecoming concert, and “emo folk-adjacent” artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus. The new boygenius album sparked inspiration in Evangelista to see how each member’s sound can expand in the trio.

Myles advocates for more representation in the music scene, a space dominated by white male voices. They find artists like NoSo, a non-binary Korean, inspiring and are excited to take their act to the big stage. As a biomedical student at the University of Iowa, Evangelista works through tight time constraints to play as mars hojilla and Two Canes, a hard-rock band that showcases grittier sounds.

Mars hojilla plays at the Trumpet Blossom Café on Saturday, April 8^th at 3:30 pm. The show is free to the public. Trumpet Blossom is located at 310 E Prentiss St. For tickets and scheduling information, check out Mission Creek’s website.

The post Mission Creek Preview: mars hojilla appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Writers of Color Reading

Fatimah Asghar, a Pakistani-Kashmiri-American poet and Fulbright fellow, leads with Writers of Color Reading Series for this year’s Witching Hour. Asghar co-created and wrote an Emmy-nominated web series called “Brown Girls”. Other readers include Natalia Reyes, Siyanda Mohutsiwa, Bruna Dantas Lobato, Aimee Fredericksen, Leon Pan, and Joe Emanuel.

This reading series will take place at The Englert Theatre on Saturday night starting at 8pm.

Julie Byrne

Julie Byrne, performing a concert co-presented with UI student organization SCOPE, is an atmospheric guitarist and vocalist. She has released two albums and two EPs in her career, the most recent titled “Not Even Happiness”. This recent album is inspired by Byrne’s first time witnessing the Pacific Northwest, and it is clear that nature drives her as soon as the album starts playing. Along with being a musician, Byrne is a seasonal park ranger at Central Park in New York.

Byrne will begin her set on The Mill’s stage Friday at 9:30pm after Squirrel Flower plays at 8:30pm.

Puddles Pity Party

Puddles Pity Party is described as “the sad clown with a golden voice.” He remains completely silent when he isn’t singing in a deep, melancholy voice, which caught public attention after his cover of Lorde’s “Royals” went viral. Puddles has performed his acts around the world and was a runner-up on America’s Got Talent. Puddles is an entirely emotive artist, and his work can reach everybody’s heart in some striking way.

The event will begin at The Englert Theatre at 8:30pm on Friday night.

Jack Lion and Jaimie Branch

Electronic, jazz-infused trio Jack Lion will be opening for Jaimie Branch, an experimental jazz trumpeter. Jack Lion, based in Iowa City, draws from each member’s formal jazz training for musical inspiration. Jaimie Branch, also a recording engineer and presenter will be performing with a band full of long-time collaborates for Witching Hour.

The concert begins with Jack Lion at Gabe’s on Saturday at 10pm.

Janelle James and Liza Treyger

Janelle James is a comedian, providing hilarious commentary on aging and family life along with her raunchy storytelling. Liza Treyger recently released her first half-hour Netflix comedy special, used to work on Chelsea Lately, and was a cast member on MTV’s “Joking Off”. The two female comedians’ sets will meld together to create a perfect, humorous evening.

James and Treyger will perform at The Englert Theatre starting with James at 9:30pm on Saturday night.

Parts Unknown Dinner

In the wake of chef Anthony Bourdain‘s death earlier in 2018, the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program and the Chef de Cuisine of St. Burch Tavern, Gabe Branch, collaborate to present the Parts Unknown Dinner. Bourdain was not only the host of a food-based television show, but made an extreme effort to fully appreciate and understand the people who showed him cuisine from across the word. He wanted to know the people, not commodify their food.

The dinner will take place at St. Burch Tavern on Saturday at 5pm, but has sold out in advance.

Passes are still available, and some events have individually priced tickets. For the first time this year, Witching Hour Festival is also selling student passes at a discounted and very affordable price. If you’re interested in attending the festival, check out passes here!

The post Witching Hour: KRUI’s Top Picks appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Preceding the show, however, was also handful of student talent, brought to the stage by UI’s Black Student Association and SCOPE. Starting with Dallas Clark’s “Someone Like You” cover, followed by a set from DJ Mariah Dawson and violin-vocals by Mickayla and Antonio, UI students warmly embraced their culture and diversity surrounding their individual roots.

Anthony Perla’s showed off speed painting to J. Cole’s “Dreams“; CDC’s dance group threw it back to Jason Derulo. Poet Marquise Jackson boasted his literary talent with poetry on the hood mentality. ‘Vegas’ rapped amid a dramatic entrance of strobe-lit darkness and intense, heavy bass: “Don’t nobody got me like I got me“. Hopping off the stage, Vegas dropped the mic.

To end the show, Simone Banks—last year’s BSU talent winner—reappeared with poetry that was emotional and lonely as it was calm and spiritual. She smiled as she spoke, showing thoughtfulness and wisdom towards her journey of maturity, growing up, and self-acceptance. It was all about spreading love, and spreading love did it encourage.

No time was wasted in jumping into the night’s musical acts. Having never been personally exposed to “soul-hop” that wasn’t Corinne Bailey Rae, Ravyn Lenae was a breath of fresh air. Sporting dangly, cross earrings and block heels, Lenae bounded to and fro on the stage. She seemed particularly interested in her presence and her audience’ interpretation, saying in between a set: “I don’t just like to sing about nothing.”

Making her mark in Chicago since 2015, 18-year-old Lenae still made for a Willow Smith-SZA-blend of soul and funk, with delicate, easing vocals straight out the original Snow White. Standing starkly against the groove of bass thumps, her delivery was strong and dynamic throughout a dizzying “Venezuela Trains” and shimmery “Blossom Dearie.” Not one of her tracks sounded too similar. Lenae’s clean and ambient nature was catchy, good-natured, and ultimately captivating.

So when Noname’s acapella-driven backup introduced her set, the crowd took on a boundless energy. Noname’s forte wasn’t only in her stage power, but her reserved use of it. Her 90’s style was peaceful, and matter-of-fact in paving themes of themes of adulthood, relationships, and a marginalized society: “The last time Ali marched Chicago / Twenty four and a late mojo teaching me how to drive / Whole world inside my rear view / This feel in me so alive”, she says in “Reality Check“. Optimistic but honest, and her performance followed suit.

“Casket Pretty”, a two-minute beat addressing violence and tragedies in the heart of Chicago, felt liberating and conversational as any exchange. Noname retained her boisterous nature, once singing into the ears of the ever-stoic stage security staff. Her hand gestures, steady stance, and matter-of-fact plaid maxi dress grounded her with her audience. As if the city life was there with her, Noname’s societal awareness was inspiring. Through all her comfortable empowerment, she still stressed the little things: the everyday freedom of simply reflecting on herself and her place in society.

Interludes of “we good” and weaving background vocals even made for a spunky, balanced play that was so in-the-moment it was impossible not to move with it—Especially throughout “Freedom (Interlude)” and “Diddy Bop“.

“Yesterday” was a sentimental track, melodic with keyboards and cheeky with a feeling that everything is going to be okay. The chorus echoed throughout the crowd during the last bits of the set: “When the sun is going down / When the dark is out to stay / I picture your smile / like it was yesterday.” Poignant and warm, with high and pretty vocals, Noname’s performance was charming and artistic as her loyal audience.

The post Noname @ IMU Ballroom, 2/24/17 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Never heard of Sky Ferreira? Not sure what synth pop is? Have you ever wanted to know who styled Michael Jackson’s hair? Well you came to the right place.

In anticipation of Ferreira’s show this Sunday, I, your trusty student journalist, will break down all the information you will need to impress your friends at the show this weekend. Here’s some Sky Ferreira trivia you probably never knew and most likely never wanted to know.

Fact: Troy Carter, Ferreira’s manager, worked as a promoter for Notorious B.I.G. before he made it big time as chairman and CEO of Coalition Media Group.

Another fact: In 2010, Ferreira starred in an independent drama called Putty Hill, where her character Jenny must cope with the untimely death of a young man named Cory.

Aside from her brief acting career, Sky has had a pretty successful music career thus far. Karolina Ramos from The GW Hatchet compared her to indie pop artist Lorde for her ability to “tackle contemporary love, desire and insecurity with depth, composure and frankness.”

She has also been placed amongst the ranks of Lana Del Rey and MGMT in both style and prowess. Her synth pop roots, comprised of drum machines, heavy bass guitars, and of course synthesizers, create an alluring canvas for her rebellious, teenage romance lyrics.

Sky first became interested in music through her friendship with Michael Jackson at a young age, one of many artist her grandmother worked for as a personal hairstylist. Since then she has released three EPs and one full length album entitled Night Time, My Time.

In promotion of her album she recently toured as the opening act on the Bangerz tour. Her most recent accolade however is her performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last Friday, April 4th, where she performed her song “I Blame Myself,” accompanied by a plethora of lasers.

However, if you take anything away from this Sky Ferreira crash course it’s that few come close to her wit when it comes to captioning Instagram photos.

Sky Ferreira’s show has been rescheduled due to illness, she will perform at the IMU Ballroom this Thursday, May 8th. Doors open at 7pm. The show starts at 8. You can purchase tickets at The Hub in the IMU or on Ticketmaster.

The post Show Preview: All you need to know about Sky Ferreira (Show 5/8/14) appeared first on KRUI Radio.

(All photos taken by and copyrighted by Ian Netter)

The post Concert Photos: SCOPE Presents A$AP Ferg appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Never heard of Sky Ferreira? Not sure what synth pop is? Have you ever wanted to know who styled Michael Jackson’s hair? Well you came to the right place.

In anticipation of Ferreira’s show this Sunday, I, your trusty student journalist, will break down all the information you will need to impress your friends at the show this weekend. Here’s some Sky Ferreira trivia you probably never knew and most likely never wanted to know.

Fact: Troy Carter, Ferreira’s manager, worked as a promoter for Notorious B.I.G. before he made it big time as chairman and CEO of Coalition Media Group.

Another fact: In 2010, Ferreira starred in an independent drama called Putty Hill, where her character Jenny must cope with the untimely death of a young man named Cory.

Aside from her brief acting career, Sky has had a pretty successful music career thus far. Karolina Ramos from The GW Hatchet compared her to indie pop artist Lorde for her ability to “tackle contemporary love, desire and insecurity with depth, composure and frankness.” She has also been placed amongst the ranks of Lana Del Rey and MGMT in both style and prowess. Her synth pop roots, comprised of drum machines, heavy bass guitars, and of course synthesizers, create an alluring canvas for her rebellious, teenage romance lyrics.

Sky first became interested in music through her friendship with Michael Jackson at a young age, one of many artist her grandmother worked for as a personal hairstylist. Since then she has released three EPs and one full length album entitled Night Time, My Time. In promotion of her album she recently toured as the opening act on Miley Cyrus’ Bangerz tour. Her most recent accolade however is her performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last Friday, April 4th, where she performed her song “I Blame Myself,” accompanied by a plethora of lasers.

However, if you take anything away from this Sky Ferreira crash course it’s that few come close to her wit when it comes to captioning Instagram photos.

Sky Ferreira performs at the IMU Ballroom this Sunday, April 13th. Doors open at 7pm. The show starts at 8. You can purchase tickets at The Hub in the IMU or on Ticketmaster.

The post Show Preview: All you need to know about Sky Ferreira appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The post Concert Photos: SCOPE Presents: Third Eye Blind appeared first on KRUI Radio.