Art and writing are very important to the culture in Iowa City. You can see both downtown, painted on the side of a building, pasted to a window, or stapled to a telephone pole. I first found out about the Songwriters Festival while passing the Englert on my way to work. Now, roughly three weeks later, I found myself with a press pass and a journal.

Courtney Marie Andrews

The festival started for me on September 5th, sitting in the way back on a plastic chair in Prairie Lights. At roughly 6 pm, Courtney Marie Andrews made her appearance. Andrews, as an acclaimed singer, songwriter, and author from Arizona, most known for her album May Your Kindness Remain. I was personally incredibly unfamiliar with her work. Despite this, after sitting through her performance, I wanted nothing more than to become familiarized with her work. She opened her set by sharing that her new book, Love Is a Dog That Bites When It’s Scared, had been recently published. She described the collection of poems as a story told in three parts. Part one, falling in love, part two, the fall out, and part three, the love around you.

It’s both impressive and gut-wrenching to see how well she was able to capture the feelings of puppy love. Progressing through the section, the sprinkles of doubt started to make a subtle appearance. I knew I was going to be a mess the moment I saw her pick up the guitar. Each chapter ended with a song, and all three blew me out of the water.

Hearing an artist perform in a large venue is always impressive. The venerable and intimate feeling of hearing Courtney Andrews in the middle of Prairie Lights is completely unmatched.  

Overall, having the experience of loving and losing someone and then finding yourself condensed down into a single hour left me amazed.

Sunny War

After a text from my roommate who was working an event and a quick sprint across downtown to make it to The James Theater, I found myself listening in the middle of Sunny War’s set. Coming from Nashville, Sunny War’s sound is an incredible mix of rock, folk, and gospel. There is no amount of or arrangement of words that could describe her wonderful performance.  

From her set, Have Another Pill, from her Red White and Blue album, stood strong during her performance. Mental health is a concept that has been explored in art for some time. “Have Another Pill” is a key example of this concept. The song details the singer’s first trip to the psych ward, creating a deeply emotional work of art. Watching an artist perform something so intensely personal in a live setting is key to ICSF.

On top of her set, Sunny War kept the crowd entertained with her jokes. Between her ‘you can always just make a face and nod’ and the newly learned knowledge of her dog’s namesake, actor and former firefighter Steve Buscemi, I found it hard to take notes, because every single sentence felt like it the funniest thing in the world.  

Sunny War was the final performance of my evening and was a wonderful note to end my night on.

Overall, both Sunny War and Courtney Andrews’ ability to be completely and wholly open in their art showed in every single second of their performances. Both sets worked as perfect tone setters for what would end up being the rest of ICSF.

The post Concert Review: Iowa City Songwriters Festival, Friday, September 5th appeared first on KRUI Radio.

THURSDAY 

Starting the festivities on Thursday evening, The Black Angel and Trumpet Blossom Cafe will be hosting the first performances of the Iowa City Songwriters Festival. Iowa City’s own Penny Peach, along with Aaron Longoria and Sophie Mitchell will open the evening at 5:30 at The Black Angel. Following their performance, more local artists will take the stage including bluegrass group Dodge Street Duo. The combo of Max Lipnick and Alex Flesher provides energetic and exciting performances wherever they play. The evening will conclude with touring musician Jordan Smart who will be opening for Willi Carlisle later this month.  

FRIDAY 

Friday’s events begin at 3:30 with an Artist Panel at Wilder on the Ped Mall. One of a few panels this weekend, Wilder will be hosting Sunny War, Buffalo Nicholas, and Margo Cilker. This talented combination of musicians will be speaking about their songwriting process and all else that comes with making music in the modern world. Another artist panel on Friday, exclusive to VIP’s and Scholars, is headliner Jeff Tweedy at The Den. For those interested in his long and prolific career, this is well worth the price of admission. 

The music will begin once again at The Black Angel, Iowa’s own Weary Ramblers will be performing at 5:15pm. Much later Friday evening, starting at 9:00pm, Abbie Sawyer will appear with She Returns From War following. Sandwiched in between those performances are shows all over town at The James Theater, The Englert Theatre, and a poetry reading at Prairie Lights with author Courtney Marie Andrews. Buffalo Nichols will be playing at The James starting at 5:30pm. This relatively new Iowa City venue is a must visit, hosting a wide variety of plays, readings, concerts, and other performances throughout the year. Nashville’s Sunny War returns to Iowa City since Mission Creek Festival 2024, concluding the evening at The James with her impressive fingerpicking and lyricism.  

The Englert Theatre will be hosting headliner Jeff Tweedy and opening act Margo Cilker on Friday night starting at 7:30pm. Cilker, a California native, has been on the climb to becoming one of the best modern voices in folk. Releasing her debut album “Pohorylle” in 2021, she’s been a great watch as she continues to impress with her most recent release, 2023’s “Valley Of Heart’s Delight”.  

If you didn’t get enough of Jeff Tweedy at his panel, the frontman of Chicago legend’s Wilco is headlining Friday night. For his third time playing The Englert, Jeff is bringing a record on the verge of release entitled “Twilight Override”. Set to be drop on September 26^th, this 30 track mammoth of a record already has 5 songs out and you can hear them live for the first time exclusively at The Iowa City Songwriters Festival. His unmistakable lyricism makes him a perfect fit for this brand-new fest all about what he does so distinctly. You can listen to a track, and even override Jeff Tweedy’s lyrics with your own.

SATURDAY 

Saturday brings a full slate, starting at 10:30am at the Iowa City Public Library with a panel featuring Katie Roche, Jean Littlejohn, Alma Drake, and Nichole Upchurch. A full day conference from 12pm-5pm will take place at the Iowa Conservatory as well.  

The Black Angel once again starts off the day of music, with Dave Moore at 5:15pm. The Black Angel has a large gap in their day, but on your return from headliner Joy Okadokun at The Englert, you can return for Connar Moon and Willy Tea Taylor when the music continues at 9:00pm. Taylor, with his deep voice and sometimes humorous songs, has called on the likes of Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and the comedic angle comes from “Weird Al” Yankovic.  

The James Theater will have two artists again, Ken Pomeroy at 5:30pm and London Wainwright III at 6:30pm. This combination is wonderful for fans of storytelling through songs. The Northside Series will have their only performance of the weekend with Mars Hojilla playing from 6:00pm-8:00pm.  

Courtney Marie Andrews has created quite a resume for herself in her 18 year long career. Her debut record “Urban Myths” got the attention of Jimmy Eat World frontman Jim Adkins. Adkins admired her work and reached out to see if she would be willing to sing with him on a cover of Wilco and Fiast’s “You and I” in 2009. The collaboration continued when Andrews joined them on their 2010 record “Invented”, along with its coinciding tour on keys. She will be heading to Europe for her headlining tour of her 2022 record “Loose Future”.

On the 10^th anniversary of her debut EP, Cathedrals, Joy Oladokun will grace the stage of the Englert Theatre on Saturday at 8:45pm for their first return to Iowa since playing Hinterland in 2023. With lyrics touching on the difficulty of growing up black and a part of the LGBTQ+ community in rural America, Oladokun has captured the attention of the folk world by continually churning out beautiful and heartbreaking songs. Releasing 6 singles this year, after dropping her 4^th record “OBSERVATIONS FROM A CROWDED ROOM” in October of 2024, there is no slowing down for Oladokun. They’ve taken some of the biggest in the country like The Ryman, Radio City Music Hall, Lollapalooza, and Farm Aid. Joy’s opened for some of the biggest acts around including Hozier, John Mayer, and Noah Kahan, and collaborating with Kahan, Christ Stapelton, Mt. Joy, and more. You can listen to her recent single, “May.”

Conference

In between Saturday’s performances, conferences will take place from 12:00pm-5:00pm at the Iowa Conservatory. Many artists will be in conversation Saturday, including headliner Joy Oladokun with Caleb Rainey. The afternoon is filled with touring and local artists, discussing their craft and process while MusiCares will be doing custom earplug fittings as well as one-on-one consultations. The Iowa Arts Hall will also be tabling throughout the day at the conference.

With an incredible selection of artists, conversations, and more, the Iowa City Songwriters Festival is set to be the can’t miss event of the fall. You can find out more information about the festival here, and tickets are available to purchase here.

The post Iowa City Songwriters Festival Preview appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Thursday:

Hanif Abdurraqib (6:00 PM Hancher Auditorium)

Acclaimed writer Hanif Abdurraqib will read from his new memoir There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension at Hancher Auditorium to kick off Mission Creek Festival. Hanif hails from Columbus, Ohio and is armed with the slogan “Ohio Against the World”. This mantra matches the biography’s tone that traces basketball stars like LeBron James, and many other stellar players that are mostly lost to time. Hanif resurrects these careers in this narrative. 

On Thursday, April 4th in the Hancher Auditorium, Hanif will be in conversation with Tisa Bryant, author of Unexplained Presence, an essay collection that blends fiction, criticism, and theory. Bryant serves as an Assistant Professor in the University of Iowa’s Non-Fiction Writing Program. 

Both authors break conventions within form, as Abdurraqib’s writing toes the line between prose and poetry. In every effort, he brings a poetic lens to his work. Previously, he wrote the essay collection A Little Devil in America, which was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. Recently with ESPN, Hanif wrote a profile about his longtime favorite team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and their winning season that has shocked basketball fans across the country. 

-Nick Layeux, Training Director

L’Rain (7:30 PM Hancher Auditorium)

Multi-instrumentalist and sound curator L’Rain, the stage name for Taja Cheek, will perform at the Mission Creek Festival on Thursday at Hancher Auditorium. A Brooklyn native and surrealist musician creating her own genre, L’Rain’s latest works are influenced by jazz, gospel, R&B, rock, and pop, but maintain their own deeply personal identity.  

Cheek labels her most recent album I Killed Your Dog as an “anti-break-up” record. She reflects on the conflicts of the internal soul and external identity to shape music into a conversation between love and heartbreak. “I’m envisioning a world of contradictions, as always,” as Cheek describes the record, “sensual, maybe even sexy, but terrifying, and strange.”  

Expect a bold and prismatic performance of instrumental motifs and loops layered into a visceral noise that bounces around the soul in constant motion. Like hearing a dream come to life, L’Rain’s music is an experience that pieces together a collection of found sounds to momentarily bridge the gap which divides the world from the surreal. 

-Pauly, Editorial Staff

Neko Case (8:45 PM Hancher Auditorium)

This year’s Mission Creek Festival is being headlined by one of the preeminent American voices of a generation: Neko Case. Case is a member of the Vancouver based indie-rock supergroup the New Pornographers, as well as having a prominent solo career, winning the “Female Artist of the Year” award at the PLUG Independent Music Awards in 2006. 

In April of 2022, Case released sir latest album, titled Wild Creatures. Described by Anti- Records as a, “career retrospective.” The album contains 22 re-releases of Case’s strongest solo tracks, including all-time bangers like “Man”, “Furnace Room Lullaby”, and “I Wish I Was The Moon”.  

But one album was not enough for Neko Case. Almost a year later, in March of 2023, the New Pornographers released their ninth studio album, titled Continue as a Guest. Case performs as lead vocalist for all but two of the album’s ten tracks. Case gives the tracks, with lyrics by songwriter and producer A.C. Newman, a “sweet, surreptitious poetry,” as described by Jon Dolan for Rolling Stone.  

We here at KRUI hope you take our advice and find the time to go out and see Neko Case at this year’s headlining event. Sir performance can be seen on Thursday, April 4th at Hancher Auditorium.  

-Case Fenner, News Director

Friday:

Strangers of Necessity (7:30 PM Gabe’s)

For those seeking poised, silky rap at Mission Creek this year, the kind that understands the power of a savvy hook and explosive kick drum, look no further than Strangers of Necessity. Comprising Iowa City based producer CoryAyo and Chicago rapper Fooch the MC, Strangers of Necessity is an authentic Midwest hip-hop duo. The duo’s name speaks to the nature of their formation. After connecting online via Twitter, they rapidly struck up a friendship and intense creative partnership.  

Following up from their debut EP Tangerine Avenue and subsequent project The Layover, the duo’s 2020 release Vibe Theory encapsulates their effortless synthesis of tight rhymes and polished instrumentals. From the hard-hitting beat and infectious chorus of album opener “Incredible Flow”, to the laid-back atmosphere of “Fundamental” – “Mixing the old with the new, cooking up gumbo stew,” – it’s packed full of imaginative, well-rounded tracks. There’s even a charismatic appearance from Iowa City favorite Jim Swim on the stand-out “I Can See It”. Unsurprisingly, it’s Strangers of Necessity themselves who are best suited to articulate their sound. “They might call this hip-hop but I just call it vibe music. The shit you can ride to, the shit you can vibe to,” they playfully declare on “Mild Sauce”. 

-Glenn Houlihan, Editorial Staff

George Clanton (8:00 PM The Englert)

As a part of the Mission Creek Festival lineup, multidisciplinary artist George Clanton will perform at The Englert Theatre on April 5th. George Clanton is an electronic musician and singer-songwriter based out of Los Angeles. Most often associated with his contributions to the internet based genre vaporwave, Clanton’s musical output has largely remained DIY and inspired by underground music. First coming onto the scene under the monikers ESPRIT 空想 and Mirror Kisses, Clanton established himself through lo-fi instrumentals and sampled music, before dropping both band names completely in favor of his birth name.  

In 2015, Clanton released his album 100% Electronica under his record label of the same name, established with his now wife, and fellow musician Neggy Gemmy (FKA Negative Gemini). His most recently released album, 2023’s Ooh Rap I Yah, finds Clanton maturing in his development of electronic pop, evocative of past nostalgia and memory as previously explored in his breakout 2018 project Slide.

Plucking pop culture references and mashing them into a psychedelic phantasmagoria, Clanton’s auditory and visual style have become uniquely idiosyncratic in our modern music landscape, establishing him as one of the most interesting artists currently working today. Clanton will be stopping in Iowa City as a part of his current national tour with supporting acts Frost Children and Full Body 2. 

-Ben Romero, Editorial Staff

Hatis Noit (8:30 PM Riverside Theater)

From Shiretoko of Hokkaido and now residing in London, Hatis Noit takes us on a journey through Nepal to Buddha’s birthplace, where she was inspired to sing through the otherworldly sound of a female monk’s Buddhist chants. She realized the power of the human voice and its ability to synthesize the essence of humanity in tonal form. Drawing from Gagaku and operatic music, such as Gregorian and Bulgarian chants, her music reminds us of the spiritual force which has inspired music for millennia.  

The name “Hatis Noit” itself means the stem of the lotus flower, originating in Japanese folklore. The lotus itself represents the living world while the root represents the spiritual world. Hatis Noit connects the two as one, seeing music as an embodiment of this underground that is our past, subconscious, and memory. Her critically acclaimed album Aura, released in June of 2022, draws on painful personal and shared memories, such as the 2011 tsunami and the 2020 pandemic, in a collection of chilling and visceral vocal power.  

Every sound on the album, excluding recordings of the ocean near a nuclear plant on “Inori”, is her own voice, with an intensity comparable to that of Björk. She notably featured collaborators of the Icelandic singer in Matmos on her EP Illogical Dance on Erased Tapes. She also features Armand Hammer, who will also be at Mission Creek, on her latest single “Jomon – Preservation Rework“. 

-Lauren McGovern, Editorial Staff

Anthony Worden (9:00 PM Gabe’s)

Having grown up in Cedar Rapids and graduating from the University of Iowa, Anthony Worden is intimately familiar with the highs and lows of muddling through life in Eastern Iowa. Indeed, Worden’s impressive musical output, often supported by the exceptional band The Illiterati, is matched by a genuine drive to strengthen the social fabric of Iowa City. The Illiterati Fest, an annual celebration of local art, music, and community, has twice raised money for local causes: Inside Out Reentry Community in its first year and the South District Market in its second.  

Worden further supported Inside Out Reentry Community, a nonprofit based in Iowa City that serves people returning to Johnson County after incarceration, by playing at their Be An Instrument for Change Spring Concert last May. I can vouch for this being a killer show. I was lounging in the glorious sun at the Riverside Festival Stage in City Park throughout it, and I expect nothing less on Friday night at Gabe’s.  

While Worden’s heterodox rock is sandwiched between two hip-hop artists, his cult hero status and familiarity with the iconic venue will no doubt ensure a cathartic performance. With a fifth album, Plain Angels, due for release this spring, fans will be treated to new songs, alongside his promised new band. Anthony, if you read this before Friday, please play “Lost in the Fog of War”. It’s like Arcade Fire suddenly materialized in an Iowa City recording studio and started writing about student debt. 

-Glenn Houlihan, Editorial Staff

Indigo De Souza (9:45 PM The Englert)

Indigo de Souza, is an American-Brazilian musician residing in North Carolina, but originally from Connecticut. She’s known for being one of the leading figures within the pond of indie, and alternative rock. Under the label Saddle Creek, de Souza’s earlier success comes from some of her iconic EP tracks “Boys” and “Sleep Talking” which were released back in 2016. Then, in 2018, she came out with her most notable work, the album I Love My Mom, which contains songs that defined her artistry and career such as “How I Get Myself Killed”, “Take Off Your Pants”, and “What Are We Gonna Do Now”, which all demonstrate her aptitude for using nature references and imagery as a vehicle for deeper symbolism.  

De Souza’s lyrics are relatable, candid, and grounded in reality. They are teeming with allusions that lead to themes like heartbreak, disappointment, and the rattling chaos of being alive. In line with this, what de Souza captures in her instrumentals is a pristine rawness of electric guitar, paired with jangly, lo-fi, chamber pop tonalities. It all comes together to form a poignant symphony of vulnerability, and burning desire to live up to one’s wants in life. 

-Anika Maculangan, Editorial Staff

Sunny War (10:00 PM Riverside Theater)

A veteran Mission Creek performer, this year sees Nashville’s own Sunny War at a very exciting time in her career. Having moved away from their traditional folk punk sound, their most recent record Anarchist Gospel instead has a blend of different styles. With varying inclusions from blues rhythms to country twang, the stylistic shift suits them well, as evidenced by the flurry of positive reviews the project garnered. Yet, Sunny War manages to retain some of the artistic factors that remain essential to their works: pointed conscious songwriting, and a wholehearted soulful delivery. 

-Evan Raefield, Music Staff

Armand Hammer (10:45 Gabe’s)

On Friday, New York City rap duo Armand Hammer will be making a stop in Iowa City to perform songs off their latest album, We Buy Diabetic Test Strips. If you are out of the loop and unfamiliar with them, Armand Hammer is a prolific rap group that truly represents hip-hop at its core with their socioeconomically centered lyrics and dark, grimy production. The duo consists of New York rapper Elucid, and Washington D.C. rapper Billy Woods. Despite being the best duo in the game right now, Billy Woods and Elucid are both strong rappers individually, having stellar solo discographies.  

On their latest LP, the duo creatively pushes themselves further than ever. Featuring production from greats like JPEGMAFIA and EL-P, Armand Hammer explores the various plights of the human condition over beats that are both abrasive and ambient. The lyricism on this project is razor sharp and thought provoking, with themes and motifs that will leave you pondering for weeks.  

The rap duo’s live performances certainly live up to their reputation as artists. Their performances are loud, fiery, and energetic. When they perform there is a spiritual feeling in the audience as every line, word, and syllable travels through both your mind, body, and spirit. Their performance will be one of the best at the festival, with the show likely being discussed by the audience for weeks after.  If you want to see two hip-hop greats in their respective primes, Mission Creek is the place to be. 

-Maurice Crawford, Editorial Staff

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