Last night, (April 4^th) at the Englert Theater, the popular indie folk-rock band The Head and The Heart preformed an incredible show. They were just one of many headlining shows and events happening in Iowa City for the annual Mission Creek festival.

Before The Head and The Heart began they’re performance they’re opener, Canadian native, Basia Bulat blew the crowd away. She continued to amaze the audience with her astounding vocal talent and equally astounding instrumental talents.

Bulat is know for playing the autoharp, and for a very good reason, this 36 stringed instrument is not for amateurs. She also played keyboard and ukulele during the show. The folk singer-songwriter’s bubbly and enthusiastic personality captivated the audience and kept them cheering for more.

 Although they were sad to see Bulat go, the crowd was definitely thrilled to see The Head and The Heart take the stage.The band from Seattle, Washington started in 2009, and has certainly gained a large amount of followers within the past few years.

Many fans gathered up by the front of the stage to get as close as they could to the band. This wasn’t too difficult seeing as how involved with the audience the band members became. Jumping off of the main part of the stage and getting just a few feet away from some very excited audience members was just one ways that they thrilled the crowd.

Between songs, the vocal artist made comments to the audience which kept them feeling involved in the show, this included a shout out to Iowa City’s Blue Bird Dinner, which got a very positive cheering response from the audience.

During the show the band preformed songs both from their 2011 album The Head and The Heart, and their more recent 2013 album Let’s Be Still. Whether you knew the lyrics or not, it was very easy to get swept away by this extremely talented group of musicians. Their performance certainly didn’t disappoint, and their five-song encore was an amazing ending to a phenomenal show.

To show even further how much they are grateful to their fans, Jon Russell (vocals) (along with opening act Basia Bulat) stood out by the merchandise table after the show and were enthusiastic to meet fans, answer questions, sign posters, and take pictures.

Mission Creek continues through the weekend. For more events, check out their website. For more from  The Head and The Heart, check out their website.

The post Mission Creek: The Head and The Heart @ Englert, 4/4/14 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Mission Creek takes place the first week of April every year (the 1st-6th), and brings music, food, lit, and film fans from all over the country to Iowa. This year will be no exception, with indie headliners such as Warpaint, The Head and the Heart, !!!, and Kishi Bashi.

Here’s what you shouldn’t miss at Mission Creek 2014:

The Head and the Heart

The indie folk group’s show at the Englert Theatre Friday, April 4th is sold out, so if you’re lucky enough to come across someone with extra tickets, thank your lucky stars. The Head and the Heart have been on indie fast-track since their debut self-titled album was released in 2010. With the release of their new album, Let’s Be Still last year, THATH have grabbed some serious attention, booking not only Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, but also Coachella, the Governor’s Ball, and world famous Milwaukee Summerfest.

Check out the official music video for their single off Let’s Be Still, “Shake”.

Kishi Bashi

Fresh off his set at SXSW in Austin and the Middle of the Map music festival  in Kansas City just before Mission Creek, Kishi Bashi’s show at The Mill on Friday, April 4th should be an excellent one. With praise like World Rock Magazine‘s stating, ““. . . if God had an iPod, he’d be listening to Kishi Bashi.”, one can only expect a beautiful set from the 38 year-old Seattle native, who is also a member of the group, Of Montreal, who also headlines Mission Creek, (Thursday, April 3rd at Blue Moose Tap house).

Check out the brand new official music video for “Philosophize In It! Chemicalize With It!” of his upcoming album Lighght.

Hannibal Buress

The Mission Creek comedic headliner is a former writer for NBC’s Saturday Night Live, currently stars in the Adult Swim faux-talk show The Eric Andre Show, has a set at Bonnaroo, and is a returning cast member of the new Comedy Central series Broad City. Buress’ show Wednesday, April 2nd at the Englert Theatre will leave you with sore abs and  a smile on your face.

Check out his hilarious set about New Orleans on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon last month.

Warpaint

The indie rock,  all female group will be playing the opening night of Mission Creek, Tuesday, April 1st at Gabe’s. Much like The Head and the Heart, Warpaint has booked an impressive amount of spring and summer festivals, Snowball, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Coachella, Boston Calling, Pickathon just to name a handful. The group has been together since 2004, and has three successful full length albums. Their newest album is self-titled, and was released in January.

Check out their live performance of “Elephant” from their debut 2009 album, “Exquisite Corpse”, at PitchFork music festival in Paris last December.

 Caroline Smith

While she’s not a headliner, Caroline Smith will be soon enough with her smooth and soulful voice. Smith will be on at 11pm just before !!! at Gabe’s on Friday, April 3rd. Her pure talent and flawless voice is something you cannot miss at Mission Creek this year. You can also catch Smith at the Middle of the Map festival in Kansas City.

Check out the music video for the song “Magazine” off of Caroline Smith’s 2013 album, Half About Being a Woman.

For a full Mission Creek 2014 calendar of events and ticket information go to Mission Creek’s website.

The post Mission Creek 2014: What KRUI Thinks You Shouldn’t Miss appeared first on KRUI Radio.