In pretty much all artistic endeavors there is some consideration for the rule of threes. As in, do something just once and it could very well be a one-and-done situation. Do it twice and perhaps the two will exist as a pair. But do something three times? Well, then you got yourself a series. Iowa City music aficionados can see the rule of threes in action this Friday, as Anthony Worden and the Illiterati hold their third annual Illiterati Fest at Gabe’s.
Little Village chatted with Worden via email this week about the the fest’s journey to series-dom, this year’s lineup, the philanthropic through-line of the series and what the future holds for all things Illiterati.
For those unaware, one way to describe the trajectory of the Illiterati Fest is as follows: The first iteration was meant to be a farewell concert as you were moving away from Iowa City. After you moved back, the second fest happened at The James Theater last summer, but it also marked the last show with bandmate Avery Mossman before they moved to Chicago, which you described as, “…the end of a MASSIVE era” for the band. Does the third Fest mark any big transitions for you and/or The Illiterati?
For once this year’s festival doesn’t mark the end or the beginning of any era or massive transition for the band or me personally. Since last year, I’ve added a couple new members to the band. Joe Shanks has been playing guitar and keyboard, Chloe Weidl has been in on the drums. After seven years and five albums, I played with so many different kinds of people. I’m hoping this era can define itself as well as the last did. I’m also feeling a little older for this college town. I just turned 32. It’s gotten harder to balance, full-time work, personal life and music. But by this point in my life, I understand that cutting out the time to make things like an Illiterati Fest happen is well worth it and I feel like I’m adding something to our community.
I love how eclectic the lineup for each Illiterati Fest is. In a post describing the upcoming lineup it said, “Our aim has always been to present a multi-genre mix that celebrates all scenes (past and present) in Iowa City.” How do these lineups come to be? I imagine there’s a lot of coordination on artist availability, but are other curatorial elements taken into consideration?
This year came to be when my friend Shawn Reed expressed interest in wanting to play a show in Iowa City with his project Feel Free Hi-Fi. They just released a new album (I was so far in I was out) and wanted to get out of Minneapolis for a run. Shawn lived in Iowa city for a long time and while he was here he was very prolific in art music. He founded and headed the independent label Night People records, which put out hundreds of tapes and LPs. I was honored and excited to set a show up for Shawn because of the impact that he had in this town. We haven’t seen it since and we’re unlikely to see it again. He really brought national and global attention to music that was happening in Iowa City. I would love to keep that legacy alive so people know that things like that can happen here.
In filling out the rest of the lineup there is a lot of coordination and collaboration that goes on. I had help from Grace and Brian at the Englert and my bandmate Chloe on securing some of the acts. Other than that I brought in Psyop from the hardcore punk scene, Daisey Glue from the psych scene, and then I guess my band represents the indie scene. I wanted representation from all of the miniature scenes in Iowa City.
The first Illiterati Fest donated proceeds to Inside Out Reentry, the second went to Iowa City’s South District Market and the third is planning to go to United Action for Youth. How does the Fest land on which organization to donate to?
We chose United Action for Youth because of their advocacy for youth mental health. There’s so many problems in our community and in our world that are caused by lack of access or early acknowledgment of mental struggles. We want to support the work they provide kids and their families. They also have an awesome music studio!
I know it might be tough to talk about the future of the Fest when the third one hasn’t happened yet… but I’m going to ask just that. What goals or dreams do you have for future Illiterati Fests? Where do you see this going?
I would love to see this festival grow and in turn grow our music scene in relationship to other scenes around the Midwest. I really believe in regionalism and fostering relationships between bands that can be maintained. If Illiterati Fest can be an event where some of the best in the Midwest get a great opportunity to present their music while also supporting a good cause, I’ll be a happy man. Next year: more bands!
Read Little Village’s review of Anthony Worden and the Illiterati’s latest album, Plain Angels
