On the stage two musicians sit side by side, each holding acoustic guitars on their laps. Dim violet light washes over their clothes and faces. They laugh when choosing who will play the first song. The woman on the right facing the audience is Deb Talan, of pristine voice and worldwide acclaim with The Weepies; the one on the left is Courtney Marie Andrews, a Grammy-nominated multidisciplinary artist and songwriter.
They chat with the audience and share the stories that inform their compositions, performing songs in response to what the other has just played. A sense of joy and camaraderie grows throughout the evening. This intimate concert helped inaugurate the first edition of the Iowa City Songwriters Festival on its opening day at Trumpet Blossom Cafe, Sept. 4.
Amid the audience sat VIP ticketholders as well as 20 scholars coming from New York City, Denver, New Orleans and Chicago among many other locales. The ICSF scholarship included transportation, food and lodging for artists who wanted to network and further develop their skills.
“A friend from my songwriting circle told me about the festival,” said Lucy Hearn, a songwriter from Brisbane, Australia currently based in New York, who noted how many amazing songwriters she had met at the festival. “I had never been to Iowa City, I had no idea how vibrant the music scene was.”
At the kickoff concert, attendees were treated to an exquisite set of vegan dishes including barbecue carrots and butternut squash, basil marinated grilled tofu and pickled corn relish, all prepared by the chefs at Trumpet Blossom.
On Friday at The Den, legendary star and Wilco lead singer Jeff Tweedy spoke with Hancher’s Executive Director Andre Perry about the mourning process he goes through after an album does not perform as expected.
“You make this big effort to have your music connect with people and sometimes it doesn’t happen the way you want,” he said. “After a while, you just have to let go.”
When writing songs, Tweedy follows his sense of discovery more than having an agenda that he wants to execute. If a verse or a melody comes to him he doesn’t reject it outright, even if it’s not something he would otherwise have gravitated toward.
“I like the idea that a song can grow after being recorded in the studio because it’s difficult to be passionate about something you’ve been singing for 30 years,” he said.
Tweedy spoke fondly of the times he played at Gabe’s in Iowa City, remembering the “narrow frozen staircase” up which it was near impossible to push an amp.
When asked about his large collection of guitars, he said new instruments keep his sound fresh. “If nothing new or exciting happens, I change it,” which is something he exemplified on Saturday night when he performed with at least four different guitars at the Englert Theatre. In front of a packed audience, he performed hits such as “Impossible Germany,” “Feel Free” and “Wishful Thinking,” among many others. The concert ended with an encore of “You and I” accompanied by the ICSF artist-in-residence, Courtney Marie Andrews.
On Saturday, the ICSF Conference took place at the Iowa Conservatory. Some of the speakers included Joy Oladokun, Ken Pomeroy, She Returns From War and Willy Tea Taylor. During the panel discussion titled City of Songwriters, moderated by local singer-songwriter (and Little Village publisher) Jordan Sellergren, the participants spoke about the primary challenges facing artists in the area.
“I would say affordable housing and the rights of trans people,” said Elly Hofmaier, who noted that several of their friends had moved to Minneapolis or Chicago because the environment was much more welcoming there.
Elly Hofmaier speaks at the Iowa City Songwriters Festival. — Photo by Cat Dooley, courtesy of the Englert. 
James Tutson, Dave Moore and Deb Talan at the Iowa City Songwriters Festival. — Photo by Cat Dooley, courtesy of the Englert. 
James Tutson at the Iowa City Songwriters Festival. — Photo by Cat Dooley, courtesy of the Englert. 
Deb Talan and Jordan Sellergren at the Iowa City Songwriters Festival. — Photo by Cat Dooley, courtesy of the Englert.
When asked about the dissolution of the songwriters circle in Iowa City, James Tutson explained he had to give up leading the circle because it was an unpaid venture, and he needed to provide for his family.
Talking about possibilities for a better society, Deb Talan said most of the magic in her songs lay in the space between what is there and “how the world could be.”
The conversation ended with shared comments on the amazing feeling of waking up in the morning to realize a new song existed in the world. “I guess I could rumple around with the song,” Dave Moore concluded. “It sure is fun.”
