2nd Annual DIY OR DIE FEST
224 Commercial St., Waterloo — Saturday, Aug. 23 at 3 p.m.
Update: DIY OR DIE FEST has undergone a change in venue. The festival will now take place at 224 Commercial St. in Waterloo, Iowa.
Bands from all over Eastern Iowa will descend upon Waterloo for the second annual DIY OR DIE FEST, hosted by Cedar Valley DIY. A huge variety of bands will take the stage, giving hardcore and metal fans just as much reason to come out as fans of post-rock and pop-punk. This festival is, essentially, a “state of the union” show, an opportunity for nearly every active band in the Cedar Valley community to come together and show what they’ve been up to for the last year.
The festival notably sees the reunion of Stubborn Tiny Lights VS Clustering Darkness Forever OK?, which, if you couldn’t tell from the name, is a post-rock group very much in the vein of Godspeed! You Black Emperor. The eight-member band has been largely defunct since 2010 after releasing their full-length record The Infinite Regress. Their long, intricate songs rarely get stuck in one stylistic setting for very long and take full advantage of the huge array of instruments the eight members can play. Make sure to catch this rare set from some of Iowa’s most talented musicians.
Oh, and DIY OR DIE offers much more than just music: The festival will have a vegan bake sale and a community potluck, as well as more than a dozen artist vendors on hand to sell you their wares.
