Holy shit it’s almost June! And there are some awesome shows happening this weekend:
Friday May 31
Party on The Patio | 6PM | Gabes | Free
Quickly becoming my favorite way to spend my Friday evenings, Party on the Patio is simple: an outdoor party with music, food and drinking. This week’s tunes brought to you by the rockin’ Wolf Mixer. Food catered by Mami’s Deli.
Calexico | 7PM | The Englert | $18 adv $22 doors
Get some Mami’s in you and go check out the NOLA melting-pot stylings of Calexico at The Englert. Sometimes sounds Latin, sometimes African, sometimes it’s down-home folk. Their style is hard to pin… but it’s beautiful stuff.
(Read an interview with Calexico lead singer Joey Burns, from the current issue of Little Village.)
Land of Blood and Sunshine w. Samuel Locke Ward and the Garbage Boys, Dwelling Fruit, Douglas Kramer Nye | 9PM | Gabes | $5
The must-see show this weekend, Land of Blood and Sunshine returns to Iowa City for the first time in a long time. Psych-influenced tribal folk rock, members of Old Scratch Revival Singers, they have a new album out entitled Servants of Light and it’s really great (Listen for yourself). Their live show is high-energy and the musicianship and unique songwriting is something you don’t find a lot in Iowa.
Joining them is the prolific Samuel Locke Ward and his Garbage Boys, the boys being Ross Meyer and Jon Hansen. Sam has promised to release an album every month of this year and he has delivered on that promise so far. Weirdo folk-punk for the garbage boy in all of us.
Dwelling Fruit features violinist Skye Carrasco and guitarist Kyle Arthur Miller (Haunter). Atmospheric, improv-style ambience with samples. Some of the most talented musicians in Iowa City getting together to get weird.
Douglas Kramer Nye has become a folk staple in this down. With heartfelt songs about his life, family, and things we can all relate to, his baritone howl is the perfect medium for the stories. He has an album released earlier this year entitled No Good Samaritan and it features the aforementioned musical ability of Doug and also a string of awesome guests like Sam Locke-Ward.
All-in-all this is a showcase of weird and wondrous Iowa folk.
Tilly & The Wall w. No Coast, Crowbar & Co. | 9PM | The Mill | $15
If you feel like getting some national pop in with your local flavor, head down to The Mill instead on Friday to catch the Omaha-based Tilly & The Wall. Horns, catchy hooks and pretty girls. I will say the same of Crowbar and Co., featuring Little Village’s own Steve Crowley and a band of rockin’ ladies playing their first show. Steve’s songs are killer and you should go check them out with a full band! No Coast is a group of talented boys, but I guess they’re pretty cute too.
Saturday June 1
Holy shit it’s June!
The Last Hurrah of The Glam Science Laboratories | Noon to Midnight | 1327 Cedar Street | All Ages
A big fan of DIY festivals myself (SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION #daddyhoffsblockparty June 29th at College Green Park!), these guys here at Glam Science do it right. Formerly Shane the She-Man, he morphed into Techno-Lincoln about three years ago and things have never been the same. He’s gettin’ hitched to his hunny very soon and is throwing his final shindig, featuring some of the freakiest acts Iowa City has to offer and some really fun activities like pizza-making and, of course, fooning. Check out the Facebook event for all the details.
Cloud Becomes Your Hand w. Alex Body, Grave Posture | 10PM | Trumpet Blossom Cafe | Suggested Donation | 21+
After you’ve spent your day fooning with the techno-freaks, head to the Trumpet Blossom on Prentiss for even more weirdness. CBYH is goofy sample-based pop hailing from New York City. Alex Body is a true commando, recently returned from an East coast tour and still ripping it hard. Grave Posture is ½ of Alex Body’s recent tourmates and Night-People weirdos Goldendust, it’s harsh industrial pop. This one will be weird!
Sunday June 2
I still can’t believe it’s June!
A Happy Death w. The Ills, Autonomics, Rusty Buckets | 8PM | Gabes | $5 | All Ages
Hailing from Portland, A Happy Death and Autonomics bring you back to the basics when it comes to garage rock. Poppy, jangling guitars and raucous beats, sometimes some southern-tinged soul. Local support comes from the always fun Rusty Buckets and The Ills. Good way to spend the second day of June in my book!
