As we all know, thanks to T.S. Eliot, “April is the cruelest month,” but for music lovers in Iowa City, the pain and suffering that April causes may be in the form of cubicle and classroom hangovers, not an actual musical wasteland. In fact, April showers bring May flowers, and when it rains it pours, etc. etc., so set down your book of poems, open up an umbrella, and head into the rain-soaked world for this month’s musical deluge.
All of you goody two-shoes, volunteer types, dance-freaks, mash-up heads, and, oh, pretty much everybody will be lucky to cram into the IMU Ballroom for this year’s 10,000 Hours Show presented by Scope Productions. Pittsburgh’s Greg Gillis, the laptop artist affectionately know the world over as Girl Talk, will be on campus for those of you with volunteer service hours. When he last played Iowa City in August of 2007 along with Dan Deacon, it was the sweatiest, most sold-out and rowdy show I’d ever seen at the Picador. Half of the audience was on the stage by night’s end. Will the university types allow such madness to ensue on campus? Certainly not, so with doors at 7:30 and a dry venue on your hands, make advance preparations.
If mashed-up glitchtronica isn’t your thing, then there are three critically acclaimed guitar-slinging troubadours coming through town this month. First up is Craig Finn with his band The Hold Steady, playing the Picador on the 7th. Over the course of the band’s three albums they’ve moved from spoken-word, moody and poetic pieces to sounding like The E Street Band, and it’s a transition that has only seen their devoted and sometimes rabid fan base grow. Finn’s characters, his music, and often the man himself are all drunken and fun. I’ll be honest: I don’t get the heaps of praise these guys receive, but I’ll take the advice of their newest record and Stay Positive. Expect a near sell-out here, just like their last time through town.
A man whose music I do truly love is Richard Buckner, a Texan who has been crafting great songs since the 1990s, playing The Mill on the 11th. The two albums he did for MCA Records, Devotion + Doubt (1997) and Since (1998), are “best of genre” material, no matter which genre you happen to place Bucker in: county, alt.country, Americana, folk, etc. He has an incredible voice that conveys Texas-sized doses of emotion, understanding, and longing. Since then he’s been moving away from “country” to more avant-garde stuff, playing with people like Marc Ribot (who plays guitar on many Tom Waits albums) and members of Guided By Voices. Buckner’s song “Ariel Ramirez” is one of my all-time favorites, and like Nick Drake’s “Pink Moon,” is a song so good it isn’t tarnished in any way by it’s appearance in a Volkswagon commercial. Opening up is a Ed Gray, a local lo-fi songwriter with experimental leanings, which makes it a perfect fit.
Third on our songwriters of the month countdown is Damien Jurado, a man not afraid to make very quiet music. I actually felt bad for him playing over an increasingly large and noisy crowd when he opened for Okkervil River at the Picador last time through town, so I’m happy he’s returning with a group of people who are worth shutting the hell up and actually listening to. I’m speaking specifically about Laura Gibson, who has quietly released an incredible album this year with Beast of Seasons, out now on Hush Records. It’s lush and highlights Gibson’s unique and expressive voice. This musical pairing is my pick for “date night” show of the month, and goes down on the 8th at The Picador. Actually, if its lovely music you like, Merge recording artist Wye Oak comes to Public Space One with the Pomegranates on the 20th.
In local news, Adam Havlin has a new project called Shark Week, which hopefully lives up to its bloodthirsty name. They’ll make their debut with Old Panther and Liberty Leg at the Mill on the 7th. Since the 7th is a Tuesday, that means Tuesday Night Social Club, which means the music is free. Other new bands worth catching there this month are Beast Wars (dance-rock) and Valley Tongues (dance-machine madness alongside earnest Bob Dylan covers), who are playing on the 21st. Very new, very interesting, very promising acts.
And, of course, what would April be without a celebration of—cough, cough—4/20! Should you decide to see some music after you stumble through the world in a pleasant haze that day, my pick would be for the party at The Industry, which is hosted by the folks at Iowa Massive. Iowa Massive (www.iowa-massive.com) is a message board for electronic music and DJ culture in the Hawkeye State, and this party lives up the website’s outsized name. Featuring no less than 11 (!) DJs and a set by Dead Larry, there is something for every type of substance abuser out there.
On the Beat: Showered in Shows
