Mission Creek, the beloved three-day Iowa City festival focused on music and literature, returned on April 6-8 for its 18th year. Over 20 national and local music acts performed at various venues downtown across three days. The weekend saw performances by Cat Power, Black Belt Eagle Scout, Snail Mail, Kevin Morby, Greg Wheeler & The […]
Music
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Q&A: Snail Mail talks break-ups, Paramore, gay ’80s fiction and the ‘sad girl’ stereotype ahead of Mission Creek
Lindsey Jordan’s music is sometimes soft and innocent, sometimes loud and gut-wrenching, but always heartfelt. In the six years since the release of her first EP, the singer-songwriter and guitarist has cultivated an intimate sound, reminiscent of bygone days. Jordan — performing under the name Snail Mail — started playing guitar at 5 years old. […]
Posted inEastern Iowa Arts & Entertainment
Q&A: mars hojilla talks Mission Creek, indie music and importance of representation
Between biomedical engineering classes at the University of Iowa, Myles Evangelista has made time for his first Mission Creek Festival. Performing under the name mars hojilla—the title of Evangelista’s recent musical project—the alt-rock artist spoke with Little Village about learning to read out of spite, falling in love with music, and what performing at MCF […]
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Five questions with 3x Grammy-nominated Americana singer and writer Allison Russell
New today! Nov. 2: Allison Russell’s music video for “You’re Not Alone,” (Ft. Brandi Carlile) One of the most powerful, impressive voices in the Americana world is making a stop in Iowa City on tour for her debut record. Montreal-born Nashville resident Allison Russell is performing at the Englert on Sunday, Nov. 6, sharing songs […]
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Abbie Sawyer celebrates debut solo release at xBk Live
Editors’ Pick: Abbie Sawyer w/Annalibera, D. Smith, xBk Live, Saturday, April 23 at 5 p.m., $15-18 Des Moines musician Abbie Sawyer is celebrating the release of her first solo album this weekend with a top-notch lineup of support. Love is a Flood, recorded at Golden Bear Records in Des Moines, dropped earlier this month. Sawyer’s […]
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Photo Gallery: Mission Creek Festival 2022
After two years of COVID-19 disruptions, Iowa City’s Mission Creek Festival returned to an in-person format this year. Thirty-five separate bands and musicians performed across three days, and 12 authors, as well as many other writers and poets, held readings, Q&As and conversations. The weekend saw packed performances by Beach Bunny, Soccer Mommy and Arooj […]
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Camp Euforia returns this summer for one last celebration
Camp Euforia (CE), one of Iowa’s longest-running independent music festivals, has announced the acts performing in its final festival this summer. After 17 years, the festival is being discontinued, and the last celebration will be held this July 14-16 in its usual beloved spot, Jerry’s Farm in Lone Tree. In early 2020, festival organizers announced […]
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Dr. Ellie Wolfe sets early childhood education to music in Drake University class
Ask Dr. Ellie Wolfe the value of music education, and you’ll get no offhand answer. “It’s key. It’s integral. It’s a part of the human condition,” Wolfe said. “I would say [that] for young children, but I also think that it should continue throughout life. And many people find ways to continue to interact, and […]
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Gross Domestic Product Festival returns to Des Moines in April
Another favorite Iowa music tradition is returning to Des Moines next month. The Des Moines Music Coalition (DMCC) announced this year’s lineup for the annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a one-day All-Iowa music festival happening on Saturday, April 23. Little Village is a co-presenter of GDP for the first time, celebrating the launch of the […]
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REVOICED, TikTok’s ‘new fave guy group,’ bring their vocal harmonies to the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts (Updated)
Update: On Thursday night, the Nov. 20 REVOICED concert was canceled. The Coralville Center for the Performing Arts will be providing refunds to ticket-buyers. Anyone with questions about refunds should email the CCPA box office or call 319-248-9370. The Quire of Eastern Iowa will host a concert featuring the vocal ensemble REVOICED at the […]
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Getting to know Iowa (and Midwest music) at Grey Area festival
The last time I went to a music festival was two years and two months ago, AthFest in Athens, Georgia, the town I called home until a few weeks ago. And while I’ve seen live music here and there during the pandemic, I have really missed the festival atmosphere: the food trucks, the ambient music […]
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Ani DiFranco, feminist icon and ‘righteous babe,’ will present a softer sound at the Englert
With the release of her 20th studio album, Binary (2017), singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco brought a few new politically-prescient, strongly feminist songs into the world, but with a softer side than some of the frenetic albums from earlier in her career.
