Friday, June 1:
7:00 p.m. The Pines
Rising out of the prairies of the Midwest, The Pines are one of the most distinct and powerful indie-rock/Americana groups to hit the national scene in years. Frontmen Benson Ramsey and David Huckfelt share a common musical language rooted in the songs and songwriters of their native Iowa, with each bringing a distinct voice and sensibility to the sound that Rolling Stone senior writer David Fricke called “quietly gripping” stark-country. The mysterious sound of The Pines fuses Benson’s ethereal, otherworldly, heart-piercing songs with David’s earthy, darkly romantic and rough-hewn visionary tales. With masterful guitar work, beautiful vocals and the graceful keyboard and vocal additions of Benson’s brother Alex Ramsey, the core of The Pines’ sound captivates and elevates with rare intimacy.
8:15 p.m. Pieta Brown
Pieta Brown is a striking poet-songwriter with a seductive voice and an unmistakable style. With one foot in her Iowa home and one in Alabama, where she grew up, she is a mercurial sort -- a free-spirited beauty who is both self-possessed and disarmingly unaffected. Not easily categorized, her music is a unique blend of alt-country, folk, blues and indie-rock that speaks to music fans around the world and has garnered rave reviews from the likes of the BBC and Boston Globe, as well as a variety of hip music blogs and indie radio stations. She was recently featured on Amos Lee’s new hit album Mission Bell along with Lucinda Williams and Willie Nelson, and has toured with such diverse artists as Mark Knopfler, Ani Difranco, Calexico and John Prine. As one of Pieta’s own songwriting heroes Iris Dement put it, “one of the best poets I’ve heard in a long damn time."
8:15 p.m. Bo Ramsey
Born and raised in the blue-collar Mississippi River town of Burlington in 1951, Robert Franklin (Bo) Ramsey not only played a vital role in shaping Eastern Iowa’s distinctive blues-rock hybrid, but has continued in his still vibrant career as a performer, producer, recording session guitarist and touring “hired gun.” In the late '80s, Bo began a collaboration with revered folksinger Greg Brown and has recorded and toured with singer-songwriter Pieta Brown. Ramsey has played guitar on 10 of Brown’s discs, and produced several, including 1994’s The Poet Game, 1997’s Grammy-nominated Slant 6 Mind, 2000’s Covenant and 2006 Evening Call (all on Red House Records). In 2005 Bo was inducted into the Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame and in 2006 he was inducted into the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame.
9:00 p.m. Greg Brown
Greg Brown, founder of the influential indie roots label Red House and former musical director for Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion radio program, doesn't have trouble writing songs. "I write songs pretty much every day. It's what I do. It might sound cliché, but to me, it's like breathing." Iowa native Brown is a favorite of many songwriters, and even movie stars. Asked personally by Jeff Bridges to write a song, "Brand New Angel," for what turned out to be his Oscar-winning role as Bad Blake in Crazy Heart.
Greg Brown was born in the Hacklebarney section of southeastern Iowa and raised by a family that made words and music a way of life. His seasoned songwriting, storytelling, and music are deeply rooted in that place. He moves audiences with warmth, humor, a thundering voice and his unpretentious musical vision.
Saturday, June 2:
12:00 p.m. Bree Nettie and Marty Letz
Bree Nettie is an Iowa City native whose intimate, soulful sound has been compared to Bonnie Raitt, Natalie Merchant and Norah Jones. She's an open and direct lyricist with a sassy, conversational stage presence and a dynamic vocal style. Marty Letz is a pedal steel guitar veteran with over 3 decades of experience performing all over the country. Marty's brilliant and expressive playing can tiptoe, soar, gallop, or just plain shred with equal finesse, and has graced the projects of Nikki Lunden, Dave Zollo, Kelly Pardekooper, Tom Jessen and more. As a team for nearly seven years, Bree and Marty perform like long-time dance partners, consistently delivering a show that is poignant, playful, blunt and elegant.
1:30 p.m. Ben Schmidt
Ben Schmidt is currently Artist-in-Residence at Johnson School of the Arts and works in many fields including music, theater, lighting design, and acting. As a singer/ songwriter he performs regularly in the Midwest and has released two CDs. He has appeared on Iowa Public Radio compilation CDs for KUNI, and WSUI, and his music was featured in the Cedar Rapids Gazette’s Top Ten of 2006 CD review.
3:00 p.m. The Recliners
Iowa City's The Recliners play such a wide variety of music that they are hard to classify. If there were a category labeled “contemporary Acoustic-Pop-Folk-Rock-Turkish”, this group would certainly top the list. Within their repertoire there is something for everyone, from classic ’60s and ’70s numbers to songs by contemporary singer-songwriters, from traditional Turkish tunes to American folk songs, Irish melodies, and bluegrass, from Van Morrison and the Beatles to the edgy rock and traditional ballads of Richard Thompson. Through it all there’s only one rule—everyone has to have a good time
5:00 p.m. Joy Kills Sorrow
This Boston-based string band favors an unpredictable approach relying on musical chemistry and improvisation. Hence the title of their sophomore album, This Unknown Science. All of the members, including Iowa City native Bridget Kearny, have been touted as virtuosos, and they effortlessly hunt for unexpected outcomes and new discoveries. Joy Kills Sorrow brings together an eclectic mix of musicians who each have classical and/or jazz conservatory training, though collectively, they ambitiously utilize their years of study to hone a new acoustic territory not yet discovered by many of today’s top artists. It’s an amalgamation of lamenting music of the heartland, singular stories of heartache and laughter, beautiful string arrangements, and five musicians who grew up listening to indie-rock, jazz, and pop music that churn out impressive tunes with an incredibly contemporary sensibility.
7:00 p.m. Carrie Rodriguez
Love and family have always been sources of inspiration for critically acclaimed singer/songwriter/musician Carrie Rodriguez. Rodriguez' journey from teenage violin student to touring the world with the likes of Chip Taylor (famed songwriter of "Wild Thing”), Lucinda Williams and Alejandro Escovedo, has resulted in a prodigious output of recordings - eight albums in as many years - for the young musician. Her musical development started early on at the hands of an equally seasoned songwriting veteran, her father David Rodriquez. "My dad gave me a Leonard Cohen record for my ninth birthday! I hated it. But of course I rediscovered it at thirteen and loved it." By fifteen Rodriguez and her dad were touring the Netherlands together; chops were being honed.
9:00 p.m.
Los LobosA rare example of longevity in a volatile music world that stresses style over substance, Los Lobos’ lineup has remained uninterrupted since 1984, when saxophonist/keyboardist Steve Berlin joined original members Louie Pérez, David Hidalgo, Cesar Rosas and Conrad Lozano, each of whom had been there since the beginning in 1973. “This is what happens when five guys create a magical sound, then stick together for 30 years to see how far it can take them,” wrote Rolling Stone, and indeed, Los Lobos is a band that continually redefines itself and expands its scope with each passing year, while never losing sight of where they came from.
Following hits like their 1987 number one charted, “La Bamba,” comes the band’s most recent album, Tin Can Trust–– pushing Los Lobos ahead a few more notches while retaining everything the band’s loyal fans have come to expect. That unified vision and strong work ethic are evident in each of the 11 tracks comprising the self-produced Tin Can Trust, but so is something even greater, “an intuitiveness,” says Pérez, “that happens only from being in a band for so long.”
Sunday, June 3th
10:00 a.m. Sampradaya Dance Group
The Sampradaya Dance Group will begin with a pure classical dance on Lord Shiva, whom we believe is the creator of this dance form and is called the King of dancing. The item describes his beautiful form, while the gods and people on heaven and earth are enthralled by his dancing. The next piece will be a dance drama of "Snow White and Seven Dwarfs" performed in Indian classical style on fusion music. This is a creative effort to reach the global audience and help them understand and enjoy this timeless tale. It would be fun and educating that dance is a language with no barriers and can be enjoyed by anyone.
11:00 a.m. The Awful Purdies
The Awful Purdies is a five-piece all female band of singers and songwriters trading vocal leads and supporting each other with banjo, guitar, accordion, cello and mandolin. The Awful Purdies’ original music is as diverse as the backgrounds of the women in the group. To say they play one genre of music would be wrong, but to say that they play their kind of music would only be a start. Each member brings a unique edge to the collective: Nicole Upchurch offers story telling bluegrass tunes, Katie Roche brings word-heavy tangential songs, while Sarah Cram offers personal testimonials to Marcy Rosenbaum's leanings towards the political as personal. With Katie Burnes holding the whole thing up with her soaring string compositions, the Awful Purdies are always a surprise. The Awful Purdies are presently performing songs from their upcoming second album, HIATUS.
1:00 p.m. Iowa City Community Band
The Iowa City Community Band is made up of people of all ages who come together for the love of music and perform at a wide variety of venues throughout the summer months. Featuring talented musicians of all ages from the Iowa City area, this traditional big band is sure to delight the audience!
2:30 p.m. Collectible Boys
Collectible Boys brings original music to the Iowa City area. Songs range in style from blues to rock and jazz to pop. With shared songwriting talents by vocalist, Renee Zukin, and the boys, Justin, Bill and Chris, Collectible Boys provides tunes that tell stories and music you can move to.