List of Performers - Summer of the Arts

Scroll through a complete list of all our performers, past and present. If you would like to search for a particular performer, click here.

10 of Soul

This Quad Cities-based funk/soul band has been blowing up the Iowa/Illinois live music scene over the past twelve years. During that time, they have headlined many events, including the Iowa and Quad Cities Soul Festivals, the Bix Streetfest, Cedar Rapids’ Jazz Under the Stars, CR Market After Dark, Dubuque and All That Jazz, Beaverdale Fall Fest, River House and Tangled Wood concert series, and many more. They have also shared the stage/opened for Morris Day and the Time, Lalah Hathaway, Here Come the Mummies, the Travoltas, and many other national touring acts. During the “indoor” months, they can be seen at the Rhythm City and Riverside Casinos, as well as The Rust Belt, RIBCO, Rascals, the Redstone Room, and various weddings and corporate functions.

6 Odd Rats

Six Odd Rats was born from a basement bar in Iowa City, organizing around open mic and jam sessions at the Yacht Club. Beginning as an improvisational jam band, the group quickly grew to become more organized in their compositions, with with roots and influences in blues, funk, and rock music. Over the last two years 6OR quickly became a popular show in the Iowa City area. Their unique sound has propelled their talents across the Midwest to cities in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Six Odd Rats will be hitting the traps this spring and summer, with shows in Iowa City, Des Moines, Dubuque and, after a recent Iowa City people’s choice competition, you will be able to catch them at the SummerCamp 2018 music festival this May. You can check out their growing progress on Bandcamp and Soundcloud.

Aaron Kamm and The One Drops

Hailing from St. Louis, MO, Aaron Kamm and the One Drops merge flavors of Roots Reggae, Mississippi River Blues, Improv-laced Jams, and Soulful Vocals to create a truly unique sound on every song, speaker, and stage.

Driving performances with high energy yet down to earth delivery that you just can’t help but groove to, this band is a see-it-to-believe-it phenomenon that you won’t want to miss.

Abbie Callahan

Appearing on the music scene through both American Idol and The Voice, Iowa City’s Abbie Callahan brings a young fresh, spin on rock classics and modern radio- and also shares with us her amazing originals; each of which can serve as lessons on how to move a heart with a tune. A unique reservoir of vocal interpretive skill, accompanied by her own infectious acoustic guitar tempos, risk taking hold of your whole day!

Me and My Music is her EP recently released through iTunes, Spotify and Apple Music. It’s time you found Abbie Callahan’s music!

Ace Jones

Ace Jones is a singer-songwriter from Iowa who currently tours the country, performing at some of the biggest fairs and festival this country has to offer. His eclectic mix of original and covers are sure to capture the curiosity of all ages. Ace’s mix of music during his set can range from folk, pop, all the way to country or his favorite genre of punk rock. Ace’s smooth vocals can soothe your soul or get you dancing on your feet! He currently travels with his family in his motorhome looking for inspiration any way he can.

ADE

ADE is a multi-instrumental singer/rapper from The Bronx. He went to the University of Iowa where he received his Bachelors in Biomedical Engineering. During his time there, he re-found his passion for music where he played in a number of bands, sung in a few choirs, and was president of his acapella group, Intersection. This spirit of collaboration stuck with him and lead to the creation of Michelin Astronomy; a joint EP with homie and fellow local musician, Jim Swim! This EP can be found on all streaming platforms.

Aerialist Mimi Ke

Raised in Iowa City, Iowa, Mimi Ke is a circus artist, choreographer and teaching artist exploring the field of aerial dance and specializes in aerial silks and rope.

With an ineffable hang for movement, Mimi has travelled around the world to perform and build her craft. To Mimi, aerial dance is action painting, sheer life experienced through energy in motion, with space, physics and rhythm as its main ingredients. She draws from her background with dance and yoga as a way to create circus performance.

As an aerialist, Mimi has performed and choreographed with Frequent Flyers Aerial Dance, in cabarets, circuses, dance festivals and site-based performances around the world. She continues to create her own aerial work as well as participate in cross-disciplinary projects. Most recently she performed in Butoh choreographer Tadashi Endo’s work, Ohaka in Oaxaca, MX and as Clara in the ballet circus rendition of the Nutcracker in Charlotte, NC. Her passion for improvised based work drives her creativity, allowing her to express the freedom of aerial dance and the spectacle of theatrical circus.

After School Specials

The After School Specials have been rocking such local venues as the Mill, Java House, UAY, and the Arts Fest since 2009. Originally created as a one-shot project for a yearly talent show, the band grew over the next few years into three, separate, performing entities comprised of 3rd graders, 4th graders, and 5th-6th graders who are enrolled in Shimek’s before and after school program. The band now performs an eclectic mix of classic rock, 90’s alternative, and modern pop songs, lead by local rockers, Matt Larson and Claire Thoele.

Ahzia

Although born in Tacoma, Washington, Ahzia Hester would go on to grow up in the state of Iowa. Here, he would discover his interest in illustration, writing and theatre. It was only until his final semester of High School that making music, particularly hip hop music, would catch his attention. A desire to roll out his own music would soon follow. His music would go on to infuse melodic production and clever lyricism to craft his own discography. With a few releases under his belt dating back to 2015, most recently, Zen (2017), & READY.SET.GO. (2018), time will tell what is in store next for the Midwest based artist. His latest endeavor is the 2021 LP Welcome To Nowhere, an offering jammed packed with sharp and honest lyrics painting the shades of life in a flyover state.

Alejandro Escovedo

Crossing borders, jumping barriers, taking risks, betting it all: that’s the path Alejandro Escovedo has been taking in his lifelong search for the heart of rock and roll.

His latest work “The Crossing” tells the tale of two boys, one from Mexico, one from Italy, who meet in Texas to chase their American rock and roll dreams. They discover a not-so-welcoming, very different place from the Promised Land they imagined, with cameos from the likes of Wayne Kramer of the MC5 and James Williamson of the Stooges to show the boys the way.

Alysha Brilla

Alysha Brilla is a 3X Juno Award nominated multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and performer weaving together global roots sounds into her unique tapestry of music; transporting audiences to a place nestled between the earth and the stars.

The child of an Indo-Tanzanian musician, Brilla’s songs are a rich and colorful mosaic. Themes of re-connection with ourselves, each other and the earth are woven into uplifting rhythms and soulful melodies. In 2013, Brilla became one of the first self-produced female artists in history to receive a Juno Award nomination (Canada’s Grammy Awards) for her debut album “In My Head”. Since then, Brilla has released four critically acclaimed albums; garnering several more Juno Award nominations, Music Producer Of The Year at the IMA’s and a Dundas Square giant Billboard feature with Spotify.

Having performed at The House of Blues Los Angeles, The Montreal International Jazz Festival, WOMAD Chile, Sauti Za Busara in Tanzania and toured several times across Australia, Brilla’s music united audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Her distinct and powerful voice, unique melodies and engaging stage presence invite levity and joy. Whether sharing intimate storytelling sets of music or headlining festival stages of 30,000 with her all-star band, Brilla always has the audience singing along and leaving with a positive feeling in their heart.

Her latest single “Love” was mastered by 3X Grammy Award Winning Engineer Emily Lazar at The Lodge in New York.

Alyx Rush

Alyx Rush is a sonic sorcerer who has been busy capturing hearts, minds and imaginations across the Midwest with an alluring R&B/pop sound that beautifully smudges the edges of both genres. Adopted as an infant and raised in rural Iowa, he has never been afraid to be his true authentic self. Casting his spell from under the underground, Rush has risen quickly with head-turning independent releases and captivating live performances at festivals and venues across the region. He is both technically gifted and rawly emotive as a vocalist, swooping through irresistible top lines on wavy production that ranges from winter ballads to summer sways. His sound can soar, swagger and swoon, sometimes all at once. Already recognized as one of the top artists in the area, Rush will push his wave even further this summer with a new EP, ‘After the Last Time’ his second collaboration with artist/producer Jim Swim. There’s no ceiling for this one.

Amanda Monaco Quartet

Grammy-nominated guitarist/composer Amanda Monaco has performed at venues such as Jazz at Lincoln Center, Birdland, Jazz Standard and Flushing Town Hall, and with artists such as Milt Hinton, Steve Wilson, Rufus Reid, and the Mingus Orchestra. She has released five albums to date and her current jazz projects include her eclectic quartet Deathblow, rambunctious organ quartet Girly Day and chamber jazz trio Mo-Fi-Co. Her New Music ensemble The Pirkei Avot Project performs her original music with lyrics from selected verses (from a collection of rabbinical teachings with the same name) compiled in the third century C.E.

Ambition Baton Twirling and Dance

Ambition Baton Twirling and Dance is located in Iowa City, Iowa and has recreational and competitive Baton Twirling and Dance Classes. Ambition begins classes at three years of age and has classes for all levels. Ambition has had many twirlers twirl at the collegiate level and is home of the West High, City High and Liberty Feature Twirlers! Ambition is owned and coached by Jessica Maxwell who grew up in the Iowa City area. If you are interested in joining our family, please visit www.ambitionbatontwirling.com for more information and registration.

Anais Mitchell

Anais Mitchell is a Vermont and Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter who comes from the world of narrative folksong, poetry, and balladry. She recorded for Ani Difranco’s Righteous Babe Records for several years before starting her own Wilderland in 2012. Among her recorded works are six-full length albums, including 2010’s sensationally-reviewed Hadestown, a folk opera based on the Orpheus myth; 2012’s Young Man in America, which was described by the UK’s Independent as ‘an epic tale of American becoming’; and 2013’s Child’s Ballads, a collaboration with Jefferson Hamer, which won BBC Radio Two Folk Award for Best Traditional Track.

Aniba & The Sol Starz

Get ready to groove to the electrifying rhythms of Aniba & The Sol Starz, the powerhouse Funk-Rock/Soul band that calls Chicago home. With their irresistible blend of mid to up-tempo covers and soul-stirring originals, this dynamic ensemble knows just how to ignite a crowd’s excitement. But that’s not all—they possess an uncanny ability to captivate audiences with their jazzy singer/songwriter mellow tunes, keeping them locked in and engaged.

These extraordinary musicians can rise to any occasion, leaving no doubt that they are masters of their craft. Just recently, Aniba & The Sol Starz unleashed their soulful single “Call Me,” a masterpiece produced by the renowned Grammy award-winning guitarist, Isaiah Sharkey. It’s a track that will transport you to another dimension.

Their remarkable talents have graced the most legendary stages, from the iconic House of Blues to the prestigious Steppenwolf Theater and beyond. Sharing the spotlight with luminaries like Mint Condition, Kindred The Family Soul, Carl Thomas, Earth, Wind & Fire, Dru Hill, Ginuwine and the incomparable Chaka Khan, Aniba & The Sol Starz consistently deliver unforgettable performances.

Brace yourself, because they are currently gearing up for an epic summer tour that will set the stage ablaze. When you crave an extraordinary fusion of Funk, Rock, Gospel, Soul, and Hip Hop, all crowned with killer vocals, look no further than Aniba & The Sol Starz. They are the embodiment of musical excellence, seamlessly weaving these genres together to create an explosive experience.

Annie Savage

Hailed as a “firecracker educator and performer” after founding the Wintergrass Festival’s Musicians of Excellence education program, Annie Savage is an international clinician whose Free-Strings Method (www.free-strings.com) offers students, classrooms, and festivals alike a joyful experience with music at the nexus of cultural relevance, creativity, and lifetime musicianship. A renowned fiddler, vocalist, and concert harpist, Savage has shared the stage with artists from Aretha Franklin to John Williams to Ricky Skaggs. She teaches with one foot in the classroom and the other in the music industry.

Annie Savage and Hear My Voice

Annie Savage and The Savage Hearts featuring Liberty High School’s Hear My Voice will prove to be a genre defying night of first ever in the history of the stage-type performances. You can expect genre defying moves from MC’s to bluegrass and everything in between. Music speaks where words fail and this is going to be one of those kinds of performance events.

The Savage Hearts are a fiery roots group that features the talents of Alex Flesher, Max Lipnick, and TCR fave Tim Arnold with bass player TBA. Their drill it to the wall harmonies and virtuoso instrumentals under promise and over deliver.

Hear My Voice is a pop ensemble founded by Savage at Liberty High School and many of the students you will see are OG members of the group. It is through THEIR trust and leadership that this group has become the exciting group you will see on the stage. From a foundation in hip hop to forays into rock and roots…this is a special group of humans who bring the heat when they grace the stage.

Anthony Worden

Anthony Worden is an Iowa City based experimental pop musician and songwriter who has released 4 critically acclaimed albums that vary from classic rock n roll to 80s inspired electronica. He has shared the stage with Alex G, Neil Michael Hagerty, Jay Som, and Hippo Campus. Anthony continues to write and record as well as play select shows around the Midwest.

Apocalypso Tantric Noise Choir

Instrumental jazz funk, from tight originals to free-flowing improvisational excursions, ATNC has been making music together for more than two decades. Brothers Hurlin, David and Eric, man the percussion and keys respectively with James Moore on precision bass. Guitarist Jonnie Cohen often sits in adding textural refinements and aural outreach. The Noise Choir has played every setting from jazz venue to brewery to bar to dances to theaters to festivals, tapping into the emotional and physical contours of each setting. They’ve backed artists like David Lynch muse and Twin Peaks star Chrystabell, Belgian artist Eva de Roovere, New Orleans phenom Mike Dillon and rising artists like Elizabeth Moen, and played festivals headlined by Los Lobos, Rebirth Brass Band, David Lindley, Elephant Revival, Marco Benevento, and many others. The band’s influences span the gamut from jazz to funk to gospel to free form and from Sun Ra to Miles Davis to Thelonious Monk to Medeski, Martin & Wood to the Meters to Jimmy Smith to the JB’s to Sex Mob to Ramsey Lewis to Soulive to Greyboy Allstars. Apocalypso’s most recent release “SO FAR SO WHAT” was recorded at Flat Black Studios in Lone Tree, Iowa and is due out this summer.

Asleep at the Wheel

Fifty years ago, Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson wrote in his journal that he wanted to form a band to bring the roots of American pop music into the present. It seemed like an ambitious goal for a 19-year-old, yet Benson has done exactly that – traversing the globe as an ambassador of Western swing music and introducing its irresistible sound to generation after generation. Although the lineup has changed countless times since its inception, Benson’s mission has never wavered.

That merging of past and present is effortlessly woven throughout two of the band’s new releases. First, their Better Times EP compiles three new tracks: “All I’m Asking,” a rousing plea for a second chance; the hopeful title track, about getting back to life as it once was (namely, before the pandemic); and “Columbus Stockade Blues,” a traditional tune arranged in the spirit of Willie Nelson and Shirley Collie’s 1960s version. Then, in the fall, a career retrospective recorded with the new band — and a few special guests — will carry Asleep at the Wheel back onto the road, where they’ve remained a staple for five decades.

Asleep at the Wheel represent an important cornerstone of American roots music, even though some of its members and audiences represent a new generation. That far-reaching appeal remains a testament to Benson’s initial vision.

August McKinney Quintet

The August McKinney Quartet consists of August McKinney on piano, Carter Pearson on drums, Eli Zukor-Zimmerman on bass, and Sophia Kickhofel on saxophone. All are high school students in the metro Twin Cities area in Minnesota. They have been playing collectively in various groups for a number of years.

Avey Grouws Band

Avey Grouws Band blends blues, roots, rock and soul as powerfully as the Mississippi River runs through their home in the Quad Cities of Iowa & Illinois. Led by powerhouse vocalist Jeni Grouws and ace guitar man Chris Avey, the two-time top ten Billboard charting band are known for their gritty sound and enthusiastic shows. Sophomore album, “Tell Tale Heart”, was recorded in Nashville, TN with Grammy award winner, Casey Wasner (Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mahal). Released September 2021, “Tell Tale Heart” debuted #7 on the Billboard Blues Album chart. Avey Grouws Band also hit #10 on the Billboard charts with their 2020 debut album, “The Devil May Care”. In 2023, Avey Grouws Band set off on tours to Florida, the East Coast, the Midwest including Kansas City and Topeka, and then to Las Vegas to play the iconic Big Blues Bender with greats Keb’ Mo’, Shemekia Copeland, Danielle Nicole, Tab Benoit and more.

Aviana Gedler Quartet

Aviana Gedler is a Des Moines-based jazz singer, violist, pianist, arranger, and composer with an unwavering passion for music and performing. She has taken the Des Moines music scene and beyond by storm ever since she earned her Associate Degree in Professional Music in May of 2022 from the School for Music Vocations in Creston, Iowa, under the direction of Tobi Crawford and Grammy-nominated Dr. Jeremy Fox. There, she studied jazz voice under Four Freshman members Tommy Boynton and Ryan Howe, winning the Downbeat Magazine award for best jazz vocalist in the community college division two years in a row. Along with gigging, she is the choir piano accompanist at Stilwell Junior High School and teaches privately at the Central Iowa Music Lab under the direction of James Biehn. Aviana is joined by her stellar rhythm section including Nate Sparks, Blake Shaw, and Zane Gedler.

Awful Purdies

Awful Purdies is a Folk-Americana collective of five multi-instrumental women, powered by seamless harmonies, banjo, accordion, cello, guitar, mandolin, and bass. The sound is an earnest nod to traditional American music, folk, old country, bluegrass, honky tonk, and soul.
The live performance experience is intimate, containing both humor and insight. On stage, Awful Purdies actively share gratitude and support of one another and take turns stepping up as lead singers and songwriters.
Since 2006, Awful Purdies have been raising families, telling women’s stories, advocating for human rights, and engaging with their communities in Eastern Iowa.
Their fourth studio album “The Great Unraveling” was released in December 2020.

Bad News

Bad News is a sextet based out of the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. Members include Tyler Utter (alto), Johnny Hartleip (tenor), Luke Sanders (guitar), Max McBride (piano), Michael Gedden (bass), and Jackson Schou (drums). Under the tutelage of Dr. Michael Conrad and Professor Chris Merz, Bad News explores the jazz stylings of legends like Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, Michael Brecker, and Mike Stern; as well as contemporary artists like Marbin, Nate Smith, and Gerald Clayton. On May 1st, 2021, Bad News recorded their debut album, We Get that A Lot, comprised of all original compositions inspired by the band’s eclectic tastes and backgrounds.

Bamboozlers

Beauty & the Beats

Beauty and the Beats: At the heart of the band’s soulful resonance is the exceptional talent of LaLa DeLo, a Soul and R&B songstress known for her soul-stirring vocals and dynamic versatility. Drawing from her rich foundation in gospel music, DeLo’s artistry has been profoundly shaped by a wide spectrum of musical influences, ranging from legends such as Aretha Franklin, Lionel Richie, and B.B. King to contemporary luminaries like Whitney Houston, Brandy, Jazmine Sullivan, and Ari Lennox.

LaLa DeLo is not only a powerhouse vocalist but also a gifted songwriter, infusing her compositions with profound emotion and authenticity. Her deep appreciation for harmonies and background vocals adds layers of depth to the band’s music, earning her recognition for the “mellow, cello tones of her alto voice.”

In collaboration with the exceptionally talented musicians of Beauty and The Beats, LaLa DeLo’s visionary leadership has propelled the band to create an eclectic repertoire where soul music intertwines seamlessly with every genre they explore, whether through original compositions or creatively reimagined cover songs.

Behn Gillece Quartet

After a decade on the New York jazz scene, vibraphonist Behn Gillece has built a reputation as a virtuosic instrumentalist and prolific composer. Walk of Fire, his third album as leader was just released on the Posi-Tone Label. The album showcases Gillece’s compositions with an exciting septet, featuring trumpeter Bruce Harris, tenor saxophonist Walt Weiskopf, and trombonist Michael Dease. It also features a stellar rhythm section with Adam Birnbaum on piano, Clovis Nicolas on bass, and Jason Tiemann on drums. His other two leader dates, Dare to Be and debut album Mindset, received excellent reviews in reputable jazz periodicals such as Downbeat and Jazziz. Both albums received extensive radio airplay and rose to the top 50 on the Jazzweek radio charts for several weeks.

Benny Benack III Quartet

By age 32, Emmy-nominated trumpeter and singer Benny Benack III has proven to be that rarest of talents: not only a fiery trumpet player with a stirring command of the post bop trumpet vernacular in the vein of Kenny Dorham and Freddie Hubbard, but also a singer with a sly, mature, naturally expressive delivery in the post-Sinatra mold, performing standards and his own astute songs with a thrilling sense of showmanship. This duel-threat ability was recognized by the 2022 Downbeat Critics Poll where he appeared as not only the #2 Rising Star Male Vocalist, but a top Rising Star Trumpeter as well. His superb intonation and bracing virtuosity enable him to handle astounding feats of originally composed vocalese (complex solos with written lyrics). On top of it all, he’s a highly capable pianist as well.

Third in a generational line of Pittsburgh jazz notables, Benny follows in the footsteps of his trumpeter/bandleader grandfather, Benny Benack, Sr. (1921-86), and his father Benny Benack, Jr., a saxophonist/clarinetist who gave the young Benny his first professional experience. Benny, Sr. hailed from a Pittsburgh lineage that also produced Roy Eldridge, Earl Hines, Art Blakey, Billy Strayhorn and so many more. He recorded the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 1960 theme song “Beat ’Em Bucs” and toured with Tommy Dorsey and Raymond Scott, among others. Benny III returns to Pittsburgh often to perform, saluting his family forebears and the jazz heritage as a whole, nonetheless staking his bold and highly individual artistic claim. He is an endorsing artist with Torpedo Bags cases, CarolBrass flugelhorns, as well as various menswear fashion lines including X-Suit, Alain Dupetit, Proper Cloth & Vittone.

Bernemann Brothers

Since the mid-2010s, The Bernemann Brothers Band has been providing entertainment to music lovers all over Eastern Iowa. Whether they are performing their own original music that is deeply rooted in rock and roll, classic country, blues etc., or playing renditions of their favorite tunes by other talented musicians and artists that make up those aforementioned musical genres… The Bernemann Brothers Band is a must see musical act that pleases all listeners. The BBB released their debut album “Gone West” in November of 2020, and is currently writing/recording the second full release which is slated to be out in late 2022/early 2023. The band is a local “super-group” of sorts that is made up of musicians that you have no-doubt seen playing in other bands/projects up and down The Corridor. Rounded out by musicians Matt Bernemann, Ryan Bernemann, Ben Schmidt, Randall Davis, Rich Wagor, Sean Seaton, and Sam Drella – The Bernemann Brothers Band will entertain you with their eclectic mix of old and new arrangements, guitar driven sound, tight harmonies, and overall good times!

Betsy Hickok and Ron Roberts Quartet

Vocalist Betsy Hickok performs sensitive and swinging interpretations of jazz standards. She has appeared in the Des Moines Metro Arts Jazz in July series, the Iowa City Jazz Festival, Noce Jazz Cabaret, and other regional venues with some of Iowa’s top musicians. Guitarist Ron Roberts is a Chicago area native who has played regularly with artists throughout central Iowa.

Ron and Betsy have performed together since 2010 and received a Special Recognition Award in 2019 from the Des Moines Community Jazz Center Hall of Fame. Ryan Smith is a woodwind specialist living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who has performed throughout the Midwest and in Brazil, Italy, Hong Kong, and China. Drew Morton, bassist and multimedia artist, is a regular musician with various groups in the area including Jack Lion, Koplant No, and Christopher’s Very Happy Band.

Big Begonias

Big Begonias took root in 2020 and have been blooming since. Dedicated to creating transcendental folk and honkytonk sounds, the 4-piece band features original music by Gabrielle Kouri and George Spielbauer. Gabrielle, a founding member of Iowa City’s beloved Awful Purdies, plays guitar, banjo, and sings, while George (Cedar County Cobras) plays various guitars. Dave “Chief” Lumberg (Shoe Money, Mayflies) commands the bass, and drummer Dr. Dan Miller keeps the beat alive. Big Begonias have performed at Harmony Festival in Cedar Rapids and North Liberty’s Concert in the Park. Their song “All The Ladies” was featured on the Englert podcast, Best Show Ever in 2021.

Big Fun

We play funk, soul, and jazz fusion from the ‘60s and ’70s including the music of Herbie Hancock, Eddie Harris, Freddie Hubbard, The Jazz Crusaders, Fred Wesley, The Meters, James Brown, and more….we have been playing for the last two-plus years, but we have had ( like everyone else) a long covid break. Really looking forward to a hard-hitting set for the Iowa City Jazz Fest 2021.

We are:
Tim Crumley-drums
Danny Oline -bass
Michael Conrad-keys
Steve Grismore-guitar
Anthony Williams-bone
and last but not least Chris Merz on all reeds.

Blake Shaw

Blake Shaw is a composer/arranger, bandleader, double/electric bassist, vocalist, private lessons teacher, and jazz professor at Cornell College and Mt Mercy College. Originally from Lisbon, Iowa, Blake has earned an Associate of Arts degree from Kirkwood Community College as well as a Bachelor of Music (‘13) and Master of Arts (‘17) degree both from the University of Iowa. He has called Iowa City, IA home for the past 14yrs where he has provided insight on festival boards for around half that time for the Iowa City Jazz Festival as well as the Iowa City Pride Fest where he serves as Entertainment Director. Shaw is a frequent performer and band leader in many different groups across Iowa and the US. He can also be found teaching private lessons to young dedicated classical and jazz double bass players. Shaw has had the pleasure of playing with jazz greats like Carmen Bradford, Wycliffe Gordon, Rachel Eckroth, Dave Pietro, O’had Talmor, and Dick Oatts. He’s also been in groups opening for bands like Kurt Elling, Charlie Hunter, Lake Street Dive, Donny McCaslin, Margaret Glaspy, John Raymond and the Real Feels, Bridget Kearney, Caroline Smith, The Marcus King Band, and Euforquestra. You may go “like” all of his cute pics on instagram @theeblakebass.

Blake Shaw and Jim Buenning

Blake Shaw is a musician from Iowa City. Being an ambitious and hungry bassist has helped him navigate through many different genres of music and work with a wide variety of artists. When Blake plays solo he loops live vocal beats and bass grooves to accompany his melodies. He’ll be joined this night by Dr. Jim Buennig on sax and will be playing a mix of jazz influenced arrangements of R&B tunes, rock, blues, pop, and more. Join them and check out Blake looping and crooning while Jim plays some sweet digitally altered toots and honks.

Bonegasm

Bass trombonist, Jennifer Wharton takes her enthusiasm for the horn seriously and hopes to spread her joy to the public with her infectiously fun ensemble, Bonegasm. According to leader Jennifer Wharton, a “bonegasm” is a climax of musical excitement, characterized by feelings of pleasure centered in the ears and experienced as an accompaniment to hearing a group of trombone players. She is a regular in two of the best large ensembles in jazz, Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society and the Alan Ferber Big Band. These playing experiences led to her to create a band that would commission composers to write and arrange music for the often overlooked trombone.

Brad and the Big Wave

Since they began, Brad and the Big Wave have succeeded at creating a deeply expressive musical sound. Led by singer, musician and songwriter Brad Pouleson, the band has created a signature sound that ranges from an intricate, soul-searching song, to a soothing ballad, to music that rocks the house. Their debut album “This Crazy World”, released in the spring of 2019, quickly garnered attention on the airwaves. The song ‘Road to My Redemption’ was a semifinalist in the 2020 Music City Songstar songwriting competition. Their follow up album “Better Side of Life” is due out in the spring of 2023.

Brass Tower

Brass Tower is a traditionally composed brass quintet specializing in not-so-traditional music. The group focuses on playing a mix of funky, brassy arrangements of popular tunes and eclectic contemporary music ranging from electronic to jazz.

Braxton Cook’s Quintet

Braxton Cook is one of this generation’s brightest up and coming alto saxophonists and songwriters. He has performed alongside Wynton Marsalis, Jon Batiste and has toured the world many times over with Grammy Nominated Trumpeter Christian Scott. As a band-leader, he has already recorded and released two projects and is now currently working on his debut album. His newest music features not only his abilities as a saxophonist and songwriter, but also features his vocal abilities. Braxton melds all of these elements into his music creating a very unique genre-blending sound that is accessible to the avid Jazz listener as well as to the R&B and Soul music lover.

Brazilian Nights

Brian Johannesen

On January 31st, 2020, Iowa City songwriter Brian Johannesen released his second full-length record entitled “Holster Your Silver”. His Midwestern-Americana style has garnered critical praise in the roots music world. Americana Highways said of the album, “Johannesen shows the ability to make you laugh, dance, and think in the span of just nine songs. In the tradition of other middle American songwriters, he writes earnest songs with a bit of a gritty quality. More than that, he writes songs that make you feel something.” Johannesen will be touring the US in support of the new album in 2020.

Brick Street Ramblers

Brick Street Ramblers is an Iowa City-based eight-member group of traditional jazz musicians playing “the world’s happiest music,” Dixieland.

Brody Buster’s One Man Band

BYOBrass

Established in 2017, BYOBrass is a high-energy brass band consisting of 9 musicians from the University of Northern Iowa and Des Moines area. Playing music in styles ranging from funk, pop, R&B, Americana, jazz, and techno, the guys bring sassy and brassy fun to the stage. Our own members compose and arrange much of the music we perform, meaning we’ve always got something new and groovy to play!

Camille Thurman with the Darrell Green Quartet

As an accomplished composer, esteemed saxophonist, vocalist, and unique interpreter of the jazz tradition, Camille Thurman is quickly becoming one of the leading standard bearers of the art form. Camille is known for her distinct musical approach to classic and original repertoire that highlights her chops as both a powerhouse singer and instrumentalist and has amassed numerous distinctive honors for her musicianship. Thurman also has four full-length recordings as a leader to her credit.

She was the first woman in 30 years to tour and perform full time internationally with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as a saxophonist/woodwindist (2018-2020 season). Her most recent project “Fortitude” (to be released in 2022) is a collaboration with master drummer Darrell Green and his quartet. Thurman was recently selected by American Music Abroad and the U.S. State Department to tour and perform Africa as U.S. Cultural Ambassadors: Cameroon, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, and Mauritania. In May of 2020, Camille created and founded “The Haven Hang: Young Lioness Musician Q&A/ Virtual Mentorship Series,” a virtual mentorship series for young women musicians.

Casual Disasters

Casual Disasters is a rock band from Iowa City playing blend of dream pop, punk, and alternative rock featuring melodic songwriting and vocal harmonies in an effort to delight their friends and confuse their parents.

Cedar County Cobras

Cedar County Cobras play American Roots & Blues music from the last century. The music takes on an “old time” blues feel that would most likely be found in a juke-joint down a gravel road in rural Iowa. Arriving with an upright bass, foot-drum, mandolin, and a collection of guitars this duo plays music that is best described as “boot-stompin” delta blues and roots blues.

Champagne Academy of Irish Dance

Champagne Academy of Irish Dance: Our Mission is to provide holistic and professional training in the Irish Arts for all ages and stages. The Champagne Academy of Irish Dance students gain experience in dance, singing, music, and teamwork in a strengths-based family environment. Our studio takes pride in using high quality and age-appropriate music, costumes, and choreography. Irish Music and Dance provides a unique opportunity to learn about culture and to appreciate traditional folk art while having fun with friends. Come check out our team at one of our upcoming events!

Charlotte Blu

Charlotte Blu is a talented singer-songwriter who has captivated audiences with her soulful vocals and heartfelt lyrics. Born and raised in a small town in the Midwest, Charlotte’s love for music began at a young age when she started playing guitar and singing in church. After her 2019 appearance on NBC’s “The Voice”, Charlotte continues to make a name for herself with her unique blend of blues, soul, and pop influences which is earning her a devoted fan base.

In 2022, Charlotte released her debut EP, “The Colors of You” which showcased her songwriting skills and powerful vocals. Charlotte is currently working on new material and working with other talented artists. In addition to her music career, Charlotte is also an advocate for mental health awareness in women and young people.

Chastity Brown

Based in Minnesota, but with roots in Tennessee, Chastity Brown grew up surrounded by country and soul music. In the full gospel church of her childhood, she played saxophone and drums and found her singing voice and a passion for music. Her first show was in Knoxville, TN, and then it was on to Minneapolis. Since then, she’s been featured on NPR’s “Favorite Sessions,” CMT, American Songwriter, the London Times, Paste Magazine and others. “What I’ve realized is that the personal is political,” Brown said in a recent interview. “Just by me being a biracial, half-black, half-white woman living in America right now is political. Just being a person of color, a queer woman of color, for that matter, is freaking political. Her song “Mad Love” as an anthem for forgiveness and self-acceptance and as a statement of pride. Choosing love over hate, the Southern-born, Minneapolis-based songwriter refuses to see herself through the eyes of people who’d diminish her or judge her based on her skin color or sexual preference. It’s a call to arms to step back from the fear and anger and respond with a tidal wave of positivity.

Christian McBride’s New Jawn

Christian McBride is an eight-time GRAMMY Award winning bassist, composer, and bandleader. McBride is the Artistic Director of the historic Newport Jazz Festival, New Jersey Performing Arts center (NJPAC) and the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. Christian is also a respected educator and advocate as the Artistic Director of Jazz House KiDS, and the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions. In addition to consistent touring, McBride hosts NPR’s “Jazz Night in America” and “The Lowdown: Conversations with Christian” on SiriusXM. Whether behind the bass or away from it, Christian McBride is always of the music. From jazz to R&B, pop/rock, hip-hop/neo-soul, to classical, he is a luminary with one hand ever reaching for new heights, and the other extended in fellowship—and perhaps the hint of a challenge—inviting us to join him.

Christine Moad

Christine Moad (they/them) shatters preconceived notions and societal expectations with their music.

Christine Moad has traveled the world from Tennessee to Monaco as a professionally touring bassist. Moad, a bassist and singer-songwriter recording under the moniker Miss Christine, blends indie rock with blues and soul influences delivered with defiant punk attitude to open listeners’ minds to possibilities beyond the gender binary. They graduated from Berklee College of Music before gaining experience as a session musician in Nashville. Christine defied expectations yet again by leaving Nashville behind for a farm near Iowa City where they write and record their original songs. Miss Christine released their debut solo album, Conversion, in 2019. With support provided by the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts, the follow up, Bittersweet, was released on Bandcamp in 2023.

Christopher Merz and Shorter Stories

Christopher Merz, Professor of Music, has served as Director of Jazz Studies and Director of the award-winning UNI Jazz Band One at the University of Northern Iowa since 2002. Under his direction, the band has traveled to Cuba, Thailand and South Africa as well as the east coast of the US, and has recorded 16 CDs featuring many original compositions and arrangements by student and faculty writers. 

The 2006 recipient of the CHFA University Book and Supply Outstanding Teaching award, Merz was also the 2016 recipient of the John L. Baker Faculty Development award, and was inducted into the Iowa Jazz Educators’ Hall of Fame in 2015. He is a Past President of Jazz Educators of Iowa (JEI), and the founder and director of the UNI Combo Camp, an annual event for high school jazz students and music educators, which takes place each June.

His recording credits include Steve McCraven, Darius Brubeck, Bob Washut, John Rapson and Jon Snell, as well as his own projects; Counterculture, the Chris Merz/Bob Washut Duo, The X-tet, and Equilateral. His 1997 release with the X-tet, Mystery is My Story, prompted Dave Brubeck to write, “I am very pleased with this wonderful band. Naturally I would admire a group like yours that, to me, is a grand extension of what we were doing…when we were the ‘new thing’”. His current projects include The Iowa Jazz Composers’ Orchestra, Steve Grismore’s Big Fun, Shorter Stories: The Music of Wayne Shorter, and Christopher’s Very Happy. Band, which recently released their second album, While We Wait, on SkyDeck Records.

An accomplished composer/arranger for large jazz ensembles, Merz has received commissions from university and high school big bands throughout the country, and is published through UNC Jazz Press and ejazzlines. He is also a highly sought-after guest soloist, clinician and conductor at university and high school jazz festivals nationwide, and is endorsed by D’Addario and TM Custom tenor saxophones.

When not writing, playing, listening to, or thinking about music, Christopher Merz enjoys cooking and trying to make his kids laugh hard enough to shoot milk out their noses.

Christopher’s Very Happy. Band.

Now more than ever, we all need a little more Happy.ness in our lives. The jubilant sound of Christopher’s Very Happy. Band. results from a combination of bright sounding compositions played with joyous abandon by its four members. All have interests and experiences across the gamut of current musical styles ranging from Classical to pop, electronica to soul. All of this experience comes to bear in their work together.

Christopher Merz, composer and saxophonist, is busy trying to figure out how to combine aspects of all of the music he loves (jazz, rock, pop, folk, and classical) into a satisfying and original whole. Michael Conrad is a composer, improviser, educator, and music lover. Pulling bits and pieces from a variety of musical sources and genres helps Dave Tiede create a versatile sound that he can call his own. Drew Morton, bassist and multimedia artist, is a regular musician with various groups in the area.

City Circle Teens

Directed by Chris Okiishi and Leslie Nolte, City Circle’s annual teen musical is the recent Broadway hit Disney’s NEWSIES! Set in turn-of-the century New York City and based on the real-life Newsboy Strike of 1899, NEWSIES is the rousing tale of Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy and leader of a ragged band of teenaged “newsies”, who dreams only of a better life far from the hardship of the streets.

City High Jazz Collective

The City High Jazz Collective is the upper-level big band in the City High Jazz program. The band maintains a busy performance calendar as they perform for concerts at City High, other performances in the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids corridor area, and jazz festivals in Iowa and Illinois. The City High Jazz Collective performs for the following home events: the City High 4th Ave. Show Choir Winter Show and the City High Jazz Showcase (this year’s guest artist was saxophonist Sharel Cassity from Chicago). In addition, the band performs at the Liberty Jazz Festival, the Coe College Jazz Summit, the Jazz In The Meadows (in Rolling Meadows, Illinois) and the SEIBA District Jazz Festival.

City High Jazz Ensemble

The City High Jazz Ensemble is the premier big band in the City High Jazz program. The band maintains an extensive performance calendar as they perform for concerts at City High, other performances in the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids corridor area, and jazz festivals in Iowa and Illinois. The City High Jazz Ensemble performs for the following events: the City High 4th Ave. Show Choir Winter Show, the City High Jazz Showcase (this year’s guest artist was saxophonist Sharel Cassity from Chicago) and the KCCK Corridor Jazz Project (this year’s guest artist was Oisin Leopold from the University of Northern Iowa). In addition, the band performs at the Liberty Jazz Festival, the Coe College Jazz Summit, the Jazz In The Meadows (in Rolling Meadows, Illinois) the SEIBA District Jazz Festival and the Iowa Jazz Championships.

City Park

Based out of the Iowa City area, City Park is a group of life-long, like-minded musicians who had mostly sacrificed their craft over the years to the usual responsibilities of life. Influenced by bands like Uncle Tupelo, Whiskeytown, and more, City Park has evolved their unique sound into rich, foot-stomping, mining-the-depths, hootenanny music with heart. Though hard to pin down, their sound can be best described as a fusion of roots/Americana/alt-country/rock/blues.

Clear Creek Amana High School Jazz Ensemble

The Clear Creek Amana Jazz Ensemble is the premiere jazz band at Clear Creek Amana High School in Tiffin, Iowa. The band, made up of 18 students, performs at numerous concerts and festivals around Eastern Iowa, including the Liberty Jazz Festival and Coe Jazz Summit, and participates in the annual Corridor Jazz Project. Students in the jazz ensemble are involved in many other activities, including speech, drama, choir, and multiple different athletics. The students in the jazz ensemble are excited to perform as part of the Friday Night Concert Series for the first time!

Corey Kendrick and the Organ-i-zation

The Organ-i-zation features Corey Kendrick on B3 organ, Edgar Crockett on trumpet and flugelhorn, Steve Grismore on guitar, and Manuel Lopez III on drums. Deeply rooted in the B3 organ trio tradition, this Iowa/Illinois supergroup brings an invigorating energy to organ classics as well as daring new original compositions sure to leave you tapping your foot.

Iowa native Corey Kendrick is an organist, composer, recording artist, and educator currently living in the Quad Cities where he is director of instrumental music at Black Hawk College in Moline, IL. Praised by Downbeat Magazine as a “very accomplished, highly gifted jazz pianist” with “a patient, maturing voice,” Kendrick has a soulful touch that is both immediately recognizable and deeply expressive. Kendrick has toured internationally with Etienne Charles’ Creole Soul, regionally with the Rodney Whitaker Quintet, and throughout the Midwest as a leader.

Corridor Quintet

The Corridor Quintet is a jazz collective made up of some of the finest young musicians in Iowa. The group, which formed during the summer of 2018 in Iowa City, features Ethan Buck on saxophone, Kolbe Schnoebelen on trombone, Ana Koch on guitar, Vivian Shanley on bass, and Peter Stoltz on drums. The Corridor Quintet creates a compelling listening experience through unique charts and creative improvisations, while staying true to the small group hard bop tradition.

Cory Wong

Music motivates at the most primal level.

As much as he treasures his roles as a guitarist, composer, and producer, Cory Wong fashions himself “a hype man,” first and foremost. Living up to this classification, he slings a Stratocaster and hurls “dad jokes” from the stage with the same panache, poise, and power.

Straight out of Minneapolis, Cory positioned himself as music’s answer to motivational speakers like Tony Robbins since emerging in 2011. Head-spinning rhythm guitar wizardry, technical ebullience, laugh-out-loud jokes, and radiance on stage established him as both a sought-after collaborator and celebrated solo artist alike. He lent his talents to television programs such as The Voice at the dawn of his career. After an impromptu meeting at the weekly jam hosted by Prince’s rhythm section (where the Purple One often either performed or watched), he crossed paths with Vulfpeck who welcomed him as a frequent collaborator and member of the band. Solidifying a fruitful partnership, the group named their most popular instrumental track “Cory Wong,” in tribute. Lighting up the stage in the band everywhere from Red Rocks Amphitheatre to Madison Square Garden, he remains a cornerstone of Vulfpeck’s storied gigs.

“The guiding light is to impart a feeling of joy,” he leaves off. “I want people to experience instrumental music in a different way. This is hype. It’s more than just guitar.”

Craig Kessler Monktet

The Craig Kessler Quartet is made up of four individuals, each with their own style , yet sharing the same love of music.

Craig Kessler….a long-time fixture on the Iowa City jazz scene, Kessler has long been associated with local radio, the finest record stores from here to Chicago, and now lands on stage with a soprano saxophone. He can currently be heard on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

Dan Padley….the hardest working guitarist in the area, Padley frequently works with Blake Shaw, John Rapson, Justin LeDuc, Ryan Smith, Nolan Schroeder, Chris Jensen, Drew Morton, Michael Jarvey, and the list goes on and on and on…has appeared on Iowa City Jazz Festival stages numerous times!

Peter Rolnick….on clarinet, Rolnick is a retired physics professor, originally from New England, a life-long musician currently working with the local band “Sweet Cacophony”.

Geb Thomas….born in New York, studied bass jazz performance at Indiana Univ…PhD in engineering…currently teaching and research (engineering) at U of Iowa. Plays in a variety of bands…”Homebrew Blues and Rockabilly Band”, “Polyester Blend”, “Geb Thomas Jazz Band”, and others.

Craig Taborn Daylight Ghosts Quartet

Along with the questing Taborn on piano and electronic keyboards, the quartet of Daylight Ghosts features two other luminaries from the New York scene – reed player Chris Speed and bassist Chris Lightcap – plus drummer Dave King, the leader’s fellow Minnesota native and one-third of alt-jazz trio The Bad Plus. Each player draws from a broad artistic background, as informed by rock, electronica and diverse strains of world music as they are the various permutations of jazz improvisation.

Crystal City

Crystal City is fronted by Dave Helmer and Sam Drella. Helmer is a Midwestern singer/songwriter from eastern Iowa with blue-collar roots. Influenced by Paul Westerberg, Tom Petty, John Prine, and Townes Van Zandt, Helmer’s songs are approachable and relatable, touching on themes of love and loss, being good to each other, and celebrating life. Crystal City’s most recent release “Three-Dimensionality” brings together some of Iowa’s finest musicians, blending elements of rock, pop, Americana, and jazz, and showcases a more mature and thought-provoking side of the band.

Crystal Rebone Trio

Dr. Crystal Rebone is the Instructor of Bass and Jazz Improvisation at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. Originally from Beloit, Wisconsin, Dr. Rebone graduated Western Illinois University with a Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a Master’s degree in Jazz Performance. During her studies, she submerged herself in the music of baritone saxophonist, Gerry Mulligan, and bassist, Dave Holland. She is happy to be joined by her colleagues for the Iowa City Jazz Festival and bring this music to life.

Damani Phillips Quartet

Damani Phillips is a native of Pontiac, MI, and currently serves as head of the Jazz Studies area at the University of Iowa. An active performer and scholar, Phillips has performed, taught and lectured throughout the world. He has performed with artists/groups such as Lewis Nash, Christian McBride, Wycliffe Gordon, Bobby McFerrin, Marcus Belgrave, Terrell Stafford, Hank Jones, Red Holloway and Pat Bianchi among many others. Phillips will be joined by an exceptional band including two of Indianapolis’ finest in bassist Brandon Meeks, Iowa jazz alum Cassius Goens on drums along with Iowa jazz piano standout Steve Shanley (Coe College).

Damani Phillips Trio

Dr. Damani Philips is a native of Pontiac, MI, where he began playing at the age of 10. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies and African-American Studies at the University of Iowa, where he teaches applied jazz saxophone, directs jazz combos and teaches courses in African-American music, jazz history, jazz theory and improvisation. He has earned Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from DePaul University (Chicago) and The University of Kentucky in classical saxophone; and a second Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies from Wayne State University (Detroit). Phillips completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Jazz Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder; becoming one of the first African-Americans in the country to do so.

Dan Padley Quartet

Dan Padley is a guitarist/composer based out of Iowa City, IA. Since studying music at the University of Iowa, He has performed with many artists including Wayne Newton, Deb Talan, Elizabeth Moen, River Glen, Dana T, Blake Shaw, comedian Jimmy Pardo, and many more. Dan has released numerous albums and EPs, including his most recent full length ‘Bloom’. His music combines sounds of jazz, ambience, americana, and film music.

Dan Wilson Quartet, LetterOne Rising Stars Jazz Award Winner

Growing up in Akron, Ohio, Dan Wilson spent the majority of his youth within the church community, where his musical path began. Traces of his major guitar influences – including Wes Montgomery, Charlie Christian, Joe Pass, and George Benson to name a few – can be discerned through his playing, but his musical identity has been shaped by everything from gospel and blues to traditional jazz, hip-hop and horn players like Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson.

His career took him on an exploratory journey into foundations laid down by the guitar/organ tradition, eventually leading to an invitation to perform with jazz great Joey DeFrancesco’s trio quartet, with which Wilson went on to earn a GRAMMY® Award nomination. Through DeFrancesco he met bassist, composer, and arranger Christian McBride, who produced Wilson’s “Vessels of Wood and Earth” and released the album on his newly formed imprint Brother Mister Productions. The album was released on April 23, 2021 and is available on all platforms.

DanceWorks Chicago

Founded in 2007, DanceWorks Chicago (DWC) fills a niche in the dance ecosystem. A creative incubator focusing on the development of young people, DWC fosters a diverse next generation of movers and makers, empowering early career artists to cultivate their unique voices through skill acquisition and development, collaborations and relationship-building with a global perspective, intense and intentional mentorship, and performances shining a light on dancers and dance. A cultural ambassador locally, nationally, and internationally, DWC inspires excellence in the studio, on stage, and behind-the-scenes.

DWC is excited to partner with the University of Iowa Department of Dance on a 2-week residency designed to encourage young dancers to cultivate and take ownership of their individual artistic voices. The opportunity for DanceWorks Chicago dancers to share the Summer of the Arts stage with university dancers is the culminating event of the residency!

Dandelion Stompers

For the past decade, the Dandelion Stompers have brought savory horns, spicy vocals and red-hot rhythms to eastern Iowa. With a brand-new album under their belt they are ready for ten more years of singing, dancing, and stomping!

Lineup: Chris Clark-bar sax; Tim Crumley-percussion; Katie Greenstein-tpt; Brandi Janssen-bass; Marc Janssen-gtr; Katie Roche-voc; Suzanne Smith-cl; Devin van Holsteijn-alto sax

Danilo Perez

As a solo artist and as a collaborator with Jazz giants, Danilo Pérez is one of the most creative pianists-composers on the scene. His music is a blend of Panamanian roots with elements of Latin American folk music, jazz, European impressionism, and African and other musical heritages that promote music as a multidimensional bridge between people. Since 1993 Pérez has released 12 albums which have earned him critical acclaim, numerous accolades, Grammy Awards wins and several nominations.

Since 2001, Pérez has been part of the Wayne Shorter Quartet, alongside bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade. The band developed an unusual chemistry that has made their live performances and recordings among the most significant in modern jazz and their latest recording called Emanon won a Grammy in the category of best jazz instrumental album in 2019.

The Danilo Perez trio featuring Ben Street and Adam Cruz was formed in 2003. Critic John Kelman from All about Jazz wrote “Groups that remain together for a period of years are a rarity these days. With Live at the Jazz Showcase Perez proves that longevity clearly cultivates a deeper sense of interplay and a more intuitive sense of oneness”.

Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore with The Guilty Ones

DAVE ALVIN

Dave Alvin, Grammy winning songwriter, singer and self described “barroom guitarist”, is considered by many to be one of the pivotal pioneers of Americana. A fourth generation Californian, Alvin grew up in the small town of Downey and got his musical education by listening to the late night border radio stations, watching his older cousins play guitar and banjo, collecting dusty, rare 78s and sneaking in underage to bars with his older brother, Phil, to see their legendary blues heroes perform live and to learn from them firsthand.

Since forming the highly influential Roots Rock/R+B band, The Blasters, with his brother in 1979, and through his long, critically acclaimed solo career after he left the group in 1986, Dave Alvin has mixed his varied musical and literary influences into his own unique, updated version of traditional American music. Combining blues, folk, rockabilly, Bakersfield country, surf and garage rock and roll with lyrical inspiration from writers like Raymond Chandler and John Steinbeck, Alvin says his songs are like California, “A big, messy, melting pot.”

Alvin has recorded with such diverse artists as Bobby Rush, Tom Waits, John Mellencamp, Little Milton and The Knitters, while his songs have been recorded by performers like Los Lobos, Dwight Yoakam, James McMurtry, Buckwheat Zydeco, Joe Ely and Marshall Crenshaw as well as having been featured in various movies/TV shows including The Sopranos, Justified, Girls, Crybaby, Dusk To Dawn, The Wire and True Blood.

Alvin, who recently reunited with his brother Phil for two blues albums including the Grammy nominated Common Ground, can usually be found somewhere with his band, The Guilty Ones, on some interstate highway headed to his next gig.

JIMMIE DALE GILMORE

Jimmie Dale Gilmore has been writing and playing songs for more than 50 years. His music eludes categorization, blending elements of folk, rock, country, blues and bluegrass. His recordings have earned three Grammy nominations in both Contemporary Folk and Traditional Folk categories and he was named Country Artist of the Year three years running by Rolling Stone Magazine. His high and lonesome vocal style, coupled with sometimes mystical and poetic lyrics, has led to musical brandings such as Sagebrush Soul, Zen Country and Western Beat. Along with Joe Ely and Butch Hancock, Gilmore’s legendary band The Flatlanders has been credited as fathers of the Alt-country movement.

These days, Jimmie is still touring, singing and playing music, oftentimes with one or more of the big, beautiful, musical community he feels fortunate to be part of. In 2018, he’ll be playing with Dave Alvin, Colin Gilmore, Butch Hancock and Joe Ely (the Flatlanders), Carrie Rodriguez, Ruthie Foster (the Texas Troubadours), Bill Kirchen, Marty Muse (Highway 71), Christine Albert, Chris Gage, and others. He also enjoys leading songwriting workshops, writing songs and occasionally and randomly appearing in movies such as the Big Lebowski, Parkland and The Thing Called Love.

Dave Moore

Dave Moore is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist influenced by country blues and conjunto music. Moore was a frequent guest on A Prairie Home Companion and records for Red House Records. Moore currently resides in the Iowa City area.

Dave Zollo

Since bursting on to the midwestern music scene with the band High and Lonesome in 1992, David Zollo has had a busy career. Along with constant touring, in the U.S and Europe, with High and Lonesome (1992-1998) and his current band, The Body Electric (1998-present) Zollo has recorded 7 records of his own material. Despite the many things Zollo has done during his career, it is as a live performer that many feel he’s at his best.

Death Valley Welcome Center

Death Valley Welcome Center began in 2015, shortly after singer Linzi Holandes moved from the lonely deserts of Arizona to Iowa City, where she began writing songs with local music scene veterans Louie Doerge (drums) and Jonathan Hansen (guitar). Inspired by Holandes’ powerful voice, the group draws from equal parts R&B and indie rock, creating a distinct sound that is soulful and moody, dark and anthemic. In 2016, DVWC released a 4-song EP of live performances, and the band is currently developing their first studio album, which promises to be an audacious debut with instrumentation as grand and dramatic as Holandes’ voice.

Demetria Taylor

Winner of the KoKo Taylor Queen of the Blues award, Demetria Taylor is a rising star on today’s Chicago Blues scene. The daughter of Blues guitar legend Eddie Taylor, Demetria is from one of the “royal” Blues families in Chicago. Eddie is best known as the rhythm guitarist in the band of Jimmy Reed but he also had his own solo career and recorded some wonderful sides for the VJ label including the classic “Bad Boy”. Her mother Vera Taylor was also a blues singer. Demetria has fond memories of blues greats and friends of the family coming by the house– including Floyd Jones, Carey Bell, Sunnyland Slim, Johnny Littlejohn, Sam Lay, Willie Kent, Tail Dragger, Eddie Shaw, Johnny B. Moore and Magic Slim.

Her late brother Eddie Taylor Jr. was keeping their father’s iconic guitar style alive and well until Eddie Jr’s untimely passing in 2019. Demetria began her recording career with her brother in 2006 when her brother asked her to join him on his CD Mind Game on Wolf Records. Demetria has toured nationally and internationally and performs in many clubs and festivals including the Chicago Blues Festival.

Her first album, Bad Girl, is on Delmark Records. Demetria was nominated in 2012 by the Blues Music Awards for “Best New Debut Artist”. She released her latest effort on Delmark Records, “Doin’ What I’m Supposed to Do” in late 2021.

Dick Watson

Dick Watson grew up in Indianola, Iowa. He started taking classical piano lessons at age 8. At age 13 he added jazz lessons in Des Moines, Iowa with Speck Redd, a good friend of Duke Ellington. Dick went to Park College in Parkville, Missouri for one year and then transferred to the University of Iowa where he graduated with a degree in German. All through school the weekends were filled with playing gigs. Dick has played most of the last 20 years on Friday and Saturday nights with his trio at The Lighthouse Inn in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He has played in a number of local festivals and venues in the area over the years including the Bix Festival in Davenport and the Cedar Basin Festival in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Dick has played with Al Jarreau, David Sanborn, Boots Randolph, Roy Clark, Al Hirt, Smokey Stover, Ray Blue, Rusty Jones, Bill Allred, Pee Wee Matese, J. R. Monterose, Ira Sullivan and Dave Bennett among others.

Dickie

On Dickie’s self-titled release, singer-songwriter Dick Prall took a succession of personal losses and nestled them inside a beautifully-layered soundtrack. The intimate and moody testimonial was cited as “Best Indie Rock Release of 2015” by Music Existence, also making its way onto several “top ten” lists that same year. By the time 2019 rolled around, it found Prall in a nostalgic headspace, leading to a reunion with friends and co-producers Pat Sansone (Wilco) and Joshua Shapera. The result is a stripped-back mix of reflective and pulsating tunes stamped into the 10-track sing-along Minus Thieves.

The simplified effort was tracked at The Magic Barn, a rural studio outside the small town of Solon, Iowa. Its notoriety comes from housing the original recording equipment of New York’s now-defunct The Magic Shop. Iconic artists like David Bowie, Lou Reed, and Blondie have all made records at the renowned space, but it’s within the Iowa incarnation that Sansone and Shapera reached even further into the archives of recording history. Applying a formula of straightforward guitars fused seamlessly with tight, no-frills rhythms, the minimal production of Minus Thieves impeccably highlights the core of Prall’s hook-laden songwriting.

Dino O’Dell

Whether he’s counting monsters, fixing spaceships or swimming in peanut butter, Dino’s interactive songs and tall tales engage curiosity and inspire the imagination.

Dino is a former teacher and an award-winning musician. Whether he’s singing about science and geography, or promoting early literacy, the content is presented through music and stories. Children learn best when they are engaged, and they are engaged best when the medium is interactive.

Dino O’Dell is also an author, and the recipient of the 2014 Lighton Prize for Teaching Artist Excellence. His picture book, Zar and the Broken Spaceship is Story Monster Approved and his CDs have won numerous awards including the Parent’s Choice award, and the NAPPA (National Parenting Publications Award.)

Diplomats of Solid Sound

Diplomats of Solid Sound is an American band and song writing powerhouse. Their mixture of old school funk, soul, and Americana has appeared in dozens of hit TV shows and movies throughout their 20+ year career. With more than 50 million streams, the Diplomats have a dedicated following in Europe and North America.

The Ladies: Sarah Cram – vocals, Katharine Ruestow – vocals, Abbie Sawyer – vocals

The Gents: Nate “Count” Basinger – organ, Forrest Heusinkveld – drums, Eddie McKinley – tenor saxophone, Douglas Roberson – guitar, Nolan Schroeder – baritone saxophone, Marty Christensen – bass

DJ Freeze

The Incredible DJ Freeze of Claszic Soundz Entertainment has been entertaining as a mobile DJ for over 30 years. As a former child musician of multiple instruments, DJing became the natural extension of that gift, years of training and an absolute LOVE for music. This is his third year hosting the Soul & Blues Fest Friday night Dance Party. We’re excited to party with the community again this year!

Dodge Street Duo

Dodge St. Duo plays a mixture of Americana, bluegrass, country, folk, and original material. Max Lipnick and Alex Flesher showcase bright and tight vocal harmonies and fresh takes on new and original instrumental tunes on mandolin, banjo, and guitar.

Dolliver

Dolliver is named after a famous state park and formed in Iowa City, Iowa in the spring of 2022. It started out as friends skateboarding and jamming together to eventually becoming Dolliver. Dolliver is inspired to share the passion and fun in music by making it their own.

Donny McCaslin Group

Acclaimed saxophonist Donny McCaslin takes a bold leap forward with his tenth album as a leader, Casting for Gravity. McCaslin’s gargantuan tenor sound finds an ideal setting to rampage through in the ferocious grooves and electronic textures of keyboardist Jason Lindner, bassist Tim Lefebvre, and drummer Mark Guiliana. Couching his trademark gift for brawny melodies in lurching dub rhythms, swirling electronica-inspired atmospheres, and arena-rock power, McCaslin has crafted a game-changer of an album, fusing a wealth of forward-looking influences into one wholly new modern jazz sound. McCaslin and band earned crossover accolades when they served as the backing combo on David Bowie’s last album, Blackstar. It was a coming out party for a performer the jazz community knew well, and McCaslin has taken that opportunity to broaden his sound – and his audience – while maintaining his fierce allegiance to improvisational jazz. At the Jazz Festival, he will be joined by Nate Wood on drums, Jason Lindner on keyboards, and Jonathan Maron on bass.

Dream Divas & Dream Center Tumblers

The Iowa City Dream Divas, in partnership with the Dream Center, have performed, through song and dance, at schools, churches, and parades throughout Johnson County. The team works empower female youth and offers an opportunity for them to explore and expand their imaginations using their creativity.

Duke Otherwise

With his guitar, tap shoes, and distinct baritone, Duke Otherwise performs a hilarious, charming and interactive musical program for all ages. From Madison, Wisconsin, his original songs are bursting with clever wordplay and fun ideas relatable to both kids and adults. Be ready to dance, laugh, volunteer, and to have your spontaneous suggestion be added to the show!

“Duke shows a genuine love for sharing his music that translates into an enjoying, engaging show for ALL ages.” -Librarian, Oconomowoc, WI

Dusty Bottle

Dusty Bottle (Iowa City, IA) plays a midwestern blend of original roots music and classics tunes as well. Steeped in vinyl records and corn liquor, Dusty Bottle brings an honest balance of piano, pedal steel, country, gospel, blues, whiskey, folk & soul. Roland Racevskis (University of Iowa Professor of French) is celebrated for his skilled and complete piano sound and serves as the band’s songwriter. He writes with a unique perspective that gives an honest take on everyday life observations of family, joy, struggle and heartbreak. Roland Racevskis, along with Billy Valencia are the heart of the outfit and often preform as a duo. Dusty Bottle is blessed with the brilliant pedal steel work of legendary Iowa Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member, Dale Thomas, and the Valencia/Bernemann/Valencia rhythm section proves seasoned, tight & versatile. Inspired substance with soulful improvisation. The bottle was dusty, but the liquor was clean.

Roland Racevskis (piano/vocals)
Dale Thomas (pedal steel/vocals)
Megan Valencia (guitar/organ/accordion/vocals)
Billy Valencia (bass)
Matthew Bernemann (drums)

EdEast LJQ

Latin Jazz.

Elephant Revival

“WHERE WORDS FAIL… MUSIC SPEAKS.”

That simple line atop Elephant Revival’s Facebook page contains only five words, but reveals volumes about the band’s reason for being. Music unites us in ways that no other medium can. Even when we don’t understand one another’s languages – we can be moved by a rhythm, soothed by a song. Brought together by a unified sense of purpose – the spirit of five souls working as one, in harmony, creating sounds they could never produce alone.

The five souls in Elephant Revival are Bonnie Paine (washboard, djembe, musical saw, stompbox); Bridget Law (fiddle, octave fiddle); Charlie Rose (banjo, pedal steel, guitar, horns, cello, double bass); Dango Rose (double bass, mandolin, banjo); and Daniel Rodriguez (guitar, banjo, double bass).

This Nederland, Colo., quintet are, needless to say, quite a sound to be experienced – especially when they fall into the pocket of a groove containing elements of gypsy, Celtic, Americana, and folk.

Elly H.

Elly Hofmaier learned guitar not just for fun but to make her performances on stage easier. Before her encounter with the six-string instrument, the singer/songwriter played only piano, but pianos — in-tune pianos — are a rarity to find at a local gig.

In more recent times, the University of Iowa senior has created a band called Elly H, which she sometimes refers to as Elly H and the Sexy Boys, because the rest of the musicians are male.

“We’re mostly an indie-rock band,” she said. “I want to transition into psychedelic rock, like contemporary psych rock, but I don’t know how to play it.”

The songwriter describes her solos as indie-rock mixed with country western.

Emiliano Lasansky

Born and raised in Iowa City, Iowa and currently residing in Los Angeles, CA, Emiliano currently maintains a busy schedule as a performer across the West Coast and beyond. Recent highlights include a 2024 Ravinia Steans Music Institute Bridges Competition – David Baker Prize and 2023 ASCAP Founda/on – Herb Alpert composition award, and a master’s degree from the prestigious Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA (formerly the Thelonious Monk Institute).

After he finished his undergraduate studies at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, Emiliano relocated to the New York City area to pursue a performance career. In 2019 Emiliano was awarded third prize in the Scott LaFaro Bass Competition at the International Society of Bassists conference.

In 2020 he was selected by Herbie Hancock, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Herb Alpert to join the 13th class of the Herbie Hancock Institute, completing the program in 2023. Emiliano’s debut album The Optimist (Outside In Music Label) was release in June, 2024. Emiliano currently maintains a busy schedule leading his quartet in performances across the country. Additionally, he is an in-demand side-person, composer, arranger, producer, and educator.

EverGreen Grass Band

Deep in the Northwoods of Wisconsin a group of pissed off bluegrass pickers decided they wanted to change bluegrass for all mankind. They failed to do so. Now, they just continue their barnstorm of the Mid-West in hopes of one day playing a song so fast, that it actually disrupts the space-time-continuum. The EverGreen Grass Band was formed in 2008 over the course of many beer & whiskey fueled nights hosting the open mic at the Mousetrap Tavern in Eau Claire, WI. The 3-piece, including guitar, bass, & banjo have been playing their distinctive and aggressive blend of bluegrass, punk, rock n’ roll, jam & country with various members consistently around the Midwest for 6 years.

Everyday People

Everyday People -Say What ?-is a local Iowa City trio (sax, bass, drums) that creates original groove oriented conscious soul music-E.D.P.S.W’s music touches on various issues that concern the human race in today’s world.

Fairchildren

Fairchildren is an eastern Iowa classic rock band that started in 1986. They were a popular Iowa City bar band that gigged often at Spanky’s in C.R., Gabes and Cheers in Iowa City, Riverfest on U of I campus and several other glorious regional dives including Pete and Tilly’s in C.R. and Davenport’s Dave’s Golden Nugget. Their weekend in Iowa City will be the first time together in over 33 years after each member went separate ways. This will be an Iowa City city-wide class reunion for the class of 1987, and they are looking forward to seeing one another, rehearsing and playing in front of friends old and new!

Family Folk Machine

The Family Folk Machine is an intergenerational, non-auditioned choir supported by the Iowa City/Johnson County Senior Center that welcomes kids and adults of all ages and backgrounds to sing together with a folk band. We seek to build community through singing songs with our neighbors, to explore American history and culture through song, to foster individual musical growth, and to pursue excellence as an ensemble.

Fareed Haque

Fareed Haque is a modern guitar virtuoso. Steeped in classical and jazz traditions, his unique command of the guitar and different musical styles inspire his musical ventures with tradition and fearless innovation.

Born in 1963 to a Pakistani father and Chilean mother, Fareed’s extensive travels and especially long stays in Spain, France, Iran, Pakistan, and Chile exposed Haque to different kinds of music from a very early age. While this natural eclecticism has become a hallmark of Haque’s music, it was repeated visits to Von Freeman’s Chicago jam sessions that gave Haque a grounding in the Chicago blues and jazz traditions.

Flash in a Pan

Flash in a Pan is an Iowa City-based quartet that has been playing across the Midwest since 2012. Founded by guitarist Blake T. Daly, the current line-up also consists of banjo player Alex Flesher, mandolinist Max Lipnick, and bassist Lee Eckles. Flash in a Pan has cultivated a unique tonality balancing tradition and innovation in folk and bluegrass music. Noted for their shining vocal harmonies, vibrant stage energy, and modern sensibility in composition, Flash in a Pan has become a darling to festival stages, theatres, and bar rooms alike. Their musical style offers a blend that is all at once familiar and refreshingly unexpected.

Forró Fo Sho

Forró Fo Sho is the premier Wisconsin-based band playing NE Brazilian Forro dance music! Get ready for a party to close out the Arts Fest!

Freegrass String Quartet

The Freegrass String Quartet is made up of Blake Shaw on cello/elec bass/vocals, Annie Savage on harp & fiddle, Tara McGovern on fiddle, and Dan Padley on guitar. They aim to create beautiful soundscapes while borrowing from all their backgrounds collectively including bluegrass, jazz, Irish folk tunes, & anything else that makes you feel good.

Funkatude

Funkatude is Funk/Pop band from Cedar Rapids that specializes in playing anywhere from classic to modern day music in their own funky way. From the performance energy onstage to the music you’re sure to get funked.

FunkDaddies

FunkDaddies is a funk/soul/R&B band dedicated to bringing the best, funky dance music to the Midwest, performed by highly accomplished musicians. Inspired by Tower of Power, Earth Wind & Fire, and all the great Motown artists, FunkDaddies brings its own irresistible, high-energy musical show to audiences everywhere, setting a new standard for funky soul music in the Midwest.

FunkDaddies’ performances feature a dynamic, soulful sound, super-tight rhythm section and wide-ranging vocals. Members include Anthony Hendricks (vocals), John Reasoner (guitar, vocals), Ken Duncan (drums, vocals), Ken Fullard (bass, vocals), and Dave Shawver (saxes, flute).

With 19 years as one of the Midwest’s most popular and top-drawing bands, FunkDaddies has shared the stage with legendary acts, including The Beach Boys, Grand Funk Railroad, Al Jarreau and 38 Special, just to name a few.

Funktastic Five

William “Whistle” Jones has been lead singer of Funktastic 5 since its inception. His smooth vocals and velvety tone add spark to the Funktastic 5 sound! Craig Bentley started playing guitar at the age of 12 and has never stopped. Kindred Priest has been playing bass for close to 30 years. Tony Carton has been playing drums most of his life and spent his early years working with many local and regional acts as well as national touring groups and recording artists. This group is sure to get the crowd on their feet and dancing the night away.

George Jazz Trio

The George Jazz Group is committed to playing the music of the 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond; music more commonly know as – “Jazz Standards.” This is the music that is truly an American art form which conjures up composers with titles such as Duke and Count; musicians such as Dizzie, Ella, Buddy and Sinatra. Songs with poetic lyrics found in titles such as Autumn Leaves, Our Love Is Here To Stay, I Bought You Violets For Your Furs and I’ve Got You Under My Skin.

This is the musical culture that helped form the American landscape from New York to LA, with points between such as Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans. This is the music of our parents and grand parents as well as members of America’s youth before the word “Teenager” was coined.

Gimenez Voice Academy

Gimenez Voice Academy, founded in Iowa City by Mia Gimenez, is an acclaimed and globally recognized music institution. Since our establishment in 2016, we’ve graced myriad stages across Iowa, captivating audiences with performances that often feature our exceptionally talented GVA soloists. But our reach extends far beyond the Hawkeye State—GVA singers can be experienced on all streaming platforms, on both coasts, on the big screen and even in Australia, bringing their artistry to a global audience. Our motto, “Follow Your Bliss,” guides our singers on their artistic journey, encouraging them to explore and embrace their passion. With a tagline that echoes our versatility—“Classical to Rock”—we celebrate the boundless possibilities of music

Giveton Gelin

Pursuing jazz is difficult, especially in the Bahamas. Since 10-years-old, Gelin taught himself to play the trumpet simply by emulating his favorite records. After years of self-tutelage, bass player Adrian D’Aguilar, began to mentor him; thereby, providing him the tools to play jazz. Later on, the Nassau-born trumpeter would study with Dr. Eddie Henderson at the Oberlin Conservatory. The same year, he received recognition at the Young Arts Foundation and Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program. Thereafter, he continued his studies at the Juilliard School– expecting to graduate in 2021.

After only a year, the trumpeter has played with pioneers of the NY jazz scene such as Curtis Lundy, Harold Mabern, Winard Harper, Sullivan Fortner, Ben Wolfe, and Jon Batiste. Additionally, the 20-year-old trumpeter has received tutelage from some of the world’s greatest trumpeters including Wynton Marsalis, Nicholas Payton, Ralph Peterson, and the late Roy Hargrove. His artistic vision is to pay tribute to his ancestors as well as unify others by incorporating universal human experiences into sound. Through his quintet, Gelin brings forth a new narrative to jazz music.

Gizmojazz

Gizmojazz tends to be musically creative and mischievous, playing jazz with a sense of camaraderie and a dash of humor. The group has played in many clubs and concert venues across the state of Iowa and beyond. We are also known for using many special effects and sounds as part of our overall approach to this music.

Gizmojazz are Steve Grismore (guitar), Rich “the bone” Medd (trombone), Danny Oline (bass and sarcasm) and James Dreier (drums and percussion). We play original compositions and arrangements as well as the music of Ornette Coleman, Herbie Nichols, Steve Lacy, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, John Abercrombie, Wayne Shorter, Paul Motion, Dave Holland, and on and on……..

Gloom Ballon

Gloom Balloon is ex-indie rock troubadour/new father Patrick Tape Fleming’s musical canvas where he’s prone to express undying admiration and withering disdain for the same person, often in the same sentence. With several albums and hit songs under their belt, Gloom Ballon is a unique force in the musical world.

Goliath

The hard hitting contemporary quartet “Goliath” is a project led by Dave Thaker, local jazz guitarist. The group features Jerome Gillespie Jr. on drums, Blake Shaw on bass, and Jarrett Purdy on keyboards. All members are graduate students from the University of Iowa, and their combined inspirations from their time at the university and beyond are on full display in this group.

Each of Goliath’s individual members have an overall breadth of work that includes touring across the U.S., guest artist work, and a multitude of recording projects. In addition to original music, the group is excited to bring fresh, new arrangements of all kinds of jazz virtuosos, from Herbie Hancock to Ben Wendel to Braxton Cook.

Goose Town

Goose Town is made up of past and present jazz students from the University of Iowa and Northern Iowa. The band is lead by a killin’ horn section and fronted by Emily Snyder on vocals. GT’s mission is to get your booty shakin’ and they do this with music from Erykah Badu, Vulfpeck, Stevie Wonder, Hiatus Kaiyote, Michael Jackson and many more. You can find out more about them on FB or follow them on instagram @goosetown5000.

Grupo Innstinto

Grupo Innstinto is a Mexican regional band out of Des Moines, working day-by-day so their music reaches your ears and conquer your hearts! Made up of a bassist, accordion player, drums, saxophone, guitar, timbales, keyboard, and percussion, they are guaranteed to do just that!

Gup & Company

Gup & Co is a relatively recent collaboration comprised of players from several groups, most notably the local classic country/rock group, The Ramblin’ Fever Band. They play a large variety of bluegrass and folk songs and specialize in covering songs that are not traditionally of the bluegrass genre. The band consists of Dale (Guppy) Gardner (lead vocals, guitar), Jesse Drtina (banjo, fiddle, mandolin), Ryan Smith (Mandolin, percussion), and Dave Stockbauer (bass). Their music is fun and uptempo and keeps the crowd on their their toes with a few surprises.

Hannah Frey

Hannah Marks Quartet

Hannah Marks is a bassist, bandleader, composer, and educator living in New York City. As a bandleader, she has performed at several major festivals, including the Detroit Jazz Festival, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, 80-35 Music Festival, Iowa City Jazz Festival, and Indy Jazz Festival. Her current groups as a leader are Hannah Marks: Outsider, Outlier, a genre-defying, lyric-based project, and the Hannah Marks Quartet. She worked with jazz luminaries like Geoffrey Keezer, Nasheet Waits, Terri Lyne Carrington, Miles Okazaki, Ingrid Jensen, Kalia Vandever, Matt Wilson, Ted Nash, Morgan Guerin, and Marcus Printup, and has performed at heralded NYC venues like Birdland Jazz Club, The 55 Bar, The Stone, and The Jazz Gallery. Her former project, Heartland Trio, released their debut album in November 2018. Marks is an alum of the Stanford Jazz Workshop Mentor Fellow program (2022), the Woodshed Network (2021), Betty Carter Jazz Ahead (2019), the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music (2018), and the Brubeck Summer Jazz Colony (2014). She is on faculty at The Spence School and runs her own private lesson studio.

Heads in Motion

Heartland Trio

Founded by bassist Hannah Marks in 2017, Heartland Trio consists of Barclay Moffitt on tenor saxophone, Hannah Marks on double bass, and Rocky Martin on drums. The band draws from Marks’ musical upbringing in folk and spirituals, while grounded in the group’s improvisational and groove background of jazz and rock. Heartland Trio’s sound reflects their desire to create with a gritty and spontaneous garage band mentality while exploring beyond the boundaries of the traditional roles of their instruments in a jazz setting.

Hickok Roberts Quartet

Vocalist Betsy Hickok performs sensitive and swinging interpretations of jazz standards. She has appeared in the Des Moines Metro Arts Jazz in July series, the Iowa City Jazz Festival, Noce Jazz Cabaret, and other regional venues with some of Iowa’s top musicians. Guitarist Ron Roberts is a Chicago area native who has played regularly with artists throughout central Iowa.

High Water Mark

High Water Mark is The Premier Iowa City Folk Band. Formed in the late 2015’s, the gang can usually be found goofing off, slacking, & making music on the Ped Mall. Strap on your dancing shoes & come listen to this band’s infectious blend of folk, bluegrass, & self deprecating humor.

“We are The High Water Mark: Bring your friends, send your enemies.”

Hollowtree

Hollowtree is a four-piece rock band from Ottumwa, IA. Fusing elements of grunge and classic rock with a more modern sound. Distorted guitar, groovy bass lines, and blazing drums make Hollowtree an act you don’t want to miss.

Home Brewed

Home Brewed is a fun filled, mixed generational group, playing Bluesy Rock and Roll and Rockabilly, mostly in support of non-profit organizations who are helping the less fortunate in society. They play a mix of tunes: from classics by the likes of Johnny Cash, Stray Cats, Keb Mo, LIttle Walter, and, Eric Clapton, to current bands such as Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Kaleo, and JJ Grey and Mofro as well as some original songs. They love all kinds of music, and have chosen to play this variety that respects the roots a of the blues while introducing their audiences to some new music to which they might not be familiar. Home Brewed uses their music to also give back for all of the blessings they have had in life.

Horse Feathers

Horse Feathers feels like a secret you don’t really want to share. Over twelve years and five albums, a passionate fan base has experienced this band as a precious commodity that they want to keep close to their hearts. On Appreciation, out May 4 on Kill Rock Stars, the signifiers of the band are there: Justin Ringle’s warm tenor and taut lyrics that speak of work, love, and other struggles. But on this album less of the song dynamics are achieved with strings and more with an exciting new rhythm section steeped in Northern Soul, creating a sound that leaps into the spotlight. Diehard fans are going to have to make room in the club house for a lot more people – with this album, the Horse Feathers secret is officially out.

Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

After ten years, five albums, innumerable sold-out shows, and countless libations, Americana mavericks Horseshoes & Hand Grenades appropriately consider themselves a “family” on a wild, wonderful, and often whacky roller coaster. The bond between the quintet— Adam Greuel [guitar, vocals], David C. Lynch [harmonica, accordion, vocals], Collin Mettelka [fiddle, vocals], Russell Pedersen [banjo, vocals], and Samual Odin [bass, vocals]— fuels their creativity and chemistry on stage and in the studio.

“Sometimes, it feels like we’re modern-day cowboys on some kind of strange journey,” Adam affirms with a laugh. “We’re five friends who set out to do something we enjoy doing, meet interesting people, see old friends, and make some new buddies along the way. Because of that sense of friendship, everything seems to happen organically.”

That’s been the case since these five musicians first met in Stevens Point, WI at college, joined forces, and hit the road harder post-graduation in roughly 2013. They have ignited stages alongside everyone from Greensky Bluegrass, Yonder Mountain String Band, The Infamous Stringdusters, and Trampled By Turtles to Railroad Earth, Merle Haggard, and Marty Stuart in addition to appearances at festivals such as Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Delfest, High Sierra Music Festival, Blue Ox Music Festival, Northwest String Summit, John Hartford Memorial Festival, and many more. Their five albums—Another Round [2012], This Old Town [2013], Middle Western [2015], The Ode (2018), and Miles in Blue (2020) take the listener through a wide range of musical and emotional landscapes, something surely provoked by the five different members all sharing songwriting duties.

Their most recent album, “Miles in Blue” is an 18-track album that celebrates their 10 years together as a band. While the album certainly nods to their tried-and-true blend of “new-time old-time” music, it also explores new musical avenues as the band pushes themselves to discover what else “can be”.

“It marks a point of growth,” explains Adam. “We’ve got those ripper type tunes we’re known for on there, but we’re experimenting with other elements. Little pieces of everybody are encapsulated in this record. We were really conscious of allowing our respective musical curiosities into the fold. Sam drops in a jazz and classical feel. Dave brings that Zydeco, Cajun, and old school blues vibe. Collin turned up this kinda pop folk energy, and Russell gives us the old-timey banjo feel. For me, I’m trying to play out my singer-songwriter curiosities. There are five songwriters in the band, and we’ve gotten better at harnessing our individual creativity and bringing it to the collective.”

The boys found the perfect place to bottle those signature spirits. They retreated to Cannon Falls, MN in order to live and record at Pachyderm Studios — where Nirvana recorded In Utero — for just a week. Joined by the Hard Working American’s Chad Staehly in the producer’s chair, they tracked the eighteen numbers that would comprise Miles in Blue over the course of a marathon session.

“Pachyderm is in the middle of nowhere,” he elaborates. “We’re all outdoorsy people, so the setting was super comfortable. It contributed to the laid-back approach. It was by far the easiest recording project we’ve done. The whole experience was super positive and uplifting.”

The Horseshoes & Hand Grenades family grows stronger by the day. “The best part of this has been building a community,” Adam leaves off. “In this day and age, it’s wise to look for things that bring people together rather than separate them. We’re creating an extended family to get through these times together. That’s the ‘Horseshoe Crew.’ Everything happens because of that bond between the band and the folks there fueling the fire.”

Hot Tamale Louie

At a time when immigration is much in the news, Professor John Rapson of the UI School of Music’s Jazz Studies Program has created a powerful multi-media performance piece about an early 20th-century immigrant whose story remains highly relevant today.

The performance is based on a June 2016 New Yorker article that caught Rapson’s eye – and his ear. Zarif Khan emigrated to the U.S. from Afghanistan in 1907, eventually settling in Sheridan, Wyoming, where he took over a tamale business as well as the previous owner’s nickname, “Hot Tamale Louie.” Rapson immediately recognized the story’s dramatic possibilities, the timeliness of its themes and the opportunities it presented to work with local musicians whose talents mirrored Khan’s global wanderings. Rapson describes the show as “a genre-bending tale with lilting Western ballads, gentle Mexican waltzes, folk songs and melodies from the East, evocative tone poems and raucous ragtime melded together by jazz.”

Rapson teamed up with Danyel Gaglione, an immigrant now living in Iowa City, to collaboratively compose and arrange the material for eight musicians. The performance features local folk musician Dave Moore and dramatic monologues by Associate Professor Paul Kalina from the UI Department of Theatre Arts. Rapson compiled more than 300 historic photos from the Middle East, American West and elsewhere to illustrate Khan’s story, which is told in words, music, and visual projections. Other musicians in the ensemble include UI alumni Ryan Smith (reeds), Tara McGovern (violin), Dan Padley (guitar), Blake Shaw (bass) and Justin LeDuc (drums).

Huntertones

Huntertones brings people together around the globe with fun, imaginative and fearless music. Their high energy, horn-driven sound features genre bending composition and unconventional covers. Every show is a social experience celebrating the joy of music.

The band formed in Columbus, Ohio and is now based in Brooklyn, NY. They’ve performed in over 20 countries world wide and continue to tour the US and abroad. Huntertones claims more authority than ever as they drive into their 10th year. Their upcoming release, Engine Co., is six songs tracked together in the live room of Atomic Studios in Brooklyn, NY, serving as a reminder both to Huntertones and their listeners that the best way to get to the heart of any song is simply in the moment.

Immanuel Wilkins

Immanuel Wilkins is a saxophonist, composer, educator, and bandleader from the greater Philadelphia area. While growing up, Wilkins honed his skills in the church and studied in programs dedicated to teaching jazz music like the Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts. After moving to New York in 2015, he proceeded to earn his bachelor’s degree in Music at Juilliard (studying with the saxophonists Bruce Williams and the late, great Joe Temperley) while simultaneously establishing himself as an in demand sideperson, touring in Japan, Europe, South America, The United Arab Emirates, and the United States and working and/or recording with artists like Jason Moran, the Count Basie Orchestra, Delfeayo Marsalis, Joel Ross, Aaron Parks, Gerald Clayton, Gretchen Parlato, Lalah Hathaway, Solange Knowles, Bob Dylan, and Wynton Marsalis to name just a few. It was also during this same period that he formed his quartet featuring his long-time bandmates: Micah Thomas (piano), Daryl Johns (bass) and Kweku Sumbry (drums).

Being a bandleader with a working group for over four years has allowed Wilkins to grow both as a composer and as an arranger — and has led to him receiving a number of commissions including, most recently, from The National Jazz Museum in Harlem, The Jazz Gallery Artist Residency Commission Program (a collaboration with Sidra Bell Dance NY, 2020) and The Kimmel Center Artist in Residence for 2020 (a collaboration with photographer Rog Walker and videographer David Dempewolf). Being emerged in the scene at a young age and sharing the stage with various jazz masters has inspired Wilkins to pursue his goal of being a positive force in both music and in society. This includes quite an impressive resumé as an educator. In addition to teaching at NYU and the New School, he has taught and given master classes and clinics at schools/venues like Oberlin, Yale and the Kimmel Center. Ultimately, Wilkins’ mission is to create music and to develop a voice that has a profound spiritual and emotional impact.

By studying the humanity and the cultural specificity of jazz, Wilkins aspires to bring people together through his art. His debut recording, Omega —produced by Jason Moran— was released by Blue Note Records in 2020 and has received uniformly rave reviews. In addition to being voted “Best New Jazz Artist” in the Jazz Times Critics’ Poll and “Best New Talent of 2020” by Musica Jazz, Wilkins’ Omega has appeared on numerous “Best of 2020” lists — most notably,” it was named NPR Music’s “Best Debut Jazz Recording of 2020” and the New York Times number one Jazz Recording of 2020. Wilkins began 2021 on a very positive note. He was nominated for a NAACP Image Award (Best Jazz Instrumental album) and won the prestigious LetterOne Rising Stars Jazz Award.

In Orbit with Jeff Coffin and Michael Occhipinti and Felix Pastorius

In Orbit brings together musicians from both sides of the Canada-USA border, centered on the original compositions of saxophonist Jeff Coffin, and guitarist Michael Occhipinti, joined by brilliant bassist Felix Pastorius, Nashville/Toronto pianist Tom Reynolds, and drummer Davide Direnzo. Jeff Coffin is an omni-present saxophonist based in Nashville, who is best known for his work with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, and more recently as a member of the Dave Matthews Band. However, Jeff has been composing original music and releasing albums with his M’utet for many years and is one of the most active instructors/clinicians working with young musicians in the United States. Felix Pastorius is the son of legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius, and in recent years has established himself as a gifted bassist with an approach all his own.

The music is energetic, imaginative, and freely flows across styles. In Orbit shares a love of great grooves expressed with soulful spirt and deep musicianship.

Infinity Dance Company

DanceAblity offers a healthy, sustainable dance practice, providing benefits that will stay with performers throughout their lives. Each of us is only temporarily able. At any time we can lose our physical or mental capabilities due to things that are out of control, including age. DanceAbility offers us a way to continue to express ourselves artistically and allows us to move in healthy, meaningful ways. In DanceAbility, there are no helpers – only supporters. Everyone has something they need, and also something to give.

Ingrid Jensen

Ingrid Jensen has been hailed as one of the most gifted trumpeters of her generation. After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 1989, Jensen was offered a position at the prestigious Bruckner Conservatory in Linz, Austria. In the 1990s, she recorded three highly acclaimed CDs for the ENJA record label, becoming one of the most in demand trumpet players on the global jazz scene.

Settling in New York City, she joined the innovative jazz orchestras of Maria Schneider (1994-2012) and Darcy James Argue (2002-present). She has performed with a multigenerational cast of jazz legends ranging from Clark Terry to Esperanza Spalding. Jensen has also performed alongside British R&B artist Corrine Bailey Rae on Saturday Night Live and recorded with Canadian pop icon Sarah McLachlan. Jensen is prominently featured on the Grammy Award winning Mosaic Project, led by drummer Terri-Lyne Carrington.

A dedicated jazz educator, Jensen has resided on the jazz trumpet faculties at the University of Michigan, Peabody Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music. She also served on the jazz faculty, teaching composition and arranging at Purchase College and the New School for Jazz in NYC.

Ingrid Streitz

Ingrid Streitz is a local guitar player and singer. She has made appearances at Iowa Arts Festival, Iowa City Farmer’s Market, The Englert, and other venues in Iowa. She enjoys covering a variety of artists, from Lorde to Bob Dylan. Ingrid plays chill pop music and strives to help people relax and have a good time.

Ion Alexakis

Noise maker Ioannis “Ion” Alexakis was born on the island of Crete and raised in Iowa City. A jack of all trades & a master of none, he began learning guitar from a young age that developed into an interest in samplers, synthesis & sound design. A lifelong student of the process, Ioannis began studying the signal flow has allowed him to become a chameleon of the industry. Ioannis’s lyrics focuses in on resilience through the Guthrie lens over a sonic guttural rawness that hones in on the prospect of power we maintain if we stay unified and vigilant through turmoil.

Iowa City Community Band

The Iowa City Community Band is a volunteer organization, approved and sanctioned by the city of Iowa City. Our concerts in Iowa City and Coralville parks during June and July include a mixture of marches, music from Broadway musicals, and old favorites and sometimes feature a guest soloist. Concerts are either in the afternoon on Sunday or early evening during the week – select the “Concerts” tab above for current dates, times, and locations. The band also plays concerts at various venues in the Iowa City area, including Arts Fest in downtown Iowa City, Ice Cream Social in Upper City Park in Iowa City, Coralville Thursday Night Concert Series, and Coralville’s Fourth of July Celebration. We have also performed at events in area towns such as North Liberty Fun Days and West Branch Friday Night Concert Series. The ICCB also presents a winter holiday concert in the Englert Theatre in downtown Iowa City .Members of the ICCB come from all walks of life in the Iowa City area, ranging from high school students through retirees. Our conductor is Rob Medd, Director of Music, Iowa City West High. The ICCB has performed continuously since 1982. Our concerts are free to the public.

Iowa City Fencing

Since its foundation in 2010 by Judy O’Donnell our club continues to be a dynamic venue for competitive and recreational fencing for all ages and levels. We provide instruction in all three styles: Foil, Epee and Saber.

Iowa City Flute Choir

The Iowa City Flute Choir is a semi-professional group composed of adult-age flutists of all ability levels. The ensemble was formed in 2018 and has now grown to nearly 40 members. There are no auditions required. Please email icflutechoir@gmail.com to learn how to join. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay updated on performances, repertoire, and all things flute.

Iowa Steel Band

The Iowa Steel Band, under the direction of Dr. Dan Moore, is perhaps the most active touring ensemble from The UI School of Music. The band performs extensively throughout Iowa and the Midwest under the auspices of the UI Arts Share program. The Iowa Steel Band was formed in 1996 and typically features 15-20 performing members. They have performed in 40 of Iowa’s 99 counties and are still counting.

The band has released four critically acclaimed recordings: everywhere Calypso, Noise Brigade, Queen of the Bands, and their latest album, Jungle Music with Andy Narell, which can be heard on Spotify, YouTube, and most other streaming platforms.

In addition to their regular on-campus concerts and annual spring tour, the band maintains a strong commitment to volunteerism. They have appeared six times for the Compeer of Johnson County’s Sounds of Friendship fundraiser concert. They have also performed at events sponsored by UI Cancer Survivors, American Heart Association, UI Dance Marathon, United Way of Johnson County, The Belin-Blank Honors Center, and others. Each December, the band presents the annual Holiday Percussion Pops concert which supports CommUnity Crisis Services and Food Bank of Johnson County. The concert brings in hundreds of pounds of food and cash donations to support the Food Bank.

Their repertoire includes music of the Caribbean such as calypso, soca, and reggae as well as folk music of the world, American popular music, and jazz. They regularly perform the most challenging and uplifting music for pans written by composers such as Ray Holman, Andy Narell, Victor Provost, Mat Britain, Pelham Goddard, Machel Montano, and many others.

Iowa Women’s Jazz Orchestra

Since 2017, the Iowa Women’s Jazz Orchestra has met to perform across the state of Iowa for the purpose of showcasing the artistry of women jazz musicians and inspiring the next generation. Founded by trumpeter Toni LeFebvre when she was a graduate student in Music Education at the University of Iowa, IWJO has had quite a special journey of development.

Some of the Iowa Women’s Jazz Orchestra’s most notable events include performances at the Iowa Jazz Championships (Ames, 2019), University of Iowa Trumpet Festival (Iowa City, 2022), KCCK’s “Jazz Under the Stars” (Cedar Rapids, 2022), and Orchestra Iowa’s “Holiday Spectacular” (Cedar Rapids, 2023).

For more information about the Iowa Women’s Jazz Orchestra, including booking inquiries, please visit www.iowajazzwomen.com or email iowawomensjazzorchestra@gmail.com.

Iowa Women’s Jazz Orchestra Sextet

The Iowa Women’s Jazz Orchestra Sextet, a subgroup of the Iowa Women’s Jazz Orchestra (est. 2017), is made up of some of the most sought after musicians and educators from right here in the Corridor. Musicians include Jen Tiede – alto saxophone, Lynne Hart – tenor saxophone, Toni LeFebvre – trumpet, Gail Williams – piano, Vivian Shanley – bass, and Farren Johnson – drums. This ensemble performs charts spanning a variety of styles within the jazz idiom, many of which are composed or arranged in-house by Lynne Hart.

Isaac Jordan

Isaac Jordan is a Black queer singer from Iowa, now hailing in Minneapolis. Isaac’s dance, pop/funk driven sound is woven in his recent album Lotus, which is sure to relate to the masses and touch the heart with fun, gripping lyrics.

Electrifying performances teeming with energy inspired by the likes of Beyoncé, Janet, and Michael Jackson, are Isaac’s specialty and is sure to provide the look, the vocal, and dances to rock your soul.

This year, as a solo artist and as lead Background vocalist for top Minneapolis band, Nur-D, you can catch him appearing all over the Midwest! You can stream his music everywhere and find out more about Isaac at www.IsaacJordan.org

Ivy Ford Band

Ivy Ford is a Chicagoland-based multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. She has a diverse collection of musical influences but strong roots in blues and soul. In 2015 Ivy Ford’s career kicked off after opening for Buddy Guy in Chicago resulting in making a permanent impression that supported her place in the industry. In less than a decade, she has had several international performances including two tours in France and Belgium and performs bi-coastal in the United States regularly and in the Midwest region. Currently, Ivy Ford has three full original albums all of which have been self-produced and are accompanied by other released singles.

Some honorary mentions of Ivy Ford’s accolades includes numerous nominations for both her recordings and songwriting as well as performances. Several publications and top magazines including Frances, “Soul Bag,” and “Blues Matters,” in the UK have printed extensive interviews and support in her upcoming works. Ivy Ford is known for her musicianship and skill as well as her energy and experience she shares with her audience when she performs lives bringing an authenticity that is timeless.

Jack Lion

One of Iowa City’s premier bands, Jack Lion’s sound is a one-a-kind gem in the Iowa music landscape. Mixing some traditional jazz sounds with electronic music, Jack Lion’s music would please both Miles Davis and Nine Inch Nails fans.

Jackson Churchill and Good Question

Jackson Churchill currently serves as a Band Director at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. He is also a Teaching Artist of Jazz Trombone at Drake University. Jackson has been a finalist in numerous competitions facilitated by the International Trombone Association, American Trombone Workshop, and Jazz Trombone Day. His performance credits include the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Christian McBride’s JAS Academy Big Band, and the Broadway tour of “The Wiz.” Jackson completed his master’s degree at the University of North Texas, where he studied with acclaimed artist Nick Finzer and played in the One O’Clock Lab Band. Before that, Jackson graduated summa cum laude from Luther College, where he was a Theodore Presser Music Scholar. He is joined on

Jacob Garchik’s Ye Olde

Ye Olde explores progressive rock influences, faux-medieval architecture and surrealistic notions of a Brooklyn that never was. From trombonist and composer Jacob Garchik comes a fantastical and sublime work of the imagination. Ye Olde is a superband of three of Brooklyn’s baddest guitar heroes, let loose in a funhouse, playing ping pong with our ears: guitarists Mary Halvorson, Ava Mendoza and Jonathan Goldberger are joined by drummer Vinnie Sperrazza and Garchik on trombone.

Jacob Garchik, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger, was born in San Francisco and has lived in New York since 1994. In 2013 he was named a “Rising Star” in the Downbeat Magazine Jazz Critic’s Poll.

James Tutson

Iowa City’s James Tutson and his 5 siblings were the entirety of the church choir growing up. He was raised singing southern gospel every Sunday in a tiny chapel in front of a 10 person congregation. This heritage of soul music permeates his vocal stylings and anchors his songwriting even as he crafts his current work telling stories of the modern world and his life journey. He is known for emotive/”raw” vocal performances, tight musical arrangements, and resonant songwriting, which has been described as a “gift for exploring the intersection between joy and sorrow”. James’ career has taken him to local backyards, dive bars, theater stages, music festivals, and NBC’s The Voice. James was named one of the 2023 National endowment for the arts, Iowa Fellows and has had the privilege of performing with great artists like Lake Street Dive, The Dip, Marc Broussard, Joanna Connor, Five for Fighting and more. He has recorded six studio albums including his two most recent “Still” and “Happy”, soulful reflections about life during the 2020 global pandemic

Jane Bunnett and Maqueque

Five-time Juno Award winner, Jane Bunnett has turned her bands and recordings into showcases for the finest musical talent from Canada, the US, and Cuba. She has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, received The Order of Canada, The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and, most recently, The Premier’s Award for Excellence. She has toured the world bringing her own special sound to numerous jazz festivals, displaying her versatility as a flutist, saxophone player, and pianist.

Jane Ira Bloom Quartet

Soprano saxophonist/composer Jane Ira Bloom has been steadfastly developing her unique voice on the soprano saxophone for over 30 years. She is a pioneer in the use of live electronics and movement in jazz, as well as the possessor of “one of the most gorgeous tones and hauntingly lyrical ballad conceptions of any soprano saxophonist – Pulse.”

Bloom is the recipient of numerous grants including two artist fellowships in jazz composition from the Chamber Music America / Doris Duke New Jazz Works Program for the creation of Chasing Paint, a series of compositions inspired by painter Jackson Pollock that premiered at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and Mental Weather, a suite of neuroscience inspired pieces for her quartet.

“Sometimes I throw sound around the band like paint and other times I play and feel as if I was carving silence like a sculptor.”

Jarrett Purdy Project

The Jarrett Purdy Project is a collective that unites the talent of current musicians and recent graduates from the undergrad and graduate-level jazz programs at the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa. Performing the original compositions of pianist and bandleader Jarrett Purdy, the group creates an energized and original sound that touches on both contemporary and traditional jazz styles.The Jarrett Purdy Project features Nolan Schroeder on saxophone, Jim Buennig on saxophone, Metro Lyle on trumpet, Jarrett Purdy on piano, Blake Shaw on bass, and Chris Jensen on drums.

JC Brooks Band

The JC Brooks Band came from humble beginnings, dreaming about getting the cool kids to shake it at the Empty Bottle and since have collected a wide range of fans around the globe. The JC Brooks Band has shared stages with a staggering array of artists, from legends like Robert Plant, Buddy Guy, Chicago and many more. Erupting with raw emotion, JC Brooks unleashes his soulful shouts and heart wrenching falsetto over the relentless rhythm of guitarist Alec Lehrman, drummer Kevin Marks, bassist Theodore Berry IV, keyboardist Jeremy Tromberg and percussionist-extraordinaire, JoVia Armstrong.

Jeff Austin Band

“When I’m writing a song, it’s not about the hot licks, it’s about the voice and how it can be showcased from song to song,” says musician Jeff Austin. His focus is on transporting his audience by way of his vocal: “It’s the direct communication with the crowd — not just asking them how they’re feeling, but bringing something out of them.” For Austin, the act of speaking to people through his art really means using his voice.

The career of the Colorado-based artist has already seen him break through jam and bluegrass scenes, play stages from The Fillmore Auditorium to Red Rocks Amphitheater, and outdoor events like Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, among many others. But with the launch of his solo career in 2014, Austin is now building on the foundations of previous ventures while honing his own sound and charting new courses.

Austin draws from those varied roots and readily admits to still loving musicals, being fascinated by Madrigal singers, and tuning-in to a wide range of vocal powerhouses. He channels all of these influences into his solo career, while also seeking personal innovation. For his newest project, Austin sought out musicians on the cutting-edge of the acoustic and jazz music circles. Artists proficient in theory and technique, but not afraid to lend themselves to some “far-out arrangements.” The result is some of Austin’s most structured, yet exciting, compositions to date with an approach that fits within his own evolving journey and personal motto, “The work continues.”

Jeremy Kittel Trio

Jeremy Kittel is an American fiddler, violinists, and, composer. Fluent in multiple musical genres, his original music draws from traditional roots, jazz, Celtic, Classical, electronic, and more. Kittel performs with his own band or trio, as a duo, and as a soloist with orchestras. In addition to his own projects, he has composed and arranged for such artists as Abigail Washburn, Aoife O’ Donovan, My Morning Jacket, Camera Obscura, Jars of Clay, Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, Laura Veirs, and the Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet (of which he was a member for five years). He has also recorded with artists such as Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile, Mark O’ Connor and Mike Marshall.

Jessica Egli

Jessica Egli, with classic croons and a ukulele, plays beloved jazz vocal standards with the intention to provide a nostalgic experience for her audience. She makes her home in Iowa City where she is honored to contribute to the local music scene both as a musician and as a dedicated member of the events team at the Englert Theatre.

JEWELS New King of Funk

Jewel Carter, better known in the music industry as “Jewels”, was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas.

Jewels sound is Raw Funk at its best with a heavier edge which makes his sound unique like no other. As Lead vocalist while playing Bass, you’re sure to see a show you’ll never forget! You’ll experience being taken back in time with the greatest Funk/Soul / R&B hits using his own style and technique to present day including his Have U Forever album hits. This is why t hose in the music industry across the states and abroad have dubbed JC “The New King of Funk” now is known as “Jewels King of Funk”.

Jim Buenning

A native of Geneseo, Illinois, Jim Buennig is a saxophonist, educator, composer, and recording artist based in Iowa City, Iowa, specializing in a range of musical styles with his main focus being jazz. He received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin and also holds degrees in jazz studies from the University of Iowa and Western Illinois University.

Jim is currently on faculty at The University of Iowa, Cornell College, and Black Hawk College. His music has been described as “perpetually in the groove” and “a solid dose of pure jazz for serious listeners that want to hear some new stuff done right.”

Buennig released two EPs in 2020: “Only One to Go,” a collaboration with pianist Seth Fromal, and “Bench Warmers Vol. 1,” a collection of previously unreleased tracks. His entire library of recordings is available for purchase on bandcamp.com.

Jim Swim

Artist/producer Jim Swim blends alternative hip-hop, indie soul, and bedroom pop to craft warm and wavy songs that move head and heart. Swim’s songs unwind like good conversation, moving from the everyday to the abstract, the personal to the universal, with honest ease. His original production, versatile flow, and lyrical insight have earned a loyal underground following that continues to grow.

Joan Osborne

On Songs of Bob Dylan, Joan Osborne unleashes her sizable gifts as a vocalist and interpreter upon The Bard’s celebrated canon. With performances honed by the time Osborne spent polishing them during “Joan Osborne Sings The Songs Of Bob Dylan” — two critically acclaimed two-week residencies she performed at New York City’s Café Carlyle in March 2016 and 2017, the seven-time Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum-selling singer and songwriter, whom The New York Times has called “a fiercely intelligent, no-nonsense singer,” winds her supple, soulful voice around Dylan’s poetic, evocative lyrics, etching gleaming new facets in them along the way.

Unconstrained by any notion of trying to imitate or surpass Dylan, Osborne felt free to play with the songs’ arrangements, a process that was also enabled by the virtuosity and versatility of Osborne’s collaborators, guitarist Jack Petruzzelli (Patti Smith, The Fab Faux) and keyboardist Keith Cotton (Idina Menzel, Chris Cornell), who performed with her at Café Carlyle, and with whom she co-produced the album. “They bring this wealth of skills to the table,” she says. “Any crazy idea we came up with, they could do. So it was wonderful to have that level of musicianship at my fingertips.” Half the songs were recorded with the trio and the other half feature a full band.

Joe & Vicki Price

Joe and Vicki Price are an electric-powered blue-roots duo from Iowa, featuring dueling guitars, Joe’s tap-dancing feet and bluesy vocals. Joe has been performing for over 50 years. He is a member of both the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame and the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of fame. His slide guitar playing is a cross between Mississippi Fred McDowell and Elmore James. Vicki has been performing with Joe since 1982. She is also a member of the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame. Both are talented guitarists, vocalist and song writers. The couple travel the nation bringing their finger-style guitar and original tunes to a wide variety of audiences. That music has been described as “a righteous, joyful, foot-stomping jubilee.”

Joey Schnoebelen Quintet

The Joey Schnoebelen Quintet is comprised of some of Iowa City’s finest jazz musicians. This group is led by trumpeter Joey Schnoebelen and saxophonist Cole Peterson. These good friends have won prestigious honors and have worked with some of the industry’s best. Some of these honors include: The Disney All-American College Band, The Jazz Aspen Snowmass, and top-ten national semifinalist in Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Jazz Challenge. While at these festivals, Joey and Cole have gotten to work with Gordon Goodwin, John Clayton, Christian McBride, Wayne Bergeron, Benny Green, Russel Malone, and many others. They are joined by Jarrett Purdy on piano, Chris Jensen on drums, and Blake Shaw on bass. These musicians combine forces to deliver music straight to the soul, exploring both contemporary and traditional styles of jazz.

John Daversa

John Daversa is a distinguished trumpet-player, composer, arranger, producer, bandleader and educator. He is a multiple Grammy Award winner and nominee and the recipient of many other awards and honors. In addition to his active career as a performer and recording artist he is currently Professor and Chair of Studio Music and Jazz at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music.

Born in Los Angeles, Daversa returned in 2004 to pursue graduate-level education, and in 2011 he accepted a full-time position at California State University, Northridge. During this time, Daversa formed the John Daversa Small Band and re-established the John Daversa Progressive Big Band. Compositions created for these performances generated the material for Daversa’s next few albums, including Junk Wagon: The Big Band Album (2011), which received several Global Music Awards, including Best in Show, Creativity/Originality and Album Production.

Since 2013, Daversa has produced several noteworthy albums for both himself and other artists. In 2017 the John Daversa Big Band’s album, Kaleidoscope Eyes: Music of the Beatles garnered three Grammy nominations for Best Large Jazz Ensemble, Best Arrangement Instrumental, and Best Arrangement Vocals or A Cappella. In 2019, American Dreamers: Voices of Hope, Music of Freedom, a big band album featuring young DACA artists, won three Grammy awards for Best Large Jazz Ensemble, Best Arrangement Instrumental, and Best Improvised Solo.

In 2019 and 2020 Daversa was musical director and producer for two important projects spearheaded by women: Shoulder to Shoulder: Centennial Tribute to Women’s Suffrage, by the Karrin Allyson Sextet (2019) and Swing States: Harmony in the Battleground by Regina Carter Freedom Band (2020). The John Daversa Quintet released Cuarentena: With Family at Home, an album of original and traditional Cuban boleros that paid homage to familial love and the healing power of music during the time of COVID, featuring musicians Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Carlo De Rosa, Dafnis Prieto, and Sammy Figueroa.

His most recent project, All Without Words: Variations Inspired By Loren (release April 30, 2021) is a lush orchestral trumpet concerto played by the John Daversa Jazz Orchestra, composed by Justin Morell and dedicated to Morell’s autistic son Loren. Celebrating the bond between a parent and child, the album is a paean to the trials, tribulations, successes, and heart-warming moments of raising a non-verbal son.

John Raymond & Real Feels

Labeled “a prepossessing young trumpet player…” (New York Times), John Raymond has been making a name for himself as one of the most promising, up-and-coming jazz musicians in New York. Originally from Minneapolis, MN, John has performed with some of most well-respected names in jazz including Billy Hart, Orrin Evans, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ethan Iverson, and Linda Oh among others. John was awarded the 2015 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award presented by ASCAP, and was included in the “Rising Star Trumpet” category in Downbeat Magazine’s 2016 Critic’s Poll.

His newest album – “Real Feels – Live Vol. 1” (out October 7, 2016) – is a follow up effort to “Real Feels” that was recorded live on tour. The album includes rising stars Gilad Hekselman (guitar) and Colin Stranahan (drums), and the unique bass-less trio incorporates indie-rock inspired originals and covers with fresh takes on familiar songs stemming from Raymond’s roots as Midwesterner. From American folk songs like Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” to classic hymns such as “Amazing Grace,” to Lennon & McCartney’s “Blackbird,” to Thom Yorke’s “Atoms for Peace,” the music undoubtedly evokes a nostalgia for the past. However, “Real Feels” is far from being antiquated; the band’s improvisational, free-wheeling, keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of approach to the music makes the songs feel entirely relevant.

Johnny Kilowatt Band

Johnny Kilowatt is Jon Klinkowitz (guitar, vocals), a 30-year veteran of the Iowa City music scene. He was a founding member of the Blues Instigators featuring Kevin Burt, held down the guitar chair with Patrick Hazell and Mother Blues (Iowa Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame inductee) for 10 years and ran Iowa City’s Monday Night Blues Jam for about 15 years at various venues. The Johnny Kilowatt Band has been playing electric blues since 1997, appearing at many regional music festivals including several appearances throughout Eastern Iowa. Joining Klinkowitz will be the all-star lineup of Saul Lubaroff (sax), Bill Peterson (keyboards), Tim Crumley (drums) and Ed English (bass).

Johnson County Ukelele Social Club

The Uke-A-Maniacs are the performance group of the
Ukulele Social Club of Johnson County.

They enjoy playing various gigs in and around Iowa City.

Johnson County Ukulele Club

The Johnson County Ukulele Social Club has been in operation for nearly 16 years. They meet at Legacy Retirement Home and encourage people of all ages and skill levels to attend. They play music from all eras and are happy to learn a new tune!

Jon Ailabouni

Trumpeter, composer, and educator, Jon Ailabouni is a sought-after freelance artist based in La Crosse, WI. Steeped in Western European classical and Black American jazz traditions, Jon’s creative work focuses on instrumental composition and improvisation that uses deeply felt stories as a focal point for expression. Ailabouni’s 2023 album You Are Not Alone features his original compositions and is available for purchase via Bandcamp and SkyDesk Music. Ailabouni’s improvisation as a soloist has been described as “sharp and resourceful” (AllAboutJazz.com). An emerging national leader at the intersection of jazz and liturgical traditions, Jon regularly serves as a guest worship director, bringing the sophistication and soulfulness of the jazz tradition into familiar hymns and liturgy in churches across the Midwest, Colorado, and Texas. He has self-published over 50 arrangements of hymns available on his website JonAilabouniMusic.com. Ailabouni taught on the music faculty of Luther College in Decorah, IA for eight years and currently serves as an Assistant Teaching Professor at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse where he teaches the trumpet studio, Music Appreciation class, and directs the Jazz Ensemble and Hoefer Brass Quintet.

Jordan Sellergren

Jordan Sellergren is a mother, songwriter, artist, and the Art Director at Little Village Magazine in Iowa City. Her second full-length album, “Sweet, Bitter Tears” was released in 2020.

Joshua Redman’s Still Dreaming

Joshua Redman is one of the most acclaimed and charismatic jazz artists to have emerged in the decade of the 1990s. Born in Berkeley, California, he is the son of legendary saxophonist Dewey Redman and dancer Renee Shedroff. Redman first signed with Warner Bros in 1993, which subsequently earned Redman his first Grammy nomination and has been working hard ever since, collaborating with the likes of Quincy Jones, Big Daddy Kane, Geoff Keezer, B.B. King, The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, DJ Logic, Joe Lovano, Yo Yo Ma, and many, many more. Joshua Redman has been nominated for 2 Grammys and has garnered top honors in critics and readers polls of DownBeat, Jazz Times, The Village Voice and Rolling Stone. He wrote and performed the music for Louis Malle’s final film Vanya on 42nd Street, and is both seen and heard in the Robert Altman film Kansas City.

Jumbies

Jumbies takes the rhythm, energy and motion of traditional Afro-Caribbean musical styles such as Soca and Reggae, the vibrant sound of the steel pan, and a high-energy funk backing band and spins out a tasty cocktail of seriously danceable music. What further blows the mind is that this sound comes out of five guys from Iowa.

Katy Guillen & The Drive

Katy Guillen & The Drive is founded on the energetic creative spark and longtime chemistry between Katy Guillen and Stephanie Williams. With Guillen on guitar and vocals and Williams on drums, the two sculpt a sound that recalls a blend of artists like Led Zeppelin, Patty Griffin, and Heartless Bastards.

Guillen calls their genre-bending style “indie roots rock.” Their newest release, the first installment of a two-part musical voyage, “Battles” was culled from a sizable batch of songs and demos crafted by the pair throughout the pandemic. In April 2021, they traveled to Invisible Creature Studio in Los Angeles to track the four-song EP with producer/engineer Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket, Heartless Bastards, Ray LaMontagne). 2022 takes the band on a touring schedule with dates across the country in the spring and summer, as well as a full-length release on the horizon.

Kevin Burt

For nearly 3 decades, Kevin Burt, Iowa Blues Hall of Fame member (class of 2019), has been mesmerizing audiences with his powerfully smooth and soulful vocal. Paired with his unique harmonica and guitar presentation along with his quick wit, Burt engages with his audience touching their souls while tickling their funny bones.

Kid Logic

July 2, 2022 will be the debut performance of Kid Logic. Featuring 5 of Eastern Iowa music veterans who have played in some of the most popular bands over the last 30 yrs including The Fez, Shade of Blue, Mean St & the Hell Horns, Craig Erickson, Soul Sacrifice, The FunkDaddies, Johnny Kilowatt Band, The Allman Brothers, Ashanti, The Dandelion Stompers and more.

John Reasoner – guitar
Saul Lubaroff – saxophones
Denny Redmond – keys
John Hall – bass
Tim Crumley – drums

Kid Logic plays the great jazz fusion bands of the 70’s and 80’s, Weather Report, David Sanborn, The Rippingtons, The Crusaders, Lee Ritenour, and more.

Kieron Dwayne Sargeant and Students

Kieron Dwayne is a Trinidadian-born Interdisciplinary artist, choreographer, drummer, and dance researcher. Mr. Sargeant holds an M.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography from Florida State University, a Master of Arts in Community Dance Practice from Ohio University and B.A in Dance from the University of West Indies. He is currently the Grant Wood Fellow in Interdisciplinary Performance and Dance at the University of Iowa.

His choreography has been presented nationally at SUNY-Brockport, Florida State University, Northwestern University, New York University (NYU) Universoul circus (Atlanta), Air Dance Conference (Miami), 621 Gallery, and internationally in Nigeria, Canada, Senegal, Mexico, London, Barcelona, Portugal, and Malaga.

Mr. Sargeant has conducted African Diaspora and Caribbean dance Masterclasses at Queensborough Community College, NYU Steinhardt, New York University, and Simon Fraser University of Contemporary Arts. Prior to this, he taught Masterclasses and Workshops in African-Caribbean, African-diasporic, and African-contemporary at Ecole Des Sables (Senegal), at the Mojuba Black Dance Festival,, the University of Florida, at the National Dance Education Colorado Conference, Sacramento State University, at Columbus State University, at Florida State University, at the Edna Manley School of the Performing Arts (Jamaica), at The Dance Guild (Nigeria), International Association of Blacks in Dance Conference (IABD) and the Collegium for African Diaspora Dance (CADD).

Kiersten Conway

Songwriter, contemporary jazz vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Kiersten Conway provides her listeners with an eccentric and compelling take on jazz through reinvented standards and captivating originals. She currently attends The School for Music Vocations in Creston, Iowa, where she is studying to become a performer & all-around musician. Kiersten has had a large amount of experience performing, appearing in places such as Noce Jazz Club and Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines, Iowa. In 2023, she was the “Vocal Jazz Soloist” co-winner in the DownBeat Student Music Awards. She plans to record and release her own music in the spring of 2024, while furthering her education and performing whenever she’s able. Kiersten continues to expand her experience and accomplishments and cannot wait for the future endeavors to come.

Kittel & Co.

Jeremy Kittel is an American violinist, fiddler, and composer. He received a Grammy nomination for “Best Instrumental Composition” in 2019 alongside prevalent composers such as John Williams and Terence Blanchard. Fluent in multiple musical genres, he composes original music that draws from a wide variety of influences including folk, jazz, Celtic, Classical, electronic, and more.

Kittel & Co. (“Kid-dle and Koh”) inhabits the space between classical and acoustic roots, Celtic and bluegrass aesthetics, folk and jazz sensibilities, and has performed at venues such as Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Celtic Connections, and A Prairie Home Companion. The group released its debut album, Whorls, in 2018, which features Kittel along with mandolin phenom Josh Pinkham (named “the future of the mandolin” by Mandolin Magazine), transcendent cellist Nathaniel Smith (as heard with Sarah Jarosz and Kacey Musgraves), guitarist Quinn Bachand (called “Canada’s top Celtic guitarist” by Ashley MacIsaac), and hammer-dulcimer wizard Simon Chrisman (acclaimed for bringing a new tonal flexibility to the instrument). Bluegrass Situation calls Whorls “a feat of new acoustic, string band-rooted chamber music…. whimsical, alluring, and magnificent,” while Earmilk says Whorls is “…a devastatingly beautiful album… a stunning melting pot of classical and folk music, featuring some of the greatest musicians in the genre.”

Kris Davis Quintet

Pianist-composer Kris Davis has blossomed as one of the singular talents on the New York jazz scene, a deeply thoughtful, resolutely individual artist who offers an “uncommon creative adventure,” according to JazzTimes. Reviewing one of the series of striking albums that Davis has released over the past decade, the Chicago Sun-Times lauded the “sense of kaleidoscopic possibilities” in her playing and compositions. She made her debut on record as a leader with Lifespan (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2003), followed by several more albums with various groups over the intervening years, many earning best of the year accolades from various publications. She was named one of “25 for the future” by Down Beat in 2016. She teaches at the School for Improvised Music. For the Jazz Festival, Davis will be joined by Mat Maneri on viola, Ingrid Laubrock on saxophone, bassist Trevor Dunn, and drummer Tom Rainey. About her art, JazzTimes declared: “Davis draws you in so effortlessly that the brilliance of what she’s doing doesn’t hit you until the piece has slipped past.”

Lakecia Benjamin

3x Grammy® Nominated and Voted by 2020 Downbeat Critics Poll Rising Star Alto Saxophonist and Up and Coming Artist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association, charismatic and dynamic saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin fuses traditional conceptions of Jazz, HipHop, and Soul.

In addition to touring with her own band both domestically and internationally in 2023, Lakecia performed in more than 20 cities with the Monterey Jazz Festival All Stars, sharing the front line with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling and the Christian Sands Trio. She served as the Guest Artistic Director for the Burlington Jazz Festival, presiding over one of the largest audiences in their history. She served as Artistic Director for the John and Alice Coltrane Jazz Festival in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania and was named Artist in Residence at the 66th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival. Recently she was named “Jazz Scholar” by the Library of Congress for 2023.

Lakecia’s latest CD “Phoenix” produced by Terri Lyne Carrington, garnered 7 magazine covers and a New York Times cover of the Arts and Leisure Section. The album features Dianne Reeves, Angela Davis, Sonia Sanchez, Patrice Rushen, Georgia Anne Muldrow, and Wayne Shorter. A streetwise New York City native born and raised in Washington Heights; Lakecia Benjamin first picked up the saxophone at Fiorello LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts. From there she graduated from the renowned jazz program at New York’s New School University.

Laura Caviani Trio

Pianist Laura Caviani is a veteran of two decades of performing, recording and composing. Most recently, her projects include arranging classical pieces in a jazz style, and revisiting the music of Thelonious Monk. In 2010, she was a finalist at the International Jazz Piano Competition in Jacksonville, Florida. She is on faculty at Carleton College, where she directs the jazz ensemble, coaches chamber groups, and teaches jazz piano. Chris Bates is a bassist who has worked professionally for 25 years, including as a member of the Atlantis Quartet, Framework and Red Planet. He has won Mcknight Fellowships for his composing and performing. Drummer David Schmalenberger has performed with several notable artists, including John Scofield, Larry Grenadier, Steve Turre, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Cab Calloway, the Fifth Dimension, and The Mills Brothers. He is the co–chair of the Percussion Department at McNally Smith College in downtown St. Paul, MN.

Leradee and the Positives

Leradee and the Positives are comprised of musicians from various backgrounds of life brought together by founder and lead singer Leradee Fomsi. Their shared musical experience forms a soul soothing, uplifting Roots Reggae sound with a taste of dancehall. The positives have built a reputation on connecting with audiences with their fulfilling, memorable performances.

Liberty Jazz Band

Liberty High School is in its 7th year of existence and already achieving great success as a music department. This year, Liberty hosted 28 Jazz Bands from around the state at the 6th Annual Liberty Jazz Festival, while the Liberty Jazz Band has had performances at the Iowa City Jazz Festival, Simpson Jazz Festival, Coe College Jazz Summit, and the SEIBA Jazz Festival. Additionally, the Jazz Ensemble has performed 4 concerts in the community with many Liberty alumni performing in and around the Corridor in groups of their own.

Life’s Your Stage Dance Company

Life’s Your Stage Dance Company’s mission is to enrich the lives of its students and their families by providing the highest quality of dance instruction. We strive to demonstrate how lessons learned in dance class at any age can be applied to many life situations both in and out of the studio. At Life’s Your Stage we aim to help our dancers lead fulfilling and inspirational lives by providing them with many of the tools they will need to follow and achieve their dreams; including a healthy self-image, a strong work ethic and a positive attitude.

Lincoln’s Way

Lincoln’s Way is the top jazz combo at Iowa State University. The band is composed of Noah Welch on tenor sax, Ben Sanders on piano, Brady Kolosik on alto sax, Robert Walling on bass, and Daniel Ansong on drums. The group takes influence from musicians such as Roy Hargrove, Cannonball Adderley, and Herbie Hancock.

Local on the 8’s

Local on the 8s, a group of musicians from across Iowa, utilizes a compelling combination and mixture of progressive rock, jazz, R&B, hip hop and funk music. Performing original compositions as well as the music of Trombone Shorty, Roy Hargrove, Kneebody, Christian Scott, Snarky Puppy and many others, Local on the 8s offers high energy music, steeped in tradition and sophistication, that will make anyone dance. Local on the 8s seeks to erase the lines between the mainstream and the underground – straight ahead and rock/funk.

Lou Sherry

Lou Sherry has been described by Anne Stork as “Doom Lounge” and has also been described by Servo as “Progressive Acid Yacht”. Another description details Lou Sherry as a 4 piece band from Iowa City. Come see and tell us what YOU think. Thank you.

Lucy Polyak

Lucy Polyak is a senior at West High where she writes for West Side Story. She is a reporter and the columns editor for both web and print publications. Lucy spends most of her time onstage in choir, show choir, and theatre but also loves to sit in her room watching classic movie musicals.

Luke Sanders Trio

Luke Sanders Trio ft. Luke Sanders (guitar), Michael Gedden (bass), Jeremiah de la Peña (drums).

Luke Sanders is an active Eastern Iowa guitar player based in Waterloo. Luke is the guitar instructor at both Luther College in Decorah and Wartburg College in Waverly. Michael Gedden is a bass player originally from Johnston, IA. After completing a degree in jazz studies at UNI, Michael relocated to Kansas City where he maintains an active performance schedule. Jeremiah de la Peña is originally from Palatine, IL. Jeremiah got his degree in percussion performance from Coe College. After Coe, Jeremiah moved back to Chicago to perform regularly throughout the Midwest.

Spectators should expect to hear genre-bending and euphoric originals in the mold of guitar favorites like Bill Frisell, Jim Hall, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Gilad Hekselman.

Luther Bangert

Luther Bangert was born and grown in Donnellson, Iowa, a small town near the banks of the muddy Mississippi. Always taken with the unusual and enchanted, he happened into a fascination with juggling at the age of 19. It ran deep, carrying him into the rich world of circus. Years of personal practice and development later, beginning to perform and travel led him to find other juggling, circus and movement communities around the world.

To Luther, juggling is both dance and martial art, a wondrous means of transferring spirit and sense to objects while exploring relationships with them both physically and philosophically. He draws great delight from sharing performance on the streets, the street always being the most surprising and magical realm to share performance with the masses. On stage, he performs more abstractly, drawing on his movement experience, fusing the technical patterns of juggling with the organic movement of the body to flesh out fresh expression and depth.

Luther has performed with the Great Bombay Circus in India, has a degree in philosophy, holds a Guinness World Record for “Most Things Juggled Whilst Sword Swallowing”, and has performed in twenty countries across four continents in the last nine years.

Luther is currently based in New York City – street performing, seeking out new collaborative worlds, crystallising his own form of juggling and movement, and studying contemporary dance, qigong and butoh.

Maaaze

Maaaze is a rock band from Eastern Iowa. Their knack for pop sensibilities, progressive arrangements, and use of effects both in the studio and onstage, has helped them craft a highly regarded sound amongst Eastern Iowa rock circles. Their live show packs a serious punch, a musical and visual journey invites the listener to get lost in a maze of sound and visuals while songs touch on themes of consumerism, mass media, religion, climate change, addiction, identity, loss, and growth. With their debut release Maaaze Vol I, the band crafted a 3 song EP and accompanying short film utilizing found footage from public domain sources. The band is comprised of Dan Miller, Lars Lee, and Patrick Montag.

Magician Mikayla Oz

Mikayla Oz has been astonishing audiences nationwide and is becoming one of the most in demand family entertainers in the country. Recognize Mikayla Oz? It’s probably from her multiple media appearances on TV’s Penn and Teller: Try This at Home, the Travel Channel, daytime television and with some of the top Youtubers and Influencers. During Mikayla’s 40min Magic Show, you can expect to see things appear, vanish, float and maybe even an appearance from her bird Bubbles during the show! Mikayla Oz’s show is great for all ages, so arrive early because spots will fill up quickly.

Marc Janssen & The Locals

Marc Janssen is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from rural Johnson County, IA. Growing up in a Midwestern small town, Janssen observed firsthand the balancing act of hard work and hard luck. He writes songs about everyday life. Marc Janssen & the Locals play Janssen’s original music in a country and Americana style. Band members Marc Janssen (vocal, guitar, fiddle), Matt Bernemann (drums), Patrick Bloom (bass, vocal), Randall Davis (guitar, pedal steel) are all in-demand veterans of the Iowa music scene. Janssen has been active in the Midwest traditional music scene since arriving in Iowa City in 2007. Performing on fiddle, mandolin, guitar, steel guitar, and banjo, he regularly plays with multiple groups across multiple genres, including old-time, bluegrass, country, jazz, folk, and rock. He has taught traditional music on multiple instruments locally, regionally, and nationally since 2010. Janssen is currently working on his first album of original material, expected to be released summer 2023.

MarKaus

Markaus approaches hip hop as rebellion and revolution from a conscious rap perspective, drawing musical influence from TechN9ne, Nas, and Gucci Mane, accented with tinges of rock, soul and jazz. From growing up in Kansas City to making a new home and starting life as an entrepreneur in Des Moines, his message resonates with the public. Markaus’ music and lyrics keep in mind the struggles of everyday people, and calls for action and change.

Matt Wilson’s Good Trouble

Matt Wilson has released thirteen albums as a leader, appeared on more than 400 others as a sideman and has played with an impressive array of some of the most legendary names in jazz, including Wynton Marsalis, Lee Konitz, Joe Lovano, Pat Metheny, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, John Scofield, Joanne Brackeen and Herbie Hancock, just to name a few.

Wilson was named 2018 Musician of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association and his album, Honey And Salt (Music Inspired by the Poetry of Carl Sandburg), won the JJA’s Album of the Year Award. That recording and his previous, Beginning of a Memory, accomplished the rare feat of an artist receiving consecutive 5-star (masterpiece) reviews from DownBeat magazine.

Wilson’s commitment to jazz goes far beyond his estimable skills as a drummer and bandleader. Also, a renowned educator, he is on a tireless mission to foster a lively and deep connection between music and people, whether they be playing or listening to it.

Matt Wilson’s Honey & Salt

New York based drummer and Grammy nominee Matt Wilson is one of todays most celebrated jazz artists. He is universally recognized for his musical and melodic drumming style as well as being a gifted composer, bandleader, producer, and teaching artist. Matt’s positive energy, sense of humor and ability to explore a broad range of musical settings keeps him in constant demand. In addition, Wilson’s dedication to jazz has helped establish him as a beloved world ambassador for the music, on and off the bandstand.

Wilson leads the Matt Wilson Quartet, Arts and Crafts, Christmas Tree-O and the Carl Sandburg Project. Matt is integral part of bands led by Joe Lovano, John Scofield, Charlie Haden, Lee Konitz, Bob Stewart, Denny Zeitlin, Ron Miles, Marty Ehrlich, Ted Nash, Jane Ira Bloom and Dena DeRose among others. He has performed with many legends of music including Herbie Hancock, Dewey Redman, Andrew Hill, Bobby Hutcherson, Elvis Costello, Cedar Walton, Kenny Barron, John Zorn, Marshall Allen, Wynton Marsalis, Michael Brecker, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell and Hank Jones. Wilson has appeared on 250 CDs as a sideman and has released 9 as a leader for Palmetto Records as well as co-leading 5 additional releases.

Meghan Elizabeth

Meghan Elizabeth is an emerging singer-songwriter who performs locally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She released her debut EP, “A New Phase”, in late November of 2017. Her act typically consists of covers and original songs played on guitar and ukulele. She is known for her unique voice and mellow sound. She derives much of her inspiration from Vance Joy, as well as other alternative singer-songwriters and bands.

Mektoub

Mektoub performs a variety of Mediterranean folk-jazz and original music by singer/songwriter Nielo Gaglione, an immigrant to Iowa from Southern France. Nielo’s compositional style is rooted in influences from reggae, jazz, and musical traditions from North Africa, and his joyful lyrics often speak to values of social progress and love. Nielo, John Rapson, and Ryan Smith began Mektoub in 2019 in Iowa City and before the pandemic could most frequently be found performing at Goosetown Café in Iowa City. Their first album Elizabeth includes new members and releases in April of 2022.

Meteor Cat

Meteor Cat is a collaboration of musicians dedicated to preserving funk and soul music by excavating and performing deep cuts while mixing in crafted originals. The 10 piece band formed in 2012 while writing songs and performing in Iowa City. Along the way the band has played some notable stages like the Englert theater and Camp Euforia. You might have heard them pay tribute to their favorite artists by playing whole sets of Parliament Funkadelic and Stevie Wonder. Now with their first album recorded and available online, they play across the state bringing their high energy and engaging show to every stage.

Mike Conrad Trio

Mike Conrad is a composer and improviser currently serving as Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of Northern Iowa. He has been recognized for his arranging and composing with four ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards and seven awards from Downbeat Magazine, as well as many other accolades. Conrad’s music has been performed all over the world, including a 2017 concert by the Metropole Orkest in the Netherlands, a 2014 Carnegie Hall Premiere, and a performance at the US Presidential Inauguration in 2013.

As a pianist and trombonist, he has toured China, played at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy, and appeared at various jazz festivals and venues all over the United States. Aside from his own projects like the All Angles Orchestra, the Mike Conrad Trio, and the co-led big band COLOSSUS, Conrad has enjoyed performing and/or recording with Alexa Tarantino, Dave Chisholm, the Bob Washut Dodectet, Christopher’s Very Happy. Band., the Max Wellman Big Band, and many other groups. Some of his more recent projects include a reimagination of Beethoven’s 3rd symphony in collaboration with the Berlin-based Stegreif Orchester, and a suite of four Iowa-inspired big band pieces for the Iowa Jazz Composers Orchestra, which he founded. Conrad’s latest jazz trio project, “Reconnect,” features Katie Ernst on bass and Cassius Goens III on drums.

Mike Wheeler Band

With a vast knowledge of music and a voice that’s reminiscent of the late Sam Cooke, Mike can sing and play everything so well, that you may forget what the original record even sounds like. From Jazz to Rock, from popular music to Top 40, Mike slides in and out of musical genres with sophistication, ease and indulgence.

Mike Wheeler is a brilliant staple in the Chicago blues community, playing with and writing songs for a variety of Chicago artists including, Nellie “Tiger” Travis, Peaches Staten, Sam Cockrell, Demetria Taylor, Big Ray and Cadillac Dave. Mike was a well-known member of the Chicago Playboys, a notable band in Chicago, and recorded five albums with this group. Mike has travelled the world as an ambassador for Chicago blues music. He’s travelled to Monaco, France, Switzerland, Spain and Belgium, just to name a few. He’s also shared the stage with the most elite musicians that world has known, including Willie Kent, Koko Taylor, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, George Benson, Jimmy Johnson and Shemekia Copeland. Mike was inducted into the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame in 2014.

Mike plays Gibson Les Paul and 335 guitars, Fender Stratocaster guitars, and uses Elixir strings.

Miles Over Mountains

Miles Over Mountains is a progressive bluegrass band based in McHenry, IL. Their live shows are high energy, centered around an arsenal of original material and refreshing variety of cover songs served up in their own unique style.

Milo, Iris and Annie Savage

The Savage-Websters are a family band composed of veteran Iowa City musician Annie Savage with daughter, Iris on fiddle/guitar and son, Milo, on drums. They have been playing and loving music together for over 20 years and look forward to inspiring YOUR family to make music together too!

Molly Miller Trio

Since Dr. Molly Miller picked up a guitar at age seven, she’s been captivating audiences with her sophisticated and raw style. She’s one of Los Angeles’s most sought-after musicians, recording and touring with artists such as Jason Mraz, Black Eyed Peas, Donna Missal, and Jaimo, at venues such as the Hollywood Bowl, Royal Albert Hall, and Coachella.

Miller is featured on Jason Mraz’s latest albums Know and Look For the Good. She is in the house-band on The Bachelor’s newest ABC primetime show, Listen To Your Heart. Soon after earning her Doctorate in Musical Arts from the University of Southern California in 2016, she became the chair of the Guitar Department at Los Angeles College of Music, a position she still holds. When Miller’s not on tour, running a guitar department, or in the studio, she heads her own trio, Molly Miller Trio, showcased on NPR’s Fresh Air, Guitar Player, & Fretboard Journal.

Muckrockers

The Muckrockers are an Iowa-based Americana band with a sound rooted in folk, country, funk and punk rock. Featuring singer-songwriters Scott Cochran and Matt Kearney on rhythm guitars and vocals, Jamie Kearney on drums/vocals, Stacy Webster and Byron Stevens on lead guitar and bass, the Muckrockers play original songs that are thoughtful, danceable, rambunctious and fun.

Murphy Fisher Quartet

The Murphy Fisher Quartet is a jazz quartet, made up of Murphy Fisher (piano), James Kardos (drums), Leo Burchett (bass), and Edward Kenyon (Saxophone). They perform a variety of original songs and covers, with a heavy emphasis on improvisation and collectively building spontaneous melody. They have played at Hancher Auditorium, FilmScene’s Refocus Festival, and more. Their original music is out on every platform under “Murphy Fisher.”

Natty Nation

For over 25 years, the Madison, Wisconsin-based group has purely and fearlessly followed its inner artistic continuum. Along the way, Natty Nation has burst through genres while retaining a distinct roots reggae core.

Through it all—whether it’s onstage conducting its shamanistic live show, or in the studio pushing the scope of its musicality while honing its sharp songcraft—Natty Nation has remained dedicated to one mission: spreading light. On March 11th, 2016 Natty Nation issued its brightest beacon yet, Divine Spark (iNatty Records), which debuted at #3 on the Billboard reggae chart.

Natty Nation’s unique pedigree of a Midwest home base and artistic openness has helped the posse foster a signature sound. The group describes themselves as hard roots rock reggae because, in addition to their honest and authentic roots reggae foundation, their embrace of soul, rock, and funk is undeniable. Natty Nation is also influenced by such diverse geniuses as Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, Living Colour, Earth Wind and Fire, Fishbone, and Bad Brains. Since 1995, Natty Nation has had fluid membership of esteemed and visionary musicians. Currently, Natty Nation is led by JAH Boogie – bass/lead vocals, Paule Willis — drums/percussion, musical director Aaron Konkol – keyboards/vocals/melodica, Nick Czar — guitar/vocals, and finally Captain Smooth — live dub engineer.

Natural Habits

Natural Habits is self-defined as “original midwestern roots rock” – not quite country, not quite pop, not quite rock and roll. Fronted by singer/songwriter Nikki Lunden Trotter, this band brings your mind and heart to full attention with personal and complex songs of love, addiction, recovery and even gets political at times.

Natural Habits consists of Nikki Lunden Trotter (The Trollies, Heinous Canis, Lunden Reign), Seth “Puma” Koenig on drums (The Trollies, Heinous Canis, Lunatics on Pogosticks), Adam Grosso on bass (The Trollies, Euforquestra, Jumbies), Dave Helmer on guitar (Crystal City, Dave Helmer Band) and the one and only Smudge on hand percussion.

New Dawn

New Dawn plays the songs that you grew up loving! Whether it’s The Rolling Stones, Boston, Journey, Bruce Springsteen, or Bon Jovi, New Dawn has you covered. This talented group of Iowa City classmates will have you tapping your feet and dancing along to the music. New Dawn looks forward to making you smile this summer at Art’s Fest, Iowa City Farmer’s Market (June 19^th), Johnson County Fair (July 21^st), Coralville 5^th Street Social (August 10^th), and Regina’s Family Fun Festival (August 16^th). See you on June 1^st at the Linn Street Live stage!

Nick Rueckert Quartet

A native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, pianist/composer Nick Rueckert has lived in Iowa and performed throughout the Midwest since 2008. Holding degrees from Drake University and Boston University, Nick is a regular member of the Des Moines Big Band and has performed regularly with many ensembles including The Turner Center Jazz Orchestra, Parranderos Latin Combo, The Des Moines Metro Concert Band and Big Band, and alongside a variety of local and visiting artists.

The Nick Rueckert Quartet features compositions and arrangements penned by himself and its members Aaron Ehrlich on saxophone, Chris Walsh on bass, and Ben Poppen on drums.

Nielo Gaglione

Nielo Gaglione is a singer-songwriter from France. A Musician for more than 30 years, he always dedicated his life to music and creation. An Electric bass and Algerian Mandole player, he has lived in Iowa City for more than 6 years. As a Composer with Dr. John Rapson, they created the recital “Hot Tamale Louíe” in 2016 and “Esteban and the Children of the Sun” coming out the 3rd of October 2021 at the Englert Theater. Nielo Gaglione is a happy dad and a kind human being. He believes in Love as the best antidote to make this world safer. He will create a unique Family Show for The Iowa Arts Festival, based on the beauty of the World described by different poets. Are you ready for a poem’s journey?

Night Mayor

Night Mayor is an up and coming jazz fusion quintet based in Cedar Falls Iowa.
Comprised of University of Northern Iowa students, Night Mayor has enjoyed varied
performances in the Cedar Falls, Iowa City, and DSM ares for the past two years. They are currently working on their debut EP to be released summer of 2018.

NOLA Jazz Band

In only a few short years The NOLA Jazz Bands “gutsy and heartfelt” blues and jazz stylings has earned them a nationwide fan base. This 5 generation, 8 member group led by clarinetist Jeff Kane has played with some of the biggest movers and shakers in the New Orleans, Hot Jazz, and NYC Traditional Jazz scenes including: Bria Skonberg, Marla Dixon and Shotgun Jazz Band, Paul Mehling and Hot Club of San Francisco, Davina & the Vagabonds, and many others. Band members have also played in Europe and at well-known clubs in New Orleans and New York including the Spotted Cat, Bamboula’s, Iridium, and Smalls Jazz Club.

Nolte Academy of Dance

Nolte Academy’s mission is to offer unparalleled quality in arts education through dedicated teachers, a focus on correct technique and inspiring performance opportunities. Passion for the performing arts that enrich our lives. Respect for our fellow dancers and their families. Dedication to progress each student. Connectedness to our community.

NonProphet

Beginning just last year, NonProphet is a jazz/rock fusion ensemble composed of some of Iowa City’s finest young musicians. Sharing a love for genres from funk and gospel to indie rock, NonProphetemphasizes musical bridges over traditionalism. Setlists feature past fusion mixed with the cutting edge, lesser-known standards and original material.

Members include: Peter Stoltz on drums and cymbals, Levi Pugh on keys, Daniel Burgess on guitar and vocals, Dr. Michael Chimenti on tenor sax, and Robert Walling on bass. Ranging in age from sophomore in high school to genomics researcher, NonProphet‘s lineup covers many facets of the human experience. Stop by for a fun set of high energy fusion.

Nora Jean

Nora Jean is all about love and passion for the blues. Though she began early in her childhood, Nora’s big break came in 1985, when Jimmy Dawkins saw her performing at a local Chicago club and hired her on the spot. For the next seven years, she toured the world, refined her performing skills and acquired an international fan base. And every year between 2005 and 2009 she was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year category. No matter what comes, fame or obscurity, wealth or poverty, she is born to be a blues singer, and sing the blues she would.

North Corridor All Stars

The North Corridor All-Star is made up of musicians from high schools along the north I-380 corridor and is under the direction of Coe College music professor, Steve Shanley. Individuals in this group have been recognized as members or alternates of the prestigious Iowa All-State Jazz Band, and all are pursuing private jazz studies. They are honored to be a part of this year’s festival and look forward to performing a mix of original compositions and standards.

Noryli

Noryli, 26, was born in the heart of Mexico City, Mexico, not knowing that a little girl from a very rural poor town would step foot in the United States, find her voice and pursue her passion of singing. Since her first solo at the young age of 7 she knew that she loved the spotlight! She has grown and learned throughout her life and has sung multiple solos in high school/College as well as doing some choreography here and there for college productions. Noryli thanks you from the bottom of her heart for all the support and is blessed to be performing for you!

Old Capitol Chorus

Iowa City’s Old Capitol Chorus is all about harmony. Under the direction of Chad Knipfer, our chapter in the Barbershop Harmony Society has been ringing chords for 60 years. Nearly 500 men have added their voice to our chorus from the beginning. We simply love to sing! We continue to welcome new singers of all backgrounds. Rehearsing on Thursday evenings, at Robert A Lee Community Center, to bring melody and harmony to this world. As you can see, we have a blast. A heartfelt thank you to Summer of the Arts for inviting us to Arts Fest.

Old Capitol City Roller Derby

Old Capitol City Roller Derby is a league of members who wish to represent Iowa City with integrity, pride, and goodwill through a unique cultural outlet. We also aim to be strong, athletic, confident role models for our community. OCCRD formed in November of 2008 and became a Woman’s Flat Track Roller Derby (WFTDA) member league at the start of 2012. We have games in the fall and spring, and our bootcamps for new skaters are every November. Visit our Facebook page @oldcapitolcityrollerderby or our website occrd.com

One Foot on the Ground

O.F.O.T.G. is a three piece from Eastern Iowa that hasn’t the time for limits or rules. Whether on the job, or at a session in front of the monitors, O.F.O.T.G. has one thing in common at the end of the day; they just love music. Nick on drums, on guitar, Adrian, and on bass, Greg. Some influences include The Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers, Nirvana, RHCP, Alice In Chains and Primus, just to name a few.

Orquesta Alto Maiz

Orquesta Alto Maiz is something of a musical enigma. It is a popular Latin-jazz-dance band made up of musicians now living in the “heartland” of America. The Latin tinged music they perform, usually found in the clubs of New York City, L.A. or Miami, has secured them a reputation as one of the hottest bands in the Midwest.

This strange mix of “salsa” and tall corn works because of the years of musical experience the band members bring to the group, and because of their love for the music. Alto Maiz has been performing regionally and internationally since 1986 and has steadily built a strong base of Latin music fans and supporters wherever they’ve played.

Orquesta Alto Maiz plays a wide range of Latin musical styles, including merengue, samba, cha-cha-cha, salsa, calypso, and boleros. In addition to Latin-jazz standards by Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Eddie Palmieri, Ismael Miranda, Mario Bauzá, Poncho Sanchez and others, the band has produced many successful original compositions as well.

Otros Outros

Otros Outros is a 3-piece post-hardcore band from Iowa City, IA. Borrowing from noise-rock and traditional punk, they try to balance dissonance and melody, sustenance and discord. Their full length LP, recorded at Flat Black Studios, will be released in 2018.

Paa Kow

Paa Kow is an internationally renowned artist, drum set player, composer, and producer. Growing up in the small village of Enyan Denkyira near Cape Coast in Ghana, West Africa, Paa Kow began to play music and tour with his family’s concert band at a very early age. He has since grown to be widely recognized as one of the most remarkable drum set players to tour in Africa, Europe, and America. Paa Kow’s deep groove and prodigious talent reveal a unique ability to speak to listeners with his drums, inspiring a profound spiritual conversation. His songs are captivating and danceable and incorporate lyrics in his native language, Fante, as well as English. Paa Kow’s vision is to spread the music and culture of his homeland by touring the world with his Afro-Fusion orchestra.

Notable musicians he has shared the stage with include African greats: Amakye Dede, George Darko, Kojo Antwi, Nat Brew, Hugh Masekela, and Vusi Mahlasela, as well as American greats Victor Wooten, Brad Goode, John Gunther, Michael Kang, and many more.

Pandelirium Steel Drum Band

The Pandelirium Steel Drum Band performs on instruments cut and hammered from 55-gallon oil barrels and their performances include a blend of musical styles ranging from traditional Calypsos and Soccas of Trinidad to Reggae, arrangements of popular songs, and jazz standards. They have performed at numerous venues in Iowa, including the Iowa City Jazz Festival, Iowa Corn Daze, the Marion Swamp Fox Festival, and RAGBRAI.

Pantaloon Productions

Is coming up with ideas for creative walk around entertainment a stretch for you? Our stilt walkers stand out head and shoulders above the rest as they integrate technology and creative design to bring you truly innovative characters.

Parker Millsap

At only 24 years of age, Oklahoma native Parker Millsap is quickly making a name for himself with his captivating live performances, soulful sound, and character-driven narratives. He recently wrapped up a banner year, which included his network television debut on CONAN, an invitation to play with Elton John at the Apple Music Festival, an Austin City Limits taping and an Americana Music Association nomination for Album of the Year, as well as winning the International Folk Music Awards’ Artist Of the Year. Parker’s last release, The Very Last Day, has received praise from The New York Times, The Boston Globe, LA Times, Austin Chronicle and Rolling Stone to name a few. New Album, Other Arrangements, out May 4th, 2018.

Pennies on the Rail

Pennies on the Rail consists of musicians Rus & Roxanne Schomers and Jeffrey & Cheli Morgan.

Penny Peach

Penny Peach Jr. is a DIY Princess based in Iowa City. She credits Ty Segall and Ella Fitzgerald as being her greatest inspirations. Singer and songwriter Elizabeth Moen describes Penny Peach as “this perfect combination of jazz, maybe even hints of old country, but it’s indie, intense, loud, kind of indie-punk vibes.”

Pert Near Sandstone

Crossing Old-time instrumentation with contemporary sensibilities, Pert Near Sandstone emerged nearly twenty years ago from the Minnesota acoustic music scene. With infectious energy and collaborative spirit, they have established themselves as standard-bearers for the vitality of the Midwestern roots music scene and alongside Minnesota brethren Trampled By Turtles and Charlie Parr. They have toured extensively and performed onstage with the likes of Sam Bush and Jerry Douglas, earning dates along the way with everyone from Yonder Mountain String Band to Steve Martin. NPR’s Mountain Stage praised the band for putting a “Midwestern stamp on Appalachian [sounds],” while A Prairie Home Companion described Pert Near Sandstone as “a force on the Minnesota roots music scene and beyond,” and The Current praised their live performances as “a frenzied string shredding spree that takes audiences under its spell.” As festival favorites in both the US and Europe, the band helped to launch the Blue Ox Music Festival in 2015, which they continue to host and curate each June in Eau Claire, WI. For the past decade, the now prestigious music festival has helped bring into the local community a great many nationally treasured artists such as Bela Fleck, Billy Strings, Tyler Childers, Jerry Douglas, Margo Price, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Charlie Crockett, The Infamous Stringdusters, Jason Isbell, Greensky Bluegrass, The Drive By Truckers, and so many more.

Pete Balestrieri

Pete Balestrieri is an Iowa City saxophonist. He toured and recorded with Violent Femmes for twenty years and has a Gold Record for their first album. Most recently, he’s been with Old Scratch Revival Singers, Brooks Strause and The Gory Details, and the Cirque Stupendo Circus Band. He also frequently performs solo.

Peter Tearse Quartet

The Peter Tearse Quarter is lead by Peter Tearse; a sophomore jazz studies and music education major at DePaul University in Chicago, and an Iowa City native. The group in composed of a close knit group of friends who all met at a summer jazz camp before graduating from high school. Members of this group range from ages 18-21, and are students of music schools across the country (Berklee, DePaul University, and Columbia University).

The group is excited to perform at the Iowa City Jazz Festival and be apart of the Summer of the Arts program, ready to show there unique style to a new wave of fans, old and new.

Peterson/Thaker Quartet

The Peterson/Thaker Quartet is comprised of talented young artists from around the state. Members of this group have studied with some of the most talented jazz artists on the scene today, and continue to advance the music while also staying in the line of tradition.

Pieta Brown

It was in hotel rooms across the country that Pieta Brown wrote most of the songs on her gorgeous new album, ‘Postcards.’ Like any touring musician, she was on the road to survive, balancing the rewards of performing music for a living with the challenges of trying to stay connected to loved ones and other artists while in motion. So, when she was finally stationed at home, she decided to send out some postcards. These weren’t just any postcards, though, these were musical postcards, the stripped-down, acoustic shells of new songs she’d written while traveling, and she sent them to folks like Mark Knopfler, Calexico, Mason Jennings, David Lindley, Carrie Rodriguez, Caitlin Canty, and The Pines among others. Her instructions to each were simple: write back.

What Pieta created is more than a conversation, though. It’s a striking collection of portraits—sometimes sweet and tender, sometimes eerie and haunting—of characters facing loneliness and longing and loss with a stoic sense of dignity. Her airy vocals, with just a hint of a drawl from a childhood split between Alabama and Iowa, float above rich, earthy texture, fluidly merging grit and grace in what is undoubtedly her finest work to date.

Pigs & Clover

Pigs and Clover is a folk-rock project and a way of life, founded by Iowa singer-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists, Matt and Jamie Kearney. Their original songs feature pithy lyrics, harmony vocals, driving guitar and drum rhythms, and electric harmonica, and have been described as “smart, heartfelt and funny.” Pigs and Clover believe in the power of art to influence and inspire thought and action.

Pinicon Drift

Pinicon Drift plays its own blend of American roots music—rock, folk, pop, country, and soul. Featuring the vocals of Julie Troendle and David Pedersen and Jeff Schmidt’s acoustic guitar (plus the addition of a kick-ass rhythm section and lead guitar for the Iowa Arts Festival performance), the band’s approach is as straightforward as its members’ eastern Iowa roots.

A shared appreciation of classic and contemporary songwriters is reflected in the band’s choices of cover tunes, and the group’s original material is distinctive for its catchy melodies, tight harmonies, and sing-along lyrics. The Pinicon Drift credo is simple yet clear: Serve the song.

Pint Sized Polkas

Mike Schneider started playing the accordion at the age of six after hearing America’s Polka King Frankie Yankovic perform live for the first time at a parish festival in Milwaukee, WI. Mike’s father, Paul, planted the seeds of polka early, pulling his accordion out of the closet from time to time to entertain his only son. So if you were wondering how a six-year-old boy can go from accordion player to an acclaimed Wisconsin polka band leader, now you know!

Plastic Relations

Plastic Relations is a locally grown cover band focused on good music and great times. Created in 2014 with remnants from other area bands, Plastic Relations has settled on its current seven-member line-up. They tailor set-lists to fit a theme or event, playing everything from a Class of 1967 Reunion to the soundtrack from Dazed and Confused to their David Bowie Tribute show. With Renee Zukin on lead vocals, Ben Jaggers on lead guitar, Eben Louis on keys and Forrest Heusinkveld on drums, the sound is hard to resist, no matter the theme.

Poetry in Public

Here’s your chance to hear this year’s winning poems!

Poetry in Public celebrates Iowa City’s rich literary tradition and local writing talent by displaying poems by writers of all ages. Iowa City is internationally recognized by UNESCO as a City of Literature.

Poems are available for viewing all over the community – including inside city buses, at the Iowa City Public Library and Iowa City Recreation Centers, as well as many other public facilities. Poems are on display beginning in April, national poetry month, throughout the fall.

Pomtastiks

The Iowa City Senior Center supports wellness, social connections, community engagement, lifelong learning and FUN! And speaking of FUN – The Pomtastiks! Have over 20 choreographed dances in their repertoire and use poms and props to add fun and variety to each performance. Their music covers different eras and genres and the team members span four decades in age. These dancing queens really know how to “cut a rug” and love to entertain and share the gift of music and dance!

Quad Cities Ballet Folklorico

The Quad Cities Ballet Folklorico (QCBF) is a non-profit organization that teaches the Mexican culture through the art form of dance. Founded in 1984 by Arnulfo Camarillo with the help of his wife, Beatriz Camarillo it all came together after studying folklore dance at the Universidad de Guadalara in Jalisco, Mexico. There Arnulfo returned to the United States with aspirations to keep this Hispanic culture and its rich traditions alive. He achieved exactly that and accomplished so much more.

Throughout the years, the QCBF has welcomed students from a variety of backgrounds to join in their mission to express the Hispanic culture through dance and music. Soon these young kids were performing traditional dances from the states such as Nayarit, Veracruz, Nuevo Leon, and the popular Jalisco.

Reese Pike Trio

The Reese Pike Trio is made up of Reese Pike on piano, Vivian Shanley on bass, and Brian Zeglis on drums. Reese and Vivian are currently students at Lawrence University, where they frequently perform together and are the co-presidents of the Jazz and Gender Equity Initiative. Reese is originally from Omaha, Nebraska and studies with Bill Carrothers and Dr. Catherine Kautsky. She is pursuing degrees in both music and Spanish. At Lawrence, Reese has been a member of Lawrence University Jazz Ensemble, jazz combos, Wind Ensemble, chamber music groups, and frequently accompanies both singers and instrumentalists. She was honored to be selected to perform with Carl Allen at the inauguration of Lawrence’s current president, Laurie Carter. Reese regularly performs in a wide variety of musical styles, including a solo piano performance of contemporary classical music written by Gabriela Lena Frank at the 2022 Omaha Under the Radar Festival. She has also opened for Champian Fulton. The winner of the 2020 Nebraska Jazz Orchestra Young Jazz Artist Competition, she is passionate about expanding representation within the jazz world.

Rene Marie & Experiment in Truth

In a span of two decades, 11 recordings and countless stage performances, vocalist René Marie has cemented her reputation as not only a singer but also a composer, arranger, theatrical performer and teacher. Guided and tempered by powerful life lessons and rooted in jazz traditions laid down by Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington and other leading ladies of past generations, she borrows various elements of folk, R&B and even classical and country to create a captivating hybrid style. Her body of work is musical, but it’s more than just music. It’s an exploration of the bright and dark corners of the human experience, and an affirmation of the power of the human spirit.

Rhythm Future Quartet

The acoustic jazz ensemble, Rhythm Future Quartet has a straightforward agenda: to keep the spirit of Gypsy jazz alive and expanding in today’s musical universe. The virtuosic foursome, named for a Django Reinhardt tune, offers up a newly minted sound, influenced by the classic Hot Club of France, yet wholly contemporary. Led by violinist Jason Anick and guitarist Olli Soikkeli, the quartet performs dynamic and lyrical arrangements of both Gypsy jazz standards and original compositions that draw upon diverse international rhythms and musical idioms. With Max O’Rourke on second guitar and Greg Loughman on bass, Rhythm Future is dedicated to expanding the boundaries of a vital musical genre.

Where the band’s self-titled debut album re-visited classic jazz and Gypsy jazz favorites, Travels, the quartet’s current release, concentrates on group originals that make captivating use of musical sources from outside the conventional Gypsy jazz terrain. Travels reflects both the accumulated knowledge garnered from the groups world wide touring as well as the international influences that inspired new rhythmic and harmonic possibilities within their compositions and arrangements.

Jason Anick, an award-winning composer and one of the youngest professors at the esteemed Berklee College of Music in Boston, has shared the stage with an array of artists including Grammy award winning guitarist John Jorgenson, Stevie Wonder, The Jim Kweskin Jug Band, and Tommy Emmanuel. Olli Soikkeli (coined “the Finnish boy wonder”) recently made the move from Scandinavia to New York City, where he quickly became a top call guitarist in the bustling Brooklyn jazz scene. He has performed alongside rising star Cyrille Aimee, world-renowned Gypsy guitarist Stochelo Rosenberg, Bucky Pizzarelli and many others.

Max O’Rourke was the winner of the 2015 Saga Award from DjangoFest Northwest, and at 19 has already toured/recorded with many of the top American Gypsy Jazz musicians including John Jorgenson and Gonzalo Bergara. Greg Loughman is a top call bassist in Boston and has been heard with such luminaries as Sheila Jordan, Curtis Fuller and George Garzon

Rico McFarland Band

Biography by Jason Birchmeier

For years, Rico McFarland played guitar for such luminous blues artists as James Cotton and Lucky Peterson, before finally launching his solo career in 2001 to much acclaim. Born on March 5, 1960, the Chicago guitarist worked with countless blues artists over the years: Albert King, Otis Clay, Syl Johnson, Artie White, Kinsey Report, and more. He is perhaps best known for working with Cotton and Peterson, however. McFarland recorded his solo debut album, Tired of Being Alone, for Evidence Records in 2001 with a large roster of guests, including vocalists Otis Clay, Syl Johnson, Billy Branch, and Teela. The album won much acclaim and earned McFarland a 2002 W.C. Handy nomination for Best New Artist of the Year.

Ritmo Quinto

James Dreier’s Ritmocano project has now evolved into a smaller group with a new name – Ritmo-Quinto. This 3 – 4-piece band is able to accommodate some of the smaller live music venues available in eastern Iowa. Ritmo-Quinto features much of the same original and arranged Latin jazz music guaranteed to excite the listeners with tropical rhythms and stellar musicianship. The group features leader James Dreier (UI Emeritus Associate Professor in jazz) on congas, percussion and drum set, along with Askar Khaetov on electric bass, Dr. Ryan Smith on saxophones and flute, and Dr. Steve Shanley on Keyboards. Each of them bring their own years of experience and countless accolades to the stage for performances like no other.

Ritmocano

¡RITMOCANO! is a dynamic Latin jazz group led by percussionist James Dreier (founding member of Orquesta Alto Maiz) and featuring some of the best jazz musicians in the Midwest. ¡RITMOCANO! plays Latin jazz, including mambo, cha cha chá, rumba and bembé from Cuba, samba, bassa nova and maracatú from Brazil, merengue, and calypso form the Caribbean and more.

River Glen

River Glen and his band are a powerhouse of talent and their love of performance is palpable. Their original music playfully blends elements of folk, pop, rock, jazz, and more…always with clever rhymes and tasty grooves. River’s songwriting is steeped in the socially conscious tradition of songwriters like Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, and his work strikes a delicate balance of pop-appeal and lyrical substance. In 2017, River was named an Iowa Arts Council Fellow for his music. While serving in this honorary position he began work on “As Above, So Below”, an album of original music featuring more than 150 singers/musicians, almost entirely from his home state of Iowa. In October of 2023, River and his bandmates were named Artist of the Month by Iowa Public Radio. Find the album “As Above, So Below” as well as additional information about River’s music, videos, and Car Concerts at www.RiverGlenMusic.com.

Riverside Theatre

Riverside Theatre was founded by Ron Clark, Jody Hovland and Bruce Wheaton in 1981 and is now in its 35th season.

From September through April we produce a full season of work at our theatre on Gilbert Street. In June and July, we produce a summer season centered around the classics.

We are affiliated with Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States, employing actors and designers from all over the country and provide housing, salary, and transportation to visiting actors and directors during their employment at Riverside.

Rude Punch

Ryan Jeter’s Mind@Large

Mind@Large was formed in 2022 by Iowa City native Ryan Jeter. Ryan was a founding member of the Iowa born band Euforquestra that moved to Colorado in 2008. In 2017 he and his family moved from Fort Collins, CO to Des Moines, IA where he lives today. Mind@Large is a collective that includes several talented musicians in Iowa that all bring their own unique abilities and experiences to the table. The band will be performing in support of their debut EP release “Off The Rails” that will be out summer 2023. The EP features vocalist, lyricist and fellow Euforquestra member Mathew Wright who will also be joining the group for concerts during the summer 2023.

Mind@Large also includes: Jay Foote on the bass, Robert Espe on the tenor sax, Rob Ankum on guitar, Ryan Mullin on percussion, Antonio Garza on trumpet and Michael Woods on the drums. You can expect to hear a combination of many musical styles including, Funk, Soul, New Orleans jazz, Reggae and Dub.

Ryan Keberle’s Catharsis

Led by Ryan Keberle, #1 Rising Star Trombonist in the Downbeat International Critics Poll, Catharsis has been hailed by the Los Angeles Times for its “potent blend of cinematic sweep and lush, ear-grabbing melodies.” The highly acclaimed piano-less group brings together elements of chamber music, South American folk, and indie rock within a traditional jazz framework, resulting in a sound that has thrilled audiences across the globe for close to a decade.

In Catharsis, the potent frontline rapport of Keberle and saxophonist Scott Robinson and the unshakable rhythm of bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Eric Doob combine in a sound full of drama and intrigue. The guitar and vocals of Camila Meza have also come to shape the band’s chemistry and unmistakable ensemble sound.

The band debuted in 2012 with Music Is Emotion, followed by Into the Zone in 2014 and Azul Infinito in 2016 (the latter two released on Dave Douglas’s Greenleaf label). Billboard picked Azul Infinito as one of “five jazz albums you need to hear.” In 2017 Catharsis turned its attention to political turmoil in the U.S. with the protest album Find the Common, Shine a Light, praised by The Nation as “unpretentiously intelligent and profoundly moving.” Find the Common also saw Keberle emerging as a solid performing keyboardist (his first instrument).

Catharsis has toured internationally for years, engaging audiences at the Toronto, Ottawa, Rochester and Bergamo International Jazz Festivals, and at premier jazz clubs including Pizza Express (London), Le Duc des Lombards (Paris), Stadtgarten (Cologne), Jazz Standard and Jazz at Lincoln Center (New York) and Blue Whale (Los Angeles). The band was also featured in NPR’s prestigious Tiny Desk Concert series and on the French TV channel Mezzo.

Catharsis band members bring an impressive wealth of experience of their own, playing an integral role in many of today’s foremost jazz and Latin jazz ensembles, including bands led by Charlie Haden, Gary Burton, Julian Lage, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Paquito D’Rivera, and Gonzalo Rubalcaba.

Saint Silver

Saint Silver is a 6-piece Midwest rock band from Iowa City, USA. The band formed in 2022 from a collection of X-gen misfits who met in Josh Silver’s basement and who all just couldn’t get enough Dead, Dylan, Marley, Beatles, and Neil Young. Performing original songs and covers, they fuse grass roots folk blues and psychedelic rawk with infectious grooves and a touch of reggae that will make you want to think, feel, and dance.

Sam Ross Quintet

The Sam Ross Quintet is a jazz combo made up of performers, composers, and educators. Sam Ross is a Iowa City based tenor saxophonist currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Jazz Performance at the University of Iowa, where he studies with Dr. Damani Phillips. He will be joined by musicians including saxophonist Marvin Truong and pianist Carson Parker. With special emphasis on feel, culture, and historical aspects of the music, this group provides a great mix of new and original music.

Sammy Miller and The Congregation

Sammy Miller and The Congregation are on a mission, crisscrossing the country like a vaudevillian revival show with evangelic fervor for music. The seven-piece band is pulling people out of their solitary lives and putting them in the moment with a bracing dose of joyful jazz performed with infectious theatricality. The New York City-based, familial collective has captured its frenetic energy and unflinchingly optimistic songwriting on its debut album, Leaving Egypt.

They have been described as a mash up of the sensibilities of Ben Folds and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The band freely mixes vocal and instrumental tracks live and on record, asking the audience to go along for the ride with the lead melody being carried by vocalists half the time, and instruments the other half.

Sasha Berliner

In that same year, she was deemed one of SF Jazz’s 10 Rising Female Instrumentalists for 2018 and was featured by Hot House Jazz Magazine, The SF Jazz Education Center, NPR, NBC Boston, and The New York Times for both her musicianship and her activism. She was a finalist for the International Hit Like A Girl program in the Concert Percussion category as well as the cover story for Tom Tom Magazine’s Fall 2018 publication.

Sasha has gone on to perform at venues such as the Fox Theater, The Jazz Gallery, Treasure Island Music Festival, Davies Symphony Hall, the Jazz Education Network Conference, the SF Jazz Miner Auditorium, and the Next Generation Monterey Jazz Festival. She has had the honor of sharing the stage with musicians such as Ravi Coltrane, indie rock artist Beck, Vince Lateano, Miles Okazaki, Matt Wilson, and Victor Wooten, performing more recently with award-winning drummer-composer Tyshawn Sorey’s sextet. She also substitutes for, teaches, and performs with jazz vibraphonist Warren Wolf and routinely headlines her own shows.

Sasha is currently living in New York City, attending The New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music. She has been a student of vibraphonists Stefon Harris and Chris Dingman, as well as pianist Vijay Iyer. She is an endorsing artist for Blue Haus Mallets and a faculty member at the MalletLab percussion intensive, where she gives masterclasses and clinics. She is also a prolific writer, fulfilling a Non-Fiction writing minor at the Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts and self-publishing an array of personal essays, poems, and critiques. Her essay on sexism in the jazz industry, “An Open Letter to Ethan Iverson (And the Rest of the Jazz Patriarchy)”, was shared on PBS News Hour and discussed in tandem with the Winter Jazz Fest discussion panel on sexism, featuring activist Angela Davis.

Saul Lubaroff Quartet

Excelling as a saxophonist, clarinetist and flautist, Saul Lubaroff has released two CD’s as the leader his Quartet and performs at local jazz clubs and festivals. An accomplished free-lance woodwind artist, Saul is a full time member of The Fez– Eastern Iowa’s Premier Steely Dan Tribute band, a 29 yr member of the powerful Soul band Shade of Blue, a 25 yr member of the Johnny Kilowatt Band as well as subbing and free lancing with many wonderful bands and musicians around the Midwest. Saul is a private music instructor and adjudicator teaching woodwinds and jazz improvisation. Saul is also a music producer for KCCK jazz radio in Cedar Rapids, IA. The quartet includes Saul Lubaroff, saxophone, Andy Parrott, guitar, Blake Shaw, Bass/Vocals, and Jim Dreier, drums.

School of Rock

The School of Rock House Band music program gives students under 18 the opportunity to join a gigging band composed of fellow musicians from their school. These students perform additional live shows throughout the year. All students in the Performance Program have the opportunity to audition for a spot in their school’s House Band. Once selected, House Band members become leaders in their School of Rock community and perform live shows at local rock venues throughout the year!

Schoolhouse Jazz

For nearly two decades, KCCK’s Schoolhouse Jazz has introduced children to jazz with a fast-paced, interactive show that incorporates live music, video, narration, and movement. Now, Schoolhouse Jazz comes to the Friday Night Concert Series with an all-new show at a special “matinee” time. Bring the kids and get ready to get up and dance with the Schoolhouse Jazz band!

Shade of Blue

The Boys of Shade of Blue…Featuring Joan Ruffin & Anthony HendricksShade of Blue fans have been gyrating to the band’s hypnotic and infectious grooves in the Midwest for 35 years. Founded as a blues trio in 1989, Shade of Blue has evolved into one of the Iowa City area’s most beloved musical institutions as a featured act and as an opener for internationally acclaimed artists such as the Neville Brothers, Koko Taylor, and George Clinton. In 2021, Shade of Blue was inducted into the Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Music Association Hall of Fame.The Boys of Shade of Blue includes Dave Rosazza (vocals/guitar), Saul Lubaroff (saxophone/flute), Sean Seaton (vocals, keyboards), Ken Fullard (bass), Matt Bernemann (drums), Denny Ketelsen (organ), and Paul Cunliffe (percussion). The Boys will be joined by the sultry songstress Joan Ruffin, half of the amazing diva duo of Joan & Simone, and special guest Anthony Hendricks, lead singer from one of our favorite soul and R&B bands, FunkDaddies.The Boys of Shade of Blue… Featuring Joan Ruffin & Anthony Hendricks will feature musical tributes to the likes of Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, and Steely Dan, original Shade of Blue tunes, and a few surprises that will be sure to get audiences out of their seats and onto the dance floor!

Ship of Fools

Ship of Fools is one of the many Rock Bands from the Eastern Iowa Arts Academy in Cedar Rapids IA. Bringing a mix of soulful blues and driving rock, this ensemble is sure to knock your socks off! With vocalist and guitar player Aidan Gray, his little brother and bass player Tristan Gray, Carter Buske on guitar, Evan Wazac on keys and vocals, and Ethan Head holding down the drums, they put on a high energy show that will leave you wanting more!

Sidewalk Chalk

Sidewalk Chalk continues to lead the contemporary evolution of hip-hop, soul, and jazz. They prepare to release their fourth full-length album, An Orchid Is Born, on Ropeadope Records and produced by Grammy Award-winner Robert “Sput” Searight. This is the album that Sidewalk Chalk has truly always been trying to make — a speeding bullet ripe with heat and rhythm that speaks to mankind’s need to cheer in the darkest of moments and to choose love over inhumanity in all things. In the band’s rebirth is an emphatic statement of purpose. This vibrant collection of transformative moments is a benchmark release for Sidewalk Chalk that marks the arrival of a powerhouse and proves that the Chicago sound machine is a phoenix rising.

Signal Flow Productions

Silver Swing Band

The Silver Swing Band is a 16-piece ensemble that enjoys “Big Band” music. With the revival of music from the 1940’s, this group has become popular with the younger set as well as the “silver seniors” from that era. The band has expanded its repertoire to include Big Band jazz music in addition to the above “Swing” category.

Silver Swing Band is a subset of the Iowa City New Horizons group started in 1998 and has played for a multitude of events and celebrations over the years. The band plays regularly at the Iowa Arts Fest and has performed at the Iowa City Jazz Fest, local retired residences, “Generations of Jazz”, Iowa City Senior Center, the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, and the University of Iowa College of Education Homecoming Tailgate party. Recordings can be found on YouTube under the Silver Swing Band listing.

The band is directed by Ryan Carter. Ryan is a graduate of Iowa City High School and currently a student at the University of Iowa School of Music. He is a member of the Johnson County Landmark Band among many other University of Iowa ensembles and also performs with many non-University ensembles.

Slim Chance and the Can’t Hardly Playboys

Slim Chance has been writing hit songs since before hit songs were even a thing. He’s written solid country gold hits since before the Carter Family and he has gotten no recognition, and more importantly, NO MONEY for his significant contributions to country music. Slim has rustled together his all-star band, The Can’t Hardly Playboys, to tour this country one more time to finally get the credit he so richly deserves, and maybe make a little scratch while he’s at it. Come on out to see the legend himself performing songs that were stolen from him by Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Jerry Reed and many more folks who lived their lives fat and happy off of his talent.

Smith Studio Jazz

Appearing on the Iowa City Jazz Festival Youth Stage for the 5th consecutive year, Smith Studio Jazz is a 20-piece big band playing jazz classics, lesser-known gems, and songs from other genres of popular music. Whether playing a tune written by Cole Porter or Herbie Hancock, SSJ’s goal is to have fun while creating a family-friendly party atmosphere for the audience. Suzanne Smithdirects, while vocalist and emcee Joe Bauer belts out Sinatra signature melodies, plus jazz and blues favorites for SSJ’s loyal fans.

Sneezy Dollars

We are a folk/Americana band based out of the Iowa City area.

We specialize in traditional folk pieces, modern covers with a folk flair, and select original material. Comprised of members from the former folk band, The High Water Mark.

Solera Quartet

Acclaimed by critics as “top-notch, intense, stylish, and with an abundance of flare and talent” and “one of the foremost young string quartets,” the Solera Quartet has quickly gained a reputation for their fiery musical expression, poetic sensibility, entrepreneurial acumen, and exceptional dedication to social initiatives. In collaboration with the non-profit organization Project: Music Heals Us, the Soleras’ Prison Residency Project brings interactive, thoughtfully-conceived chamber music concerts into incarcerated communities across the United States.

Member Meagan Brus is an Iowa City native. Comfortable both on the operatic stage and in concert, Ms. Brus’ career has included performances in the United States as well as Canada, Mexico, Germany, and Japan. Ms. Brus has been the soprano soloist in a myriad of musical styles, ranging from Alessandro Scarlatti’s opera, Venere, Amore e Ragione to Bizet’s Carmen, Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 to Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire and Erwartung, as well as a classical arrangement of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.

Her May 2014 performance of Carson Kievman’s Fairy Tales prompted Greg Stepanich of the Palm Beach Arts Paper to write, “Brus… was remarkable as the Dandelion Woman. Brus’s performance was a tour de force in every way, with fresh, fierce power in abundant supply, a rock-solid command of an exceedingly difficult part, and an ability to hold onto her audience through some thorny terrain.” Ms. Brus holds degrees from both the Manhattan School of Music and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

Solon High School Mariachi Band

This year The Solon High School Mariachi band is 26 members strong. High School band director, Desmond Cervantez, created this group in 2013 because of his passion for Mariachi music and the culture surrounding it. Solon Spanish teacher, Martin Chapa, helps the students learn the lyrics to songs as well as performing many songs himself. Throughout its decade of operation, the band has grown to be a student and community favorite, performing five or six shows each season. Last year the band was invited to play at the Cedar Rapids Latino Fest in September, extending their usual spring season. What makes this group so special is the dedication the students bring. Solon does not have a string program, so each year returning members take it upon themselves to teach new members and to hone their own skills.

Son Volt

Just now pushing fifty, Jay Farrar, the creative force behind Son Volt, is still not as old as his voice. Not nearly. His singing voice, an ageless gift which sounds something like old timber looks, like the unpainted walls framing Walker Evans’ best portraits from Let Us Now Praise Famous Men: simple, durable, weathered and grooved and unplanned. Notes of Blue will be the twentieth album — including a couple live releases and two movie soundtracks — to which Farrar has lent his voice and songwriting. He is not quite a famous man, which is probably a comfort except when bills need paying. Plenty praised, though, from the moment his first band, the influential Uncle Tupelo, recorded a punked-up version of the topical Carter Family song “No Depression,” and named their debut album after it. Photographed for magazine covers, including the inaugural edition of No Depression magazine, which argued for the arrival of something called alt-country back in 1995, when Son Volt’s first album, Trace, came out.

Songbird Bethann

Born in Dubuque, IA, Bethann Heidgerken started writing original music in high school. She continued her pursuits while attending The University of Iowa, furthering her musical knowledge at the university and her vocal skills while performing in several Iowa City bands. She then moved to Davenport, where she has continued to perform professionally, while raising a family, and also pursuing a career as a nurse and lactation consultant. Throughout the years of musical collaborations, her own songwriting grew as she has found her own style and presence. Her influences include Gillian Welch, Susan Tedeschi, Bonnie Raitt, Dessa, and The Avett Brothers. Her original music is acoustic and emotive. Her songwriting draws upon her own experiences to find a voice through music to connect to others through our shared emotions. She is currently working on recording her original music and looks forward to debuting her first EP.

Sophie Mitchell

Sophie Mitchell is a singer-songwriter based out of Iowa City. Their indie rock band features the talents of Joe Shanks, Peter Stoltz, and Nick Wilkins.

Soul Sherpa

Soul Sherpa is a Nu-Soul/Funk musical collective ranging from 5-10 members. Nu-Soul is a genre that began in the East Coast and is now sweeping across the nation. Like the movement of Nu-Jazz, Nu-Soul is a blend of styles that is deeply rooted in Soul instead of Jazz. This bass driven style uses elements of Funk, R&B, Pop, and Hip-Hop to form a unique sound that is not only pleasing to the ear, but also the soul. Some popular Nu-Soul artists include Anderson Paak, Allen Stone, Alicia Keys, Bilal, The Roots, and many more emerging artists. Soul Sherpa is the Midwest’s premiere Nu-Soul band. From the groove pumping rhythm section, to a four-piece sizzling horn section, Soul Sherpa combines genres, creating an unforgettable musical experience.

Soulcat

Comprised of a number of the Midwest’s elite rising musicians, Soulcat combines
elements of jazz, funk, R&B and hip-hop in a way that both respects the roots of the music, as well as adding their own unique voice using a combination of original tunes and standards. Members of the band include Cole Peterson, Ross Clowser, Jakhari Durham, Levi Pugh, and Soberanis.

Sparkles (City High Cheer)

City High Sparkles is an inclusive cheer and dance team for students with and without disabilities at City High School. The goal of Sparkles is to foster meaningful participation in extracurricular and athletic activities at the high school level and forge social ties among students of all abilities.

Stacey Kent

The story of Stacey Kent’s rise to international fame reads like a Hollywood script. An American language student visits Europe to study French, Italian and German for a Master’s degree in comparative literature. Her life takes an unexpected twist that sees Stacey Kent become one of the world’s foremost jazz singers.

Stacey now boasts seven best-selling albums including The Boy Next Door (2003) which achieved Gold status, a string of awards, including the 2001 British Jazz Award and 2002 BBC Jazz Award for ‘Best Vocalist,’ the 2004 Backstage Bistro Award for best live performance and the 2006 “Album of the Year” for Jim Tomlinson’s album, ‘The Lyric’ on which she was the featured vocalist, as well as a fan base that enables her to sell out concert halls around the world.

If there is one theme that runs through Stacey’s music, it is that of romance. Stacey is herself an avowed romantic, and the songs she sings are timeless stories that touch young and old alike, fulfilling a desire for sophisticated love songs that is not catered to by today’s pop music industry.

Three-time Oscar-winning songwriter, Jay Livingston, wrote of her, “Stacey Kent is a revelation. There is nobody singing today who can compare with her. She has the style of the greats, like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. And she sings the words like Nat Cole – clean, clear and almost conversational with perfect phrasing. And that’s as good as it gets.”

Steve Grismore Trio

Steve Grismore is a faculty member of the Jazz Studies Department at the University of Iowa. A prolific performer, Grismore has been playing guitar for over 50 years. He has recorded three nationally distributed CDs for the Accurate label (Boston) with the “Grismore/Scea Group”, 8 CDs with “Orquesta Alto Maiz”, and 3 CDs with the group “Oddbar” along with numerous other recording with friends around the country. Steve released a CD in 2012 Besame Mucho with the Steve Grismore Trio (featuring Sam Salamone and John Kizilarmut) and a new release in 2018 called Me and My Machine, a solo electronic project and a family cd in 2019 called In Iowa. Currently Steve is performing with variations of his own Trio, the Beaker Brothers, 3 Dawgs and a Bone, and the newly formed band Big Fun. He is also the co-founder and former Musical Director of the nationally recognized Iowa City Jazz Festival.

Steve Kenny’s Group 47

Group 47 is a small-group Post Bebop Jazz Ensemble formed by Trumpeter and Composer Steve Kenny who has been a mainstay on the Minneapolis-St. Paul jazz scene for years.

Launched as the Wednesday Night band at the Artists Quarter during that club’s final year of operation, Steve Kenny’s Group 47 has maintained its collaborative artistry with its original cast of Steve Kenny on trumpet, Thomas Strommen on tenor sax, Will Kjeer on piano, Adam Tucker on bass, and Alex Burgess on drums. In addition to gigs at all major jazz venues in the region as well as the Twin Cities Jazz Festival, Group 47 helped inaugurate the Rochester City Jazz Festival in 2016. The band recently released its first recording, Straight to Vinyl (on LP and digital download). In 2018 in addition to more regular club appearances, they are scheduled to perform at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival, and the Iowa City Jazz Festival. A second studio recording is also in the works.

String Prophets

As a double entrant into the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame and the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Bob Pace is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter with a love for variety. His songs range from emotional and poignant to humorous and giddy. Along with Kathryn Severing-Fox, the world-class fiddle player, the two make up an acoustic guitar and violin duo that incorporate humor and audience participation in spades. In addition to their original music, the duo plays bluegrass, folk, jazz standards, gypsy jazz, Texas Swing, country, and their favorite—the blues!

Subatlantic

Subatlantic, an indie rock band based in the Quad Cities, where Iowa and Illinois meet, features Becca Rice–lead vocals, guitar, and keyboards; Adam Kaul–guitar; Phil Pracht–drums; and Sean Chapman–bass and cello. Subatlantic formed in 2008 and released their first EP in May of 2015 on Bandcamp. Their first album, Villains, came out in spring of 2019.

Using flexibility in arrangements and instrumentation, Subatlantic displays different textures in their songs, creating a unique sound that ranges from dark and sonorous to danceable post-punk. Subatlantic’s new album will be out Spring 2023.

SuperBlue: Kurt Elling featuring Charlie Hunter

Renowned for his singular combination of robust swing and poetic insight, two-time GRAMMY winner Kurt Elling has secured his place among the world’s foremost jazz vocalists. His voice is instantly recognizable, embracing listeners with his warm, rich baritone and navigating the full span of his four-octave range as a virtuoso improvisor and a compelling storyteller. Over a twenty-five-year career of touring and recording, Elling has won three Prix du Jazz Vocal (France), two German Echo Awards, two Dutch Edison Awards, and has been nominated for a GRAMMY award fifteen times. He has had a 14-year run atop the DownBeat Critics and Readers polls and has won twelve Jazz Journalists Awards for “Male Vocalist of the Year”.

Elling’s dynamism is enhanced exponentially by the fact that he consistently generates new vocal material by writing and recording signature and definitive lyrics to the compositions of foundational jazz composers like of John Coltrane, Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Wayne Shorter, and Joe Zawinul. Additionally, Kurt Elling has co-created multi-disciplinary performances for Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater and The City of Chicago. Jazz At Lincoln Center saw the world premier of The Big Blind, an entirely new jazz musical-in-progress Elling is co-writing with collaborator Phil Galdston (“Save The Best For Last”).

Elling has toured the world in a variety of contexts, including UNESCO-sponsored “International Jazz Day” performances in Havana, Cuba, in St. Petersburg, Russia, in Melbourne, Australia and in Washington DC. He has twice performed at the White House, including a performance in collaboration with the late Marvin Hamlisch and the National Symphony Orchestra for President Obama’s first State Dinner. He has served as Artist-In-Residence at the Monterey and Singapore Jazz Festivals. As a music industry leader, Elling spent six years serving as a Trustee and two years as Vice Chairman of The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

Surf Zombies

Surf Zombies are an Iowa-based surf instrumental unit that has been playing the Midwest since 2007. Known for an energetic fast-paced show featuring summer anthems from their six studio albums, Surf Zombies get any party moving with their variety of grooves and tempos. Brook Hoover is a founding member and plays guitar. Ian Williams is also on guitar with Trevor Treiber on bass and Luke Ferguson on drums. They were recognized by the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with a Spirit Award in 2017.

Swampland Jewels

Ready for a road trip? Let The Swampland Jewels take you on a trip down old Highway 61, and across Route 90, through Southwest Louisiana and into East Texas. Playing a mix of original, Gulf Coast oldies, traditional Cajun/Creole, and TexMex tunes, The Swampland Jewels are sure to get you on your feet. If you aren’t a fan of the accordion, you will be after catching this set!

The Swampland Jewels consist of these veteran Iowa City area musicians: Nate Basinger, Forrest Heusinkveld, Eddie McKinley, Randall Davis, Marty Christensen

Sweetie and the Toothaches

Get ready for a total knockout as St. Louis heavy hitters Sweetie & The Toothaches give you ring side seats to the best Jump Blues in the midwest! Specializing in 1940’s through 1960’s R&B, jump blues and blues ballads, St. Louis’ premier jump blues band, Sweetie & The Toothaches will have you stomping your feet and shaking your hips when you hear powerhouse vocalist and band leader Emilie “Sweetie” Richard belt out tunes such as “Farewell Blues” and “Bigger Fool” alongside her phenomenal Toothaches. Be prepared to sink your teeth into this hot jump blues bands personal brand of fresh smoked rhythms, sweet & salty harmonies and lip sizzling solos. There’s no doubt that after you hear this bands monster swinging energy that you’ll be left with a permanent sweet tooth!

Tanya English Band

Classic and contemporary blues from the woman’s point of view. The Tanya English Band started out at the George’s Buffet Monday Night All Stars gigs in Iowa City. After several years of showing up to sing a few tunes, she formed her own band with husband, Ed, on bass. The current line-up includes Sam Price on guitar, Sean Seaton on keys, and Matt Bernemann on drums. It’s family-friendly blues for fun.

Tara McGovern

Tara McGovern is a musician and mother of two sons, with a degree in music therapy from The University of Iowa. Tara has a number of projects always in the works but you can most often catch her playing traditional Irish and eclectic folk music in Coppers & Brass, original folk-rock in The Soft and Low and original Mediterranean folk-jazz in Kerak.

Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience

Grammy-winner Terrance Simien takes his audiences on a multicultural tour of the world inspired the many countries he’s visited on tour which have informed his musical language. He creates a hypnotic blend of New Orleans funk-reggae-flavored-world-blues-American zydeco roots music that beckons you to your feet and into the groove. Leading his Zydeco Experience band, Simien has become one of the most respected and accomplished artists in American roots music today. He and his bandmates have performed over 7000 concerts, toured millions of miles to over 45 countries during their eventful career.

The 781s: ICPL HOUSE BAND

MEANING OF THE BAND’S NAME: 781 is the Dewey Decimal number for music.

WHY IT MATTERS: The 781s are drawn from staff who work at the Library, representing every part of ICPL, and together, cover a lot of musical ground.

THE DEEPER LOOK: Still very much in its early stages, The 781s began as casual conversations and short chats made in passing that soon lead to a general call out to all staff to gauge interest in meeting outside of work to play music. Seven answered (one has since pursued their dreams by moving out of state). After six months of navigating varied schedules and pressing duties they had their first practice. A little less than 4 months later they played their first gig as one of the early acts at the Longfellow Neighborhood Front Porch Fest.

MEET THE 781s:

Hanna Busse: Library Aide, Adult Services. Has been making music her whole life and has been playing the violin since age 4, and fiddle since age 8 (these are the same instrument, but with very different techniques and cultural histories.), Hanna was involved with “America’s favorite show choir” as per Parade Magazine while in high school and has studied classical voice and music theory. As part of 781s: Vocals and Violin.

Alyssa Hanson: Web Specialist, builds and maintains ICPL’s website, assists with catalog development, helps people on the Info Desk, and much more. She has many years of vocal practice and experience. As part of 781s: Vocals, of course.

Amanda Ray: Supervising Librarian. Played school orchestra all through grade school, Founding member of wizard rock band The Cheering Charms, Former regular at Metal Mondays (hair metal karaoke) at Cumberland’s bar (R.I.P.) in Charleston, SC. As part of 781s: Electric Guitar, Accordion, Kazoo, and some Vocals.

Brent Palmer: IT Coordinator. As part of 781s: Acoustic Guitar. He’s the quiet one.

Peter Fegley: Senior Development Assistant. 25 years of music experience playing drums/percussion, piano, bass, guitar. As part of 781s: Drums (his other musical talents tapped into as needed)

Paul Bethke: Cataloger, Children’s librarian, Bookmobile driver. Has been involved with a number of local bands over the last 25 years, most currently with: Arthur Itis and the Decrepitones, Wandering Pint, and SloMoBop, doing rock, blues, pop, alt, and jazz covers. As part of 781s: Bass, general enabler and keeper of forward motion.

The Bad Plus

Since its outset, iconic trio The Bad Plus has dared to be different, challenging all preconceived notions of jazz. Through a provocative style of arrangements and compositions they call ‘avant-garde populism’, their unique blend of influences, ranging from experimental jazz, indie rock, pop, and classical music has earned this ‘audacious, rule-breaking jazz trio’ (Billboard) a reputation as one of the most universally well-respected bands in jazz today. The intensely collaborative trio has constantly searched for rules to break and boundaries to cross, bridging genres and techniques while exploring the infinite possibilities of three exceptional musicians working in perfect sync.

2018 heralded a new and exciting chapter for the band consisting of founding members Reid Anderson (bass) and Dave King (drums) and new member Orrin Evans (piano): a group of passionate collaborators with no single ‘leader.’ Never Stop II is the first full-length release from this lineup, comprised entirely of original music with each member contributing fresh compositions. The New York Times calls it ‘an exhilarating document’ that sparks an exciting new journey for the iconic group. The BBC summed up the band best when they said, ‘from album to album, The Bad Plus continues to evolve and improve.’ They will never stop doing just that.

The Beaker Brothers

For over 15 years the Beaker Brothers Band has been paying homage to the original Jam Bands of the late 60’s and early 70’s – the Allman Brothers, Clapton, Santana, Little Feat, Rolling Stones, James Gang, the Doors, Steely Dan, Neil Young, CCR, and many more. The Beaker Brothers Band isn’t a nostalgia act or a tribute show. We’re playing music that has been in our heads and our hearts since we first heard it. This is the music we played in our youth. And we’re as awed by it today as then. We’re thrilled that we’re not alone.

The Blake Shaw BIG(ish) Band

The Blake Shaw BIG(ish) Band is an action packed, fun ensuing, dream band lead by bassist/vocalist/educator Blake Shaw of Iowa City. Shaw writes and arranges all the music using the Duke Ellington model of exploiting all his friends’ talents and strengths on their instruments. The show contains many burning solos, grooves for days, and plenty of eye candy. The rest of the band is made up of some of the best improvising musicians Iowa has to offer ranging from music professors, retired band directors, public school educators, and the most popular local musicians.

The Blake Shaw Trio

“Blake Shaw is a double bassist and vocalist residing in Iowa City, IA where he received his Bachelors in Music in classical double bass performance as well as a Master of Arts degree in jazz studies at the University of Iowa. Shaw has thrived in Iowa City having played with many of the top artists which have taken him as far as Australia and as near as your living room. His main groups at the moment are the Blake Shaw Quintet, Thrio, Goose Town, and the Clinton St Trio.

Shaw writes original material and arranges familiar tunes in new ways with the help of some of the truest musicians Iowa can offer. In the Blake Shaw Quintet (BSQ) Shaw is able to explore new colors and concepts with a band full of composers. Nolan Schroeder (saxes) and Christopher Jensen (drums) both went to the University of Northern Iowa while Shaw met Ryan Smith (saxes, flute) and Dan Padley (guitar) at the U of I. Together they all recorded Shaw’s first vocal jazz album which is to be released in May 2019 called “it happened.” which contains all of his own arrangements of jazz standards played in a way you’ve never heard them played before. In The Blake Shaw Big(ish) Band (11 piece jazz big band) you’ll hear all of these musicians plus six more that include university professors, high school band directors, and more dear friends who just happen to be stellar jazz musicians. For more info on Blake please visit blakeshawbass.com or follow his Instagram @theeblakebass to keep in touch.”

The Bryce Janey Band

Bryce Janey began his career at the age of 13 in his hometown of Marion, IA in a family blues-rock trio called “The Janeys” and played regionally and nationally from Chicago to Los Angeles. They shared the stage with many Chicago artist and national acts, including Kenny Neal, Tab Benoit, and the late great “Queen of the Blues” Koko Taylor.

The Candymakers

The Candymakers are a Rock N’ Soul band with the traditions of old-school R&B and funk. This young band offers a sound that is contemporary, yet keeps the essence of music past. Though the band is known for its soulful male vocalist, it is anchored by the collaborative genius of its blues driven guitarist, gospel influenced female back-up vocals and funky rhythm section. Often joined by a rotating cast of horn players, the band can be seen with up to 12 members on stage.
After forming in 2010, they were awarded 1st place in the 2011 Blues Challenge. After reaching the semi-finals in both The International Blues Challenge and The Kings of Beale Street Competition, they returned to release their debut album in February of 2012. Their second studio effort ‘Ridiculicious” was released in September of 2014. The band has spent the last two years touring regionally around the Midwest.

The Cookers: Billy Hart, George Cables, Cecil McBee, David Weiss, Eddie Henderson, Billy Harper, and Jaleel Shaw

Experience counts, especially in jazz. The more time musicians spend interpreting tunes and interacting with others, the more articulation an audience can expect. You can hear the fruits of such work in the expressive language The Cookers bring to the bandstand and to their three critically acclaimed recordings, Warriors, Cast the First Stone and Believe. This exciting new all-star septet summons up an aggressive mid ‘60s spirit with a potent collection of expansive post-bop originals marked by all the requisite killer instincts and pyrotechnic playing expected of some of the heaviest hitters on the scene today.

Billy Harper, Cecil McBee, George Cables, Eddie Henderson, and Billy Hart all came up in the heady era of the mid ‘60s. It was a period that found the dimensions of hard bop morphing from their original designs, and each of these guys helped facilitate the process as members of some of the most important bands of the era. Hart and Henderson were members of Herbie Hancock’s groundbreaking Mwandishi group; Cecil McBee anchored Charles Lloyd’s great ’60s quartet alongside Keith Jarrett and Jack DeJohnette; Billy Harper was part of Lee Morgan’s last group, as well as being a member of Max Roach’s Quartet and Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers; while George Cables held down the piano chair in numerous bands including groups led by Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Dexter Gordon and Art Pepper.

David Weiss and Donald Harrison, from a more recent generation and the youngest members of the band, are experts in this forthright lingo, having gained experience performing with Art Blakey, Bobby Hutcherson, Freddie Hubbard, Charles Tolliver, Roy Haynes and Herbie Hancock.

The D. L. Perkins Singers

The D.L. Perkins singers are an aggregation of singers who work together under the D.L. Perkins and Sons Funeral Home. The group was formed in April 2020. A lot of the families that D.L. Perkins and Sons serve are churchgoers and during the pandemic, families were given limits on who was allowed to be at and attend funerals. Most church choirs were not active at the time and the services felt like they were missing something. Mr. Perkins knew he had to find a way to put a smile on his families’ faces still. At the end of 2020, the D.L. Perkins singers had grown from 3 singers to 9 singers. Mr. James Teague, Mrs. Wendy Young, Mrs. Monique Griffith, Mr. La’Quentin Jenkins, Mrs. Raven Terry, Ms. Megan Barnes, Mrs. Takyra Barnes, Ms. Yvette Ford, and Mr. Alonzo Berry all makeup the D.L. Perkins Singers.

The Dawn

For over 10 years, the Western Illinois based roots rock/jam band “The Dawn” has been spreading their love of cutting edge improvisational rock throughout the Midwest. From their humble beginnings in the shadow of the Mississippi River, they have crafted out their place as one of the premier up and coming jam bands.

The Dawn’s live show experience has proven contagious and is tightly gripped in spacious jams, roaring guitar and soulful harmonies. Now a six-piece, The Dawn pushes the envelope at every performance and audiences are rewarded with an experience that can only be described as “The Dawn Effect.” Coupled with an equally adventurous light show, The Dawn concerts keep their dedicated and growing fanbase coming back for more.

Staples of the Quad Cities’ jam scene for years, The Dawn’s 2014 release Waiting On The Storm was received with excellent reviews and helped catapult the band to major festival experiences including the inaugural Phases of the Moon, Summer Camp and Camp Euforia.

This momentum has continued to build over the last few years with more major festival appearances including playing host to their own “Dawn and On” Music Festival, debuting in 2015 and drawing over 1500 fans last summer. Combined with high profile club gigs, the Dawn is turning many heads in the jam scene.

The Dawns latest studio release, Wooly, was released on both CD and Vinyl in October 2015. For audio, video, show dates and more, please visit www.thedawnband.com

The Deleters

Combining classic influences with a fresh approach and tight, melodic songwriting, the Deleters have been playing their own distinct brand of guitar-based rock music since 2017. Influenced by a wide range of rock bands, from 90s Brit-Pop to Dinosaur Jr. to Thin Lizzy, the Deleters have forged ahead with a style that is energetic and immediately accessible.

The Dick Watson Trio, Plus

The Fabulous Trutones

The Fabulous Trutones. That’s what happens when three veteran musicians come together with a singular purpose….to present their original music with intensity, passion and joy. Over the past nine years, from their early days in the local pubs of Cedar Falls and Waterloo Iowa, then branching out to bigger venues in neighboring cities throughout the Cedar Valley, to becoming yearly favorites at some of the area’s largest festivals, their devoted following has grown along with their unique sound and electric, high-energy performances. Catch one of their shows, join the fun and follow them into the future. It’s just going to get better and better….”

Tim Wagoner, guitarist and lead vocalist, began playing piano at the age of 8, picked up guitar at the age of 10 and went on to major in music at the University of Northern Iowa. Following this musical path eventually led him to Dallas TX and 10 years in the Texas blues scene, then 20 years in Nashville TN as a song writer, studio musician and live performer, traveling for 8 years with notable New Orleans based blues band, Big Al & The Heavyweights, covering the lower 48 and releasing 5 CDs. With The Fabulous TruTones, he continues the journey.

Paul Ferguson, bass guitarist and vocalist, began playing professionally in his teens and never looked back. A prominent figure in the Midwest music scene for most of his life, Paul also spent years in Dallas TX, working with R&B, blues and original acts. A founding member of successful area bands like Sugar Daddy, Homestretch, Surprise, Major Healey, Wagg and Stackhouse, Paul brings it all to The Fabulous TruTones. Nothing stands for long without a strong foundation. Thanks to Paul, The Fabulous TruTones stand tall.

James Dreier, percussionist, began his professional career at age 16 by walking into the basement of Waterloo bassist Paul Ferguson to join the Fabulous Pawns. Thus began his musical odyssey, spanning 50+ years, including a 9-year stint in Boston (Berklee College of Music) and 21 years as a jazz professor at the University of Iowa. Throughout, Dreier has been a member of numerous groups, playing and recording jazz, blues, rock, funk, Latin and more. At this end of the spectrum, he is an Emeritus (retired) professor, playing with another “fabulous” group, The Fabulous TruTones, with that same bass player from 1969. Dreier also plays with the classic rock band, The Beaker Brothers, as well as the jazz group 3 Dawgs and a Bone.

The Feralings

Ralph Waldo Emerson. Diesel. Morning glories. AM radio. These all influence Iowa acoustic Americana trio The Feralings, as do the gently sloping landscapes of the Iowa countryside and the sound of tornado sirens squealing and the rumble of trucks on I-80. Their songwriting reflects parenthood, friendship, imperfection, magic, and a big love for storytelling, as well as the folk, bluegrass, jazz, alt country, Americana, gospel, and roots that form each member’s musical DNA.

The Fez

If you are a Steely Dan fan, The Fez is going to knock your socks off! The Fez is a 15-piece band composed of some of the finest musicians in Eastern Iowa dedicated to faithfully reproducing the jazz/rock fusion masterpieces of Steely Dan. Featuring a 4-piece horn section, 3 backup singers, 2 keyboardists, 2 guitarists, and one of the best rhythm sections around, The Fez captures the magic of Steely Dan’s glory days. The band is comprised of veteran players from other notable Eastern Iowa bands and is currently in its 9th year of rocking the Dan.

The Hawkeye Cheeleaders

The Iowa cheerleaders are a co-ed squad which leads the crowd and performs at Iowa football, volleyball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, wrestling and other athletics events deemed necessary by the Iowa Athletics Department.

Iowa cheerleaders are student-athletes who devote 15-20 hours every week to practices, games, strength training, special appearances, camps and competitions.

Iowa cheerleaders come from a variety of backgrounds, including cheerleading, either in high school or at all-star gyms, gymnastics, football, track, wrestling and dance. Their academic majors and minors cover many subjects. All squad members are great crowd leaders, tumblers, stunters, base/top pyramids and represent the University of Iowa.

The Hooten Hallers

Columbia, Missouri trio The Hooten Hallers are a high-energy blues-rock band known for hard-traveling and wild live shows, with a seemingly endless tour schedule. The myriad of influences in their music incorporates elements of rhythm & blues, rock’n’roll, honky tonk, jazz, soul, and punk with a thematic penchant for the strange and the unexplained. Their live shows take the listener on a seamless ride from unapologetically raucous blues on the lap steel and bass sax, to a sweet three-part harmony country ballad, to a romping dance number.

The Jayhawks

The Jayhawks and their rootsy sound were definitely swimming against the tide when they emerged from a crowded Minnesota music scene in 1985. Over the course of almost 4 decades, 11 albums, countless memorable live shows and enough personal drama to fill a couple of Behind the Music episodes, this beloved band soared to heights few ever achieve while winning the hearts and minds of numerous critics, fans and peers in the process. After releasing two Indie albums in the 80s The Jayhawks signed with American Recordings in 1991 and over the next decade released 5 challenging, at times groundbreaking, albums, toured the world to widespread acclaim and even survived the departure of founding member Mark Olson in 1995.

After a hiatus in the mid-2000s, the “classic” 1994 lineup reunited for another new studio album in 2011 and 2 years of solid touring, reacquainting audiences old and new with the band’s timeless musical vision. 2014 saw a late 90s version of the band led by Gary Louris hitting the road to support the reissues of the 3 Jayhawks albums released from 1997-2003. This lineup released the band’s 9th studio album in 2016, recorded in Portland, OR with producers Peter Buck and Tucker Martine. The band’s next studio album, Back Roads and Abandoned Motels, was released in the summer of 2018, featuring Jayhawks versions of songs Gary Louris had previously written with other artists plus 2 new compositions. Recording for a new Jayhawks album was completed in Minnesota in late 2019 and in July 2020 the band released their 11th studio album, XOXO. (Photo credit: Sam Erickson

The Lorch Sisters

The Fabulous Lorch Sisters are two hard-working musicians, singers, and dancers who hail from Johnson County and study with Annie Savage, who will join them for this special Arts Fest debut performance. They are also coached by their awesome grandma, local musician and author Anne Marie-Krauss. We think you will agree…these mini-fiddlers have a very exciting path ahead of them

The Machine Opera Group

The Machine Opera Group presents “So You Think You Don’t Like Opera”? – a program of words and music.

What do you think of when you think of opera? Do you think of Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, belting out Wagner? Does that scene in The Shawshank Redemption come to mind, where Andy Dufresne locks himself in the warden’s office to play a Mozart duet for the entire prison? Did you know that an opera, based on Jane Smiley’s A Thousand Acres, is premiering at Des Moines Metro Opera this summer?

Or that Stephen King’s The Shining became an opera in 2016, premiering on the stage of Minnesota Opera? Well, you can attend two brand-new operas a lot closer to home, when the Coralville Center for the Arts hosts the Crescendo Children’s Choir in Orphan Train: For the Love of Pete (June 18 at 7:30) and The Machine Stops: An Opera by John Lake and Cecile Goding (July 30, 7:30 and July 31, 2:00), both operas based on well-known stories. Somewhere in between, spend an evening under the stars at Brucemore with Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance (June 16-18).

Stick close to the Ped Mall stage to hear poet David Duer talk about his first exposure to opera, which of course was not his first. Then, singers from The Machine Stops will tell us why opera appeals – before they perform a couple of their favorite arias. We’ll finish with a word or two from UI Emeritus Edward Kottick, who has conducted scores of productions from Handel’s Messiah to South Pacific.

The Maytags

Gaining in popularity over the years, especially since the release of their newest album, The Maytags have drawn attention from many and received countless outstanding reviews. Joe Lawler from Juice Magazine said “Fast-forward to a year later and it’s clear that that band is just wildly talented, not a wild card.” Another review from VICE, stated “The Maytags’ music swings. It differs from all of Des Moines’ other retro offerings by it’s sheer vibrancy – there’s just warmth lining every note.”

The Mina Jazz Quartet

The Mina Jazz Quartet was founded on one main idea: Brazil is more than just the land of the bossa! MJQ is proud to represent the rich culture of Brazil and its music through exciting performances of popular Brazilian sambas, choros, frevos, Cuban cha-cha-cha, and more.

Gabriel Sánchez, saxophone
Robert Espe, violin, flute, mandolin, saxophone
Rayne Dias, piano and accordion
Askar Khaetov, bass
Ryan Smith, drums and percussion

The Minors

The Minors are a small group jazz ensemble from Cedar Rapids made up of 8^th, 9^th and 10^th graders. The core of the group met at the KCCK Middle School Jazz Camp in 2017 and they have been playing together since then. The performers include Grant Lapointe on piano, Vivian Shanley on bass, Joe Jonasson on drums, and Nic Ryan on alto sax.

The MJ Group

Embark on a musical odyssey with The MJ Group, fronted by the dynamic duo Marvin Truong and Jerome Gillespie II. Gillespie has performed at The White House and recorded at the legendary Rudy Van Gelder’s Studio with the late Rudy Van Gelder himself during his high school years, and has played alongside Benny Green, Frank Lacy, Vincent Herring, Eric Alexander, Antonio Hart, Dayna Stevens, Reggie Workman and Terance Blanchard to name a few. Truong draws inspiration from mentors like Damani Phillips, Marcus Strickland, Alex Hahn, William Menefield, and Curtis Taylor, crafting a unique sound that pushes the saxophone’s boundaries. His global recognition includes being selected as a rising young artist for the IASJ Conference, studying under jazz luminaries at the prestigious Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland where he studied under Dave Liebman, Tim Hagans, Aaron Goldberg, and Anders Jormin. Their enduring friendship, cultivated at the University of Iowa, brings them back together for a much-anticipated musical reunion.

The Nayo Jones Experience

Nayo Jones (pronounced Nīyō) was born in Chicago, Illinois into a family of musicians and destined to be in show business. As an accomplished jazz musician and music educator, her father William “Doc” Jones groomed and nurtured her natural ability from a very young age. Nayo grew up listening to Jazz standards that proved to be a solid foundation and would later become a signature in her own show. Accomplished in her own right, Jones is also a classically trained flutist.

Currently Nayo is based in New Orleans, LA where she performs regularly with her band “The Nayo Jones Experience”. In addition to her own show, Ms. Jones also tours alongside New Orleans iconic jazz trumpeter, Kermit Ruffins as the featured vocalist. Recently, she has also joined forces with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra lead by Adonis Rose. She will be featured on their upcoming album as well as live performances.

Nayo’s vocal range has been compared to the likes of Natalie Cole, Nancy Wilson, even Whitney Houston. She has been the opening act for legendary George Benson, Chris Botti and more.

Nayo has been on stage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, French Quarter Fest and many other Louisiana festivals annually since 2012. She has consistently drawn rave reviews for her performances. Nayo and her band, “The Nayo Jones Experience” has a longstanding residency at the Carousel Lounge located in the historic Hotel Montelone and The Jazz Playhouse at the Royal Sonesta Hotel. She headlined at the 2018 Twin Cities Jazz Festival. Nayo is set to headline at the 2019 Iowa City Jazz Festival.

Nayo’s body of work includes her first original album “My Name is Nayo Jones”, a “Holiday Collection”, a compilation project featuring her dad Doc Jones, and her EP simply titled “Nayo”. Her most recent project is, “The Nayo Jones Experience Live at the Kerr Cultural Center”, which is a live performance recorded at ASU Kerr Cultural Center in Scottsdale, AZ. Nayo will release an original and Jazz Standard album in 2019.

The Paul Perrilles Project

The Ralston Creek Ramblers

On Christmas 2015 in Iowa City, as their families gathered together in celebration, Roland Racevskis(piano, harmonica, vocals), Mark Shields(drums, vocals), and Steve Wilmoth(bass) began creating and performing their own brand of country, rock, and blues music, and Ralston Creek Ramblers were born. Recently joined by the talented Billy Valencia on lap steel guitar, this spontaneous jam by dads whose kids are school buddies has grown and become a magical musical journey taking the Ralston Creek Ramblers to venues across Iowa City and beyond. While largely focussed on original music, the Ramblers also cover the songs that represent their main influences from old-time and outlaw country, blues, rock, and metal. The Ramblers love interacting with crowds of all ages and dancing dispositions. Look out for them at a pub or festival near you!

The Real Beals

The Real Beals are an All Live mechanical One Man Band husband and wife team. Jeff wears a custom made backpack drum kit and plays guitar. His wife Nancy joins in with vocals. Everything is mic’d up and the sound rivals that of a live band. They have drawn crowds at fairs and festivals throughout the Midwest, featuring country and rock and roll hits from the 50’s to the present.

The Recliners

The Recliners of Iowa City play a wide variety of music, shaped by both their own interests and the talents of guest performers who enhance the experience for everyone. Perhaps “contemporary-pop-folk-indie-rock” most appropriately describes the repertoire of this group of Iowa City denizens who have played together for nearly 25 years. Their music ranges from classic ’60s and ’70s rock to songs by contemporary singer-songwriters and includes American folk music, Irish melodies, bluegrass, Van Morrison tunes, and the edgy rock and ballads of Richard Thompson. Check out the Recliners, and don’t forget your dancing shoes!

The Right Now

The Right Now’s pop-meets soul sound is more than a vehicle for Stefanie Berecz’s captivating voice. The celebration of thoughtful, catchy song writing and intricate arrangements evokes a subtle sophistication in the tradition of Quincy Jones’ 70s and 80s masterpieces. Since 2008 the band has toured much of the United States and released three acclaimed albums, racking up placements in television, national commercials, and the multi-million-selling videogame Watch Dogs.

The Right Now’s Chicago roots permeate their music and performances: breezy horn lines sit atop soul grooves old and new, all while Berecz elevates one audience after another with her “classic yet contemporary voice” (Philadelphia Inquirer). College radio stations from Asheville to Seattle put 2012’s Gets Over You on the CMJ charts, and critics nationwide have championed TRN as “the real deal” (Pittsburgh City Paper). The seven-piece band landed an official Record Store Day release in 2012—all 750 copies sold out immediately—and collaborated with New York label Deep & Disco on a remix project. The Right Now has opened for Fitz & The Tantrums, George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic, Rebirth Brass Band, Bettye La Vette, Lee Fields, and many others along the way.

The Savage Hearts

The Savage Hearts are a fiery stage act that feature in a spicy tribute to the unsung women of classic country and bluegrass music. Featuring Iowa’s prodigal daughter-returned from Colorado’s Front Range, Annie Savage and members of local favorite Flash in a Pan, the band’s drill-it-to-the wall lady-vocals and bombastic instrumentals blended with just the right amount of saucy “been there done that” stage banter has audiences laughing and crying at the same time! Virtuosic instrumentals soar above vocals that are hotter than the punch of a ghost pepper in the middle of a hot flash. The Savage Hearts have recently appeared at Folk Alliance International, the IBMA World of Bluegrass and throughout the US and Canada. They are celebrating their second album release this summer and you too can be a part of the action at www.thesavagehearts.com!

Opening for The Savage Hearts are the students of Liberty High School’s alternative string ensemble, Liberty String Theory. Directed by Annie Savage and Craig Klocke, these students are going beyond the normal orchestral experience in search of “Total World Domination Through Vibrating Wooden Boxes”. They recently performed with Peter Rowan, Laurie Lewis and New Orleans’ Don Vappie at Seattle’s Wintergrass Festival and they have a busy schedule of gigs this summer. Comprised of high school students who also learn the tricks and trade of the real life music industry through touring and promoting their work, the Liberty String Theory will be joined this evening by local bluegrass outfit Dillon’s Furrow. For bookings, contact Ms. Savage at savagefiddler@gmail.com.

The Sons of Zebedee Doodah

In response to a demand for “Roaring ‘20s” themed party music, The Sons of Zebedee DooDah was formed in January 2020 with a mission to revitalize the music of the Prohibition era. Specializing in swing dance tempos, the sextet has performed for numerous “speakeasy” type parties, galas, and even jazz church services. Temporarily forced into hiatus by a worldwide pandemic, the band is back with a vengeance and ready to bring the swing to your event.

Horn players Lynne Hart (clarinet, saxophone), Manny Lopez (trumpet), and Peter Hart (bass saxophone, tenor saxophone) have been playing together in various configurations for more
than 20 years, as members of the Manny Lopez Big Band. Together they have backed up jazz luminaries including Louie Bellson, Clark Terry, Buddy DeFranco, and many legends of the Motown era, including The Temptations and The Supremes, James Ingram, Roberta Flack, and numerous others.

Rhythm section members Corey Kendrick, (piano), Dan Jacobi (drums), Ron Wilson (bass), laydown the festive groove for your listening and dancing enjoyment.

The Wayne Page Quartet

The Wayne Page Quartet performs regularly at the NOCE Jazz Cabaret as well as several other Jazz Venues in Des Moines. Featured performers will be the following: Dr. Michael Conrad-Piano, Steve Charlson-Bass and Jerome Gillespie the II-Drums. Page was inducted into the CJC Des Moines Jazz Hall of Fame 2019.

As a Performing Musician he is currently busy performing with his quartet- The Jazz Page, The Des Moines Big Band, Turner Center Jazz Orchestra, Max Wellman, The Des Moines Symphony, Fred Gazzo, Freestyle, The Gaylin Sudik Orchestra and Dan Hartzer. Page has also been a back- up musician with the likes of: Michael McDonald, Harry Connick Jr., Sheena Easton, the Temptations, Lou Christie, Leslie Gore, B.J. Thomas.

The Wilted

The Wontu Trees

The Wontu Trees are a collective out of Davenport, IA who bonded on their shared love of Jamaican reggae and dub music. Made up of members from The Candymakers, Rude Punch, and FireSale, the band crafts original reggae music made right here in the heartland.

Them Coulee Boys

Soren Staff and Beau Janke—co-founders of folk/rock/Americana outfit Them Coulee Boys—met in northern Wisconsin in 2011. Having both grown up amidst a stretch of glacial melt-carved river valleys in the upper Midwest, otherwise known by French fur trappers as coulees, they became fast friends. Soren’s little brother Jens joined the crew on mandolin at camp in 2012, and since, both Neil Krause on bass and Staš Hable on drums have helped to grow the band into the rollicking outfit it is today.

With three full-length albums and an EP behind them, including 2019’s Die Happy (produced by Trampled By Turtles’ Dave Simonett on Lo-Hi Records), the band has garnered international attention and earned press in American Songwriter and The Bluegrass Situation, as well as tours with Trampled By Turtles and a spot on the songwriter’s Cayamo Cruise. In 2020, they were named Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Band to Watch. In 2021, they won Bluegrass/ Americana Band of the Year by the Wisconsin Area Music Industry.

2021 marks the release of their fourth record, Namesake, a ten-song collection that spans from pure and genuine ballads to a leaping, countrified take on rock and roll. Singles from the recording have premiered via The Bluegrass Situation, Ditty TV, and Live for Live. Twangville readers dubbed the record “Best New Release”.

TheZeffsterr

Popular by his stage name “TheZeffsterr” born Nanya Z. Walker-El is an amazing performing artist specializing in Hip-Hop music. His achievements in the music industry has made him a pacesetter with trailblazing contributions to his brand and music career.

TheZeffsterr is the talk of the town according to his fan base out of Iowa City, Iowa as a creative and energetic industry professional with an indispensable passion for his art. Fan-nominated, Hip-Hop Artist of the year (per the Iowa Music Awards) TheZeffsterr has been one of the most consistent and critically acclaimed names in the Iowa music scene since his first release in 2017. Taking on the cover of the Little Village Mag back in 2021 along with many features in the Iowa Press Citizen, Daily Iowan and the Des Moines Register, TheZeffsterr is a very notable figure in the creative community.

Threads Dance Project

Threads seeks to be a national organization that betters humanity through dance, education, and outreach by creating dances that touch on themes of human connectedness, promoting dialogue, understanding, and acceptance of all individuals and celebrating the human spirit through dance performance, arts education, and community-building.

Thumbscrew

They play originals by all hands, compositions whose rhythms may surge or lag or veer sideways according to their own internal logic. Bass and drums solo within the ensemble, not in quarantine. No one needs to be loudest. The blend is tight: one string (or metal) sound may bleed into another. It’s something to hear—something twisty and turny and always on the move. Thumbscrew is a very exciting group that highlights intricate and emotionally-driven compositions focused on intense interactions between instruments.

TL Williams & the Storm Chaser Orchestra

A certain level of artistry evolves when you combine Funk, Hip-Hop, & Jazz into one unique voice & sound. Singer/songwriter/actor/producer T. L. Williams is a voice of a new generation redefining today’s music. The Chicago native & newly appointed VP of the legendary Chi-Sound Records has found a way to weave together various musical genres, instrumentation, and classic pop culture. That sound comes from a combination of growing up in a musical family, receiving mentorship from legends such as Wynton Marsalis, & late record producer Carl Davis. T. L.’s presence continues to grow on an international level winning multiple awards and topping charts. With airplay from several U. S. markets and international territories, and over a million video views, hits such as the timelessly funky Gettin Mo Money Than You from his debut project The T. L. Williams Experience continue to gain significant buzz worldwide. His lush & classic production can be heard behind various artists such as Grammy-Award winners Rhymefest and J-Ivy, T L, “a Second City alumni” is also a cast member on the hit T V show Empire. His new project The New Normal consists entirely of this recipe, quickly propelling T. L. to funk icon status.

Tobi Crawford Trio

Tobi Crawford is a highly sought-after vocalist, pianist, arranger and educator from Vancouver, BC, Canada. Tobi taught at the high school level in Canada for 10 years, teaching choirs, bands and music theory before moving to Shanghai, China where she was the Fine Arts Department head and Director of Music at Sino-Canada High School for 5 years. Tobi recently graduated with a Master’s degree in Jazz Voice Performance from the esteemed University of North Texas where she served as a teaching fellow. Tobi is currently the Co-Director of Music at the School for Music Vocations, teaching Theory, Arranging, Freshman and Sophomore Jazz Piano, while directing First Take and Chamber Singers

Tomar and the FC’s

Tomar and the FCs is a soul band from Austin, Texas formed in 2015 and released their first EP “Day by Day” in October of that year. The Austin American-Statesman picked it as a top release and wrote that “ [Tomar] Williams shows his own soul chops with searing vocals that drip with blood, sweat and tears.”

2016 saw the band become mainstays on the Austin scene and throughout Texas. In March, they were selected to play an official showcase at SXSW. “Heart Attack,” the band’s debut album, was released in November of 2016. It was recorded and mixed at Level One studio with Grammy-winning artist/engineer Adrian Quesada.

In early 2018, the band was voted in the top five of the Austin Chronicle’s Music Poll for Best Blues, Funk, or Soul Artist. In March, they returned to SXSW performing as official artists and were awarded a prestigious Black Fret nomination. In addition to a busy
performance schedule, with an appearance at Old Settler’s Music Festival and three summer tours, the band is hard at work on their third recording.

Trampled by Turtles

Trampled by Turtles are from Duluth, Minnesota, where frontman Dave Simonett initially formed the group as a side project in 2003. At the time, Simonett had lost most of his music gear, thanks to a group of enterprising car thieves who’d ransacked his vehicle while he played a show with his previous band. Left with nothing more than an acoustic guitar, he began piecing together a new band, this time taking inspiration from bluegrass, folk, and other genres that didn’t rely on amplification. Simonett hadn’t played any bluegrass music before, and he filled his lineup with other newcomers to the genre, including fiddler Ryan Young (who’d previously played drums in a speed metal act) and bassist Tim Saxhaug. Along with mandolinist Erik Berry and banjo player Dave Carroll, the group began carving out a fast, frenetic sound that owed as much to rock & roll as bluegrass.

Trio Grismore

A trio of friends since the early 1990’s, Steve Grismore, Mitch Towne and Tim Crumley have partnered up to create Trio Grismore. Their trio is a tribute to the classic guitar and organ trios first established in the 1950’s and 60’s. Drawing inspiration from the music of American jazz guitarist Grant Green, you will hear works either written or inspired by Green. But of course their music sends a nod out to a few of the great organists such as John Patton, Jimmy Smith, and Larry Young. You will also find in Trio Grismore, elements of saxophonists Lou Donaldson and Joe Henderson. An evening inspired by great music performed by great musicians

Turkana

UI Spirit Squad

The Iowa Spirit Squads consist of the Iowa Cheerleaders, Iowa Dance Team and Herky the Hawk. The 50+ members represent the University of Iowa not only at Athletic events, but at many events requiring the Black and Gold to be present. They can be seen on the sidelines and halftime inside Historic Kinnick Stadium, as well as inside Carver Hawkeye Arena for Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Volleyball, Wrestling and Gymnastics.

The Iowa Spirit Squads also host events throughout the year, including kids clinics, skills clinics for high school aged students, competitions and other training sessions. The commitment to the team is year round and many of them stay for the summer to take classes and work on their skills.

Uniphonics

Since forming in Iowa City in 2007, The Uniphonics performed in 15 states, played at notable festivals, and opened for platinum selling artists. They’ve released 3 albums: Truth Be Told (2009), Crawl (2010), and The Uniphonics (2020). “Crawl” and “The Uniphonics” featured collaborations with internationally known artists, including Grammy Award winning jazz legend Robin Eubanks, Twin Cities vocal phenom Heatbox, and Iowa guitar legend Dennis “Daddy-O” McMurrin.

Their sound combines hip hop, funk, soul, jazz, reggae, and latin. They’ve been described as “taking the jam-band approach to hip hop,” with virtuosic live band instrumentation and improvisation.

The Uniphonics are a who’s who of the Eastern Iowa music scene. The band shares members with other regional and national acts, including Diplomats of Solid Sound, The Channel Cats, Plastic Relations, The Swampland Jewels, Jumbies, and dozens more.

The Uniphonics are: Forrest Heusinkveld: Drums, Vocals, Bethann Heidgerken: Vocals, Craig Heidgerken: Guitar, Derek Thorn (aka MC Animosity): Vocals, Nassor Cooper: Vocals, Eddie McKinley: Saxophone, Ryan Casteel: Bass

United Jazz Ensemble

Every Summer, this collaborative high school jazz combo comes together to prepare for their performance on the main stage at the Iowa City Jazz Festival. Directed by Aaron Ottmar, Ryan Arp, and Brian Zeglis, the band is comprised of students from City, Liberty, and West high schools from the Iowa City Community School District. For 25+ years, this group has served as one of the signature elements of the Jazz Festival’s commitment to jazz education in the public school setting. The opportunity for these students to perform at the Jazz Festival not only deepens their growth as musicians but also fosters wonderful collaboration between all three high school jazz programs.

Vandello

Vibrant. Unique. Magnetic. Vandello has been described in a lot of ways – mostly because they’re so hard to define. A little bit early jazz, a little bit modern swing, and a whole lot of fun, this cheeky trio is influenced by artists like Squirrel Nut Zippers, Caro Emerald and Postmodern Jukebox – but their fresh take on vintage sounds is completely their own. Their original tunes run the gamut from bouncy and boozy to “dark…but with a wink”. Folks often enthusiastically ask the band after their first Vandello experience, “What the heck do you CALL that?”

They call it Gypsy-Speakeasy. But if you’ve got a better idea, they’d love to hear it.

Vibe

Based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the members of Vibe have been playing together in various projects for the last 10 years. We’re six friends who love jamming together and connecting with audiences to create a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere where we can all benefit from the inspiration of music. Come vibe with Alicia Monee, Kelsey Madsen, Gerard Estella, Greg Kanz, EJ Swavv & Lincoln Ginsberg as we play classic songs reimagined.

Vincent Herring Quartet

Saxophonist Vincent Herring’s intense, soulful, multi-noted style and ebullient swing have excited audiences worldwide. On stage, Herring and his band often make an incendiary sound over fine and controlled rhythms of modern times.

Vincent’s discography reveals over 20 titles as a leader and over 250 as a sideman. His current and past projects speak to the wide range of his musical interest and versatility: The Vincent Herring-Joris Dudli’s Soul Jazz Alliance, Earth Jazz Agents, Friendly Fire with Vincent Herring and Eric Alexander. Vincent leads a band called Jazz The Story with Jon Faddis, Jeremy Pelt, Steve Turre, James Carter, Eric Alexander, Mike LeDonne, Kenny Davis, Carl Allen and Nicolas Bearde.
Vincent tours frequently with his projects around the in the United States, Europe, Japan, China and around the world. Vincent continues to share his distinct voice and musical knowledge, as a performer and jazz educator. He is currently on staff at William Paterson University and at Manhattan School of Music.

Vivian Shanley Quartet

The Vivian Shanley Quartet is a jazz combo made up of Iowa-based performers, composers, and educators. Vivian Shanley is a DownBeat award-winning bassist from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and she is currently studying music education and bass performance with Mark Urness at Lawrence University. Ana Koch studies guitar at the University of Iowa, where she is pursuing a nursing major and has completed her music minor. Sam Ross is a saxophone student at The University of Iowa, pursuing a BM in Jazz Performance and studying with Dr. Damani Phillips. Farren Johnson is an elementary art teacher in Grinnell, and she drums with the Iowa Women’s Jazz Orchestra, the IWJO Sextet, and Chameleon Society

Wave Cage

Wave Cage is a jazz fusion/electronic ensemble based out of Iowa City featuring Jarrett Purdy on keys and synths, Ryan Garmoe on trumpet, Nolan Schroeder on sax, and Chris Jensen on drums. Their debut project, The Portrait EP, was described by Little Village Magazine as “an engaging, atmospheric, beautifully produced, and humorous recording”, and by the River Cities’ Reader as “evoking the smooth melodies and diverse textures of early Weather Report; the ambitious, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink arrangements of groups such as Jaga Jazzist; and the more genre-agnostic trip-hop beat decisions of such projects as Thievery Corporation and Zero 7.”

We Funk

We Funk is a collective of local musicians and performers dedicated to the preservation of the motion of hips. Originally conceived in Iowa City, circa 2010, We funk has been reborn with a mission to connect you to the mothership. From the early 70’s to the now, We funk brings forth to you, the music of Parliament-Funkadelic, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Gary Sheider, Eddie Hazel and more from the “Funk Mob”. With a full Horn section, array of different singers, and about three rhythm sections, We Funk is definitely composed of this generation’s clones of Dr. Funkenstien. Have you experienced any missing funk? We funk has been sighted at several Eastern Iowa events and venues in the past. You may have not identified it at the time, but we can confirm multiple Camp Euforia, Gabes and Wildwood experiences from fans. We believe. We want you to believe.

We Funk consists of many musicians and incarnations. The full ship complement is as follows:

Derek Thorn
Ryan Casteel
Ben Soltau
Brett Messenger
Saul Lubaroff
Eddie Mckinnely
Bethann Heidgerken
Craig Heidgerken
Meghan Mcdonough
Brian Cooper
Katie Robins
Creighton Gaynor
Bill Peterson
Manuel Lopez III
Dante Ware

Weary Ramblers

Newly formed Iowa folk duo, Weary Ramblers bring years of experience to the stage with award-winning songwriting and chemistry. Chad Elliott and Kathryn Fox showcase multi-instrumental performances with tight harmonies and great storytelling.

Chad Elliott blends folk roots and soulful writing to deliver an original sound with over two decades of being on the road.. Elliott is lauded as “Iowa’s Renaissance man” by Culture Buzz Magazine. He has penned more than 1,500 songs in his career while also cultivating his skills as a painter, sculptor, illustrator and author.

Deemed “fiddler extraordinaire” in Cityview Magazine, Kathryn Fox is a DownBeat award winning artist. She played on the Grammy-nominated track “All My Tomorrows” with Kate McGarry. Kathryn toured internationally with fiddle troupe, Barrage 8, with shows in Europe, the U.S. and Canada. She has performed, recorded PBS specials and recorded with George Benson, The Beach Boys, The Eagles, Pharrell Williams, Natalie Cole, Gloria Estefan, Osmond Brothers, Gloria Gaynor, Chick Corea, Bobby McFerrin, Kenny Loggins, Mark O’Connor, Ryan Montbleau, Seth Walker, Edgar Meyer and Joshua Bell.

West High Jazz Ensemble

Over 65 students perform in three jazz ensembles at Iowa City West High School. The West High Jazz Ensemble has qualified for the Iowa Jazz Championships every year for the last 24 years. Every year, the band gets the opportunity to work and perform with nationally known jazz artists at the Jazz Café concert hosted in December.

Wheel Hoss

Wheel Hoss performed regularly at clubs, weddings, parties and bluegrass festivals throughout the Midwest from 1980-1984. Their bootleg cassette “Live at the Mt. Nebo Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery” has long been sought after by bluegrass aficionados far and wide and is now considered a classic. They reassembled in 2016 to jam and had so much fun they began booking the occasional show. Don’t miss Dan Brown – bass, Charley Leslein – banjo, Al Murphy – fiddle, Coleen Peterson – guitar and Joe Peterson – mandolin, for this very special Arts Fest performance.

Will Schmid Quartet

Despite his youth, Minneapolis-based guitarist and composer, Will Schmid, has been gigging at venues throughout the Twin Cities for over five years. His duos, trios and quartets frequent popular spots including the Black Dog Cafe in St. Paul, Jazz Central in Minneapolis, and the 318 Cafe in Excelsior. In addition to headlining shows, his bands have opened for Eric Kamau Grávátt, Dave King, Billy Peterson, and more. With fellow guitarist Adam Astrup, Schmid co-led ensembles at the 2016 Winter Jazz Festival, the 2016 Twin Cities Jazz Festival, and the 2016 Iowa City Jazz Festival. Schmid now spends much of his time in Cleveland where – while pursuing a degree in physics at Case Western Reserve University – he studies with Don Better and continues to play and compose.

The Will Schmid Quartet is a sensitive, ECM-style band featuring pianist Patrick Adkins, bassist Charlie Lincoln, and drummer Edmund Catlin. Experimenting with time, texture, and form as much as melody and rhythm, the quartet provides a dynamic listening experience through eclectic original compositions and thoughtful improvisations.

William Elliott Whitmore

William Elliott Whitmore is a singer-songwriter/banjoist/guitarist/drum-stompin’ solo act from Lee County, Iowa. He has released six full-length albums that seamlessly meld country, blues, folk, and punk styles – spanning from 2003’s Hymns for the Hopeless (Southern Records) to 2015’s Radium Death (ANTI-). His songs are haunting, rustic, powerful, and real – byproducts of living his entire life on the family farm, being involved in the hardcore-punk scene in the local community, and touring hard across the country.
A man armed only with a banjo and a bass drum can be a formidable force, especially if his name is William Elliott Whitmore. With his powerful voice and honest approach, Whitmore comes from the land, growing up on a family farm in Lee County, Iowa. Still living on the same farm today, Whitmore has truly taken the time to discover where his center lies, and from that he will not be moved.

Whitmore has consistently carved his own path, honoring the longstanding tradition of folk music throughout his nearly 20-year career, while always allowing his blues, soul, and punk rock influences to shine through. Getting his first break opening for his friend’s hardcore band with just a banjo in hand, he would discover bands like The Jesus Lizard, Bad Brains, Lungfish, and Minutemen and soon learn to play his own brand of rural, roots music with that same DIY ethic.

Willie White Band

Willie Lee White is an American vocalist, songwriter and music composer. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he quickly gained notoriety in his hometown singing at many venues and clubs, because people loved the way he held a show. His debut single “Taking me for granted” made him a lover boy in the late 1980’s, but his album “Party Hardy” made him the party hardy man in (2008), when it hit charts topping number 5 in the south.

Willie’s many years in the industry has allowed him to develop his own style and skills both vocally and musically, he is no stranger to the music industry working with well-known artists like the Artie Blues Boy, Little Milton, Willie Clayton, Bobby Rush, and Jo Jo Murray. Some of his early blues influences began as a young child when he watched and eventually played alongside his uncle Jimmy White, founder of the Concept Band: “I always want to give the audience what they came for like my uncle did.”

Willie has always had the unique ability to combine a small drop of heartache with just the right amount of pain with his soulful sound that offers his listeners a dose of down-home funk! Check out his new music on all streaming platforms and be in tune for all his upcoming shows to come! Guaranteed to get you grooving.

Winterland

Specializing in the Grateful Dead’s catalog and sound from 1969 through the late 1970s, Winterland pulls you back in time to a place where the Dead’s rhythm and blues, folk and country roots were still deeply embedded in their music even as they explored the wild and experimental outer reaches of psychedelic rock. More importantly, though, Winterland channels the music of the Grateful Dead with uncanny authenticity, a sublime fidelity to the Dead’s musicianship, tonality and, in particular, emotional relationship with the audience. Walk into any given Winterland show and witness firsthand: every face is radiant, reflecting the elation of sharing — with the band and with each other — the pure, innovative, beautifully complex music of the Dead. This interconnectedness, which breaks down the barriers between people and music and allows everyone to become collaborators in an elusive web of fleeting, living art, represents an essential unity of musical experience. In other words, what Winterland has attained has proven to be a microcosm of the feat that the Grateful Dead of the late ‘60s to the late ‘70s achieved and escalated to a full-fledged cultural phenomenon. It is a thing of subtle and wily magic, not to be missed.

Womanish Girl

Womanish Girl is a Kansas City-based blues rock duo comprised of guitarist and vocalist Katy Guillen and drummer Stephanie Williams. After collaborating for nearly 7 years in the internationally touring band Katy Guillen & The Girls, Guillen and Williams continue their undeniable collaborative chemistry in this new formation. They’ve taken their musical partnership to new heights with Womanish Girl, exploring the guttural roots music of Junior Kimbrough, R.L. Burnside, Big Mama Thornton, and Mississippi Fred McDowell; as well as honing their songwriting relationship by creating original material for the brand-new outfit. Guillen and Williams apply the experience of years of performing, writing, and touring toward the raw, energetic, roots-driven sound of Womanish Girl.

Wooden Nickel Lottery

Wooden Nickel Lottery has been honing its exciting original blend of blues & rock since 2014. Having released three studio albums and shared the stage in support of touring national acts, this group has grown into something exceptional. WNL is fronted by Rick Gallo’s energetic and soulful vocals and Rich Toomsen’s masterful guitar work and backed by the polished drumming of Delayne Stallman and the solid, expressive drive of Jess Toomsen’s bass. WNL plays a mix of powerful original blues/rock as well as classic and contemporary blues/rock covers. Attend a live show and be treated to the energy and soul of driving blues/rock and the craftsmanship and polish typically reserved for veteran touring bands.

Worst Impressions

Formed in January 2023, Worst Impressions is an Iowa City-based project whose music pulls from indie, surf punk, blues rock, grunge, and metal influences to create music that leaves an impact (or perhaps an impression!). Worst Impressions, led by local song writers Garret Hinson and Kuna, works to engage the audience by creating dramatic, dynamic shifts within their original songs and sets.

Wyatt Waddell

Wyatt Waddell is known for his complex yet unforgettable melodies and exuberant presence. His powerful and versatile vocal range moves seamlessly between the raspy timbre of James Brown, and the melodic whimsy of Paul McCartney. Though his musicality recalls the old greats, Wyatt’s inventive and playful approach is fully his own. The multi-instrumentalist known for his instinctive songwriting has been bubbling at the edges of the Chicago underground, and is now set to bring his infectious mix of indie, R&B, pop and funk into the music world. Rolling Stone says, Wyatt Waddell’s “upbeat soul-funk… lift[s] the spirits of those out in the streets.”

Yogev Shetrit Trio

Yogev Shetrit is a professional Israeli drummer, performer and composer. In 2015, he established his band, the Yogev Shetrit Trio, with the goal of playing his own compositions. In 2016, Shetrit recorded his first studio album, “New Path,” as a bandleader and composer. They have performed across Israel and all over the world, including Guatemala, Kazakhstan, India, Panama, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Haiti, and the United States.

Members:
Moshe Elmakias – Piano
Noam Tanzer – Bass
Yogev Shetrit – Drums, Compositions & Production

The albums “New Path” and “Serenity” contains instrumental pieces composed, arranged, and produced by Shetrit, who plays drums and percussion. He elegantly fuses traditional North African music, Gnawa, Andalusian music from his Moroccan heritage, along with contemporary jazz, Jewish and Mediterranean music. His funk and Drum & Bass influences are also evident on some of the tracks. Shetrit is also a founding member of Coolooloosh, funk and hip-hop band which received international exposure by extensive tours all over the world. The band has released three albums.

Younger

Younger is a band of instigators and super excited about the food here. Younger is not like you. Younger is a great question. Younger is a lot more fun than the kids in school. Younger is a rock n roll band.

Zeshan Bagewadi & the Transistors

Zeshan Bagewadi & the Transistors – Zeshan Bagewadi’s website describes his work as “tempestuous soul arias, urban love dramas, Memphis blues, and a civil rights anthem are all performed with an idiomatically Indo-Pakistani feel —with blaring tanpura and harmonium alongside hard grooves, delicate strings, and riveting horns. But floating above it all are Zeshan’s powerfully mellifluous vocals as he narrates–through the prism of his family’s immigrant experience–tales of instability, ambiguity, loss, injustice, unrequited love, urban despair and youthful ecstasy.”