There's an unfortunate truth when it comes to one of the most magical times of the year; those who get a paycheck higher than 150 dollars who "truly" enjoy Mission Creek Festival with a silver pass that costs my average paycheck (if I'm lucky). Magically, I think I had kind of a fun time...

Day One: Tuesday, April 1

 

5:00 Kat McDowell at Filmscene's Mission Creek Happy Hour

 

7:00 Energy Boost in form of a bottle of Fuze at Bread Garden

 

8:00 Doors Open at Gabe's for Warpaint

 

9:00 Annalibera (or as I call them, Metric Jr.) on stage at Gabe's

 

10:00 Alex Body on stage being awesome as always! My legs were vibrating, yo.

 

11:00 WARPAINT!!!!

 

Left around 12:30, too many people invading my bubble.

 

Day Two: Wednesday, April 2

 

5:00 Tom Northnagle at Filmscene's Happy Hour

 

5:45 Serendipitous chance meeting with a lovely electronic musician in town for Philip Glass. #WomanCrushWednesday was never more appropriate!

 

Margaret...

 

 

 

6:20 Kembrew McLeod Reading, another localite to be obsessed with because the following is his fault.

 

 

7:00 KRUI Pizza Party at The Mill where B shoves as many types of pizza into her stomach, including a strange spicy and hummus-y based pizza that was too much for her.

 

8:00 John June Year before covering my favorite Monkees song ("Not Your Steppin' Stone")

 

8:00 Sleepy Kitty

 

 

9:00 The Olympics on stage. Wasn't really my kind of music but stayed halfway through.

 

Day 3: Thursday, April 3

 

5:00 River Glen at Filmscene's Happy Hour

 

6:15 Strapping on a white shirt and a somewhat friendly face hoping that I won't make anyone cry aka. ushering at The Englert

 

7:30 Holy electronic ambience, Oneohtrix Point Never! Too bad people left during you and never came back... not even to come back for Mr. Glass!

 

8:00 Philip Glass. *cue angel sounds*

 

Day 4: Friday, April 4

 

2:00 My Friday Tradition, although not Mission Creek-induced, with Iowa Public Radio's Java Blend

 Dylan Sires and The Neighbors

 

4:00 Alexis Stevens and Brian Johannesen at in-store concert in Record Collector

 

5:00 The infamous lit crawl at Filmscene...

 

 

6:00 ... and a little time at Revival with one of my home-skillets

 

6:15 Time to Usher...

 

8:00 Basia Bulat on stage at The Englert

 

9:00 The Head and the Heart and I name this picture: Tall Peeps be tall

 

3:00 AM, finally passed out with one hand in a bag of mini Cadbury eggs and blissed out on Grimm. It's a hard life.

 

Saturday: April 5

 

1:00 Downtown to sedate myself with Bread Garden coffee for this girl does not trust herself at the Lit Fair. Must... stay... calm.

 

1:30-3:00 Iowa City Book and Lit Fair. Had a few awkward moments and things that I just don't want to talk about right now but after 12 ounces of an iced soy caramel latte and 10 dollar spent on a book from Rescue Press... oh hey, Rescue Press...

 

 

... as I was saying. After coffee, 10 dollars and feeling a little emotionally invaded, it was better than last year.

 

3:20 My favorite part, Mission Boutique! Free little 25 minute pop up concerts/readings in/around stores downtown.

 

Golden Birds at Catherine's

 

4:00 Tim Denevi at RSVP reading an AMAZING essay on the historical Jesus. Can someone get me this essay? Please?

 

And after a half hour of hoping for 5 DOLLAR purses at Mayfair (boo!), taking DVDs back to the library, and a quick CVS run, thus ends my Mission Creek week since the buses don't run on Sundays.

 

But I think this home-made goulash (which was finally done by 10 pm but so worth it!)...

...concluded a magical and exhausting week. I'm still recuperating!



It's coming, the literature and food, readings and concerts of people who you can hear on NPR or Indie Rock Playlist on constant repeat. It's Mission Creek next Tuesday, the magical time of the year where everyone starts interacting a little more than usual under the influence of nicer weather and bonding over big names (Philip Glass, The Head and the Heart, Kishi Bashi...) and making new friends, facebook friends (because there's a difference) and networking. I'm so ready it hurts.

 

 

Want to See Something Dean-Mayzing?

 

While I despise puns, I can think of at least a thousand over Dean Pelton (Jim Rash)'s Pay Day rap on Community's episode on March 13th. This is still hysterical even after two weeks! "Even Barack Obama is scared of me!" And Gillan Jacobs not trying too hard keeping it in. While Community has been a little up and down for the last season or two, this is ultimate win.

 

 

 

Mr. Little Jeans is Streaming and Premiering a Video-Video

 

 

There's little question of how much I am obsessed with Ms. Monica Birkenes, or more popularly known as Mr. Little Jeans. Maybe it's her heritage or her magical moody electronica that can either make you dance or cry, but the ultimate magic has occurred -- her latest album, while it's not on Spotify, it is very streamable on Hype Machine. And until it's up on Spotify, I think I'm going to keep this link in safe keeping.

 

Some videos are meant to make you happy and some just punch you in the gut. And would we expect the former from Ms. Birkenes? Maybe in the future (and preferably a video to the tune of Valentine, pretty please?) but now we have a gorgeous, albeit rather depressing, video to "Good Mistake" that features a truck driver realizing the pain of his life and Monica in full form whipping her hair around in a telephone booth which hearkens to the movie, Stoker. The "Good Mistake" video is definitely just as moody and a little frightening like the Chan-wook Park film but it is also heartbreaking and unexpectedly made me cry. Absolute perfection.

 

 

 

Margaret Berger is Making Us Scream

 

 

Aaaaand the puns just keep happening... but the best news (second or first depending on the hour considering there's NEW DONKEYBOY happening!) is that Margaret Berger is finally putting out another teaser to "New Religion" and while I am excited, I am also just as frustrated. Last time anyone heard about the album was back in September and was intended to be released last November and then according to Wikipedia it was to be out last month! What gives, Margaret? We're ready to have your album! "I Feed You My Love" and all!

 

But while we're waiting and agonizing, Margaret has been kind to put out a new song, which is currently being made into a video, that reunites all the songwriters that formed the second semi-finalist song for Eurovision 2013 ("I Feed You My Love"). This time, "Scream" has the same charging electronic sound but with a little Mediterranean beat during a very infectious chorus. If it's any indication with the comparisons between the first three singles off the new album, "New Religion" is going to be fucking solid! I am so ready!

 

 

Donkeyboy Somewhere Between Crazy and Normal...

 

 

...but normal is just a setting on the washing machine, right? Well, Cato and crew are kind of nuts and they prove it along with a children's choir that they are "living how we wanna/spinning through the night." It's a perfect Donkeyboy happy dance (and happy-dance, however you want to read that) single that is going to prove that their next album along with "Triggerfinger," we're going to see a little deeper into the synths of the otherwise happy-go-lucky band and see something sweetly and adorably profound in them.

 

But let us watch them get a little dorky. It's an international language.