mission freak!

This weekend I had the pleasure of seeing the Lonelyhearts twice as they embarked on a short Midwest tour alongside Skursula. The band, which is composed of Mission Freak’s own Andre Perry as well as Bay Area songwriter John Lindenbaum, dates back to the days before Andre was here in Iowa City, and has managed to continue despite the geographical obstacles. Saturday night they played at the Mill with Stephanie Rearick and the Pines.

Rearick kicked Saturday night off, impressing us with her cabaret-style art pop as she made the most of her voice, her synthesizer, and loop box. Slightly reminiscent of Dresden Dolls, except a true art rocker and bonafide mad genius. The Pines closed the night with an epic double set full of bluesy folk songs that recalled the work of Iron & Wine. However, for us at the Freak the night was all about the Lonelyhearts (Scott and I had never seen them before.) Despite battling some early technical difficulties, they charged forth with witty humor and carried on to a moving set that instantly drew us into their heavily narrative songs. Their lo-fi approach to their music - just a synthesizer and a 12-string guitar - allows the songwriting to thoroughly engage the audience, and even as first time listeners we were struck by the the impressive lyricism.

Sunday night I trekked out to Redhead in nearby Solon for the final night of the Lonelyhearts tour alongside Quiet Bears and Skursula. This was an even more intimate show in the enchanting, all-organic Redhead Restaurant, which, as far as I know, is a hidden gem in Solon, just 20 minutes away from Iowa City. This time I took in the Lonelyhearts sound up-close and personal, without microphones, as I chowed down on a free-range buffalo burger, sweet potato fries, and sipped a glass of pinot noirm (ed note: I am so frickin’ hungry now). It was a perfect end of a Lonelyheart kind of weekend.

download: The Lonelyhearts - New Virginia