mission freak!

March may come “in like a lion, out like a lamb” in whatever lame town you come from, but here in Iowa City, the third month is coming in like a lion and going out like a genetically-modified zombie lion with an AK-47 in one hand and a crack pipe in the other. That’s right, kids…the 3rd Annual Mission Creek Festival is just a little more than a month away, and if you’ve been keeping up with the Freak, you already know that this year’s festival promises to be the biggest, best, and most bad-ass yet. Keep your eyes peeled for concert dates and times in the Festival section of the website, and we’ll have more info on festival passes in the next week or so…we promise. As always, for those of ya’ll who just can’t wait another month to get your license to rock, we’ve got you covered.

Thursday
Oscar Nominated Shorts Program / Bijou Theater / 7 PM

If you wanted to see this year’s Oscar-nominated movies, but just can’t stand to sit through a three-hour movie without a bottle of Ritalin in your hand, you’re in luck. Iowa City’s Bijou Theater will be showing the Oscar nominees for Best Live Action Short Film starting at 7:00, with the nominees for Best Animated Short Film following at 9.

Friday
Sam Locke-Ward / The Mill / 10 PM / $5

Leap Year comes only once every four years, so it’s imperative to try and fit in as much rock as possible. Luckily, the uber-talented Sam Locke-Ward knows how to write songs that are short and (totally) sweet. Can he finish 30 songs in 30 minutes? You’ll have to show up to find out. Larry “The Machine Gun” Sievers and The Teddy Boys open things up.

Saturday
Mission Creek Presents: Solon Saturdays with Sam Knutson and Black Ambient Manifesto / 9 PM / The Redhead (Solon, IA) / Free

Mission Creek’s Solon Saturday returns to the Redhead with Iowa City stalwart Sam Knutson and Black Ambient Manifesto, the solo project from one of my childhood heroes, Judd Hoskins. If the music isn’t enough to convince you to spend your Saturday night in Solon…the buffalo burgers, sweet potato fries, and cheap cans of Old Style should be.