mission freak!

So with the reservoir officially crested it appears we’re on the way to recovery, and it looks like it’s going to be lengthy. That being said, it is summer (officially as of Friday!), and we’d be remiss if we let record flood conditions get in the way of our merrymaking. Summertime means all sorts of things, like baseball and fireworks and hot dogs on the grill and stuff, and it certainly means that you’ve no excuse to be out enjoying yourself in the company of good music and friends. Remember when it was so cold that you’re favorite band in the world could have been playing and you still might have looked out side and said, “Fuck it.”? Well that time is over now. Don’t take it for granted. Stay dry. And for the record, I did not know that the water skiing squirrel was named Twiggy. They say you learn something new every day, and that just may be true.

Thursday
All-Star Benefit for United Way Flood Relief Fund / The Mill / 7pm / Donation is encouraged
How could you not make it out for this show featuring a great many of Iowa City’s most popular and prolific musicians. This is undoubtedly an evening that defies musical genre, and should be a great evening of music and people coming together to support a very present and justifiable need - we don’t need to say anymore than everything that’s been said about the plight of many, not just in Iowa City, but in much of Eastern and Central Iowa. Come out in the face of the flood, have some beers, and kick back to enjoy some music knowing that you’re making a difference in the hippest way. Public Property, David Zollo, Samuel Locke-Ward, Shame Train, the Red Smear, the Burning Halos, Cellar Door, Nate Basinger, and Dustin Busch will all perform. Damn!

Friday
The Cotton Jones Basket Ride w. Bad Flirt, Chrash / The Picador / 9pm
It’s been almost a year since the last time Page France, aka Michael Nau rolled through town, but a lot can change in a year - Nau recently announced that he’d be putting the Page France moniker on the back burner (perhaps for good) to focus on another project called the Cotton Jones Basket Ride. Friday they’ll be playing new songs from a trio of EPs and a forthcoming record, Paranoid Cocoon, which may or may not be out sometime this year on Quite Scientific. Montreal girl pop outfit Bad Flirt and Davenport’s Chrash open.

Saturday
Mission Creek Presents: The Waybacks w. The Pines / The Mill / 9pm / $10
We are pumped to be welcoming back the Pines for a show supporting San Francisco’s bluegrass fiends the Waybacks. They represent a musically tight explosion of chops, but their penchant for tale-telling defies any “jam-grass” categorization you might be tempted to give them. The Pines return from Minneapolis to their home state bearing their darkly inventive take on roots music that’s both well schooled and aware of present trends.