Things are kinda getting slow around here. It’s past the 4th of July, and while June was a hot month for shows, you can bet things are going to creep to a halt by the time mid-August gets here. That’s not to say that things are by any means dead - July boasts acts like Cursive, Bowerbirds, Blitzen Trapper, the Antlers, and Casiotone for the Painfully Alone that we’re all super excited about. But, you know that when the kids go home, everything just gets a little more relaxed around here. Just in case you’ve been getting bored, we’ve got a couple tracks for you this weekend from Father Abraham, a Boston-area producer/MC who’s got a new album out called I Am Not a Sailor I am the Captain. With a flow not unlike El-P or Aesop Rock and a knack for DIY beats in the vein of Yea Big + Kid Static or even fellow Boston MC Edan, this is some quality shit. And there’s just no Iowa connection here at all - just some weekend jamz for you to kick out. Check out the urgent anthem “HIAFC” and then shit gets downright batty on “Spacemarch,” which sounds in beat and a little bit in voice like all the good parts of old Eminem. It’s entirely imaginable to see Slim Shady of 10 years ago (!) drop a verse about pills and prostitutes on this joint. Instead we get Father Abraham, minus the obvious one-liners, rapping from Point A to Point Z and everywhere in between, thankfully with no Jessica Simpson references. How dudes like this are unknown and assholes like this blow it up will never make sense to me.

Download: Father Abraham - HIAFC

Download: Father Abraham - Spacemarch

Thursday
Chase Pagan w. Keegan Dewitt, Datagun / Huckleberry’s Pizza (Rock Island) / 7pm / $5
So, I know you can see Datagun in Iowa City, pretty regularly, but we’d be missing the boat if we didn’t at least send a little love to the first date of their Midwest mini-tour, in Rock Island at Huckleberry’s. Of course, they have nothing in common sonically with Chase Pagan, who headlines, so this might get interesting.

Friday
Unicorn Basement, Kitten Forever, Grism, Wildcat Revival, Everybell & Whistle / PS1 / 9pm / $5
An indie punk’s dream at PS1 tonight. There’s a ton of crap going on around town, but make sure you stop in for this encore performance from Unicorn Basement and Kitten Forever (both of MPLS). They rocked PS1 back in its nascent summer of ‘08 and are back for a loaded bill featuring locals Grism as well as Wildcat Revival and Everybell & Whistle.

Saturday
A Midsummer Night’s Dream / Lower City Park / 8pm / $25-31
Part of an Iowa City summer tradition, this is the final weekend of the 10th anniversary edition of the Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival. And what a perfect show to end with, as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of Shakespeare’s most famous comedies involving hazy summer mischief with love potions, fairy royalty, and unwitting lovers. A little on the expensive side, but this is an important Iowa City cultural event (seems the summertime is loaded with ‘em), so make good this year if you’ve never been.