Friday, September 7 2018 • 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm • Kum & Go Theater
Elizabeth Moen
Elizabeth Moen is a singer-songwriter and guitarist based out of Iowa City, IA where she graduated from the University of Iowa last winter. Originally studying teaching and French, Moen wanted to be an elementary school teacher in France. Thanks to the encouragement of her friends, Moen started going to open mics at The Mill in-between school and work to sing covers with her guitar. In the fall of 2015, she quit her three part-time jobs and finally wrote her first song, called up Flat Black Studios to record it, and wrote more tunes before heading to the studio that November. Elizabeth has been in the music scene here in Iowa since the release of her self-titled EP in 2016 (those first eight songs). Since then, Moen has released a vinyl LP titled “That’s All I Wanted” in 2016, and set to release her sophomore vinyl record “A Million Miles Away” this September.
Her sound has transitioned from acoustic-folk, to soulful rock, to indie-rock, to a combination of all three. Her albums and live performances show this development both musically and lyrically. After graduation, Moen has toured Europe twice, the west coast and Midwest this past year. This winter, Moen stayed in San Francisco for a music residency where she wrote the final touches for her upcoming record. Her and her full band are more than ready and very excited to share the new songs and sound.
The Vahnevants
“Listening to The Vahenevants is a lot like walking into a late-50’s/early-60’s themed diner, then immediately leaving that shithole through the backdoor after gagging at the abundant kitsch, only to find yourself outside next to four frycooks, hunched over on their break in paper hats with cigarettes in their hands and dice and dollars on the asphalt. Yeah, the aesthetic is present, but the rawness and realness is there tenfold. “On The Last Drag, the follow up to their excellent debut Bum Out!, The Vahnevants contiue their warbly, don’t-wop-ness with eight tracks of new material. Balanced between drugged vocals and softly tape-manipulated sonics, The Last Drag settles into the dirt much like dead-skin flaking off the body. Proper placement, y’all.” –WordGuyBort, Tiny Mixtapes
Pink Neighbor
Groovy. Intimate. Loungey. And of course, neighborly. These are the words Pink Neighbor embodies in sound and vibe. Based in Grinnell, Iowa, multi-instrumentalists Katie In and Erik Jarvis have worked patiently on their songwriting crafts since their teenage years. The deft and diverse output of Pink Neighbor demonstrates this, as they draw from the American Songbook, vintage global-psychedelia, lounge and film scores, and anything that makes for a nice thread in their sonic quilt.
The experience In and Jarvis bring to Pink Neighbor makes the project both fully-realized and ever-changing. They have each released self-produced solo material and contributed to the recording collective The Plain Mosaic. Since forming in 2016, Pink Neighbor has released two self-produced EPs, and they are preparing to release three new singles throughout the spring and summer of 2018. Produced by Patrick Tape Fleming (Gloom Balloon) and engineered by Patrick Stolley (formerly of Daytrotter), these songs were recorded and mixed to tape, and showcase Pink Neighbor’s comfortable and earnest approach to making music.
Their music has been featured on Iowa Public Radio, KHOI Community Radio, and KURE Ames Alternative. While working to cultivate a music community in Grinnell, and to act as music ambassadors for Grinnell, they have shared the stage with Christopher the Conquered, Foxholes, Gloom Balloon, Pieta Brown & Bo Ramsey, and The Pines.
The true magic of Pink Neighbor comes from the way they create and experience community. When they perform, they may invite you to participate in a lightly-choreographed group dance, or to “raise a glass” with them. On their Time Driving EP, their actual upstairs neighbor, an amiable baritone, contributes backup vocals for several tracks. With Pink Neighbor, there’s always a party, and everyone’s invited.
