Festival season here in Iowa is one of my favorite times of year, but with all the hubbub and everything that goes along with it, it can be easy to forget about why we all love music in the first place. So that’s why I’m grateful for the Iowa City Songwriters Festival, which was all about celebrating the art of songwriting.
By just about any measure, the inaugural Songwriters Festival was a success. Three-day passes and all access passes were sold out well in advance, with single tickets still available for a few events at the Englert Theatre and other venues. All were well-attended, with some of the smaller venues feeling pretty full. And most importantly, the music was amazing and everyone I spoke to agreed.
It was also a learning opportunity for the organizers (who are already planning for next year) and about twenty ICSF Scholars. These were all songwriters from Iowa and elsewhere who attended the festival thanks to a sponsorship from Doug & Sarah Goettsch and Big Grove for Good Foundation. They were shuttled around all weekend and we always ran into each other at the same events. I remember being told by someone the Scholars were being “run ragged” but they were all clearly enjoying themselves and learning a lot.
Of course, you didn’t have to be a Scholar, or even a musician, to enjoy the music at the fest. The crowd was fully engaged at every show I attended, whether it was Jeff Tweedy headlining Friday night at the Englert Theatre or Connar Moon at the Black Angel on Saturday — plus everything in between. There were also some terrific regional musicians on the festival lineup, including some new-to-me artists like Jordan Smart and Willie Tea Taylor.
It will surprise nobody that Tweedy’s performance was my favorite of the festival. His set largely consisted of songs from his upcoming triple album Twilight Override, (which is very good), but he did play a few Wilco songs, including “Impossible Germany.” It was a fun surprise to hear that song, considering the original features a classic guitar solo from Nels Cline.
Courtney Marie Andrews was the festival’s first ever artist in residence, and she was everywhere, with something on her schedule every day. Wednesday night, Andrews hosted a songwriting workshop, and then Thursday took part in a Nashville-style “song swap” with Deb Talan at Trumpet Blossom Cafe. Andrews also joined Tweedy for an encore Friday night, then played her own show at The Englert Saturday night ahead of Joy Oladokun. At both performances I saw, Andrews closed out the night with “May Your Kindness Remain.” It’s a simple message, but a good reminder for all of us, so I’m glad I got to hear it twice.
Her residency, like the rest of the festival, was both marvelous and expansive — from intimate poetry readings at Prairie Lights Books to an ICSF Scholars retreat at Wilson’s Orchard to audience Q&As and more! Andrews exemplified the ethos of ICSF, sharing with festivalgoers her insight, advice and honesty. Andrews' attitude, after a marathon of talks, walks, readings and interviews, still remained buoyant. She even made time for an interview with my colleague Lucius Pham (we'll be premiering an exclusive live performance soon on Studio One's YouTube channel).
In addition to the performances and workshops, the Songwriters Festival featured panel discussions and public interviews with songwriters. It was a treat to hear Tweedy spend an hour speaking with our good friend Andre Perry about his career and upcoming album Friday afternoon. Andrews and Oladokun also took part in talks Saturday, as well as many other talented musicians. And this is where I come in!
Friday afternoon I had the honor of moderating a panel discussion with three performers: Buffalo Nichols, Sunny War, and Margo Cilker. Our conversation was fun and full of insight from all three of the panelists. Personally, I'm still reeling from the revelation that Buffalo Nichols mostly writes in his head, without a guitar in hand.
Cilker made way for Tweedy at The Englert Friday night while Sunny War and Buffalo Nichols performed at The James, lit exceptionally by the crew with a striking pink-purple gradient. Studio One never misses a chance to catch Sunny War, but the real surprise Friday was the levity brought by Nichols' solo set. His achy, deeply bluesy vocals can hook even the most gentle of Tom Waits fans. Also, his guitar playing, plus intricate finger-picking, were VASTLY downplayed during the aforementioned panel. But that’s also one of Nichols' many charming affects: constant self-deprecation.
Then came Saturday and a moment that I didn’t realize was decades in the making: a one-on-one interview with Loudon Wainwright III, in front of an audience. I’d first heard of Wainwright in the mid-’90s, when we played “I Wish I Was a Lesbian” at the campus radio station. I began by asking him about that song, and before I knew it I was just naming a bunch more songs and we went from there. It was an exhilarating experience, terrifying for all the right reasons, and it made catching his performance later that night all the more fun.
As always, I couldn’t make it to everything. I’d heard Oladokun perform before, and had heard good things about Connar Moon, so I went to Black Angel to check his set out. Also, I got good advice from Perry on this subject, who told me to “listen to your body” and be honest about when you need a break from everything. That said, Ken Pomeroy is near the top of my list for the future. I spoke to a few people who were blown away by her performance, to the point that they had to step outside for a few minutes.
To be very honest with you, all of us at Studio One are still processing the first Iowa City Songwriters Festival, and we’re not quite done with it yet. There is audio and video of both my conversation with Loudon Wainwright III and also Friday afternoon’s panel discussion. Both will see the light of day at some point, in one form or another. Also, my colleague Cece Michell interviewed Jeff Tweedy, and we’ll be hearing that soon too. In the meantime, there are more photos from the weekend over on our Instagram feed.
