These 5 True/False Film Fest music showcases are worth missing a movie over
The True/False Film Fest increasingly feels like a film and music festival, as realities captured on-screen meet their match in songs that translate their emotions.
A need to see as many films as possible may sometimes distract festgoers from stepping away to catch a music showcase, but these concerts sound deep and wide. With the fest beginning Thursday, here are just five of this weekend's showcases that are worth tearing yourself away from the theater.
Thursday Night Rose Showcase
Gorgeous sonics and turn-on-a-dime flexibility are in order when this killer grouping turns up to tune up. Daniel Villarreal is a drummer and DJ who connects sounds from the Midwest and Central America; Ben Lamar Gay plays music like a wondrous painter, creating and obscuring the objects we know; and former St. Louisan Tonina builds new musical worlds from jazz, R&B, Latin music and more. 7 p.m. at Rose Music Hall; $18-$20.
Friday Night Berlin Showcase
"Alert: a loud night lies ahead," the fest's event description for this show reads. Three acts with very different sounds convene around the dynamic, textured — and, yes, forte-filled — approaches they take. Catch Lawrence, Kansas rock duo Sweeping Promises; bright stars of Florida hip-hop They Hate Change; and the dark and delicious synth-pop of St. Louis act The Mall. 8 p.m. at Cafe Berlin; $18-$20.
Saturday Night Berlin Showcase
Survey the landscape of sublime, Midwest-forged hip-hop at a showcase whose particular quality is unlikely to be replicated. Chicago-born, Nashville-based R.A.P. Ferreira joins forces with Chicago mainstay Psalm One and local rising star Zeph France for an evening worth seizing. 8 p.m. at Cafe Berlin; $18-$20.
Saturday Night Rose Showcase
A truly powerhouse triple bill features the nimble, trailblazing sounds of indie icon Thao ("backed by an all-star cast of True/False musicians," according to the fest); open-road rock 'n' roll of Austin, Texas band Good Looks; and the Technicolor pop vibrations of Valebol, featuring Villarreal and V.V. Lightbody, who will be performing throughout the fest together and alone. 9 p.m. at Rose Music Hall; $20-$25.
Hitt Records Sessions
As True/False winds to a close, don't let Sunday-night fatigue or the allure of some shinier time distract you from this intimate offering. BSA Gold will play cool, spiritually-infused jazz and Nona Marie Invie will deliver exquisite, affirming reveries among the Hitt Records stacks. Doors open 6 p.m. Sunday at Hitt Records; free.
For more information on these dates and all other True/False music showcases, visit https://truefalse.org/program/music/.
Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. He's on Twitter/X @aarikdanielsen.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: 5 True/False Film Fest music showcases worth missing a movie over
