Catch Early Girl, Halfloves, and Spirit Awake at this week's Englert Local Showcase

Jessica Rish, Iowa City Press-Citizen
·2 min read
The Local Showcase Series at The Englert Theatre returns this winter season with three shows.
The Local Showcase Series at The Englert Theatre returns this winter season with three shows.

The second installment of the three-part Englert Local Showcase Series will highlight local alternative pop on Saturday, Feb. 10.

This weekend's show features the talents of local veterans Halfloves and Early Girl as well as recent newcomer, Spirit Awake

The Local Showcase Series, which spans three weekends, was created to allow local artists a chance to perform on the historic Englert stage while also highlighting Iowa City's diverse and tight-knit music scene.

"It's important to the organization to celebrate the vast range of sounds Iowa has to offer," said Englert's programming coordinator, Elly Hofmaier.

Saturday's show begins at 7:30 p.m. The final show is set for Feb.13, rescheduled due to a January snowstorm.

The bands and artists are handpicked by a rotating programming panel at The Englert. The panel includes employees from different departments, which include Kory May (development), Elisabeth Oster (marketing), Justin Comer (production), Ashlee Hopkins (front of house), and Erinn Durian (box office).

"The programming panel as a concept is really cool," Hofmaier said. "The process is very egalitarian and non-hierarchical, just five people with widely different connections to the local arts community working together to create a program that is most beneficial to the community; they did so much better than any individual programmer could ever do."

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The Englert Theatre sign is reflected in a puddle during an event following the restoration of the marquee, Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, at 221 E Washington Street in downtown Iowa City, Iowa.
The Englert Theatre sign is reflected in a puddle during an event following the restoration of the marquee, Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, at 221 E Washington Street in downtown Iowa City, Iowa.

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Traditional lyrics with experimental sounds

Saturday's showcase highlights the local alternative pop scene.

Spirit Awake, Early Girl and Halfloves each offer an intricate blend of traditional pop music techniques with unconventional or experimental sounds.

Spirit Awake is a trio of musicians formed at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. Halfloves is a veteran local rock band that "mixes pop sensibilities with heady textures and space to create an emotionally charged sound," according to their website. Early Girl has also been a key part of Iowa City's local scene for many years, anchored by "hot and ready power pop fresh from the heart of Iowa City," according to their website on Bandcamp.

"People can expect the wholesome energy that comes with local artists performing in this huge venue for the first time," said Hofmaier. "The sound quality is amazing, and our staff is always stoked to [work] with artists from our community."

Englert's first series installment highlighted musicians known for their poetic and evocative lyrics, featuring the acts of Kay Killa, TheZeffsterr and Jim Swim.

Tickets to Saturday's show cost $15 for general admission and $10 for students.

Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and business reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Englert's next Local Showcase highlights local alternative pop acts