Yamaguchi Radio is an archive of deejay sets that happen live in both our Rock Island & Guangzhou locations. Press play before scrolling down to listen while you read about our upcoming events. Enjoy!
HOURS
wednesday 5pm-11pm
thursday 5pm-11pm
friday 5pm-12am
saturday 10am-12am
sunday 10am-3pm
CLOSED MONDAY+TUESDAY
wednesday 5pm-11pm
thursday 5pm-11pm
friday 5pm-12am
saturday 10am-12am
sunday 10am-3pm
CLOSED MONDAY+TUESDAY
PROGRAMME
friday 20 march
OUTLETProgramme Presents: JJJJJEROME ELLIS + LIA KOHL + ZACHARY GOOD
OUTLETProgramme Presents: JJJJJEROME ELLIS + LIA KOHL + ZACHARY GOOD
$25 DOOR / $20 ADVANCE
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
JJJJJEROME ELLIS
jjjjjerome.bandcamp.com/album/vesper-sparrow
The work of JJJJJerome Ellis lives comfortably in the gaps between silence and possibility. The Black disabled Grenadian-Jamaican-American artist creates atmospheric soundscapes with saxophone, organ, hammered dulcimer, electronics, and their voice. Improvisation is at the core of their artistry – often chipping away at large slabs of recordings to reveal the piece like a marble sculptor. It’s an expansive and interdisciplinary practice that allows JJJJJerome to adapt to any medium or form, including recorded music, live theatrical and performance art, scoring, spoken word and storytelling, and multimedia/visual works that incorporate sound.
Living as a person who stutters, using their mouth to express themselves proved difficult growing up. The practice of spelling their performance moniker “JJJJJerome” stems from the realization that the word they stutter most frequently is their own name. Despite a brief placement in speech therapy as a child, everything clicked when they picked up the saxophone in seventh grade. “I still stutter on the saxophone, but it’s different.” As an artist, their creative ethos now revolves around the exploration of stuttering through music, expounding upon the ability of each to shape time. They honor the stutter through art.
LIA KOHL
liakohl.bandcamp.com/album/various-small-whistles-and-a-song
Lia Kohl (b. New York, NY) is a composer and sound artist based in Chicago. Trained as a cellist, she also incorporates synthesizers, field recordings, toy instruments and radios into her work, searching for a balance between virtuosity and curiosity. She gravitates towards sound practices which reveal and speak to their time and place: field recording, improvisation, radio broadcast and transmission. She often focuses on mundane or pedestrian sounds – sounds which often go unnoticed or under-documented, searching for the profound, unknown, and beautiful in everyday life.
She performs as a soloist, a collaborator and composes works for ensembles. She has presented work and performed at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, The Renaissance Society, Union Station Chicago, Eckhart Park Pool, and Big Ears Festival. She has created sound installations for Experimental Sound Studios' Audible Gallery and Roman Susan Art Foundation. She has been a resident artist at ACRE, Vashon Artist Residency, High Concept Labs, dfbrl8r Performance Art Gallery, Mana Contemporary, Stanford University, and Mills College and a Transmission Art Fellow at Wave Farm. An active recording artist, she has arranged strings and recorded with Makaya McCraven, Circuit des Yeux, claire rousay, and Steve Hauschildt, among others. Her work has been featured in Pitchfork, The Quietus, The Chicago Tribune , The Wire Magazine, and Downbeat Magazine, and on NPR, NTS Radio, Kunstradio, BBC Radio 6 Music, Dublab, and WFMU. She has releases on Drag City, International Anthem, Moon Glyph, Longform Editions, and American Dreams Records. She tours nationally and internationally.
ZACHARY GOOD
add-dye-editions.bandcamp.com/album/lake-heritage
Zachary Good is a Chicago-based clarinetist, chamber musician, composer, and music educator. He is the clarinetist of the sextet Eighth Blackbird, a member of Ensemble Dal Niente, and Honestly Same. Zachary is the Visiting Assistant Professor of Clarinet at Northern Illinois University. Zachary Good’s music meticulously explores the contrapuntal and harmonic possibilities of quiet two-note multiphonics on the clarinet, creating the illusion of multiple clarinetists playing simultaneously. His music is quietly virtuosic, inspired by the intricacies of the clarinet and a love for Baroque nuance and form. Lake Heritage was released on Good's own record label, Add Dye Editions.
* this concert is supported by the Illinois Arts Council
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
JJJJJEROME ELLIS
jjjjjerome.bandcamp.com/album/vesper-sparrow
The work of JJJJJerome Ellis lives comfortably in the gaps between silence and possibility. The Black disabled Grenadian-Jamaican-American artist creates atmospheric soundscapes with saxophone, organ, hammered dulcimer, electronics, and their voice. Improvisation is at the core of their artistry – often chipping away at large slabs of recordings to reveal the piece like a marble sculptor. It’s an expansive and interdisciplinary practice that allows JJJJJerome to adapt to any medium or form, including recorded music, live theatrical and performance art, scoring, spoken word and storytelling, and multimedia/visual works that incorporate sound.
Living as a person who stutters, using their mouth to express themselves proved difficult growing up. The practice of spelling their performance moniker “JJJJJerome” stems from the realization that the word they stutter most frequently is their own name. Despite a brief placement in speech therapy as a child, everything clicked when they picked up the saxophone in seventh grade. “I still stutter on the saxophone, but it’s different.” As an artist, their creative ethos now revolves around the exploration of stuttering through music, expounding upon the ability of each to shape time. They honor the stutter through art.
LIA KOHL
liakohl.bandcamp.com/album/various-small-whistles-and-a-song
Lia Kohl (b. New York, NY) is a composer and sound artist based in Chicago. Trained as a cellist, she also incorporates synthesizers, field recordings, toy instruments and radios into her work, searching for a balance between virtuosity and curiosity. She gravitates towards sound practices which reveal and speak to their time and place: field recording, improvisation, radio broadcast and transmission. She often focuses on mundane or pedestrian sounds – sounds which often go unnoticed or under-documented, searching for the profound, unknown, and beautiful in everyday life.
She performs as a soloist, a collaborator and composes works for ensembles. She has presented work and performed at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, The Renaissance Society, Union Station Chicago, Eckhart Park Pool, and Big Ears Festival. She has created sound installations for Experimental Sound Studios' Audible Gallery and Roman Susan Art Foundation. She has been a resident artist at ACRE, Vashon Artist Residency, High Concept Labs, dfbrl8r Performance Art Gallery, Mana Contemporary, Stanford University, and Mills College and a Transmission Art Fellow at Wave Farm. An active recording artist, she has arranged strings and recorded with Makaya McCraven, Circuit des Yeux, claire rousay, and Steve Hauschildt, among others. Her work has been featured in Pitchfork, The Quietus, The Chicago Tribune , The Wire Magazine, and Downbeat Magazine, and on NPR, NTS Radio, Kunstradio, BBC Radio 6 Music, Dublab, and WFMU. She has releases on Drag City, International Anthem, Moon Glyph, Longform Editions, and American Dreams Records. She tours nationally and internationally.
ZACHARY GOOD
add-dye-editions.bandcamp.com/album/lake-heritage
Zachary Good is a Chicago-based clarinetist, chamber musician, composer, and music educator. He is the clarinetist of the sextet Eighth Blackbird, a member of Ensemble Dal Niente, and Honestly Same. Zachary is the Visiting Assistant Professor of Clarinet at Northern Illinois University. Zachary Good’s music meticulously explores the contrapuntal and harmonic possibilities of quiet two-note multiphonics on the clarinet, creating the illusion of multiple clarinetists playing simultaneously. His music is quietly virtuosic, inspired by the intricacies of the clarinet and a love for Baroque nuance and form. Lake Heritage was released on Good's own record label, Add Dye Editions.
* this concert is supported by the Illinois Arts Council
saturday 21 march
AMATEUR SELECTORS SERIES
AMATEUR SELECTORS SERIES
SIT NEXT BY US W/ LIS & SCOTTIE
[inde rock] [pop] [punk]
the Fellers are posting back up at the record bar on their anniversary to share some music with us. how sweet is that?
free admission
all ages
8-1130pm
[inde rock] [pop] [punk]
the Fellers are posting back up at the record bar on their anniversary to share some music with us. how sweet is that?
free admission
all ages
8-1130pm
sunday 22 march
OUTLETProgramme Presents: TAKAAT
w/ GLURGE + FRIENDLESS
OUTLETProgramme Presents: TAKAAT
w/ GLURGE + FRIENDLESS
$20 DOOR / $15 ADVANCE
$10 MEMBERS
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
TAKAAT
https://purplishrecords.bandcamp.com/album/takaat-is-noise-vol-2
TAKAAT (pronounced tuh-cot), meaning “noise” in the Tuareg language Tamashek, is the trio of Ahmoudou Madassane, Mikey Coltun, and Souleymane Ibrahim, also known as the rhythm section of Mdou Moctar. TAKAAT is sonic chaos, improvisation, freedom of exploration, and the punk styles of bands such as Fugazi and Unwound, all mixed together with the guitar music from the Sahel.
TAKAAT started during soundchecks while on the road with Mdou Moctar when the trio indulged their shared love for amps cranked to 11 and the sound of blown out speakers. Towards the end of 2023, the three started writing music together, inspired by their shared experiences with the sounds and energy of Hausa bar bands, gritty soukous, and 2000s post-punk. The music of TAKAAT is intense, dark, and energetic. Deeply inspired by the DIY ethos of punk, Ahmoudou, Mikey, and Souleymane capture that thrill of the new and the ecstasy of togetherness in these heavy rockers. TAKAAT follows in the spirit of the independent music culture that birthed hardcore basement shows, bedroom tape labels, and generator-powered pick-up wedding bands.
They will be playing as a duo for this show; Ahmoudou on guitar, and Mikey on bass. There will be a drum machine. It will be loud.
GLURGE
https://glurge.bandcamp.com/album/divertimento
Glurge is an apocalyptic dirge-pop duo from Minneapolis, comprised of Stu Cline and Jessica Dzielinski. Originally called Aqualife, Glurge began as Stu's solo project until it was expanded in 2024 with Jessica joining on drums.
Their music has been described as scary and cinematic, with bizarre chord changes laid atop droning organs and explosive, tympani-like drums. Their songs are short and manic, encapsulating the feeling of a small bug trying to crawl out of the sink.
FRIENDLESS
https://terrificrecordings.bandcamp.com/track/friendless-alternate-version
Friendless is a new solo project of drummer and percussionist Jon Mueller, developed from his duo with Andrew Fitzpatrick, called Friend. Refined to just acoustic drums, Friendless focuses on a similar flow of rapidly shifting time signatures over a pulsing and inviting core tempo, resulting in energetic rhythms that share elements of traditional folk music and modern electronic music in performance and feel.
Friendless appears on the compilation CD, The Milwaukee Protocol: Unfamiliar Audio for Rabies Awareness. Additional recordings and performances are planned throughout 2026.
Jon Mueller is celebrated for his uncommon technique, rigor and virtuosity. Notable solo performances have taken place at the Guggenheim Museum, New Museum, Issue Project Room, SXSW, Big Ears Festival, Hopscotch Fest and Witching Hour Festival. Beyond his solo work, Mueller has performed and recorded with Aaron Turner, Olivia Block, Who is the Witness?, James Plotkin, Mind Over Mirrors, Volcano Choir, Collections of Colonies of Bees and Pele.
* this concert is supported by the Illinois Arts Council
$10 MEMBERS
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
TAKAAT
https://purplishrecords.bandcamp.com/album/takaat-is-noise-vol-2
TAKAAT (pronounced tuh-cot), meaning “noise” in the Tuareg language Tamashek, is the trio of Ahmoudou Madassane, Mikey Coltun, and Souleymane Ibrahim, also known as the rhythm section of Mdou Moctar. TAKAAT is sonic chaos, improvisation, freedom of exploration, and the punk styles of bands such as Fugazi and Unwound, all mixed together with the guitar music from the Sahel.
TAKAAT started during soundchecks while on the road with Mdou Moctar when the trio indulged their shared love for amps cranked to 11 and the sound of blown out speakers. Towards the end of 2023, the three started writing music together, inspired by their shared experiences with the sounds and energy of Hausa bar bands, gritty soukous, and 2000s post-punk. The music of TAKAAT is intense, dark, and energetic. Deeply inspired by the DIY ethos of punk, Ahmoudou, Mikey, and Souleymane capture that thrill of the new and the ecstasy of togetherness in these heavy rockers. TAKAAT follows in the spirit of the independent music culture that birthed hardcore basement shows, bedroom tape labels, and generator-powered pick-up wedding bands.
They will be playing as a duo for this show; Ahmoudou on guitar, and Mikey on bass. There will be a drum machine. It will be loud.
GLURGE
https://glurge.bandcamp.com/album/divertimento
Glurge is an apocalyptic dirge-pop duo from Minneapolis, comprised of Stu Cline and Jessica Dzielinski. Originally called Aqualife, Glurge began as Stu's solo project until it was expanded in 2024 with Jessica joining on drums.
Their music has been described as scary and cinematic, with bizarre chord changes laid atop droning organs and explosive, tympani-like drums. Their songs are short and manic, encapsulating the feeling of a small bug trying to crawl out of the sink.
FRIENDLESS
https://terrificrecordings.bandcamp.com/track/friendless-alternate-version
Friendless is a new solo project of drummer and percussionist Jon Mueller, developed from his duo with Andrew Fitzpatrick, called Friend. Refined to just acoustic drums, Friendless focuses on a similar flow of rapidly shifting time signatures over a pulsing and inviting core tempo, resulting in energetic rhythms that share elements of traditional folk music and modern electronic music in performance and feel.
Friendless appears on the compilation CD, The Milwaukee Protocol: Unfamiliar Audio for Rabies Awareness. Additional recordings and performances are planned throughout 2026.
Jon Mueller is celebrated for his uncommon technique, rigor and virtuosity. Notable solo performances have taken place at the Guggenheim Museum, New Museum, Issue Project Room, SXSW, Big Ears Festival, Hopscotch Fest and Witching Hour Festival. Beyond his solo work, Mueller has performed and recorded with Aaron Turner, Olivia Block, Who is the Witness?, James Plotkin, Mind Over Mirrors, Volcano Choir, Collections of Colonies of Bees and Pele.
* this concert is supported by the Illinois Arts Council
friday 27 march
PET PEEVES + FATBABY
PET PEEVES + FATBABY
$10 DOOR
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
PET PEEVES
https://petpeeves.bandcamp.com/album/sommar-solstice-mmxx
Pet Peeves is an experimental no-wave math band with an expanding contracting line up of Chicago’s weirdo music scene. They play high-energy, angular rhythm music with guitar, horns and drums employing dadaist composition with surreal absurdist humor and performance. Referred to once as Henry Cow meets Black Sabbath.
FATBABY
(Dubuque, IA - members of Cervine, Venereal Crush, and BBJr) is an improvisational unit featuring two or more people manipulating the textures of acoustic instruments (most often percussion and bass clarinet) through various electronic sources.
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
PET PEEVES
https://petpeeves.bandcamp.com/album/sommar-solstice-mmxx
Pet Peeves is an experimental no-wave math band with an expanding contracting line up of Chicago’s weirdo music scene. They play high-energy, angular rhythm music with guitar, horns and drums employing dadaist composition with surreal absurdist humor and performance. Referred to once as Henry Cow meets Black Sabbath.
FATBABY
(Dubuque, IA - members of Cervine, Venereal Crush, and BBJr) is an improvisational unit featuring two or more people manipulating the textures of acoustic instruments (most often percussion and bass clarinet) through various electronic sources.
wednesday 01 april
OUTLETProgramme PRESENTS: DEREK MONYPENY + KELBY CLARK
w/ ONIONS & CILANTRO
OUTLETProgramme PRESENTS: DEREK MONYPENY + KELBY CLARK
w/ ONIONS & CILANTRO
$15 DOOR / $10 ADVANCE
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
DEREK MONYPENY
https://derekmonypeny.bandcamp.com/album/the-oppositional-imagination
Born in the Arizona desert, a veteran of multiple explorations into the Sahara desert via Morocco and Western Sahara, and now a resident of the Mojave, Derek Monypeny sees his musical mission as adding to and expanding on what he calls the "desert continuum;" the psychedelic sirocco swirl of desert-based stringed instruments played with utter abandon by musicians the world over.
Derek uses a variety of instruments to achieve these ends. In addition to guitar, he has recorded an album of solo oud recordings (Don't Bring Me Down, Bruce) and is currently performing and recording using the 15-string bulbul tarang (Indian electric banjo).
Derek is a former member of the bands Oaxacan (Oakland, CA), ALTO (Portland, OR), and Sir Richard Bishop's Freak Of Araby Ensemble. He has collaborated and toured with artists such as Bill Orcutt, Jozef van Wissem, Mike Watt, Eva Aguila, Ak'chamel, and many others.
KELBY CLARK
https://tentativepower.bandcamp.com/album/language-of-the-torch
Kelby Clark is a Los Angeles-based banjo player originally hailing from South Georgia. He is inspired by the old-time music of his home state as well as drone, free improvisation, raga, and many other forms of both experimental and traditional music from around the world. Clark has released records and tapes on labels such as Tentative Power, Working Man Lay Down, Garden Portal, Aural Canyon, and Vaagner. He has also collaborated with other artists including Donald Miller (Borbetomagus), Joseph Allred, Jeremiah M. Carter, Sarah Viviana Valdez, Hal Lambert, and Mitchell Mobley. His most recent solo LP titled Language of the Torch was released in January of 2025.
"The way Clark attacks his instrument, allowing songs to unspool in tumbling, organized chaos is magnetic and feels distinctly his own" - The Quietus
ONIONS & CILANTRO
https://dimstones.bandcamp.com/album/love-is-law
a shimmer of light through dark times. Guitar and percussion music by Johnnie Cluney. Past projects, bedroom shrine and Mondo drag.
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
DEREK MONYPENY
https://derekmonypeny.bandcamp.com/album/the-oppositional-imagination
Born in the Arizona desert, a veteran of multiple explorations into the Sahara desert via Morocco and Western Sahara, and now a resident of the Mojave, Derek Monypeny sees his musical mission as adding to and expanding on what he calls the "desert continuum;" the psychedelic sirocco swirl of desert-based stringed instruments played with utter abandon by musicians the world over.
Derek uses a variety of instruments to achieve these ends. In addition to guitar, he has recorded an album of solo oud recordings (Don't Bring Me Down, Bruce) and is currently performing and recording using the 15-string bulbul tarang (Indian electric banjo).
Derek is a former member of the bands Oaxacan (Oakland, CA), ALTO (Portland, OR), and Sir Richard Bishop's Freak Of Araby Ensemble. He has collaborated and toured with artists such as Bill Orcutt, Jozef van Wissem, Mike Watt, Eva Aguila, Ak'chamel, and many others.
KELBY CLARK
https://tentativepower.bandcamp.com/album/language-of-the-torch
Kelby Clark is a Los Angeles-based banjo player originally hailing from South Georgia. He is inspired by the old-time music of his home state as well as drone, free improvisation, raga, and many other forms of both experimental and traditional music from around the world. Clark has released records and tapes on labels such as Tentative Power, Working Man Lay Down, Garden Portal, Aural Canyon, and Vaagner. He has also collaborated with other artists including Donald Miller (Borbetomagus), Joseph Allred, Jeremiah M. Carter, Sarah Viviana Valdez, Hal Lambert, and Mitchell Mobley. His most recent solo LP titled Language of the Torch was released in January of 2025.
"The way Clark attacks his instrument, allowing songs to unspool in tumbling, organized chaos is magnetic and feels distinctly his own" - The Quietus
ONIONS & CILANTRO
https://dimstones.bandcamp.com/album/love-is-law
a shimmer of light through dark times. Guitar and percussion music by Johnnie Cluney. Past projects, bedroom shrine and Mondo drag.
SAT 04 APR 2026
OUTLETProgramme Presents: KELLY MORAN (WARP RECORDS)
w/ RANDALL HALL
OUTLETProgramme Presents: KELLY MORAN (WARP RECORDS)
w/ RANDALL HALL
$25 DOOR / $20 ADVANCE
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
KELLY MORAN
kellymoran.bandcamp.com/album/dont-trust-mirrors
Over the past decade, New York-based composer and producer Kelly Moran has challenged the piano's traditional, classically-imposed school of thought with a more contemporary, experimental approach. An accomplished and highly sought-after composer, Moran has collaborated and performed with FKA twigs and Oneohtrix Point Never as part of their live ensembles. Moran has also composed for classical musician Margaret Leng Tan and recorded collaborations with other visionary contemporaries like Kelsey Lu, Yves Tumor, The Avalanches, Helado Negro, Bibio, and more.
As a solo artist, Moran's critically acclaimed albums, Bloodroot and Ultraviolet, have explored a variety of extended piano techniques like John Cage-inspired prepared piano and exercises in improvisation. Her unique strand of experimental piano compositions, which conjure hypnotizing textures and dramatic compositional arcs, have been included on year-end lists across classical, avant-garde, and metal genres. Moran’s most recent album, Moves in the Field, was praised by the New York Times for being “a softhearted but steel-skinned set of 10 piano pieces that are as rapturous as a waterfall or as delicate as vapor. Her first album in six years, it is the redemptive conclusion in an extended span of personal tragedy and professional doubt, all ingrained in its sweeping songs.”
RANDALL HALL
randallhall.bandcamp.com/album/the-sacred-shouting-to-itself
Saxophonist, composer and improvisor RANDALL HALL moves at the sonic limits of the instrument to delve into the mythic, the esoteric, and the apophatic. As a leading interpreter of contemporary music for saxophone, his performances of new compositions and improvisations feature his mastery of extended techniques and cutting-edge electronics. Innova Recordings describes his music as “high-octane, supercharged sax” while The Wire says he plays with “utter confidence,” “fire and teeth,” and “unexpectedly tough beauty.”
* this concert is supported by the Illinois Arts Council
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
KELLY MORAN
kellymoran.bandcamp.com/album/dont-trust-mirrors
Over the past decade, New York-based composer and producer Kelly Moran has challenged the piano's traditional, classically-imposed school of thought with a more contemporary, experimental approach. An accomplished and highly sought-after composer, Moran has collaborated and performed with FKA twigs and Oneohtrix Point Never as part of their live ensembles. Moran has also composed for classical musician Margaret Leng Tan and recorded collaborations with other visionary contemporaries like Kelsey Lu, Yves Tumor, The Avalanches, Helado Negro, Bibio, and more.
As a solo artist, Moran's critically acclaimed albums, Bloodroot and Ultraviolet, have explored a variety of extended piano techniques like John Cage-inspired prepared piano and exercises in improvisation. Her unique strand of experimental piano compositions, which conjure hypnotizing textures and dramatic compositional arcs, have been included on year-end lists across classical, avant-garde, and metal genres. Moran’s most recent album, Moves in the Field, was praised by the New York Times for being “a softhearted but steel-skinned set of 10 piano pieces that are as rapturous as a waterfall or as delicate as vapor. Her first album in six years, it is the redemptive conclusion in an extended span of personal tragedy and professional doubt, all ingrained in its sweeping songs.”
RANDALL HALL
randallhall.bandcamp.com/album/the-sacred-shouting-to-itself
Saxophonist, composer and improvisor RANDALL HALL moves at the sonic limits of the instrument to delve into the mythic, the esoteric, and the apophatic. As a leading interpreter of contemporary music for saxophone, his performances of new compositions and improvisations feature his mastery of extended techniques and cutting-edge electronics. Innova Recordings describes his music as “high-octane, supercharged sax” while The Wire says he plays with “utter confidence,” “fire and teeth,” and “unexpectedly tough beauty.”
* this concert is supported by the Illinois Arts Council
friday 10 april
OUTLETProgramme Presents: CHARLES JOSEPH SMITH
w/ NONNIE PARRY FT. THE PERSONALS
OUTLETProgramme Presents: CHARLES JOSEPH SMITH
w/ NONNIE PARRY FT. THE PERSONALS
$15 DOOR / $10 ADVANCE
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
CHARLES JOSEPH SMITH
https://charlesjosephsmith.bandcamp.com/album/collected-works-and-war-of-the-martian-ghosts
Dr. Charles Joseph Smith’s remarkable story begins with a mute child’s gift for music, and the purposeful way he nurtured this talent to become both life practice and raison d'être. Charles recounts this artistic journey in his autobiography, The 88 Keys that Opened Doors, a self-published book that chronicles a life in which music was (and still is) the primary key to overcoming immense challenges posed by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
His career as a musician starts in the church, reaches into the international concert piano circuit, and eventually settles to bear strange fruit in Chicago’s experimental underground. Along the way, Charles Joseph Smith’s compositional voice absorbed and metabolized popular music spanning pop to jazz, the gospel of the church, the canon of the classical conservatory, modern dance scores, and the rule-shattering experimentalism of his city’s DIY subculture, where he has been a mainstay for over 30 years. Since the mid-1990s, Charles has been performing, dancing, and selling his self-published musical and written works in person, often at the local shows he frequents. He is known around Chicago as a living symbol of the power of music, and of the beloved spirit of community at the heart of DIY. He will appear at Rozz Tox to celebrate the first retrospective collection of his work, a 90 minute album titled Collected Works and War of the Martian Ghosts, out April 3, 2026 on Chicago's Sooper Records. This is the definitive collection of his original recordings—though it would be impossible to ever encompass the galaxies of music, poetry, and prose penned by the prolific Dr. Charles Joseph Smith.
NONNIE PARRY
https://nonnieparry.bandcamp.com/album/untitled-album
Nonnie Parry is a two piece computer punk act that delights in minimalism, ambiance, and low noise. Featuring performance art duo ‘The Personals’ for one nite only.
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
CHARLES JOSEPH SMITH
https://charlesjosephsmith.bandcamp.com/album/collected-works-and-war-of-the-martian-ghosts
Dr. Charles Joseph Smith’s remarkable story begins with a mute child’s gift for music, and the purposeful way he nurtured this talent to become both life practice and raison d'être. Charles recounts this artistic journey in his autobiography, The 88 Keys that Opened Doors, a self-published book that chronicles a life in which music was (and still is) the primary key to overcoming immense challenges posed by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
His career as a musician starts in the church, reaches into the international concert piano circuit, and eventually settles to bear strange fruit in Chicago’s experimental underground. Along the way, Charles Joseph Smith’s compositional voice absorbed and metabolized popular music spanning pop to jazz, the gospel of the church, the canon of the classical conservatory, modern dance scores, and the rule-shattering experimentalism of his city’s DIY subculture, where he has been a mainstay for over 30 years. Since the mid-1990s, Charles has been performing, dancing, and selling his self-published musical and written works in person, often at the local shows he frequents. He is known around Chicago as a living symbol of the power of music, and of the beloved spirit of community at the heart of DIY. He will appear at Rozz Tox to celebrate the first retrospective collection of his work, a 90 minute album titled Collected Works and War of the Martian Ghosts, out April 3, 2026 on Chicago's Sooper Records. This is the definitive collection of his original recordings—though it would be impossible to ever encompass the galaxies of music, poetry, and prose penned by the prolific Dr. Charles Joseph Smith.
NONNIE PARRY
https://nonnieparry.bandcamp.com/album/untitled-album
Nonnie Parry is a two piece computer punk act that delights in minimalism, ambiance, and low noise. Featuring performance art duo ‘The Personals’ for one nite only.
friday 17 april
OUTLETProgramme Presents: ALASH ENSEMBLE
OUTLETProgramme Presents: ALASH ENSEMBLE
$20 DOOR / $15 ADVANCE
$10 MEMBERS
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
ALASH ENSEMBLE
https://alashensemble.bandcamp.com/album/meni-mana
ALASH are masters of Tuvan throat singing (xöömei), a remarkable technique for singing multiple pitches at the same time. What distinguishes this trio from earlier generations of Tuvan throat singers is the subtle infusion of modern influences into their traditional music. One can find complex harmonies, western instruments, and contemporary song forms in Alash’s music, but its overall sound and spirit remain decidedly Tuvan.
Alash will play two sets w/ an intermission.
* this concert is supported by the Illinois Arts Council
$10 MEMBERS
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
ALASH ENSEMBLE
https://alashensemble.bandcamp.com/album/meni-mana
ALASH are masters of Tuvan throat singing (xöömei), a remarkable technique for singing multiple pitches at the same time. What distinguishes this trio from earlier generations of Tuvan throat singers is the subtle infusion of modern influences into their traditional music. One can find complex harmonies, western instruments, and contemporary song forms in Alash’s music, but its overall sound and spirit remain decidedly Tuvan.
Alash will play two sets w/ an intermission.
* this concert is supported by the Illinois Arts Council
thursday 23 april
SPECTRA READING SERIES fea. JEFFREY McDANIEL
SPECTRA READING SERIES fea. JEFFREY McDANIEL
6pm - Community Writing Hour
7pm - Open Mic
8pm - Feature Reading: Jeffrey McDaniel w/ local support TBA
Free & Open
Jeffrey McDaniel is the author of seven books of poetry, most recently Thin Ice Olympics (Write Bloody, 2022) Other books include Holiday in the Islands of Grief (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2020). Chapel of Inadvertent Joy (Pittsburgh, 2013), The Endarkenment (Pittsburgh, 2008), The Splinter Factory (Manic D Press, 2002), The Forgiveness Parade (Manic D Press, 1998), and Alibi School (Manic D Press, 1995). McDaniel’s poems have appeared in numerous places, including The New Yorker, The New York Times, Ploughshares, American Poetry Review, and Best American Poetry 1994, 2010, and 2019. Recipient of an NEA fellowship, he is the co-editor of the Pitt Poetry Series and a professor of creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College.
www.mwcqc.org/
7pm - Open Mic
8pm - Feature Reading: Jeffrey McDaniel w/ local support TBA
Free & Open
Jeffrey McDaniel is the author of seven books of poetry, most recently Thin Ice Olympics (Write Bloody, 2022) Other books include Holiday in the Islands of Grief (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2020). Chapel of Inadvertent Joy (Pittsburgh, 2013), The Endarkenment (Pittsburgh, 2008), The Splinter Factory (Manic D Press, 2002), The Forgiveness Parade (Manic D Press, 1998), and Alibi School (Manic D Press, 1995). McDaniel’s poems have appeared in numerous places, including The New Yorker, The New York Times, Ploughshares, American Poetry Review, and Best American Poetry 1994, 2010, and 2019. Recipient of an NEA fellowship, he is the co-editor of the Pitt Poetry Series and a professor of creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College.
www.mwcqc.org/
friday 24 april
OUTLETProgramme X NO BELOW EDITIONS Present: BIG BRIGHT KARL FIRE + CREATION/HEAP + NOLAN
OUTLETProgramme X NO BELOW EDITIONS Present: BIG BRIGHT KARL FIRE + CREATION/HEAP + NOLAN
this show is part of the closing reception for an exhibition at Catich Gallery titled Tongue+Groove, by Lisa Lofgren & Matt Erickson. the exhibition will run from 23 march - 24 april. ∆∆ see below for more info and artist bios/ statements ∆∆
$10 DOOR
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
BIG BRIGHT KARL FIRE
https://yeabig.weebly.com/
https://edwardbreitweiser.com/
https://swimignorantfire.bandcamp.com/
Big Bright Karl Fire is the sonic melding of Yea Big, Edward Breitweiser, Michael Carlson, and Swim Ignorant Fire. Big Bright Karl Fire is synths meeting winds meeting guitars meeting percussion, calm meeting frenzy meeting strategic accidents meeting accidental beauty.
CREATION/HEAP
https://bummerpunkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/i-c
Philip T. Walker & JJ Creatian playing ominous electronics on an array of synths & effects. They’ve released 3 albums together, most recently “I C” in 2024.
NOLAN
Polymath, genre-bending multi-instrumentalist and artistic multi-disciplinarian whose work blurs the line between composition and experimentation. Operating at the intersection of generative systems and live improvisation, each performance fuses controlled, evolving chaos with sprawling, immersive soundscapes into singular live performances.
∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆
TONGUE+GROOVE
Lisa Lofgren in collaboration with Matt Erickson
no-below-editions.bandcamp.com
https://www.lisalofgren.com/
St. Ambrose University's Catich Gallery, March 23–April 24, 2026
A closing reception will include conversation with Lisa and Matt on April 24, 2026 from 4-6 p.m. at SAU’s Catich Gallery (518 W. Locust St, Davenport, IA 52803) followed by a No Below Editions performance at Rozz-Tox Cafe starting at 7 p.m. (2108 3rd Ave, Rock Island, IL 61201).
Exhibition Statement
Tongue+Groove culls through artists Lisa Lofgren’s and Matt Erickson’s archive of shared studios, shared conversations, and shared life over the last 15 years. Collaboration will loosely be defined as there are many degrees by which the artists work together: “stealing” each other’s works for revisions or additions; grouping individually made works together; or making work side by side.
Matt states, “I found my positive. This show is a collaboration in Love, Relationship, Art, Life or as I feel it – all the same thing. Working with a past and present, hers and mine, we assembled these pieces in our shared spaces as they happened. A show or gallery, to me, is no time factor. I let art happen as it wants and that is what you see here. In the grand sense they are all in progress; so are we.”
Lisa’s interest in the ready-made is heavily influenced by Matt’s studio practice. Her primary medium of printmaking (works on paper) is now playing a secondary role to the constructions in which they are incorporated. The use of woodworking and joinery pays tribute to evolving home renovations in their 1854 building. The mortise and tenon, tongue and groove, dovetail and finger joints are a direct analogy to the body, the whole made by equal yet opposite parts, and the strength of the bond.
Artists’ Bios
Lisa Lofgren (she/her) is the founder of Together Press, a community printmaking and papermaking facility in coordination with cometogetherspace in Bloomington, Illinois. She graduated from the University of Wyoming with a BFA and an MFA from Illinois State University, where she has served as Registrar and Office Coordinator since 2018. Her work has been collected locally and internationally including private collections with family, friends, acquaintances, and institutions in Wyoming, Illinois, and Minnesota.
Based in Bloomington-Normal, Matt Erickson is an uninstitutionalized artist with 40 years of purposeful study of art as life. He trusts his intuition, has a great admiration for the joker/rebel artist, and gives his art away. Matt’s motto is to put what fits, where it fits, when it fits.
Both artists are part of the No Below Editions record label collective established Fall of 2022 in support of local and regional sonic explorations with a focus on small editions of handmade objects with each release.
$10 DOOR
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
BIG BRIGHT KARL FIRE
https://yeabig.weebly.com/
https://edwardbreitweiser.com/
https://swimignorantfire.bandcamp.com/
Big Bright Karl Fire is the sonic melding of Yea Big, Edward Breitweiser, Michael Carlson, and Swim Ignorant Fire. Big Bright Karl Fire is synths meeting winds meeting guitars meeting percussion, calm meeting frenzy meeting strategic accidents meeting accidental beauty.
CREATION/HEAP
https://bummerpunkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/i-c
Philip T. Walker & JJ Creatian playing ominous electronics on an array of synths & effects. They’ve released 3 albums together, most recently “I C” in 2024.
NOLAN
Polymath, genre-bending multi-instrumentalist and artistic multi-disciplinarian whose work blurs the line between composition and experimentation. Operating at the intersection of generative systems and live improvisation, each performance fuses controlled, evolving chaos with sprawling, immersive soundscapes into singular live performances.
∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆
TONGUE+GROOVE
Lisa Lofgren in collaboration with Matt Erickson
no-below-editions.bandcamp.com
https://www.lisalofgren.com/
St. Ambrose University's Catich Gallery, March 23–April 24, 2026
A closing reception will include conversation with Lisa and Matt on April 24, 2026 from 4-6 p.m. at SAU’s Catich Gallery (518 W. Locust St, Davenport, IA 52803) followed by a No Below Editions performance at Rozz-Tox Cafe starting at 7 p.m. (2108 3rd Ave, Rock Island, IL 61201).
Exhibition Statement
Tongue+Groove culls through artists Lisa Lofgren’s and Matt Erickson’s archive of shared studios, shared conversations, and shared life over the last 15 years. Collaboration will loosely be defined as there are many degrees by which the artists work together: “stealing” each other’s works for revisions or additions; grouping individually made works together; or making work side by side.
Matt states, “I found my positive. This show is a collaboration in Love, Relationship, Art, Life or as I feel it – all the same thing. Working with a past and present, hers and mine, we assembled these pieces in our shared spaces as they happened. A show or gallery, to me, is no time factor. I let art happen as it wants and that is what you see here. In the grand sense they are all in progress; so are we.”
Lisa’s interest in the ready-made is heavily influenced by Matt’s studio practice. Her primary medium of printmaking (works on paper) is now playing a secondary role to the constructions in which they are incorporated. The use of woodworking and joinery pays tribute to evolving home renovations in their 1854 building. The mortise and tenon, tongue and groove, dovetail and finger joints are a direct analogy to the body, the whole made by equal yet opposite parts, and the strength of the bond.
Artists’ Bios
Lisa Lofgren (she/her) is the founder of Together Press, a community printmaking and papermaking facility in coordination with cometogetherspace in Bloomington, Illinois. She graduated from the University of Wyoming with a BFA and an MFA from Illinois State University, where she has served as Registrar and Office Coordinator since 2018. Her work has been collected locally and internationally including private collections with family, friends, acquaintances, and institutions in Wyoming, Illinois, and Minnesota.
Based in Bloomington-Normal, Matt Erickson is an uninstitutionalized artist with 40 years of purposeful study of art as life. He trusts his intuition, has a great admiration for the joker/rebel artist, and gives his art away. Matt’s motto is to put what fits, where it fits, when it fits.
Both artists are part of the No Below Editions record label collective established Fall of 2022 in support of local and regional sonic explorations with a focus on small editions of handmade objects with each release.
saturday 25 april
AMATEUR SELECTORS SERIES
AMATEUR SELECTORS SERIES
THE GOOD SHIP ALBION W/ TREEPUNK
[punk] [reggae] [indie] [psych folk]
A mash up of bangers from across the pond to celebrate St Georges.. and cups of tea!
free admission
all ages
8-1130pm
[punk] [reggae] [indie] [psych folk]
A mash up of bangers from across the pond to celebrate St Georges.. and cups of tea!
free admission
all ages
8-1130pm
saturday 02 may
OUTLETProgramme PRESENTS: YEA BIG/ DANN/ NAKATANI TRIO
w/ ISHMAEL ALI
OUTLETProgramme PRESENTS: YEA BIG/ DANN/ NAKATANI TRIO
w/ ISHMAEL ALI
$15 DOOR / $10 ADVANCE
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
YEA BIG/ DANN/ NAKATANI TRIO
https://blackflagbonsaiclub.bandcamp.com/album/to-lower-the-fever-of-feeling
The trio of Yea Big, Jon Byler Dann, and Nakatani (winds, double bass, and percussion respectively) first performed together a couple years back when YB booked the Nakatani Gong Orchestra (which YB and Dann both performed in) and arranged with Nakatani for the trio to open the concert. YB and Nakatani had met and played together the previous year as part of YB's improvised music series in Bloomington, IL. The night they first performed together, the trio resonated and made plans to do it again. On Nakatani's subsequent tour the trio not only performed together again but also set aside a day for a recording session. The results of that session can be heard on their newly released CD, To Lower the Fever of Feeling, out now on Yea Big's new label, Black Flag Bonsai Club. This Spring, Nakatani's nationwide tour will find the trio performing together at four Illinois dates.
ISHMAEL ALI
https://ishmaelalimusic.bandcamp.com/album/burn-the-plastic-sell-the-copper
Ishmael Ali and Bill Harris will play an amalgamation of music celebrating Ali's solo release Burn the Plastic, Sell the Copper. The duo will shift through different modes, incorporating acoustic improvisations, poetry, electronics, and singable tunes.
Ishmael Ali’s debut solo album, Burn the Plastic, Sell the Copper features a remarkable crew of distinguished Chicagoans in various configurations in addition to solo performances interspersed throughout. The record on the whole highlights a wide array of Ali's unique language and propensity for collaboration, taking the listener through an eclectic but cohesive mix of music. Raw solo cello explorations, intimate duo improvisations, interactive electronics, rhythmic grooves, and singable (and sung!) melodies populate the record like characters whose voices interact, whose stories unfold over time. It is as though there is a palpable sense of community, not just among the players, but among the songs-as-characters.
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
YEA BIG/ DANN/ NAKATANI TRIO
https://blackflagbonsaiclub.bandcamp.com/album/to-lower-the-fever-of-feeling
The trio of Yea Big, Jon Byler Dann, and Nakatani (winds, double bass, and percussion respectively) first performed together a couple years back when YB booked the Nakatani Gong Orchestra (which YB and Dann both performed in) and arranged with Nakatani for the trio to open the concert. YB and Nakatani had met and played together the previous year as part of YB's improvised music series in Bloomington, IL. The night they first performed together, the trio resonated and made plans to do it again. On Nakatani's subsequent tour the trio not only performed together again but also set aside a day for a recording session. The results of that session can be heard on their newly released CD, To Lower the Fever of Feeling, out now on Yea Big's new label, Black Flag Bonsai Club. This Spring, Nakatani's nationwide tour will find the trio performing together at four Illinois dates.
ISHMAEL ALI
https://ishmaelalimusic.bandcamp.com/album/burn-the-plastic-sell-the-copper
Ishmael Ali and Bill Harris will play an amalgamation of music celebrating Ali's solo release Burn the Plastic, Sell the Copper. The duo will shift through different modes, incorporating acoustic improvisations, poetry, electronics, and singable tunes.
Ishmael Ali’s debut solo album, Burn the Plastic, Sell the Copper features a remarkable crew of distinguished Chicagoans in various configurations in addition to solo performances interspersed throughout. The record on the whole highlights a wide array of Ali's unique language and propensity for collaboration, taking the listener through an eclectic but cohesive mix of music. Raw solo cello explorations, intimate duo improvisations, interactive electronics, rhythmic grooves, and singable (and sung!) melodies populate the record like characters whose voices interact, whose stories unfold over time. It is as though there is a palpable sense of community, not just among the players, but among the songs-as-characters.
friday 08 may
OUTLETProgramme Presents: ELI WINTER TRIO
w/ MARCH HANS SHOWALTER
OUTLETProgramme Presents: ELI WINTER TRIO
w/ MARCH HANS SHOWALTER
$20 DOOR / $15 ADVANCE
$10 MEMBERS
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
ELI WINTER TRIO
https://eliwinter.bandcamp.com/album/a-trick-of-the-light
Eli Winter is a composer, self-taught guitarist, essayist, and Houston native. His music synthesizes aspects of folk, rock, jazz, and devotional music, maintaining a waggish disregard for genre constraints emblematic of Chicago, his adopted hometown. His new album, A Trick of the Light, is an elegantly crafted and vibrant collection that finds the bandleader at the height of his powers: the dazzlingly intense arrangement of Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell’s “Arabian Nightingale” that opens the album, Winter’s muscular, dreamy originals, and his daring arrangement of Carla Bley’s “Ida Lupino.” His trio features Chicago improvisers Sam Wagster of Fruit Bats (pedal steel guitar) and Tyler Damon of Circuit des Yeux (drums), with performances at prestigious music festivals like Primavera Sound and Big Ears, and collaborations with a wide range of artists live and on record, including Danny Brown, Quadeca, Yasmin Williams, jaimie branch, Caroline Rose and Ryley Walker.
MARC HANS SHOWALTER
https://marchans.bandcamp.com/
visual artist & folk musician from Rock Island, Illinois.The last 25 years playing live at coffee shops, record stores, house shows & public libraries. Marc Hans Showalter has 10 releases available of Free Folk, Experimental improv, Primitive Guitar instrumentals.
$10 MEMBERS
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
ELI WINTER TRIO
https://eliwinter.bandcamp.com/album/a-trick-of-the-light
Eli Winter is a composer, self-taught guitarist, essayist, and Houston native. His music synthesizes aspects of folk, rock, jazz, and devotional music, maintaining a waggish disregard for genre constraints emblematic of Chicago, his adopted hometown. His new album, A Trick of the Light, is an elegantly crafted and vibrant collection that finds the bandleader at the height of his powers: the dazzlingly intense arrangement of Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell’s “Arabian Nightingale” that opens the album, Winter’s muscular, dreamy originals, and his daring arrangement of Carla Bley’s “Ida Lupino.” His trio features Chicago improvisers Sam Wagster of Fruit Bats (pedal steel guitar) and Tyler Damon of Circuit des Yeux (drums), with performances at prestigious music festivals like Primavera Sound and Big Ears, and collaborations with a wide range of artists live and on record, including Danny Brown, Quadeca, Yasmin Williams, jaimie branch, Caroline Rose and Ryley Walker.
MARC HANS SHOWALTER
https://marchans.bandcamp.com/
visual artist & folk musician from Rock Island, Illinois.The last 25 years playing live at coffee shops, record stores, house shows & public libraries. Marc Hans Showalter has 10 releases available of Free Folk, Experimental improv, Primitive Guitar instrumentals.
saturday 23 may
OUTLETProgramme Presents: STEIN/ SMITH/ SHEAD
w/ GABI VANEK
OUTLETProgramme Presents: STEIN/ SMITH/ SHEAD
w/ GABI VANEK
$15 DOOR / $10 ADVANCE
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
STEIN/ SMITH/ SHEAD
irritablemysticrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hum
Jason Stein - bass clarinet
Damon Smith - double bass
Adam Shead - drums/percussion
Jason Stein — Damon Smith — Adam Shead (often billed as Stein/Smith/Shead) is a Chicago-rooted improvising trio uniting bass clarinetist Jason Stein, double bassist Damon Smith, and percussionist Adam Shead. Since forming in late 2021, the group has toured extensively across the Midwest and beyond, becoming a fixture in the creative music circuit and collaborating with influential figures such as Roscoe Mitchell. Their recorded work documents a remarkably productive period, encompassing four releases: Volumes & Surfaces (2022), Hum (2023), spi-raling horn with Marilyn Crispell (2024), and Live at the Hungry Brain with Marilyn Crispell (2025). Together, these albums trace the group’s evolution from kinetic, small-ensemble interplay toward expansive collaborations that bridge generations of avant-jazz practice.
Critics have consistently praised the trio’s fearless energy and deep listening. All About Jazz described Volumes & Surfaces as “undiluted free jazz with energy as its calling card and attention as its driver,” while The Free Jazz Collective called their collaboration with Marilyn Crispell “stunning” and “full of muscular interplay.” Known for their balance of precision and volatility, Stein/Smith/Shead channel the improvisational lineage of Chicago’s creative music scene into a sound that is at once restless, focused, and alive to the moment.
GABI VANEK
netochkanezvanova.bandcamp.com/album/rot
Described by The Road to Sound as making “shadowy music that prickles on your skin” and “unafraid to be anything at all”, Gabi Vanek is a bassoonist who exists in a world of harsh noise and drone/doom. She’s performed as both an ensemble member and soloist at small and large festivals such as the Darmstädter Internationale Ferienkurse, International Double Reed Society, Oh My Ears, and exhibited at the Osaka University of the Arts Electro-Acoustic Music Festival. More likely, you’ll find her making noises in more “unconventional” spaces, like your local dive bar.
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
STEIN/ SMITH/ SHEAD
irritablemysticrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hum
Jason Stein - bass clarinet
Damon Smith - double bass
Adam Shead - drums/percussion
Jason Stein — Damon Smith — Adam Shead (often billed as Stein/Smith/Shead) is a Chicago-rooted improvising trio uniting bass clarinetist Jason Stein, double bassist Damon Smith, and percussionist Adam Shead. Since forming in late 2021, the group has toured extensively across the Midwest and beyond, becoming a fixture in the creative music circuit and collaborating with influential figures such as Roscoe Mitchell. Their recorded work documents a remarkably productive period, encompassing four releases: Volumes & Surfaces (2022), Hum (2023), spi-raling horn with Marilyn Crispell (2024), and Live at the Hungry Brain with Marilyn Crispell (2025). Together, these albums trace the group’s evolution from kinetic, small-ensemble interplay toward expansive collaborations that bridge generations of avant-jazz practice.
Critics have consistently praised the trio’s fearless energy and deep listening. All About Jazz described Volumes & Surfaces as “undiluted free jazz with energy as its calling card and attention as its driver,” while The Free Jazz Collective called their collaboration with Marilyn Crispell “stunning” and “full of muscular interplay.” Known for their balance of precision and volatility, Stein/Smith/Shead channel the improvisational lineage of Chicago’s creative music scene into a sound that is at once restless, focused, and alive to the moment.
GABI VANEK
netochkanezvanova.bandcamp.com/album/rot
Described by The Road to Sound as making “shadowy music that prickles on your skin” and “unafraid to be anything at all”, Gabi Vanek is a bassoonist who exists in a world of harsh noise and drone/doom. She’s performed as both an ensemble member and soloist at small and large festivals such as the Darmstädter Internationale Ferienkurse, International Double Reed Society, Oh My Ears, and exhibited at the Osaka University of the Arts Electro-Acoustic Music Festival. More likely, you’ll find her making noises in more “unconventional” spaces, like your local dive bar.
thursday 28 may
SPECTRA READING SERIES: MWC PRESS CHAPBOOK RELEASE fea. JENNA GOLDSMITH & BRITTANY JAEKEL
SPECTRA READING SERIES: MWC PRESS CHAPBOOK RELEASE fea. JENNA GOLDSMITH & BRITTANY JAEKEL
7pm - Open Mic
8pm - Featured Reading: Jenna Goldsmith & Brittany Jaekel
Free & Open
Jenna Goldsmith is a poet, writer, and educator living in the Midwest. Her first full-length poetry collection, The Worse for Wear (Cornerstone Press/UW Stevens Point) was be published in January, 2026. She directs the Oregon State University Cascades low-residency MFA Program in Writing and was City Poet Laureate of Rockford, Illinois from 2023-2025. Her chapbook, Pineapple Darling, is forthcoming from MWC Pres.
Brittany N. Jaekel writes from the outer reaches of the Twin Cities. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in RHINO, $: Poetry is Currency, MER (Mom Egg Review), Third Wednesday, Right Hand Pointing, Club Plum Literary Journal, and elsewhere. She serves on the editorial team at Great Lakes Review and recently joined the board of directors of her local American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) chapter. Her chapbook, The Witch's Mouth, is forthcoming from MWC Press. Connect with Brittany at brittanynjaekel.com
www.mwcqc.org/
8pm - Featured Reading: Jenna Goldsmith & Brittany Jaekel
Free & Open
Jenna Goldsmith is a poet, writer, and educator living in the Midwest. Her first full-length poetry collection, The Worse for Wear (Cornerstone Press/UW Stevens Point) was be published in January, 2026. She directs the Oregon State University Cascades low-residency MFA Program in Writing and was City Poet Laureate of Rockford, Illinois from 2023-2025. Her chapbook, Pineapple Darling, is forthcoming from MWC Pres.
Brittany N. Jaekel writes from the outer reaches of the Twin Cities. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in RHINO, $: Poetry is Currency, MER (Mom Egg Review), Third Wednesday, Right Hand Pointing, Club Plum Literary Journal, and elsewhere. She serves on the editorial team at Great Lakes Review and recently joined the board of directors of her local American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) chapter. Her chapbook, The Witch's Mouth, is forthcoming from MWC Press. Connect with Brittany at brittanynjaekel.com
www.mwcqc.org/
wednesday 10 june
IOWA IWW GMB Presents: PRIDE
IOWA IWW GMB Presents: PRIDE
PRIDE (2014)
dir. Matthew Warchus
runtime: 2h
The Iowa Industrial Workers of the World General Membership Branch invites everyone to a showing of the movie "Pride" to celebrate pride month. It's important to remember the crucial solidarity that continues to exist between the queer community and the working class.
The movie Pride is based on the true story of gay and lesbian activists who raised money for the workers affected by the British Miners' Strike in 1984. This comedy/drama depicts the tense and at times hostile relationship between the homophobic miners and the queer community. As the "Lesbian and Gays Support the Miners" campaign doubles down on their solidarity efforts, relations between the two groups improve though not without complicated feelings on both sides.
free admission
all ages
8pm screening
dir. Matthew Warchus
runtime: 2h
The Iowa Industrial Workers of the World General Membership Branch invites everyone to a showing of the movie "Pride" to celebrate pride month. It's important to remember the crucial solidarity that continues to exist between the queer community and the working class.
The movie Pride is based on the true story of gay and lesbian activists who raised money for the workers affected by the British Miners' Strike in 1984. This comedy/drama depicts the tense and at times hostile relationship between the homophobic miners and the queer community. As the "Lesbian and Gays Support the Miners" campaign doubles down on their solidarity efforts, relations between the two groups improve though not without complicated feelings on both sides.
free admission
all ages
8pm screening
friday 12 june
OUTLETProgramme X RAGGED RECORDS Present:
DERYA YILDIRIM & GRUP ŞIMŞEK
OUTLETProgramme X RAGGED RECORDS Present:
DERYA YILDIRIM & GRUP ŞIMŞEK
$25 DOOR / $20 ADVANCE
$15 MEMBERS
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
support TBA
DERYA YILDIRIM & GRUP ŞIMŞEK
https://deryayildirimandgrupsimsek.bandcamp.com/album/yar-n-yoksa
Born in Hamburg, Germany to Turkish parents, Derya Yıldırım grew up influenced by her family’s Anatolian background and the myriad of cultures in the city. Derya’s musical roots started at home playing folk music with family members. Her father pushed her to learn various instruments, beginning with the bağlama, a seven stringed Turkish lute. Then she picked up the guitar, piano, and saxophone. Although she is a multi-instrumentalist, Derya always felt drawn to the sound of the bağlama. With her band Grup Şimşek’s forthcoming album Yarın Yoksa, which translates to If There’s No Tomorrow, Derya continues her journey revitalizing Anatolian folk music and instrumentation by infusing timeless melodies with a modern psychedelic flair.
Ten years ago, Derya met French musicians Graham Mushnik and Antonin Voyant from Catapulte Records and formed the band Grup Şimşek with Helen Wells, a drummer from Cape Town, South Africa joining in 2021. While the band is truly international, they eschew the term ‘world music’, preferring instead ‘outernational’ which they say suggests a sound that’s more inclusive or “beyond borders.” DY&GS embody what defines Anatolian folk music — “You need a groove and a melody, and everything around it is free.” It’s this ethos that guides the band’s songwriting and the way they take on Anatolian folk standards. “I believe the melodies shouldn't be changed because we are responsible to preserve music in the correct way. Our versions respect the roots. It’s the same lyrics and melody, but it has a different soul maybe.” While it’s easy to think of folk music as a music of the past, she insists it’s just as important today. “Some of these poems were written hundreds of years ago but they’re still relevant. This music is so important because it remains the voice of the people, the minority, and the oppressed.”
After self-producing multiple albums, they signed with New York’s Big Crown Records in 2024 and teamed up with Grammy-nominated producer Leon Michels (El Michels Affair) for Yarın Yoksa. The new album embodies their balance of preservation and innovation across nine original compositions and three traditional folk songs. It is a record that will enchant any listener regardless of language barrier with Derya’s passion and authenticity front and center and music too moving to deny.
* this show is co-presented by Ragged Records
$15 MEMBERS
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
support TBA
DERYA YILDIRIM & GRUP ŞIMŞEK
https://deryayildirimandgrupsimsek.bandcamp.com/album/yar-n-yoksa
Born in Hamburg, Germany to Turkish parents, Derya Yıldırım grew up influenced by her family’s Anatolian background and the myriad of cultures in the city. Derya’s musical roots started at home playing folk music with family members. Her father pushed her to learn various instruments, beginning with the bağlama, a seven stringed Turkish lute. Then she picked up the guitar, piano, and saxophone. Although she is a multi-instrumentalist, Derya always felt drawn to the sound of the bağlama. With her band Grup Şimşek’s forthcoming album Yarın Yoksa, which translates to If There’s No Tomorrow, Derya continues her journey revitalizing Anatolian folk music and instrumentation by infusing timeless melodies with a modern psychedelic flair.
Ten years ago, Derya met French musicians Graham Mushnik and Antonin Voyant from Catapulte Records and formed the band Grup Şimşek with Helen Wells, a drummer from Cape Town, South Africa joining in 2021. While the band is truly international, they eschew the term ‘world music’, preferring instead ‘outernational’ which they say suggests a sound that’s more inclusive or “beyond borders.” DY&GS embody what defines Anatolian folk music — “You need a groove and a melody, and everything around it is free.” It’s this ethos that guides the band’s songwriting and the way they take on Anatolian folk standards. “I believe the melodies shouldn't be changed because we are responsible to preserve music in the correct way. Our versions respect the roots. It’s the same lyrics and melody, but it has a different soul maybe.” While it’s easy to think of folk music as a music of the past, she insists it’s just as important today. “Some of these poems were written hundreds of years ago but they’re still relevant. This music is so important because it remains the voice of the people, the minority, and the oppressed.”
After self-producing multiple albums, they signed with New York’s Big Crown Records in 2024 and teamed up with Grammy-nominated producer Leon Michels (El Michels Affair) for Yarın Yoksa. The new album embodies their balance of preservation and innovation across nine original compositions and three traditional folk songs. It is a record that will enchant any listener regardless of language barrier with Derya’s passion and authenticity front and center and music too moving to deny.
* this show is co-presented by Ragged Records
saturday 20 june
OUTLETProgramme Presents: MARISA ANDERSON
w/ LIV CARROW
OUTLETProgramme Presents: MARISA ANDERSON
w/ LIV CARROW
$20 DOOR / $15 ADVANCE
$10 MEMBERS
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
MARISA ANDERSON
https://marisaanderson.bandcamp.com/music
Marisa Anderson will be touring her new album, The Anthology of UnAmerican Folk Music: Volume 1. The record will be released in May 2026 on Thrill Jockey as part of a larger multi-year release project connected to her ongoing work curation of what she calls UnAmerican Folk Music. This curated collection draws from nearly one thousand songs sourced from the private record collection of Harry Smith, where she is focusing on music from regions where the United States has engaged in conflict since 1970, including Southeast Asia, the former USSR, and the Arabic and Islamic world.
Marisa was awarded a residency through the Tulsa Artist Fellowship granting her access to an archive (of more than 1,200 records) from Smith’s personal collection, now owned by the University of Oklahoma and housed at the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa. During the nine-day residency, Marisa focused on collecting recordings from countries connected to U.S. conflicts during her lifetime starting in 1970 - the year she was born.
The record features deeply personal interpretations — composed, transcribed, and arranged — of music spanning from Afghanistan to Vietnam, via Yemen, Cambodia, Turkmenistan, and Pakistan. She will be performing this material live for the first time, alongside selections from her earlier catalog and new, unreleased work.
LIV CARROW
https://livcarrowmusic.bandcamp.com/album/photograph
Liv Carrow is a singer, songwriter and guitarist based in the Quad Cities and brings you folk songs for a strange present and a low tech future. Influenced heavily by traditional Appalachian music, British folk ballads and early popular music, she weaves evocative lyrics in a voice “from an old radio” with her unique fingerstyle guitar playing.
Formerly of New York’s Hudson Valley and Philadelphia, Liv has been a mainstay of the Quad Cities music scene since 2016. She has released four full-length albums and performed all over North America.
$10 MEMBERS
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
MARISA ANDERSON
https://marisaanderson.bandcamp.com/music
Marisa Anderson will be touring her new album, The Anthology of UnAmerican Folk Music: Volume 1. The record will be released in May 2026 on Thrill Jockey as part of a larger multi-year release project connected to her ongoing work curation of what she calls UnAmerican Folk Music. This curated collection draws from nearly one thousand songs sourced from the private record collection of Harry Smith, where she is focusing on music from regions where the United States has engaged in conflict since 1970, including Southeast Asia, the former USSR, and the Arabic and Islamic world.
Marisa was awarded a residency through the Tulsa Artist Fellowship granting her access to an archive (of more than 1,200 records) from Smith’s personal collection, now owned by the University of Oklahoma and housed at the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa. During the nine-day residency, Marisa focused on collecting recordings from countries connected to U.S. conflicts during her lifetime starting in 1970 - the year she was born.
The record features deeply personal interpretations — composed, transcribed, and arranged — of music spanning from Afghanistan to Vietnam, via Yemen, Cambodia, Turkmenistan, and Pakistan. She will be performing this material live for the first time, alongside selections from her earlier catalog and new, unreleased work.
LIV CARROW
https://livcarrowmusic.bandcamp.com/album/photograph
Liv Carrow is a singer, songwriter and guitarist based in the Quad Cities and brings you folk songs for a strange present and a low tech future. Influenced heavily by traditional Appalachian music, British folk ballads and early popular music, she weaves evocative lyrics in a voice “from an old radio” with her unique fingerstyle guitar playing.
Formerly of New York’s Hudson Valley and Philadelphia, Liv has been a mainstay of the Quad Cities music scene since 2016. She has released four full-length albums and performed all over North America.
monday 13 july
OUTLETProgramme Presents: HORSE LORDS
OUTLETProgramme Presents: HORSE LORDS
$25 DOOR / $20 ADVANCE
$15 MEMBERS
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
support TBA
HORSE LORDS
https://horselords.bandcamp.com/album/interventions-expanded
Horse Lords were founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 2010; they evolved from the experimental collective Teeth Mountain and began as a trio with drummer Sam Haberman, guitarist Owen Gardner, and bassist Max Eilbacher, soon adding alto saxophonist Andrew Bernstein to the core ensemble. Though Horse Lords grew out of the fertile Baltimore noise and leftfield rock scene, a storied environment for artists and weirdos that has nurtured many an influential outsider band (Lungfish, Matmos), their approach is more omnivorous than the stippled rhythms of instrumental electric rock would indicate.
Across sixteen years of frequent touring, Horse Lords have released ten studio, live, and collaboration albums in addition to a split EP with fellow Baltimoreans Lower Dens, a handful of singles and compilation tracks. For RVNG’s FRKWYS series, the band collaborated with Berlin-based composer Arnold Dreyblatt, a onetime student of La Monte Young and Pauline Oliveros whose just intonation chamber music was a crucial part of the post-Fluxus Downtown New York City environment.
With the relocation of three of the four members to Germany beginning in 2021, the potential for more further creative exploration, and performance opportunities including the Moers Festival (with an 11-piece lineup, interpreting Julius Eastman’s music as well as their own), the interdisciplinary phases of the band’s music was poised for fascinating new directions. The band observes “We are always trying to balance working within the limitations of the quartet and pushing beyond them.
For their second studio album on RVNG Intl., Demand To Be Taken To Heaven Alive!, Horse Lords have followed this notion and augmented the instrumentation, expanding the format slightly to include bass clarinetist Madison Greenstone (TAK Ensemble), trombonist Weston Olencki (Nate Wooley, RAGE Thormbones) and vocalists Nina Guo (Departure Duo) and Evelyn Saylor (Holly Herndon, Caterina Barbieri) across a program of twelve original compositions.
Demand To Be Taken To Heaven Alive! is a reference to a line in a poem by Russian Futurist writer Vladimir Myakovsky, and the band have also name-checked the Bauhaus weaver Anni Albers (wife of painter Josef Albers), Islamic geometrical patterning, Dutch avant-garde group the Maciunas Ensemble (themselves named after Fluxus artist and typographer George Maciunas), composer/writers Tom Johnson, Henry Flynt and Catherine Christer Hennix, and musically draw from sources as diverse as Roscoe Holcolmb, James Brown, Kuwaiti/Bahraini sawt, and electronic composers Maryanne Amacher and Jaap Vink.
As the members are keen to point out, Demand To Be Taken To Heaven Alive! is “a bid for the flattening of time and perception in favor of greater goods [and] the iterative nature of reaching/building a paradise in this life, not the next,” and the new album at hand is an illuminating starting point for eternal nowness.
$15 MEMBERS
all ages
7pm doors, 8pm show
support TBA
HORSE LORDS
https://horselords.bandcamp.com/album/interventions-expanded
Horse Lords were founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 2010; they evolved from the experimental collective Teeth Mountain and began as a trio with drummer Sam Haberman, guitarist Owen Gardner, and bassist Max Eilbacher, soon adding alto saxophonist Andrew Bernstein to the core ensemble. Though Horse Lords grew out of the fertile Baltimore noise and leftfield rock scene, a storied environment for artists and weirdos that has nurtured many an influential outsider band (Lungfish, Matmos), their approach is more omnivorous than the stippled rhythms of instrumental electric rock would indicate.
Across sixteen years of frequent touring, Horse Lords have released ten studio, live, and collaboration albums in addition to a split EP with fellow Baltimoreans Lower Dens, a handful of singles and compilation tracks. For RVNG’s FRKWYS series, the band collaborated with Berlin-based composer Arnold Dreyblatt, a onetime student of La Monte Young and Pauline Oliveros whose just intonation chamber music was a crucial part of the post-Fluxus Downtown New York City environment.
With the relocation of three of the four members to Germany beginning in 2021, the potential for more further creative exploration, and performance opportunities including the Moers Festival (with an 11-piece lineup, interpreting Julius Eastman’s music as well as their own), the interdisciplinary phases of the band’s music was poised for fascinating new directions. The band observes “We are always trying to balance working within the limitations of the quartet and pushing beyond them.
For their second studio album on RVNG Intl., Demand To Be Taken To Heaven Alive!, Horse Lords have followed this notion and augmented the instrumentation, expanding the format slightly to include bass clarinetist Madison Greenstone (TAK Ensemble), trombonist Weston Olencki (Nate Wooley, RAGE Thormbones) and vocalists Nina Guo (Departure Duo) and Evelyn Saylor (Holly Herndon, Caterina Barbieri) across a program of twelve original compositions.
Demand To Be Taken To Heaven Alive! is a reference to a line in a poem by Russian Futurist writer Vladimir Myakovsky, and the band have also name-checked the Bauhaus weaver Anni Albers (wife of painter Josef Albers), Islamic geometrical patterning, Dutch avant-garde group the Maciunas Ensemble (themselves named after Fluxus artist and typographer George Maciunas), composer/writers Tom Johnson, Henry Flynt and Catherine Christer Hennix, and musically draw from sources as diverse as Roscoe Holcolmb, James Brown, Kuwaiti/Bahraini sawt, and electronic composers Maryanne Amacher and Jaap Vink.
As the members are keen to point out, Demand To Be Taken To Heaven Alive! is “a bid for the flattening of time and perception in favor of greater goods [and] the iterative nature of reaching/building a paradise in this life, not the next,” and the new album at hand is an illuminating starting point for eternal nowness.
