FESTIVAL REVIEW: The 6 Best Things At 80/35

80/35 2014

Last weekend, downtown Des Moines, Iowa filled with an array of concertgoers young and old for the seventh annual 80/35 music festival. The atmosphere was vibrant and the music was nothing short of amazing. Artists the likes of Ziggy Marley, Dawes, Dr. Dog, and Cake took the stage and lit the city up with blasts of colorful and gripping tunes. There was great food, impeccable weather, punk rock after-parties, and most importantly, a handful of artists flying under the radar ready to take the stage and become your next favorite band. Des Moines, your city did a music festival right.

Follow the jump to check out the six best things we saw at this year’s 80/35 music festival.

Dr. Dog may be the catchiest band, ever.

Hitting the main stage on what turned out to be a beautiful Saturday evening, Dr. Dog tore through a set of indie-infected hooks. Yes, we all know the band has an essence of brilliance — but seeing it for the first time was something truly special. Walking into the festival relatively unadapted to the band’s music and only catching half of the band’s set, it was amazing to be grabbed and sent into a world so musically colorful. I haven’t been able to put down Dr. Dog’s discography since the set.


Watching Conor Oberst on the Fourth of July was…anticlimactic.

Don’t get me wrong. Seeing Oberst for the first time was cool. But, you’d think one of the most offset political minds of our generation would at least play “When The President Talks To God,” on the day of our independence. It’s his First Amendment right! All jokes aside, Conor’s set was great. He played Bright Eyes tracks like “Another Travelin’ Song” and “Lover I Don’t Have To Love,” plus a handful of tracks from his latest record, Upside Down Mountain. He still has all of the moxy that he showed when he first stole our hearts with Bright Eyes over a decade ago, and his musical craft is only getting etched deeper and more sophisticated. He took the crowd, molded it, and turned the night into a true rock n’ roll celebration.


Des Moines is the Midwest’s best-kept music secret.

MAIDS, Max Jury, Parlours, The Envy Corps, Holy White Hounds, TWINS…the list of outstanding Iowa music that was displayed over the weekend could continue to go on. If nothing else can be taken away from this weekend, it’s that people need to start paying attention to Des Moines. Some of the best music in this country is tucked away between the beautiful Iowa fields and it’s time to start recognizing a scene blossoming head-turning talent.


And we can’t forget about the after-parties.

One of my downright favorite aspects about any festival is what goes on after the official doors close. With 80/35, it was about watching a city already underrated for its culture and artistic beauty transform into a town booming and overflowing with music for all hours of the day and night. After-parties featuring some of the festival’s best talent were popping up across the city, including a punk rock show in the basement of the Des Moines Social Club featuring Quick Piss and Surfer Blood. Those still left standing after a long first day of music and booze flocked to the concrete basement to get tossed into a near-basement show environment. Growing up in a scene surrounding shows in basements, garages and VFW buildings, it was like being at home. There couldn’t have been a better way to close the night.


Ziggy Marley brought the love.

The air was thick during Ziggy’s set last weekend. It goes without saying that this Marley brother hows how to bring his own brand of party to the stage. Love, happiness and a whole bunch of other things were floating through the air on the main stage Friday afternoon. Partaking or not, Ziggy’s message was clear and regardless of your vice of choice, his positivity is something that could send even the most sinister of people on a natural high.


An overall positive experience.

There can be a lot of selfishness and negativity thrown into festivals, given circumstances far and wide. Nothing of this sort was anywhere near Des Moines this weekend. It seemed like every band, even Conor Oberst on the Fourth of July, had a positive message to deliver. People were happy and that energy bounced through every corner of the festivities. Every band witnessed–and I managed to catch 19 of them–was astounding in its own way, and that’s truly hard to come by during a festival. A man was even encouraged to crowdsurf for the first time during Raz Simone’s set. Amazing things were happening all around. Des Moines yet again proved it’s not only a force to be reckoned with in the festival market in the Midwest, but nation-wide with such a stupendous occasion. We can only hope next year will be just as welcoming of an event.


Written by Matthew Leimkuehler (@callinghomematt)
Check back with UTG next week for official interviews with 80/35 artists MAIDS and Max Jury as our post-festival coverage continues to roll out.

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