Free admission with Mission Creek Festival Pass

Fans know Friko (Bailey Minzenberger, Luke Stamos, and frontman Niko Kapetan) as vital rising stars in the Chicago scene. The music, which freelancer Britt Julious described as “perfect slices of indie-pop” in the Chicago Tribune last January, is complex, layered, and dynamic. Over the band’s time together, it has become clear they are comfortable embracing multiple musical extremes at once. Take a listen to the explosive and hypnotic beat of “In_Out” off their self managed 2022 EP release, Whenever Forever, and juxtapose it against the serene, strings soaked tracks that follow, “Half as Far” and “Can I See U Again.” It becomes even more pronounced in live performance, where a frenzied floor, grinding with wailing guitars and animation, in the very next minutes finds itself collectively holding its breath silently as the band eases them into a spell. Lyrically, Kapetan explores the possibility and risks of a life given over to music, interrogating what a life well-lived means to him. The duality rings out in the compositions, evoking rock and folk icons such as Leonard Cohen and Nick Drake. As Friko plays out sweeping melodies, held up by thrashing guitar and punchy beats, it feels as if Kapetan sings to you. Crooning about stories you know, memories you had but have somehow forgotten.

Mars hojilla is the freshly sprung solo project of Iowa City-based singer/songwriter Myles Evangelista (he/they). Born to two kickass Filipino immigrants in Peoria, Illinois, Myles’s first musical love was the household’s MAGIC SING Karaoke Machine, which fostered in him a love of classic pop and rock by scoring him highly on Queen, ABBA, and Elton John songs. He further pursued his passion for music with classical piano, French Horn, electric bass, and acoustic guitar performance, and eventually, songwriting. Myles overlays his indie/alt-rock style music with lyrics that explore every corner of human emotion and dive deep into his perspective on love, heartbreak, and growing pains in the transgender experience. “mars hojilla” is so named firstly for Myles’s mother, who gave him her maiden name as a middle name, and secondly for the cashier at the I-80 Arby’s, who misheard his actual first name for a planet.

Karen Meat is a pop rock band experience based in Iowa, Midwest USA. In colorful outfits and antics, Karen Meat is fronted by Arin Eaton and backed by Dana Telsrow. Their melting synth and guitar rippin’ tunes bounce to the beat of Eaton’s melodic yet straight-to-the- point vocals, confessing weird life in a choir of her own harmonies.

Eaton began Karen Meat in Des Moines during the party years of the mid-2010s, along with bandmates Brad Turk and John Huffman. Their most recent full-band record Meat Your Heart Out, released in late 2019 under Karen Meat & The Heat, crystalizes their garagey dive bar spirit (“Pizza & Beer”, “Part of the Party”). In 2016, Eaton went out on her own in sunglasses and a giant sparkly mumu, crooning to a karaoke-style set produced by Telsrow. Now joining her on stage in mumus and his electric guitar, Eaton and Telsrow’s coordinated act perfectly aligns with their funky pop songs. Karen Meat’s record You’re An Ugly Person (Emotional Response Records, 2018) introduced the bubbly yet cranky harmony between Eaton and Telsrow – music that feels like a disco party decorated with sad clown paintings.