By, GRANT BLUME
Station 1 Records, a local non-profit record label, will be holding a music festival showcasing a variety of the label’s artists as a part of Drake University’s College of Business’ Innovation and Creativity Week. The show is to be held in Sheslow Auditorium on Drake’s campus from 5-10 p.m. on Oct. 27.
“It’ll be featuring Station 1 Artists: Lily DeTaeye, Sires, Andre Davis, Eleanor Grace and a band of Drake students, Riot on Sunset Strip,” said Hannah Thomas, a Drake senior and intern for Station 1. “We’ll also be holding a costume competition and hope to inspire some creativity in the students.”
The winner of the costume competition will win the Station 1 Discography and other Station 1 merch. Performers come from all different high schools and universities.
Lily DeTaeye, singer/songwriter and indie rock artist, is in her junior year at the University of Iowa, but still plays regularly around the Des Moines area.
A recent graduate from Drake (now pursuing a law degree at Drake while still making and writing music regularly), Andre Davis, is a local hip-hop and spoken word artist. Davis just released his debut EP “Poetry Jazz Sessions.”
One high school student, Eleanor Grace, will be debuting her music at the showcase. Eleanor’s backup band consists of past and current Drake students. Eleanor’s music is not available anywhere to stream yet nor has it been performed yet, making the showcase a unique opportunity to hear her early in her career.
Drake students may be familiar with the act Sires, who have played Lefty’s in the past and many other venues in the Des Moines area. Fronted by Dylan Sires, Sires performs high energy alternative rock music.
Last is the only group not signed to the label, Riot on Sunset Strip. Riot on Sunset Strip is a group made up of Station 1 interns and other Drake students. The band features some of the same members as the cover band, High School Girls, that played around Drake’s campus last year.
Ran by Tobi Parks and Thom Kutz, Station 1 has strong ties with the Drake community and can often be found around Drake’s campus. Kutz graduated from Drake’s law program and Parks is pursuing her degree in law at Drake. Additionally, both Kutz and Parks are adjunct professors, teaching classes on the music industry in the school of journalism and mass communication.
“There is a strong developing arts community here in Des Moines that seems to fly under the radar quite a bit, especially around Drake’s campus,” Kutz said. “One of the things we want to accomplish is to introduce and pull Drake students to the arts community that exists here.”
DeTaeye shares a similar sentiment with Kutz about the music and arts in Des Moines and hopes Drake students and the surrounding community will embrace the music scene developing in the city.
“It’s really easy to be stuck into university events and can be hard to reach further out into the community,” Detaeye said. “There are so many benefits and positive things that can come from branching out in your university’s community, and this [showcase] will be a really good opportunity to do that.”
