Out the windows of the Trumpet Blossom Cafe, the sun began to lower in the sky, darkening the establishment. Quiet chatter lulled to a halt inside the cafe as the intimate crowd prepared for the music that was about to fill the room.

Feed Me Weird Things Iowa City, an Iowa City listening series focused on creating unique musical experiences, hosted the performances of both Antifahorn and Elder Ones at the Trumpet Blossom Cafe. The work presented by the two groups was a series of intersections — politics, music, poetry, and sound all involved in the mix.

The night opened with Antifahorn, a three-person band with guitars, a drum, a tambourine, and a soundboard making up the instrumental elements. Antifahorn has previously collaborated with Public Space One, a community-driven art center in Iowa City. As soon as the group began, the audience fell silent as one member in a flannel shirt, another sitting at a small table, and the third in a vest and patchwork hat, played their respective instruments by jumping from erratic beats to smoother melodies.

Antifahorn’s unique sounds and easygoing instrumentals kept the audience engaged. One of their sounds, a clicking akin to the noise a gas stove makes just before it lights, added an edge to the softer portion of the performance. 

A combination of poetry in tandem with music brought Antifahorn’s conceptual ideas to life within their performance. With one member performing spoken word poetry over the music played by the other two, it felt like a cohesive struggle for the voice to be heard that was purposeful. 

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Elder Ones took the stage next, with vocalist Amirtha Kidambi leading the group. By the time the five members came on stage, the sun had completely set, and the cafe’s soft yellow lights created an aura of comfort within the space. 

Composed of a soprano saxophone, bass, drums, cello, soundboard, and harmonium, Elder Ones also offered a unique variety of sounds. Kidambi herself said that she started her musical journey in the classical realm, but sought out more creative musical forums as her talents progressed.

“After finding it rigid with not enough room for individual expression, I started to gravitate more towards jazz and improvised music, and finally started creating my own original work rather than always performing the work of other composers,” Kidambi wrote in an email to The Daily Iowan.

Before each of the four pieces presented by Elder Ones, Kidambi gave an explanation of the inspiration for each piece. All based on events that have occurred over the last few years regarding social justice, reform, and turmoil, Kidambi said that she thought it was important to share that rationale.

The four pieces presented addressed Xenophobia in the United States after the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Black Lives Matter movement that was sparked after the killing of George Floyd in 2020, the labor revolution that happened in India after years of exploited labor in 2021, and the nuances of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the White House. 

Kidambi said that music has become a way for herself and many others to cope with these intense circumstances that took place over the course of the last few years. Taking inspiration from these events, Kidambi stated that she finds a sort of catharsis in writing and performing on these issues. 

“[I’m] impacted by the circumstances we’re grappling with in America and globally and use music as a way to process catastrophic and cataclysmic events such as the pandemic, war, the rise of fascism, systemic racism, and other issues,” Kidambi wrote. “I’m definitely influenced by political protest music that came before me, in free jazz of the 60s-70s, hip-hop, and punk.”

Kidambi’s voice and musical ability, as well as the talent of her bandmates Matt Nelson, Eva Lawitts, Lester St. Louis, and Max Jaffe, there is not only intention behind Elder Ones’ works, but an apt skillset to execute them musically.

Throughout the variety of songs, each performer got the opportunity to excel on stage. Every instrument had moments in songs where their piece is the focal point of attention, with the other instruments and vocals either taking on supporting roles or falling completely silent. 

Whether it be soloistic moments or cohesive elements, Elder Ones understands balance in terms of musicality. Through the talent of the performers and the clear intentions, Elder Ones’ performance was able to entrance the audience at the Trumpet Blossom Cafe, and transport them to the time that each song was inspired by. 

“Everyone gets space to improvise either freely, or take solos, which I think takes the audience on a journey. Our way of improvising is very high energy and ecstatic, so I think it provides the listener with catharsis or release,” Kidambi wrote. “We’re all living with so much anxiety right now, that seeing loud, intense, energetic, visceral music can be a really important vicarious experience.”