2022 MUSICIANS
ALEX SILVA
Baltimore-based Alex Silva’s interpretation of electronic and contemporary composition draws influence from his early days playing in punk bands while growing up in Spain. His debut album, Mind Pattern Explorer, is available on Canadian Duck Tapes, and he comes to T/F fresh from touring with Dan Deacon. LISTEN
ANDREAS KAPSALIS
Greek-American guitarist, composer, and international performer Andreas Kapsalis may have you believing he has more than just two limbs as he produces myriad rhythms and melodies from his guitar.
ANGEL BAT DAWID
Angel Bat Dawid’s afrofuturist opus The Oracle is widely regarded as one of the best jazz albums of recent years, bringing the Chicago-based composer, clarinetist, pianist, singer, and producer worldwide acclaim. Her latest release is 2021’s Hush Harbor Mixtape No. 1: Doxology. LISTEN
BEGONIA
Awe will be your first reaction to the subtle yet powerful voice of Alexa Dirks—until the beat drops and your feet pull your body into the audacious sound that is Begonia. Left with no choice, your movements will sync to the Winnipeg artist’s lush synth-pop rhythms. LISTEN
BLVCK SPVDE
A true cornerstone of the national music community, we’re fortunate to hold the talents of multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Blvck Spvde in such close proximity. Along with his robust ensemble, this St. Louis representative utilizes the language of neo-soul, future-funk, and hip-hop to lead an audience to a place of resonance and healing. LISTEN
CASE OATS
When Casey Walker’s soothing voice delivers nostalgic imagery over a light acoustic strum, there’s a good chance you’ll feel a warm wash of connection to meaningful moments of your own past and present. LISTEN
DRONA
Drona is a young, passionate sibling trio (ages ranging 11-16) of self-taught multi-instrumentalists eager to bring their sonic concoctions to the stage, fusing their love of genres as different as bedroom pop and black metal into mathy musical structures while leaving room for the rule-breaking openness of jazz. LISTEN
DRUMMERSCALES WITH ZACH ZITO
T/F veterans and former members of the band Loose Loose, Jacob Somerscales and Zach Zito are joining up to bring audiences guitar- and drum-based improvised experiments likely to span from ambient minimalism to polyrhythmic cacophony. LISTEN
ELEPHANT FOOT
Columbia locals, Elephant Foot, bring their own hit-the-road-windows-down sound with bouncing grooves and soulful toned vocals.
ESOE
esoe is a DJ, producer, and graphic designer from Chicagoland. Zooming through wide-ranging styles, esoe brings you to a vibration that is wholly groovy on their independent label, Home Sounds. Feeling is the fuel to their fire. esoe currently resides in Brooklyn and recently produced the art for Garrett David’s upcoming release Global Swing. LISTEN
FAERIE THE KID
Emily Shaw is the kind of artist and musician that if stranded on an island would still find ways to make beautiful sounds with rocks, hollow logs, her voice and whatever else is laying around. Emily is bringing to T/F her understated piano playing, melodic voice and hook laden songwriting. LISTEN
GANSER
Ganser is a post-punk, no-wave, art-rock Chicago quartet fronted by a self-described two-headed monster, lead vocalists Nadia Garofalo and Alicia Gaines. Their album Just Look at That Sky was named a Best Album of 2020 by Paste and Noisey, and a Great Album You May Have Missed by Rolling Stone, who described it as “terrifyingly cool”. LISTEN
HEMLOCK
Patient and colorful acoustic guitar strums get wrapped in the wispy blanket of Carolina Chauffe’s voice, offering a sound both sedating and capable of bringing your deeper feelings into focus.
KIWICHA
Listening to the dual guitar and vocal melodies of Kiwicha are like unfolding a lawn chair just before dusk and enjoying changing hues that settle you into a dreamy state as they cast their spell on you. LISTEN
KYREN PENROSE
A young giant formerly-known-as The Adaptation, Kyren Penrose writes songs that seem to come from a slightly older soul, new notes that seem nostalgic, and hooks that could have found a home on 90s alt-rock radio. LISTEN
LIAM KAZAR
In writing and arrangement, Liam’s soulful voice always seems to emerge at the right moments, falling tastefully into the spaces between the instruments whether he’s lightly strumming a traditional-sounding folk tune or driving forward with a funked-up dance number. LISTEN
LITTLE MAZARN
This Austin-based duo brings modernity to a “high lonesome” Appalachian sound. Minimal, expansive, and ethereal, Little Mazarn offers a stunning juxtaposition between traditionalism and contemporary sound. Keep an eye out for the iconic Thor Harris sitting in with Little Mazarn during their sets.
LIV.E
After a series of acclaimed, genre-bending EPs, Texas-raised, L.A.- based exploratory neo-soul phenom Liv.e (pronunciation tip: Just say Liv; the “e” is silent) wowed critics and fans alike with her debut LP, 2020’s Couldn’t Wait to Tell You. We couldn’t be more excited to have her make her T/F debut with us in 2022.
LIVING HOUR
Loose layers will keep you warm, and Winnipeg’s Living Hour will bundle you up in casiotones, polyrhythms, beautiful brass, melodic guitars, and a final layer that is the warm wooly sound of Sam Sarty’s emotive voice. LISTEN
LUCAS OSWALD
While often swept up to support other musicians (Shearwater, Jesca Hoop, Appleseed Cast) for his amazing talents as a multi-instrumentalist, Lucas will instead present to us his own catalog of heartfelt songwriting, delivered with a soothing voice and delicate guitar work. LISTEN
THE MALL
The dark analog drum machines, tunneling synths and echoed voices of The Mall invoke visions of commutes on a train through a dystopian crumbling city. LISTEN
MOBILE FUNK UNIT
True/False March March veterans will deliver their driving brass section and thumping bass throughout the weekend with a joyful energy that embodies the essence of the True/False experience.
NOAH EARLE
Midwestern treasure Noah Earle charms audiences with full-hearted songs that reflect the man himself—farmer, family-man, troubadour. Complex yet essential, Earle’s music satiates and delights listeners who crave earnest, substantial work.
PFORVENDETTA
The sounds of Peter Schermer will lead you down a dark alley of jagged rhythms, blips, and sampled saxophone skronk where you might find a door behind a dumpster emanating a cool lounge sound with aliens and robots smoking digital cigars. LISTEN
QUIET TAKES
Sarah Magill shows yet again how melancholy music can give all the feels, tingle the spine, and drape us in bliss with her dream-pop, avant-folk project, Quiet Takes.
RAE FITZGERALD
Sometimes the saddest sound brings the warmest catharsis. Hearing Rae Fitzgerald’s lonesome dreamy voice will often cause the world around you to melt away, offering an emotional release and a chance to purge your own tensions. LISTEN
SIFA
Rwandan-American singer Sifa Bihomora has a voice that offers the familiarity of soulful greats such as Nina Simone and Erykah Badu, but is most certainly her own, with an energy and urgency that draws you with haste into a world of her own making. LISTEN
SPENCER AND SAMMY TWEEDY
With Spencer on Drums and Sammy turning the knobs, we will get a taste of the sonic soup the Tweedy brothers concoct, surely influenced by their own upbringing in a house of wondrous and experimental sound.
SUSAN ALCORN
One of the world’s premiere pedal steel guitar players, Baltimore-based Susan Alcorn paid her dues in Texas country & western bands before expanding the vocabulary of her instrument through her study of 20th century classical music, visionary jazz, and world musics. LISTEN
THOR HARRIS
Polymath Thor Harris has a Wikipedia page of instruments played and artists accompanied too long to reference. Considering the atmospheric sound of percussive keyboards and drones he is known for, one would not be remiss for wondering if his spirit has been at T/F all this time just waiting for his body to arrive.
TINY DANIEL
We found Tiny Daniel moonwalking on a cloud and singing songs to the stars and immediately began building a ladder tall enough to fetch him down to play for us at T/F. LISTEN
TITONTON
Titonton Duvante is a producer, DJ, record-label owner (Residual Recordings), event promoter, and all-around arbiter of all things musically funky. Hailing from Ohio, he has been on a mission to provide the world with depth and warmth. LISTEN
TRAVIS MCFARLANE
The phantom of the opera Travis McFarlane will once again descend upon the keys of the Missouri Theatre’s impressive, expressive pipe organ.
TRISTAÑO
Under the combined influence of jazz legends, hip-hop maestros, and contemporary beat-makers, this St. Louis three-piece provides a contemplative yet engaging soundtrack to the ebb and flow of the Fest. LISTEN
ZAP TURA
Don’t expect this project of Andrew Jones to fall neatly into any categories. After wading through some psychedelic weirdness you’ll find yourself afloat on poppy goodness and melodies that won’t let you go. LISTEN
2022 CONCERTS
EASTSIDE PRE-PARTY
Wednesday, Mar 2 / Doors 8pm, Show 9pm-12:30am / Eastside Tavern
With the combined talents of Elephant Foot, Kyren Penrose, and Drona, the young ones come and show how to break the usual genre barriers into small pieces that can be reconstructed into something exhilarating. $5 general admission.
Thursday, Mar 3 / Doors 8pm, Show 9pm-12:30am / Cafe Berlin
It’s a 21st century North-by-Midwest post-punk takeover! From the shimmering shoegaze haze of Kiwicha and potent mutant-disco punch of The Mall to the cathartic noise-rock explosion of Ganser, this state-of-the-art-rock showcase will rip it up as True/False starts again. $10 general admission.
Friday, Mar 4 / 6pm-8pm / Eastside Tavern
A wonderfully unique pairing brings together the intense soul-emoting voice of Sifa and the dream-inducing pop of Tiny Daniel. Free & open to the public; donations encouraged.
Friday, Mar 4 / Doors 8pm, Show 9pm-12:30am / Cafe Berlin
Chicago’s Liam Kazar and Case Oats bring performances of moving, witty songs with revered Austin musicians Little Mazarn and Thor Harris providing an interlude of floating, forest-inspired sound. $10 general admission.
Friday, Mar 4 / 10:30pm-12:30am / Blue Note
Your mind wants to move, and your body deserves it. Shake off your stress and start vibrating to the warm dance-floor groove of legendary DJ Titonton Duvante on the wheels of steel. $10 general admission.
Saturday, Mar 5 / Doors 6:30pm, Show 7pm-9pm / First Presbyterian Church
Known for its serene atmosphere and pleasant escape from the crowds, the Sanctuary Showcase will present tranquil solo sets from Rae Fitzgerald and Lucas Oswald, rhythmic drum-and-synth tinkering from Spencer and Sammy Tweedy, and lazy river currents of sound from Winnipeg’s Living Hour. Free & open to the public; donation encouraged.
Saturday, March 5 / 8:30pm-12am / Gold Bar
An all-star evening of interdimensional sonic excellence featuring St. Louis art-scene emcee/producer Blvck Spvde, cosmic-jazz multi-instrumentalist Angel Bat Dawid, and rising star of cutting-edge neo-soul Liv.e. $10 general admission.
Saturday, March 5 / Doors 8pm, Show 9pm-1am / Rose Music Hall
A blissed-out energy flows through the music hall on Saturday night, courtesy of the ecstatic electronic concoctions of Alex Silva, the sublime indie stylings of Begonia, and the infectious hypnagogic pop of Zap Tura. $10 general admission.
Sunday, March 6 / 6pm-8pm / Eastside Tavern
The perfect comedown on the fourth day of an emotional roller coaster of nonfiction films—or simply the right music for any Sunday evening—comes in the form of Kansas City’s Quiet Takes, Chicago’s Hemlock, and Columbia’s own Faerie the Kid. Do yourself a solid and allow the beautiful mellow voices of these three female solo artists to cradle you after a long week. Free & open to the public; donations encouraged.
Sunday, March 6 / 8:30pm-9:30pm / Missouri Theatre
With a tear and a beer, the festival ends as the last air escapes the bellows of the accordion, trumpet, and megaphone. Link arms with your festival friends as Mobile Funk Unit leads a wake for T/F 2022 following the Q&A after Mija. No ticket required; theater lobby open to passholders & those with a ticket to the closing night film.