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awful purdies

Rank #7 Iowa City, IA Folk / new-folk / orchestral

50% of sales go to the charity Every Mother Counts.

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About

Members: Sarah Cram, Katie Roche, Katie Burnes, Marcy Rosenbaum, Nicole Upchurch

Sounds Like: Mountain Man

Manager: Katie Roche

Bio: This all-female quintet is an eclectic collection of musicians who banded together out of the shared experiences of creating music across genres and being female in a male-dominated industry. All singers and multi-instrumentalists, they purdify every original and borrowed song they meet. Purdify... See Full Bio

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Status

awful purdies has a show on 05/12/2013 at 07:00 PM @ Anchor Coff... in Des Moines, IA http://www.reverbnation.com/c./poni/198741348 #concert

Press

"Katie (Burnes) Rowe’s cello is only infrequently in the foreground, but holds down the bottom end of the arrangement. In fact the sound of her cello—recorded with remarkable warmth and presence by engineer Peter Becker—is the linchpin to the AP sound."

— Kent Williams, Little Village

"The Awful Purdies traded vocals and genres throughout the “Java Blend” hour, ranging from Katie Roche’s smoky “Pennies in the Dust Pan,” Sarah Driscoll’s old soul lyrics in “The Most” and observant “Portrait,” Nicole Upchurch’s cheerfully melancholic “Perennials.” All the while, Katie Burne’s backing vocals and cello kept a steady beat. In between songs, they giggled through their own special stage language, a product of their six year relationship with one another. The concert wonderfully rounded out when they traded vocals verse by verse in the Katzenjammer-inspired “over-30s love song” titled, “Yes, But…” "

— BCODON, krui.com

“Roche has found the local art scene to be very accepting of different types of creativity."Music is hugely important to Iowa City's cultural identity," she said. "We're as much of a music town as we are a literature town or a football town. There is a real feeling of music camaraderie in Iowa City, something I haven't felt in a while, and the Awful Purdies is thankful to be here, now, as it's happening."”

— JOANN BAUTISTA , Daily Iowan

“But the one thing that remains consistent for the band is the importance of telling a story and the careful crafting that goes along with that. Songs will go through countless revisions in pursuit of the version that sounds most like the Awful Purdies. “So there’s water purification, and we have ‘Purdification,’ ” Burnes said.”

— Jennifer Downing, Daily Iowan

“With influences that include old time, psychedelic folk, and even jazz and heavy metal, these ladies forge something that ends up being stronger than the sum of its parts.”

— Eric Wrisley, Folkwax

"Awful Purdies" is a triumph from start to finish, a rustic, home-grown gem that's at once humble and elegant.

— Jim Musser, Iowa City Press-Citizen

“The solo voices and instrumentals are marvelous but when they link arms, it’s magic.”

— Diana Nollen, The Gazette

“The band members come from an eclectic scene of musical backgrounds, and they credit that as a reason for their inability to define the band’s sound.”

— ERIC SUNDERMANN , The Daily Iowan

“Guranteed not to sing you to sleep, these chicks with picks are gonna throw a serious party”

— Matt Steele, Little Village

“The Awful Purdies are awfully talented and an awfully original take on the Eastern Iowa folk scene.”

— Blake, Hoopla

“Taste a little of the summer, Grandma put it all in jars. - Greg Brown”

— The Catalyst

“A slightly wacky collection of Iowa City musicians make up the Awful Purdies, whose multi-genre live performances swerve recklessly from spoken word to bluegrass to drinking songs."”

— William Fare, Iowa Source

“Through performances they hope to empower women, to show them that they can pick up an instrument and still be a mom.”

— Deanna Howard, Iowa City Press-Citizen

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Recent Blogs

Feedback on the album
Oct 7, 2009
We've been getting such great feedback on the album. Here's a few sweeties: Jil... [more]

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Songs

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At the Veil

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My Time

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Portrait

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Pennies in the…

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I got friends

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Shows

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Fri
Jul 19

Friday Night Concert Se…
Iowa City, 52240, US | 6:30am
Friday Night Concert Series...
Iowa City, 52240, US
Fri Jul 19 6:30am
Details

Concerts are held outside of the Sheraton Iowa City Hotel from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy FREE live entertainment! In event of rain, the Friday Night Concert Series presented by Billion Automotive, will move to the Chauncey Swan Parking Ramp on the corner of Washington and Gilbert Streets in Iowa City. Concert will be in the lower level (same location as the Iowa City Farmer's Market). Summer of the Arts encourages the community to come out and enjoy this great free, family friendly entertainment - rain or shine!
Sat
Aug 10

Iowa City Farmer's Mark…
Iowa City, IA, US | 9:00am
Iowa City Farmer's Market
Iowa City, IA, US
Sat Aug 10 9:00am
Details

We play at the Chauncey Swan ramp from 9 to 11 AM, outside, rain or shine!
Sat
Sep 21

Uptown Bill's Coffee Ho…
Iowa City, IA, US | 7:00pm
Uptown Bill's Coffee House...
Iowa City, IA, US
Sat Sep 21 7:00pm
Sun
Oct 27

The Mill
Iowa City, IA, US | 3:30pm
The Mill
Iowa City, IA, US
Sun Oct 27 3:30pm
- Show Details
- Tickets
Details

COME IN COSTUME and celebrate Halloween with the Awful Purdies! 3:30 door/4 pm show short 20 min. opener, single lady to open... kids free/$10 for adults

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Robert Purdy
Well, having my last name be Purdy, I had to check out the music. I really like what I hear so far. Reminds me a little bit like a folk version of Kennedy Rose, at least m...