Name: Lip Critic
Start: 2026-02-19T21:00:00
Location: Gabe's

Lip Critic

The Englert Theatre

Hatis Noit is a Japanese vocal performer hailing from distant Shiretoko in Hokkaido who now resides in London. Her accomplished range is astonishingly self-taught, inspired by everything she could find from Gagaku — Japanese classical music — and operatic styles, Bulgarian and Gregorian chanting, to avant-garde and pop vocalists.

It was at the age of 16, during a trek in Nepal to Buddha’s birthplace, when she realised singing was her calling. While staying at a women’s temple in Lumbini, one morning on a walk Hatis Noit heard someone singing. On further investigation it was a female monk singing Buddhist chants, alone. The sound moved her so intensely she was instantly aware of the visceral power of the human voice; a primal and instinctive instrument that connects us to the very essence of humanity, nature and our universe.

Hatis Noit

JOSEPH is the Oregon-bred sister duo of Natalie and Meegan Closner, known for their powerful harmonies, emotionally honest songwriting, and genre-blurring blend of indie pop, folk, and rock. Since releasing their breakout debut I’m Alone, No You’re Not in 2016—which featured their hit single “White Flag” and landed them on The Tonight Show, TODAY, and the Billboard charts—the band has steadily built a devoted following through gripping live performances, national tours, and appearances at major festivals including Coachella, Glastonbury, and Bonnaroo.

Joseph

In this life, very few friendships withstand the test of time. Naturally, people go their separate ways and chase their own dreams. As rare as it may be for friendships to last a lifetime, it might be even rarer for a band to stick together for the long haul. For close to four decades, the members of Big Head Todd and The Monsters—Todd Park Mohr [vocals, guitar, keys, sax, harmonica], Brian Nevin [drums], Rob Squires [bass, vocals], and Jeremy Lawton [keyboards, lap pedal/steel guitar, vocals]—have continued to both throw down in the studio and light up stages worldwide. Rallying around a core vision, the platinum-selling Colorado quartet kick out the kind of blues-drenched rock ‘n’ roll bangers that make you want to rev the engine a little louder, sing along like no one’s looking, and live a little freer. 

This holds true on their 12th full-length offering, Her Way Out.

Big Head Todd and the Monsters

Vitamin String Quartet (VSQ) is one of the most popular string ensembles in the world. Erasing
the boundaries between classical, dance, hip-hop and pop, VSQ performs spellbinding
renditions of everything from Billie Eilish to BTS, Taylor Swift to The Weeknd, and Danny
Elfman to Daft Punk. Praised by the likes of Buzzfeed, The New York Times, Consequence of
Sound, Nerdist and more, VSQ has garnered over 2 billion streams and numerous Billboard
chartings since its inception. VSQ can also be heard in numerous hit shows, including Netflix’s
Bridgerton, HBO’s Westworld, and ABC’s Modern Family.

Vitamin String Quartet

Dan Padley is an Iowa City guitarist and composer who finds himself dabbling in a wide array of genres and musical settings. In this show (along with bassist Blake Shaw and drummer Christopher Jensen), Dan will explore the music of acclaimed guitarist Bill Frisell. While rooted in jazz traditions, Frisell’s music also touches upon a vast array of styles and contexts.

Dan Padley – A Tribute to Bill Frisell

At its best, harmony duo singing can transform simple math into a magic trick. One plus one, instead of equaling two, suddenly yields an unexpected third thing. An upper-case ONE. A universal hum. A deep vibration that encompasses two different points of view. On their latest release, Every Time I Think About You, brothers Jack Torrey and Page Burkum, aka The Cactus Blossoms, once again prove themselves to be among the most adept – and distinctive – modern practitioners of that magic. But like any great magician, The Cactus Blossoms can’t – or won’t – fully explain the illusion they create.

The Cactus Blossoms

Wildwood Saloon

Matteo Mancuso, born in 1996, a guitar child prodigy, approached the world of music at an early age, thanks to his father Vincenzo. He enrolled in a musical high school where he deepened his studies in classical guitar and founded the trio “SNIPS.” With this trio, he released the famous version of “The Chicken,” which quickly reached millions of views across various social media platforms. In 2019, he began a collaboration with Yamaha Guitars, participating in the NAMM Show in Los Angeles, the “Young Guitar Festival” in Bangkok, and several masterclasses in Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Perm).

Matteo Mancuso

The Milk Carton Kids are an American indie folk duo from Eagle Rock, California, United States, consisting of singer-guitarists Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan. They began making music together in early 2011 and have recorded and released six albums. Their first two albums were released free of charge online.

Sierra Hull is a seven-time IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year, two-time Grammy nominee, and
one of the most dynamic voices in bluegrass and Americana. Her latest album, A Tip Toe High
Wire, marks a bold new chapter – her first independent release – spotlighting her songwriting
and instrumental prowess. Featuring guest appearances by Béla Fleck, Tim O’Brien, and Aoife
O’Donovan, the album balances tradition with innovation.

The Milk Carton Kids & Sierra Hull

New York based band Lip Critic is the project of Bret Kaser, Connor Kleitz, and Danny Eberle. The band is comprised of two samplers, two drummers and vocals. Through their untraditional instrumentation, Lip Critic executes an eclectic blend of punk, hardcore, club, modernistic pop sounds, and structures without inhibition. Paired with eccentric grandstand-style vocals, Lip Critic delivers a uniquely engaging live performance that rivals the hyper-stylized production on their records. These performances are heavily focused on improvisation and experimentation, including extended and remixed versions of songs. After self-releasing three projects from 2019 to 2021, Lip Critic’s debut album Hex Dealer was released on Partisan Records in May 2024. Lip Critic has earned early critical acclaim from NME (“on their way to becoming the next great NYC band”), Paste (“an apocalyptic wasteland of NYC’s best underground punk”), Rolling Stone (‘Songs You Need to Know’), Rolling Stone UK (‘Ones to Watch 2024’), Loud & Quiet (“one of NYC’s most talked about acts.”), Billboard, Mary Anne Hobbs on BBC 6 Music, and Matt Wilkinson (“totally essential”).

Gabe's

The Englert is proud to be a part of Free Week this year, with a free performance from Elizabeth Moen, who has Iowa City roots. She attended the University of Iowa and started her music career performing here in Iowa City.

Elizabeth Moen’s voice doesn’t just fill a room: it draws you in, letting every note land like a conversation you didn’t know you needed. Born in small-town Iowa and now based in Chicago, her songwriting blends the familiarity of rural life with the movement of the city, offering a sharp, tender lens on human connection. Her music feels like catching up with a friend – confessional, self-aware, and clever, unafraid to lay bare the parts of ourselves we’d rather keep tucked away.

Free Week: Elizabeth Moen

The Lone Bellow burst onto the scene with their self-titled debut in 2013. The Brooklyn-based band quickly became known for their transcendent harmonies, serious musicianship and raucous live performance — a reputation that earned them their rabid fan base. It’s been three years since the band’s victorious Then Came The Morning was released. Produced by The National’s Aaron Dessner, the album was nominated for an Americana Music Award. The band appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “Late Show With David Letterman,” “Conan O’Brien,” “CBS This Morning,” “Later…with Jools Holland,” and “The Late Late Show With James Corden” in support of the album. In the years since the release, the band left their beloved adopted home of Brooklyn and moved to Nashville. Now, The Lone Bellow is back with Walk Into A Storm, which will be released Sept. 15 on Sony Music Masterworks. Walk Into A Storm was produced by legendary music producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, and more) and features their lead single “Time’s Always Leaving.” The trio, featuring Zach Williams (guitar/vocals), Kanene Donehey Pipkin (multi-instrumentalist), and Brian Elmquist (guitar), recorded this album in only seven days. The group’s first two albums graced the Billboard 200.

The Lone Bellow

It’s hard to imagine a band just coming into their own after 20 years of success, but that’s exactly what makes a true anomaly. Gaelic Storm, a multi-national, Celtic juggernaut grows stronger with each live performance, and after two decades and over 2000 shows, they are a true force to be reckoned with. 

The band attributes their continued success to their fanatic audience, and it’s a well-diversified crowd for sure – attracting fans of every genre with their rich storytelling, energetic instrumentals, devotion to Celtic traditions and passion for their stagecraft. They are as loyal to their fans as the fans are to them, as frontman Patrick Murphy states, “The fans are the ones that have given us this life. We’re here for them.”