Ethiopian keyboardist and jazz legend Hailu Mergia performed at the Blue Note concert venue in Columbia, Missouri for his first show in the Show-Me State on Nov. 16. Mergia performed with his trio who have seen a rise in Western popularity after record label Awesome Tapes From Africa re-released Mergia’s work with his Walias group starting in 2013. This concert was a part of Dismal Niche’s Extended Play Mini-Fall Fest, which brought experimental and eccentric artists to Columbia for a weekend of music and arts programming.
Ethiopian keyboardist and jazz legend Hailu Mergia performed at the Blue Note concert venue in Columbia, Missouri for his first show in the Show-Me State on Nov. 16. Mergia performed with his trio who have seen a rise in Western popularity after record label Awesome Tapes From Africa re-released Mergia’s work with his Walias group starting in 2013. This concert was a part of Dismal Niche’s Extended Play Mini-Fall Fest, which brought experimental and eccentric artists to Columbia for a weekend of music and arts programming.
Columbia rock band Upper Management performed at Speaker’s Circle on Nov. 14, 2023. The group consisted of Michael Harleman on bass, Ben Rodebaugh on guitar, Simon Avrushenko on drums, and Connor Reilly on keyboard. Upper Management performed at Speaker’s Circle throughout the 2023-24 school year. Photos on Upper Management Instagram. Additionally, below is design for a hypothetical future concert date.
London-based jazz and afrobeat group Kokoroko photographed at their Chicago concert in Logan Square Auditorium on Oct. 18. This concert was a part of the group’s North American tour and ahead of their EP release “Get the Message,” which released on Nov. 1. The photos were supplemental to a KCOU.FM blog post about the concert experience and the upcoming music release.
Link to Instagram post: Instagram
Electronic rap musician and producer 2hollis photographed at his concert at Metro Chicago on Jan. 31. This concert was in the latter stage of 2hollis’ second leg of his North American tour. The concert came one day after 2hollis released the single “afraid,” featuring Nate Sibb, who has been 2hollis’ opening act throughout the tour. The photos were supplemental to a KCOU.FM blog post about the concert experience.
Link to Instagram post: Instagram
Ambient and jazz flute player Shabaka and his harpist Charles Overton performed at the Blue Note on Thursday, Feb. 28. The concert was a part of the True/False Film Fest and the Dismal Niche and We Always Swing Jazz “Left Field” series. Photos and vidoes of this concert were taken to promote the True/False Film Fest through a partnership with Dart Club. These photos were posted on Instagram and in featured LA-based In Sheeps Clothing’s article about Dismal Niche.
Link to Instagram post: Instagram
Producer and rapper Yyuan performs his last set of the spring semester in East Campus as an opener for The Crab’s Archimedes Tungsten release party on May 8. Yyuan has been performing since the start of the year across Columbia as he has steadily released new music. These photos will be used in Yyuan’s new release cover art on June 8.
Link to Instagram post: Instagram
DJs airfry, sweeet, and Scythe perform turntable sets at Como Concert Fund’s “I <3 Student Radio” house show in East Campus on Feb. 15, 2025. Como Concert Fund is dedicated to booking shows in Columbia and supporting local artists. These DJs are a part of the Materia collective, based in Saint Louis.
Link to Instagram post: Instagram
Columbia-based three-piece sibling indie band Drona played at Rose Music Hall as a part of Missouri Indie Fest in Columbia, Missouri on Saturday, Jan. 18. The concert came a day after Drona’s newest EP release entitled ‘Blister Pack,’ which came out Jan. 17. The group played every song from their newest 4-track release in addition to older music and a new unreleased song. Photos taken were used by Drona and Rose Music Hall in their Instagram post about the concert.
Link to personal Instagram post: luca.filefolder Instagram
The Concert Jazz Band performed at the Shack in the Student Center at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 15. The concert paid homage to jazz trumpet players, with five of the six songs performed written by trumpet players. Admission was free and the performance lasted an hour, featuring solo improvisation sequences. The theme of the concert centered around the music of trumpet player Roy Hargrove. Photos taken as a part of Maneater Student Newspaper photo story.