Elizabeth Moen at the Raccoon Motel -- December 8.

Thursday, December 8, 7 p.m.

315 East Second Street, Davenport IA

Described by Little Voice magazine as an artist who “is both a throwback to '60s folk-pop and very much in the moment,” singer/songwriter and Iowa native Elizabeth Moen headlines a December 8 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, her 2020 EP Creature of Habit having amassed raves from Hot Press for the musician's “innate ability to craft tongue-in-cheek lyrics and pair them with arresting melodies.”

Prior to her recent move to Chicago, Moen grew up in Vinton, Iowa, and taught herself to play guitar as a teenager. Upon her graduation from high school, she moved to Iowa City, where she studied French and Spanish at the University of Iowa. Citing Alabama Shakes, Sharon Van Etten, Stevie Nicks, and Joni Mitchell as among her influences, Moen performed in her first open-mic night at The Mill at age 20, and wrote her first original song at 21. She consequently self-released a self-titled EP in 2016 and her debut LP That's All I Wanted in 2017, and quickly became a staple of the Iowa City music scene. Her sophomore album A Million Miles Away, released in 2018, drew praise from regional press as well as Paste magazine, who labeled Moen "one to watch out for on the road." The River Cities' Reader's Max Allison, meanwhile, praised the musician's "passionate vocal delivery," and stated that "Moen’s voice tugs at our heartstrings with cascading melodic figures and confident proclamations."

In 2019, her recording of a new song "Headgear" for the Tiny Desk Contest drew praise from NPR Music, and the artist was accepted into the 2020 SXSW festival as an official showcase artist and featured in NPR Music's Austin 100. Moen went on to tour throughout the United States and Europe, supporting artists such as Lake Street Dive, Margaret Glaspy, Houndmouth, and Quad Cities native Lissie, and during the 2020 Democratic primary, she supported Bernie Sanders and was invited to play several of the Senator's rallies in Iowa. With all 2020 touring canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Moen moved in with her aunt (who's also a therapist), and began writing a new set of songs addressing mental health that became the Creature of Habit EP. The release includes more experimentation with synthesizers and electronic elements than Moen's previous recordings, and was lauded by Little Village for its "songs of lonely isolation [that] make the listener feel less alone."

Elizabeth Moen plays her Davenport engagement on December 8, admission to the 7 p.m. concert is $15, and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.

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