Anthony Worden is a name you should know, and somehow before this past weekend at Codfish Hollow I was somehow not familiar with the Iowa-City based musician that made his debut at the barn, where he and his band, The Illiterati, absolutely blew the doors off the place. I had been hearing murmurs of this upcoming show, so the excitement had established itself, and I knew it was going to be one I didn’t want to miss. Taking the middle spot of a 3-band bill, in the middle of a 4-day heat advisory, this 5-piece from Eastern Iowa had people dancing from front stage all the way around the back of the barn, where I happily watched a group of volunteers moving their feet along with the music until the final note. These volunteers are no strangers to live music, and it’s always a treat to see them lose themselves in the soundscape. Codfish Hollow never disappoints, heatwave be damned!
The Audio this week is a bit different, as I wasn’t able to conduct the interview in person, Anthony recorded the audio portion on his own so the flow is a little different, and you won’t hear my voice, but I have a feeling people enjoy the audio option as opposed to reading the text, so I wanted to include it here.
Matthew: Let’s start off with an introduction for those who aren’t familiar. Who you are, how long have you been playing, and where do you call home?
Anthony: My name is Anthony Warden, and I have a band called The illiterati. I’ve been doing this project since 2017. In that time, I've released five studio albums and one live album that we just put out in May. And I live in Iowa City, but I'm originally from Cedar Rapids.
Matthew: As a professional artist myself, I understand that sometimes the answer is simply that there was no other choice, but why did you become a musician? What or who originally got you interested in music?
Anthony: I think I became a musician because I got really into the game Guitar Hero when I was a kid. That was the thing, and then my brother started taking bass lessons from a guy who lived in our neighborhood. I saved up some money from lawn mowing and got a Stratocaster and started taking lessons from him. This old rocker guy. His name is Brooke Hoover. He also plays and is the founder of this, of the surf band, the Surf Zombies. So I say he got me interested in music. But my parents, you know, like so many other people, had a cool CD collection, not like crazy cool, but they had, the Beatles and The Stones and I guess I remember just really getting into the White Album and Abbey Road and transferring those CDs to my iPod and listening to a lot of those. So I guess that's kind of how I got into it. And then other people along the way, like my friend Tim, would show me, Radiohead, and CDs from the 90s. And once you kind of get into those bigger bands, it kind of launches your other interests.
Matthew: What inspires you on a daily basis, and specifically, where do you draw inspiration from, both musically and outside of the world or music?
Anthony: What inspires me? I guess, records, typically. I'm always listening to different stuff. I'm always trying to find things that get me excited, you know. You know, I’m not like, way old. I'm 33. So I've been doing it a while. You know, I've been playing guitar for like, 20 years, and sometimes it's hard to get that inspiration back. You know, I'm an electrician and in another band, so it's hard to find the time, and you've already heard a lot of stuff. You see a million bands, you've played a lot of shows, but I think just records and people showing me music, like someone just showed me the band The Droids from the UK, like a 77 era, first wave punk band, or even, like the band Death, the song Crystal Mountain. My friend Servo showed those bands to me, and I just was blown away totally by them, and so I think it's other people showing me records, maybe knowing my taste Or just going on YouTube, and trying to find some old videos or stuff that may not be available on streaming that I heard before.
Matthew: Has that inspiration changed as you’ve grown, both personally and musically?
Anthony: I guess I kind of answered that, but yeah, I think you just go deeper, trying more things, trying to get better as a songwriter. You know, try to learn a little bit along the way. Learn how the studio works. Learn how to emulate some of your favorite writers. Kind of study their songs and try to bring that into your own stuff.
Matthew: When it comes to songwriting, do you spend a lot of time sitting down intending to write or does it tend to happen more organically?
Anthony: These days? Yeah, I just don't have as much time. I'm in a band called God's hands, and it's like a punk, punk type band, kind of post punk, and I can, sit down and just set a beat and you know, make a bunch of demos, just anything that comes to mind.
With my music, which you know can be a bit more complicated. It usually just kind of comes organically. I'm just sitting up with a guitar or, typically on a Saturday mornings, have a cup of coffee. My brain is kind of free to do whatever. I'm not worried about anything on Saturday mornings, I'm just kind of enjoying the freedom, and usually something comes out of those sessions. But yeah, over the past few years, it's been hard to write. As I get older, you have more responsibilities, spending time with your friends and your girlfriend and your family and all the work stuff too. So the I would say it comes in a lot of ways, jamming, but mostly just sitting down in my studio and trying to get something going.
Matthew: I know you have deep roots in Iowa City. Growing up in the QC, Iowa City was where I really discovered so much music/art that formed my lifelong tastes. What is your favorite aspect of the area, music or otherwise?
Anthony: yeah, so I when I graduated high school, I went to a college in Dubuque for one year, and then I pretty much knew I had to get out of there and go to Iowa City, because I knew that there was more music in Iowa City. When I was in high school, to go to like the Mission Creek festival. I just heard of bands being here. So that's kind of what drew me at first. It was, you know, like, I didn't really know anybody who played music here, so it took a long time to meet people and get into the music scene. But, you know, eventually it happened. And I think, yeah, just if you're gonna live in Iowa, and I don't know, I don't want to say that, I guess, but it seems like Iowa City is one of the most fertile grounds for art. I'd say, as far as there being a history of people who come here to be in a more accepting environment for art. Like anything it has changed over the years. It's not as affordable to live here compared to pretty much anywhere else. There's pretty much no affordable housing in Iowa City for for up and coming artists. So it's kind of tough. But yeah, I mean, I played a lot at Gabes, played a lot of shows there. Trumpet Blossom is great. But, yeah, there's a lot of cool people. The punk scene here has always been a thing. There's always been people coming in and out, but it's kind of still going pretty strong. A lot of aspects to this area, you know, long running record store, too, is really important for a town, like Record Collector.
Matthew: I saw you've created music both as Andrew Worden and with your group The Illiterati. Do you approach the music/sound differently when working with the band as opposed to doing it individually?
Anthony: I guess so. Well, it kind of goes like this. I write a lot of the songs, and I collaborate. I write the songs, or get a very good idea of what I want for the song, and then bring the band in, and then we flush out the arrangement. So the Illiterati is kind of just the name for the people that would be playing behind me. I probably have had like 20 members of my band. This is one of those things where people come in and out. People move. People want to focus more on their individual bands. So the Illiterati is less of like a formed unit that has stayed really consistent over the years, and more of a rotating cast of characters that I kind of asked to join.
Because there's been people that have been in the band for you know, five years, and then move, and some people are in it for a year or two, or less, but, yeah, the people I had at the Codfish show. Was Avery on keys, Aaron Knight on the drums, Lucas on bass, and Joe Shanks on piano. Avery lives in Chicago. They played with me for like five years, and they were in town for a few weeks, so I just asked them if they wanted to play. Joe is actually moving to Chicago in like three weeks, and he's been playing with me for a year and a half. Aaron played with me for like, four years, but then he left to focus more on his other bands. But sometimes I'll ask him to play gigs, and when my drummer's out on tour, he's always down. Lucas has probably been the longest member. He's been with me on and off for something like five or six years.
Matthew: I know your recent release, was inspired by loss and major life shifts. I think it’s important to use art as an outlet for these moments, has addressing those things in song helped you process and move through the moment? Almost in a therapeutic sense
Anthony: Yeah, totally. I think it was less about lyrically talking about a major life shift, those definitely inspire lyrics and give you something actually real to write about. But it was more the process of of working on art, like something to do and focus on during those moments. So yeah, I think playing with the band, hanging out with them, writing and developing the songs for that album, spending time at Flat Black studios, mixing it with Avery, those were all things that really were positive things for me. And the story of the making was kind of being bummed out, but having something to focus on during that tough time.
Matthew: There’s a reason Codfish has so many returning artists. What was your initial impression of this place and what makes it stand out from other venues, beyond the obvious fact it’s a barn next to a cow pasture?
Anthony: I mean, it was beautiful. It ranks number one by far for places that I've played. I think that was due to mainly the staff being so welcoming, so understanding, so positive, and being absolutely great hosts. I mean, Curt, it was like, you know, I never experienced a show runner like that. Just a really nice guy. I sat down next to him, and he just was like, ‘How are you feeling? And I'm like, I'm feeling good. You know, we want to play good because, you know, we're playing with Night Moves, and they're one of my favorite bands from the Midwest, or one of my favorite bands making music, and you're nervous, you want to play a good show in front of those guys. You don't want to shit the bed in front of one of your favorite bands. I kind of described it to my girlfriend the other day, like, I want the crowd to have a good time, but their opinion of how good we did doesn't matter anything compared to how, you know, what Night Moves would have said about our set. You know, I kind of want to impress them, so I put a lot of pressure on myself to play a good show, to have my band ready to go. And Curt was just like, “Hey, you're gonna kill it. We know you're good, you're gonna be great.” And it's just like, Wow, thank you, man. And not to mention, Tiff. Tiff is so nice, and she's so generous in letting this space be used for people to come together of all different beliefs. I mean, we know what it is like. Iowa is a conservative state and it's not the most welcoming place anymore for people who don't match the status quo, I guess, in a lot of ways. And you go there and you see rainbow flags, you see a lot of things that would make it a comfortable space for all people. And I don't know I'm so interested in the things that bring us together, people of all different beliefs, shapes and sizes, and music is one of those things. And it's really cool down the middle of this cornfield outside of Maquoketa there's a place where people can come and celebrate each other and music and all that. I think it's really important and a really great thing. And a thing that you don't see too much in this state, you don't see it at all. It's the only place like it. So, yeah, wonderful. I would come back in a heartbeat.
Matthew: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received from another musician? Is there any insight/advice you’d give to aspiring musicians, or even possibly to your younger self?
Anthony: You know, I was thinking about this today after reading this, and I can't really remember any advice that I've received from another musician. It's just been like, I don't know stuff about recording or guitar playing, and that stuff is something that's kind of boring. Any inside advice I’d give to aspiring musicians? I guess just treat everybody with kindness. Make it fun. Make it fun if you're a band leader, make it fun for the people in your band. Lead with kindness. Anything I’d say to my younger self? You know, there's a million things you could tell your younger self, like you should have done this, you should have done that. Hey, do this. But I am where I am now, and it's not too bad of a place. You know, I'm able to play music at a place like Codfish for wonderful people. That's a pretty good place to be.
Matthew: Is there a band/musician you’ve been listening to a lot that you think the world needs to know about, or people would be surprised you’re a fan of?
Anthony: Maybe people wouldn't think that I would be into the band Death, but they're very good, like the Steely Dan of death metal. The Records we covered, a song of theirs Starry Eyes. I think it is a great song. Not many people know about it. Not many people know about The Records. They have a live album. Play Live in Evanston, it's really incredible, if you're into rock music. But yeah, Death- Crystal Mountain. Great album.
Matthew: In closing, what else do you have on the horizon for 2025/what would you like readers to know about?
Anthony: Not much of 2025. September 19th we're playing Iowa City’s downtown concert series. Probably just writing more music. We'll probably pick up some more shows in the fall, but we'll just see . We'll keep rocking, keep writing, and keep keeping on. So anyway, thank you.