Now Hear This is a music series done in collaboration between Orchestra Iowa and GmixEast. The purpose of the series is to introduce, or sometimes reintroduce, an artist to an audience. It is a space for an artist to grow their art, their business acumen, their presentation and/or performance. It is dedicated to being a safe space for artistic exploration and a place of learning the business side of the music business.

Curated and managed by the team at GmixEast and with all the proceeds, after a small Opus expense, going to the artists, this is an investment by GmixEast and Orchestra Iowa in our arts community. A way to give back and nurture, Now Hear This is a showcase of the finest Eastern Iowa talent, an incubator for art, and a resource for an audience to hear something new.

December’s Artist is “The Unusual Suspects”

he Unusual Suspects are a new Americana band made up of familiar faces from Eastern Iowa’s music scene and one fresh voice emerging from the wings. The group blends the talents of Jennifer Horn-Frasier (bass guitar, vocals), Bridget Brown (tenor guitar, vocals), Tara McGovern (fiddle, vocals), and Ben Schmidt (guitar, vocals). Together, they draw from deep roots in projects such as Zebra Maneuver, The Fritters, The Regular Joes, Freegrass, The Soft and Low, Doras Nua, Silt Creek, and more, creating a sound that feels both familiar and surprising.

The heart of the band’s sound is wrapped in the organic mother-daughter harmonies of Horn-Frasier and Brown and layered with McGovern’s spirited fiddle and Schmidt’s chameleon guitar playing. Their music travels easily down the backroads of Americana, mixing inventive covers with memorable originals. For their Now Hear This show at Opus on December 3, 2025, The Unusual Suspects promise an evening of songs that remind audiences of the enduring joy of live music and the stories that connect us.

Doors open at 6:30pm with the show starting at 7:00pm. Tickets are $15 available through the Orchestra Iowa ticket office, online at artsiowa.com, or at the door the evening of the event as available.