Day one was a rough one. It was pretty awesome though. Rhys Chatman ripped it from beginning to end. I’m just glad I brought my earplugs so I can survive yet another day.

Yesterday was the teaser. Today is the beginning of the flood. There are five shows today, and they cover the whole range of sounds. To stay informed during the day and night, follow us (@MissionCreekIC) on Twitter for real-time updates on bands and footage from the ground. When you tweet about the event, use #MCF2012 or #getyourcreekon, and you might even get a re-tweet. You can also see full schedules with times for each performer on our Facebook page.

The big show on this night is The Magnetic Fields at the Englert. While the name is only a cover for the musings of Stephin Merritt, The Magnetic Fields have long been connected with quality songwriting and moody atmospherics. Touring in support of the new album Love at the Bottom of the Sea, this promises to be a special occasion. Singer-songwriter Kelly Hogan will be starting the festivities off at 8 PM. The doors will open at 7 PM. Tickets are $30 in advance, $32 at the door.

Wednesday also notes the beginning of the FREE Public Space One shows. The first show features dark electronic-pop upstarts The Olsen Twinns, Iowa City girl punks Muscle, and spiritual uplifters Utopia Park. While I can’t speak to The Olsen Twinns, I’ve seen both Muscle and Utopia Park before and both are excellent live shows. As well, I’m not joking about the spiritual uplift and Utopia Park. The Rabelais brothers bring it to every performance, and their positivity pours out, penetrating even the most cynical of spirits (pointing at myself here).

These first two shows don’t conflict with each other; you can certainly check out PS1 and the Englert. After Magnetic Fields lets out, you’re left with three options and your choice is based on what you are more interested in doing.

If you want to a folk-style ending to your night, head to The Mill where three men will enchant you with their songs. First on the bill is local troubadour Doug Nye. He’ll be followed by Denison Witmer, who neo-folk stylings have gained him a solid following. Headlining the night will be William Fitzsimmons. He will be finger picking at his guitar while pulling on your heart. This show is $15 and will start up at 9 PM.

If that sentence about pulling on your heart made you throw up in your mouth a little bit, Erase Errata might work better for you. Hailing from San Francisco, the trio (originally a quartet) has been kicking out spazzy punk rock for over a decade now, recalling the lady post-punks of the 1970s like The Slits and Kleenex. While they have been in hiding for a while, this show marks their return to the scene as they will also be recording their new album at Flat Black Studios in Iowa City. Opening for Erase Errata will be San Francisco pop experimenters Muscle Drum, Chicago punk rockers T’Bone, local gutter punks Supersonic Piss, and Slut River, the classiest band in Iowa City. All of this punk fury will go down at Gabe’s. The show starts at 9 PM and tickets are $8 in advance, $10 at the door.

If listening to Slut River isn’t your game but neither is listening to men quietly play guitars, consider this last option. Wednesday brings El Ten Eleven to The Yacht Club with their own brand of instrumental, innovative progressive rock. I am culturally obligated to tell you that the guitarist plays a dual-neck guitar, which is eternally awesome. They will be supported Fairfield-based electro-rockers Surgery and Iowa City’s Slip Silo, which mixes jazz, electronica and rock.

If you hate music, Mission Creek’s got you covered, too. At Prairie Lights, the Four Short Story Writers of the Apocalypse will ride. After workshops with the undergraduate and graduate creative writers on campus, this reading will serve as a capstone for the day. Readers will include Robin Hemley, Michael Martone, Melissa Pritchard and Pinckney Benedict. The reading will start at 7 PM and is totally free.