The fact that Serpent Brew’s MP3 Web site (mp3.com/serpentbrew) averages 1,200 hits a month with no advertising is testimony both to the power of the Internet and the inquisitive nature of those who search it. Featuring songs that rely heavily on My First Primus basslines and Electric Boogaloo-era breakbeats, Pour the Meat, which contains the tunes from the Web site…
In its “Statement of Intent,” Swill writes, “Forget about hairspray. Forget about extended guitar solos and virtuosos. Forget about Seattle…” The first two are welcome oversights, and as for the third, think same era, different bands. Elements of early Smashing Pumpkins and Nine Inch Nails and mid-’90s Ministry and Megadeth surface often on Lessons in Sarcasm, an album filled with…
Have you ever looked at a bottle of Jim Beam bourbon and wondered, “What have you done for me lately?” Of course you have. Finally, for the second year in a row, the distillery is looking to provide some of its biggest supporters with an answer to that question that doesn’t involve aspirin or antacid. At least that’s what might…
In a column (“Hip-hop culture is root of NFL violence”) published in The Kansas City Star on Feb. 3, writer Jason Whitlock asserts that there is a link between rap lyrics and the recent rash of violent offenses committed by NFL players. Whitlock theorizes that rap music causes criminal behavior, legitimizes drug dealing, and leads players to hang out in…
This is the House that Dave and Barb built. After 14 years, singer-guitarist Dave Deibler and bassist/fashion expert Barb Schilf are still the coolest married couple to scorch the plains with a hybrid of modern punk and ’70s rock. House of Large Sizes is back on the highway (with a “wide load” sign on its trailer, no doubt) in honor…
“Summer Girls” was the love-it-or-hate-it song of 1999. Teens who were amused by its wacky name-dropping lyrics propelled the song to the top of sales charts, and critics who were annoyed by said references placed it on “Worst of” lists. But even if such lines as Fell deep in love, but now we ain’t speakin’/Michael J. Fox was Alex P….
Although punk rock is approaching its 30s, over the years it has left many illegitimate children to keep up the good fight. Los Angeles’ Damnation is a shining example of this proud progeny. Its music is full-blown, old-school punk rock with screaming guitar, thrashing rhythms, rally-cries, and lead vocals that evoke The Misfits, Black Flag, The Descendents, and Fear. The…
Adding major-studio polish to catchy songs doesn’t necessarily make them better, which is why some of the best underground bands’ albums sound rough and raw, like an amateur recording of a concert. It’s not that groups such as The Bananas don’t have appealing pop hooks, because such songs as “Feel Good Hit of the Summer” and “Butt-in-ski” are as unforgettable…
Certain things can be expected from Noisome Records releases: prominent guitars, a devotion to the pop sound those guitars allow in around three minutes, and a commitment to sacrificing cool for the sake of creating sweet songs. Podstar doesn’t break this mold, but unlike other Noisome acts (The Creature Comforts, Ultimate Fakebook) that have developed their sounds through years of…
The Sprint IMAX Theater at the Kansas City Zoo begins every screening with a beautiful, thoughtfully produced short film celebrating the life and culture of our city. Claude Williams, whose violin virtuosity virtually embodies the essence of Kansas City swing, fills the central role in the segment featuring our city’s jazz heritage. With his sparkling new collection, Swingin’ the Blues,…
Five years ago, the Wu-Tang Clan was king. Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Raekwon, and Genius/GZA dropped amazing and unique solo joints, and the nine-man ensemble’s late-blooming classic debut was still banging out of trunks nationwide. The next year, Ghostface Killah, who until that point had been a relatively obscure member of the Clan, unleashed Ironman, which remains the most ambitious, intricate,…
THE ’98 CHIEFS WOULD HAVE DONE GREAT IN THIS LEAGUE … The World Wrestling Federation announced it would form a new “football with attitude” league in February 2001. The upstart league, to be called the XFL, will feature teams in eight U.S. cities. Chairman Vince McMahon says the league will encourage the type of individual expression that the NFL frowns…
It wouldn’t take a supersleuth to turn up Rechelle Malin; the singer-songwriter has lined up coveted opening slots for such nationally known folk artists as Susan Werner and Allette Brooks. With Famous Girl Detective, Malin drops even more clues about her talent. On such songs as “Ray’s Cafe” and “Martin County,” she proves herself to be a gifted lyricist who…
Over the phone, Margo Timmins is upbeat and full of giggles, starkly contrasting with the emotion-wrought sadness she brings to her vocals as lead singer of the Cowboy Junkies. She speaks animatedly about personal subjects ranging from her family to her personality but is not shy about addressing the business aspects of her career. “I don’t care for numbers,” Timmins…
By drastically changing styles from album to album, this Detroit-based group could easily have become the career-suicide machines. Its debut release was the infectious ska/punk album, Destruction By Definition, which was followed by Battle Hymns, a hard-core record that was so brutally heavy that it crossed over onto the metal charts. Hardly any ska bursts or double-time drumbeats show up…
Sometimes all it takes is one song to reveal everything that needs to be known about a new band. For the Lawrence-based act The Anniversary, whose disjointed rhythms, ambitious harmonies, and ’80s-era synth tones have swiftly landed it a coastal label deal, that song is “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.” The opening track to the quintet’s debut is a…
Superior pianist Fred Hersch here finds himself reunited with clarinetist Michael Moore and drummer Gerry Hemingway in the chamber jazz ensemble Thirteen Ways. The group, named after Wallace Stevens’ classic poem “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird,” examines the genius that can result when three improvisational masters come together in a recording studio. The music on Focus is at…
This band could have put together one of the finest albums of the year. Too bad its sonic palette is far richer than its songwriting abilities. Soulwax has crafted the coolest sounding record in a while, with deeply delicious grooves, hipster funk, and a real studio wonk’s appreciation of all things precisely placed and eclectically thrown together. Imagine Eddie Grant’s…
A decade into a one-hit-wonder career (maybe two if you count liberally), you’d think Michael Cretu would get some sort of clue that it just isn’t working anymore. Cretu’s big break came with his one-man band, Enigma, and its international smash, “Sadness (part I).” The beauty of that song was its otherworldly quality. It seemed to come from elsewhere, sounding…
The Tunnel is New York City’s hottest hip-hop club, and this CD re-creates the spot’s insane intensity with reckless abandon. Legendary DJ Funkmaster Flex, known for dropping his series of hot mix tapes, teams with longtime partner Big Kap. Both of them spin at The Tunnel. The two establish an atmosphere that makes you feel as if you are right…
Hailing from Nodaway, Iowa, the members of 8FOUNDead prove that rock and roll can indeed sprout from a small Midwestern town. The trio has a style that ranges from grunge to pop, a la Flaming Lips circa 1993. Although composed only of two guitarists and a drummer, the band possesses a considerably full sound. Tuned-down guitars create low drones that…
It’s somewhat rare to see a drummer get top billing, but then, few drummers have Tony Reedus’ résumé. This percussionist and bandleader has performed with the Mingus Big Band, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, and the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, among others. He’s joined by an all-star ensemble that includes guitarist John Abercrombie, whose 1975 album, Timeless, has been hailed…
Fans of choral music in Kansas City are already blessed by the local presence of the world-class Kansas City Chorale. Now the Friends of Chamber Music concert series is adding to our embarrassment of riches with a performance by the remarkable Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir. This ensemble, which has developed an international following with its highly lauded recordings of the…
Last year at about this time, I offered some suggestions to the entertainment industry about how to capitalize on Valentine’s Day, but, alas, Master P never launched No Limit greeting cards, Jewel missed her opportunity to release a collection of romantic poetry, and PitchWeekly failed to host a “St. Valentine’s Day Metal Massacre” featuring the likes of Krokus and Dokken….
