If New Wave synth-dance kitsch, love-song heartache and homoerotic glee were rolled into one terrifying experience, it might be called Gil Mantera’s Party Dream. On the band’s latest, Bloodsongs, guitarist and songwriter Gil Mantera and frontman Ultimate Donny thread tender emotions through rich mixes that clearly took some finesse to create. Live, however, the Party Dream becomes an altogether more…
The Pharcyde’s albums featuring its full lineup (Imani, Booty Brown, Fatlip and Slimkid3) rank among hip-hop’s finest. Bizarre Ride II (1992) contained silly, self-deprecating rhymes. Labcabincalifornia (1995) evolved to sober musings and smooth, mature beats. But the crew’s live sets could never quite re-create the playful or philosophical vibes of its albums. Now performing under his given name, Tre Hardson,…
Mp3 blogs are a gold mine for free music, but few are as generous as rbally.net. Its founder, who signs himself simply “Jennings,” has a passion for live indie-rock performances. His posts have included full concerts from Sonic Youth, P.J. Harvey, Wilco, Ryan Adams and the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s recent appearance at the Coachella Festival. While you’re there, check out…
Ben Lee, the pop bard of Bondi, Australia, used to be known as that kid from punk band Noise Addict. Then he was known as Claire Danes’ boyfriend (and then as Danes’ ex). These days, he’s just Ben again, touring his ass off and churning out pop numbers as buoyant as he is when you sit down with him for…
Bob Dylan and Red Lefty. Each “went electric.” But unlike Dylan’s adventure at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, Red Lefty’s dive into the world of amplifiers and electric guitars was not met with a chorus of boos. Not even close. Rather, the Lawrence blues-rock-and-jam outfit has caught the ears of local audiences. Transition, in fact, is something of a buzzword…
Sometimes I can get a little out of control. In fact, I’ve been considering changing the name of this column to “Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Drunk.” I just can’t help it. I get to a point where a voice inside goes, “Why can’t things be like they are in my head?” and I spring into reckless action, jumping onstage, hurling…
When Eagles of Death Metal came to town with the Strokes in April, mistaking them for a headlining act was all too easy. A raucous Uptown Theater audience raised devil horns and beers alike for the band’s sleazy, sexed-up tunes; think the Rolling Stones having a forbidden tryst with glam rockers and Foreigner. Frontman Jesse Hughes (whose porn-star moustache, aviator…
Border wars: I was mystified by Greg Montgomery’s advocacy of cracking down on illegal immigration and, concurrently, his allegation of membership in the Libertarian Party (Backwash, “Not Exactly Skinhead Spam,” May 18). Mr. Montgomery may be a Libertarian, but he is no libertarian. Borders, walls, papers, deportations and economic monopoly are inconsistent with human liberty. Period. It doesn’t strike me…
In the April 27 installment of this column, we told you about Megan Mantia, a local student who had her submission published in the pages of Davy Rothbart’s Found II, a collection of found items (notes, lists, pictures, etc.) that provide voyeuristic glimpses into other people’s lives. Mantia had submitted a photocopied letter from a Lee’s Summit resident desperate to…
At the Penn Valley skatepark’s official ribbon-cutting on May 20, the owners of Escapist Skateboards handed out free stickers and skating tips while the store’s skate team zoomed around brand-new concrete hazards. The band It’s Over played Clash covers to a throng of onlookers sipping free Odwalla juice drinks. Pro skaters Matt Dove and Steve Alba swooped around the deep,…
Dear Gabachos: Bienvenidos to the world’s foremost authority on America’s favorite beaners! The Mexican can answer any and every question on his race, from why Mexicans stick the Virgin of Guadalupe everywhere to our obsession with dwarves and transvestites. (In the course of his answers, the Mexican will use certain terms and phrases for better-rounded answers; for definitions, see…
The Strip knows what it’s like to be viewed as a mouthwatering piece of meat. So this succulent sirloin sympathizes with Stephen Dixon, the 45-year-old man who was nearly turned into chuck on May 4, when three 50-pound pit bulls attacked him on 23rd Street in Independence. Dixon was the second of three victims that day. The other human chew…
= Marcus Leach paced the dingy college cafeteria, eager to hear the election results. It was the spring of 2005, and he had run for president of the Student Government Association at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Although student government is usually just résumé fodder, the turnout of 1,696 votes was greater than any in recent memory at the university,…
