Modern alternative acts want to be classic-rock staples when they grow up. In 2006, My Chemical Romance accelerated its musical maturation, shifting from gloomier than usual pop-punk fare to the glorious concept album The Black Parade. From an intro that echoes Pink Floyd’s “In the Flesh” to the single “Welcome to the Black Parade,” which pivots, like similar epics “Bohemian…
“Wild Mountain Nation” by Blitzen Trapper, from Wild Mountain Nation (Lidkercow Ltd.): Sure, plenty of Portland, Oregon, indie rockers mash up genres like omnivorous hipster DJs, but Blitzen Trapper is considerably more fun — mostly because frontman Eric Earley’s lyrics are as jaw-droppingly scattershot as his guitar arrangements. The psychedelic techno, the Beatlemaniacal country-rock, the hillbilly porch jams and…
“Scum” by Napalm Death, from Scum (Earache Records): In 1981, four gutter-punk kids from Birmingham, England, instigated the seemingly endless splintering of metal subgenres in forging the sound that would later be dubbed “grindcore.” Playing hardcore punk at impossibly breakneck speeds, Napalm Death’s revolving-door lineup married punk’s pissed-off, anarchic aesthetic to the intensity of extreme metal. As the forefather of…
“The Hollows” by WHY?, from Alopecia (Anticon): Why (usually printed with a question mark) is one of the musically juiciest groups working anywhere near the hip-hop banner today — and it boasts one of the lyrically driest frontmen in music, period. With a voice that sounds, in its natural state, like drunk Mike Doughty singing into a fan, vocalist Yoni…
I didn’t grow up anywhere near a bayou, so the closest I came to jambalaya as a kid was hearing the Hank Williams song on a TV variety show. (There’s a bubbly 1973 version by the Carpenters on YouTube that has to be seen to be believed.) I once innocently asked my parents if I could taste the food…
Ah, spring. No more waking up to pitch-black skies and the whistle of wind through bare tree branches. No more snowplows pushing icy metal sheets off car-sized potholes. The downside: This time of year stinks. As a town built on railroad hubs and manure-slathered stockyards, Kansas City is often a little hard on the nostrils. Stop and smell the tulips…
Bjork is taking her latest single into another dimension. Along with a few gratuitous remixes, the limited-edition Wanderlust LP-CD-DVD (out April 14 on One Little Indian) will include a 3-D version of the astonishing video, migraine-inducing glasses included. Order it online at the One Little Indian Records store. If you’re on a budget, check out the regular version at Stereogum….
When this cornfed Nebraska girl lived in Lincoln, seeing a good rock show often meant trucking 45 minutes north to Omaha. Now that Kansas City is my home, I don’t have to drive to Omaha. KC and Lawrence attract enough cool traveling bands to keep my calendar full. But last Wednesday, I made the three-hour trek to O-town for one…
Hair is never just hair. Hair has been a stand-in for the human body since at least the 19th century, when Victorians created hair jewelry and decorative hair pictures. Hair jewelry was simply a way to keep a loved one close — as long as the beloved was alive. As postmortem art, hair functioned as a mnemonic device, reminding…
Ever since I had my last blowout Sunday brunch at the Terrace Buffet at the Argosy Casino, I’ve tried to keep a discreet distance from the all-you-can-eat arena. I’ve learned the hard way that it’s not a good thing to overindulge at the dessert bar or the penny slots. So I decided to take a sabbatical from the world of…
“Pills” by the Architects, from Vice (Anodyne): There’s nothing inherently strange about seeing the four members of the Architects hanging out on the couches in the cigar room at McCoy’s in Westport on a Tuesday night. But after listening to the band’s upcoming album, Vice, it’s hard to believe that the only thing in the room that’s leather-clad is…
The Brick, the Record Bar, Davey’s … no longer will concertgoers be able to light up a delicious Marlboro Red or Benson & Hedges 100 and blow it into the face and lungs of cranky nonsmoking music lovers braving deadly secondhand tar and carbon monoxide and god knows what else in order to support their favorite band. Well, smokers, you…
By DAVID MARTIN Voters in Kansas City, Missouri, chose a new mayor more than a year ago. Yet a billboard promoting a candidate who failed to make it out of the primary looms over midtown. Nearly 14 months since her name appeared on a ballot, Janice Ellis continues to ask for support from a billboard near 36th and Main….
%{}% By CHRIS PACKHAM Yes3: In yesterday’s editorial, The Kansas City Call endorsed all three controversial initiatives on the ballot, plus school board candidate Airick Leonard West. Therefore, the poll results officially make the Call the area’s most influential newspaper. Sorry, Tonganoxie Mirror! When I saw the election results this morning, I said, “Whaaaaaa?” And then I did an Olympic-class…
By FLANNERY CASHILL Because their fans demanded it… 14 years ago. The New Kids on the Block, depsite being neither new nor kids, kick off their reunion tour May 16th with an appearance on The Today Show. For added nostalgia, here’s some Dennis Miller standup. Categories: Music Tags: NKOTB!
Last week, Diddy announced that he’d signed KCK-born songbird Janelle Monáe to his label, Bad Boy. The press release is here. We’ve had our eye on Monáe for awhile. We ran a feature on her back in 2006 when Big Boi from Outkast had signed her to his upstart Purple Ribbon imprint, which hasn’t done much since then. Big…
Mark Pickerel, Anthony Ladesich, Adam Lee Monday, April 7 The Record Bar By ANDREW MILLER “Just because you’re playing last doesn’t mean you’re the headliner,” said Tony Ladesich, jokingly imparting T-shirt slogan wisdom to freshly anointed last-slot occupiers Adam Lee and the Dead Horse Sound Company. During this concert, every act had to adapt. Ladesich played solo because one…
By ERIC BARTON The Pitch’s Josh Ziegler caught this video in downtown Lawrence last night of the celebration that followed KU’s national championship win. Meanwhile KU’s chancellor sent out this e-mail today letting Lawrence students know they’ll have a snow day today. Sorry, KU students in Overland Park, you’re not included. Dear Students, In recognition of KU’s victory in the…
The second album from Springfield, MO, band Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin is out today. Listen to a full stream of Pershing at Spinner, here. Download a track below. MP3: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin: “Think I Wanna Die” MySpace: www.myspace.com/boris Categories: Music Tags: sslyby
%{}% By CHRIS PACKHAM A Daily Briefs Guide to Voting Day: It’s voting day again! Before you head to the polls, ask yourself two questions: Am I registered? And can I see your tits? WHOOOO! VOTING DAY! Brought to you by Stroh’s. If you want a string of these awesome Voting Day beads and a sticker that says, “I VOTED,”…
State Bird with the Belles Friday, April 4, 2008 The Record Bar Review by ANDREW MILLER Oftentimes, when a relatively unknown touring act headlines a bill that includes established local artists, a mass exodus occurs before the closing set. Belles singer Christopher Tolle, playing the good host, urged the crowd to stay. State Bird, they’re not a local band,…
By ANDY VIHSTADT P4KTV Pitchfork TV launches today. The on-demand site will showcase documentaries, exclusive live sessions, interviews and music videos. Check out this week’s schedule here and be the first to know when Stereogum’s answer arrives by disclosing your email address to Videogum, right here. AOL on AOL Ex-Archers of Loaf and current Crooked Fingers frontman Eric Bachmann performed…
In This Entry: The Donkey Show, featuring the Erik Voeks Band, Bacon Shoe, Semi-Hard Burlesque, a Three-Legged Race, Saxophones, Drakkar Sauna, the Abracadabras, and Chicken Bits That May Or May Not Be Mentioned Friday, April 4, at Crosstown Station Better than: Real Animal Burlesque By JASON HARPER It had been awhile since I’d been to a Donkey Show. Now,…
By CHRIS PACKHAM The Old Man and the Roller-Derby: Pictorial quiz: Who recently visited Brooklyn’s hipster Williamsburg neighborhood? Answer: The Kansas City Star’s Charles Gusewelle. After visiting his daughter’s apartment in Williamsburg, he turned in this Sunday column. %{}%I don’t want to dwell too much on it, other than to say that Gusewelle could have visited…
