Crossing Over
Bill Sundahl grew up in Mertle, the kind of small Missouri village you might call a stick-and-gone town — when you’re driving through, as soon as you stick your head out the window, the town’s already gone. It was a town of “dirt farmers, chicken fighters and wife beaters,” Sundahl says. His dad raised mostly hogs and cattle; the elder Sundahl once tried raising pheasants, but that didn’t work out so well.
Now 33, Sundahl, who’s better known as Roach, plays in the great local quirk-pop band It’s Over and runs Spice of Life Productions, the company behind the vaudevillian Donkey Shows and also the 2nd Crossroads Music Festival. Actually, company might be a strong word to describe SOL, which, Roach points out, also can stand for shit outta luck. Roach’s is mostly a one-man operation, with help from his fiancée, Wende Williamson, plus Jaqui Craig of the Sad Dog music blog.
As anyone who has seen a Donkey Show knows, Spice of Life hardly seems like something you’d get from a SoMo farmboy. Likewise, those familiar with the burlesque and absurdity of the Donkey can probably figure out that Sundahl didn’t really fit in as a kid. Mama should be relieved, then, to hear that the Crossroads Fest is wholesome, family-friendly fun — albeit with a roster of kickass local bands.
The “kickass” in that sentence is important — just as important as the “family-friendly.” Roach hopes that families from all over will come enjoy the diverse afternoon lineup, which unofficially concludes with a performance by the Wilders at 8:10. Following that, It’s Over, Doris Henson, Roman Numerals and the Architects bring the rock. But even the most anti-kid-having twentysomethings should think twice before skipping the afternoon. Bands such as the funky Emma Feel, exceptional surf-rockers the Von Hodads and Zee Grass (the only out-of-town band on the bill, fronted by Zhenya Rock of the Red Elvises) make it worthwhile to check in early.
Family-friendly doesn’t have to be synonymous with lame, and that’s why we hope this second year isn’t the last for the Crossroads Music Festival.
It’s the kind of spice we need more of in KC.
