Music Forecast 1.15-1.21: Wooden Wisdom, the Toasters, Elsa Cross, and more
Wooden Wisdom
Make all the hobbit jokes you want — and, really, you should because this is an excellent opportunity — but Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood still does pretty well as a DJ. Wood and buddy Zach Cowie (a hipster-music type who has managed tours for Devendra Banhart, among others) have formed Wooden Wisdom, an all-vinyl DJ duo specializing in the sultry disco-era ear candy of the 1970s and ’80s. Wood and Cowie are bringing their personal picks to a select few cities on their first North American tour, including Kansas City. So slip on your hobbit feet and get in line early.
Friday, January 16, the Riot Room (4048 Broadway, 816-442-8179)
The Toasters, the Cave Girls
New York City’s the Toasters, together since 1981, is one of the longest-running ska bands. Saturday, the group embarks on its umpteenth world tour with local all-female rock band the Cave Girls as the supporting act. The Cave Girls, if you haven’t already heard, is a dynamite trio of babes that has forsaken all the modern flavors of rock and roll in favor of a stripped-down sound that shakes you to your core. Kansas City ska orchestra the Irieplaceables round out the night.
Saturday, January 17, Davey’s Uptown Ramblers Club (3402 Main, 816-753-1909)
The Promise Hero
The Promise Hero’s Bobby Vaughn wails that he has “fallen in love again” on “Let Love In,” a cut from the Dayton, Ohio, act’s latest full-length, Déjà Vu. Vaughn, the singer (and de facto band leader), bemoans this cancerous emotion with such insistence that you almost — almost — feel sorry for his lovelorn soul, were it not for the rather sugary 1990s pop notes that boost his lyrics (as well as Vaughn’s admission that he just “can’t let love in”). So Déjà Vu rolls on, a record full of emo-punk sentiments, equally pusillanimous and nostalgic (because we’ve all been that melodramatic at one point, right?). If your new year hasn’t delivered the fresh start that you’d hoped for, perhaps a night of reveling — sponsored by the Promise Hero — is in order.
Tuesday, January 20, the Riot Room (4048 Broadway, 816-442-8179)
Elsa Cross
You wouldn’t want to meet Elsa Cross in a dark alley. If her sharpshooter take on rockabilly is any indication, the Austin, Texas, artist is not one to be trifled with. You can hear the venom in her deep voice as she sidles through twanging notes and shivering guitar chords like a razor blade through a candy-coated apple. Her music has the resonance that takes communion with the Reverend Horton Heat and sweats like Johnny Cash on the hottest day of the year. Hear from this artist on the rise Tuesday at the Bottleneck. And remember the buddy system: Bring a friend.
Tuesday, January 20, the Bottleneck (737 New Hampshire, Lawrence, 785-841-5483)
