Rock on, Roll Aways

How much does a rolling roof rock? Just ask the Roll Aways, a hotter-than-magma new(?) band that pumped up the celebration at Arrowhead when the votes came in yesterday in favor of renovating the stadiums. Our managing editor, Eric Barton, was there to catch the R-O-C-K A-C-T-I-O-N.

Jason,

Thought you might want to know about a band that really rocked the house last night during the celebration party at the Sports Complex. Actually, it was more like rocked the yurt, considering they played in the Arrowhead Pavilion, which looks like a mini version of the Denver airport. The two-piece band is called “The Roll Aways,” apparently named after the joy we’ve all experienced by being able to sleep in the same hotel room with four other family members. You would’ve thought that the 30 or so Chiefs and Royals fans that were there — and 50 or so reporters — had come for the free cheese plate and cash bar, but the Roll Aways gave them reason to stick around.

Anyway, the two-piece band dressed festively in jerseys, which may have been from around the last time the Chiefs and the Royals won championships. When they cranked up the drum beat on the keyboard, they didn’t bore the crowd with the originals you hear from so many other “hot” bands. Even the Star gave the Roll Aways a shout-out in a story today for a rendition of “Don’t Stop (Thinking about Tomorrow).” But they really captured the crowd when the drum machine kicked up “Electric Avenue.” All day, I’ve been singing that one. “Oh, no, we gonna rock down to Electric Avenue.” You know what’s next. “And then we take it higher.” Seriously, all day I’ve been signing it. Come to think of it, you may not want to come by my office.

Eric

credit: Toxic Photography

John Wesley Myers

But if all this tax-increase-to-benefit-people-you-don’t-care-about stuff gives you the blues and you want to catch a supremely (and seriously) kickass two-piece, I just got word that John Wesley Myers of Nashville’s the Black Diamond Heavies and Glen Hockmeier of locals the Gaslights are playing tonight at 8 p.m. at Davey’s Uptown Ramblers Club. Myers and Hockmeier had a weekly run at Davey’s back in January, briefly pumping the sex back into live, (semi-)local blues. Highly recommended, and far more gratifying than following local sports.