The Sexy Accident releases a new album … and a card game

Jesse Kates is a fan of tangible music objects.

“I used to like vinyl records, cassettes, CDs — not so much because they were a better format for listening but because they gave you something to hold, something to look at, something to be reminded by,” says Kates, Sexy Accident bandleader. “If you had a shelf full of music, it would remind you to listen to something.”

So when the Sexy Accident, which formed 11 years ago, was preparing for the release of Champagne Babycakes, Kates didn’t envision a vinyl record or a limited-edition cassette (or even a hardcover book, which accompanied the band’s last album). Instead, he dreamed up something entirely different: a card game that revolves around the album.

“Card games are tight and punchy,” says Kates, whose favorite games include Uno, Scrabble and the French card game Mille Bornes. “They’re small. They’re cigarette-box-sized. Because I like games, it was easy for me to think about how to structure a game where you’re playing the album.”

Much as liner notes tell the story of an album, the Sexy Accident card game, a complete deck of 54 cards, tells the story of Champagne Babycakes, the band’s sixth full-length. Kates calls the project “the world’s first album released as a card game.”

The game’s objective is to build a lineup and play songs. It can be played with two to four people and contains four types of cards: songs, musicians, equipment and events. The 12 song cards and five instrument cards are the songs and instruments found on the album — same with the 11 musician cards, “between the five band members and six guest musicians who were on the record,” Kates says.

“Then there’s all these things that can happen — event cards — and you can play those against a person,” he adds. “You can make their amp break. There’s a card called day job that takes out the people in the band who have day jobs. There’s a soccer league card, because my bass player was always getting dragged into soccer league. There’s paying gigs for stealing musicians. There’s your girlfriend visits the studio, which reverses the order of play. Various things that will resonate for anyone who’s ever been in a band.

“I was putting all these jokes in it,” he continues. “There’s this glockenspiel card. They sound great, but if you overuse them they’re pretty annoying. The way that card works is, if you use it, it will make five songs better — but if you get a sixth song, it’s worthless. Because you’ve overused it.”

The card game contains 45 original illustrations, all by Gavin Snider, a former Kansas City artist and musician who has since relocated to New York City. “He came to mind very quickly, because we’d played shows together and I’ve always liked his work,” Kates says.

“It’s so ambitious,” Snider says. “That’s what struck me about this band. I had bands in Kansas City as well, and our album art was always a bit of an afterthought.”

Kates says the illustrations mimic the album. “It’s not about photorealistic details. It’s about the essentials. That same kind of minimalism is in our approach to composition and arrangement.”

An all-ages release show for the card game and album is scheduled for Friday, September 23, at Holy Cow Market and Music (3109 Gillham Road). Attendees will have the opportunity to play the game. Singer and songwriter Maggie Henehan will open the show, and members of the KC Improv Company will also perform. The sponsor, 3 Women and an Oven, will serve cupcakes. Admission is $5, or $20 to also receive the card game and a code to download a digital copy of the album.

“You have these beautiful pictures to go with the songs, and you’ve got this game you can enjoy and share with your friends,” Kates says. “It creates a way to enjoy the music and the game with other people that’s really natural and isn’t forced. It hit all the buttons for me.”

The Sexy Accident
7 p.m. Friday, September 23
Holy Cow Market and Music
3109 Gillham Road