A packed patio watched the breezy pop of Tidal.wav and Eggs
on Mars.
>>view
Spectral Decay, Aprilmist, & Nephilim made the case that we
need to make black metal Wednesdays a thing.
>>view
Podcast #706 has something for everyone,
including hits from The Soundcarriers, New
Starts, Duskwhales, Shehehe, New York Dolls,
Chime School, Greg Kihn, & Jorge Arana Trio.
Street Fever, MRCH, & Moon 17 surprised with cold
electronic beats and intense passion.
>>view
Podcast #705 rides the thermals with tunes
from The Rebel Set, Tamar Berk, Assistant,
Fast Execution, Vicious Dreams, Jr. Juggernaut,
& Uprising.
Decisions were made on Monday night when Crown Cassette,
Guidon Bear, & Pool Boy Party played Replay Lounge.
>>view
KC was dancing in dark to spooky tunes from Nox Novacula,
Reviser, & New Obsessions.
>>view
Podcast #704 is the full meal deal w/ tunes
from Shampoo, Keddies Resort, Wyldlife,
Zatopeks, Class, Lambrini Girls, Lightheaded,
Personal Trainer, & The Mountain Goats.
A sold-out RecordBar showed up to bask in the glow of
Shiner, RxGhost, & Lafayette.
>>view
It was constant motion when Amyl and the Sniffers and
Lambrini Girls hit Kansas.
>>view
The Brick hosted a night of veteran punks including D-Fibs,
River City Rejects, & Second Chance.
>>view
Mates of State returned home for a show at RecordBar
supported by Great Grandpa’s Al Menne.
>>view
A glitter bomb of guitar pop exploded when Diva Bleach and
Deco Auto played RecordBar.
>>view
Podcast #703 takes you to the edge with
Arson Class, The Hollywood Stars, The
Baseball Project, Sylvain Sylvain, February,
Still Ill, Forgotten Tomb, & Shampoo.
Metal moved in complex and confounding ways when Tomb Mold,
Horrendous, & Aprilmist played Kansas City.
>>view
Teri Quinn and Mr. Golden Sun captured the crowd on a hot
summer night.
>>view
Alt rock supergroup The Baseball Project brought KC good
tunes about the great American pastime.
>>view
KC danced in the shadows to sets from Raudiver, Temptrix, &
Juliette Frost.
>>view
Podcast #702 piles it on w/ hits from
Heavenly Sweetheart, Hoverborg, The Putz,
Angry Adults, Friends of Cesar Romero, Loose
Lips, Smokers, Redd Kross, Guided by Voices,
& Bad Religion.
Podcast #701 shares the good stuff from The
Clash, The Hollywood Stars, Bobby Mahoney,
The Dahlmanns, John Vanderslice, The Mountain
Goats, Marcel Wave, & Tim Barry.
Podcast #700 gets lucky with tunes from
Slitasje, The Artisans, The Fun Guy, Soul
Asylum, Milly, Desolat, & Queen of Jeans.
Podcast #699 cares a lot about Bat, Soul
Asylum, Radar, The Hollywood Stars, L.A.
Drugz, The Proctors, Crumbs, & The Decemberists.
The heart of rock ’n’ roll is still beating in an
undisclosed warehouse in the West Bottoms. Check out my
coverage of The Whiffs, Dirty Fences, & Heels gig.
>>view
Podcast #698 has its nose in everybody's
business including Ramones, The Sleazoids,
New Race, Soul Asylum, Las Nubes, Remorsefully
Numb, Throw That Beat In The Garbagecan!,
Swiftumz, & The Second Summer.
Three giants of the early ‘80s Kansas scene reunited to
reminisce and rock. Check out my coverage of Get Smart,
Embarrassment, & Mortal Micronotz.
>>view
Podcast #697 has the hits from Motorists,
Brent Seavers, 45 Adapters, Smart Pills,
Quincy, Pedro The Lion, The Goalie's Anxiety
at the Penalty Kick, & Mojo Nixon & Skid
Roper.
It got a little heady and very loud when Sundiver, Museum
of Light, Lafayette, & Drifter played Minibar.
>>view
Bands tugged on heartstrings and kicked patrons in the
chest when Camping in Alaska, Guitar Fight From Fooly
Cooly, Godf*ck, & Heccra came to town.
>>view
Podcast #696 offers you a charcuterie board
of Neutrals, Get Smart, Shellac, Idaho,
Orville Peck, Noelle and the Deserters, Dog
Party, & Spiter.
Lawrence rocked in the highest registers when Battle Beast
and Blackbriar brought their metal to The Granada.
>>view
Monthly goth night Gallow Dance featured live music from
Reviser and 90 Minute Cassette.
>>view
Podcast #695 rolls the dice with cuts from
The Lemon Twigs, Blotto, The Inmates, Mojo
Nixon & Skid Roper, Hot Water Music, Les
Savy Fav, Comeback Kid, & Arab Strap.
Cheekface coalesced its community on a Sunday night in
Kansas.
>>view
Punks and skins sweated it out to Uncouth, River City
Rejects, & D-Fibs at a sold-out Minibar.
>>view
Songs swirled and skittered and glided as RxGhost, Enemy
Airship, & Still Ill played The Brick.
>>view
Podcast #694 takes you places with cuts
from Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds,
Yankee Rose, Lunchbox, Owen, Y Dail, The
Uncouth, Reckless Upstarts, & Blushing.
Podcast #693 continues to pile it on with
new stuff from RxGhost, Extra Arms, Surf
Trash, Night Court, The Celebrities, The
Artisans, Mammoth Penguins, Camera Obscura,
& Arson Class.
KC survived hump night with drinks, dancing, and live music
from Australia’s Surf Trash, Parrotfish, Gibby, & Gemini
Parks.
>>view
Poland’s Moron’s Morons joined locals Wayne Pain and
Jackoffs for some nice dirty garage punk fun.
>>view
Podcast #692 stacks 'em deep and likes 'em
cheap with blowouts from Steve Conte, Bottle
Breakers, The Reflectors, The Yum Yums,
Billy Tibbals, The Luxury Item, Go Generation,
Itchy and The Nits, & Tyr.
Arson Class becomes the latest band to be featured in the Too Much Rock Single Series. The 7" will be released on 5/3 with a release party that evening at Sister Anne's Records.
single series, announcements, Arson Class
Til Willis & Erratic Cowboy kicked off a sunny spring
weekend with the help of opener Liney Blu.
>>view
Podcast #691 soundtracks my day with hits
from Morgan and the Organ Donors, The
Boyfriends, TV Fifty, Heavy Lag, Why Bother?,
Rick White, & Hooded Grave.
Thursday night has never felt more like Friday than when
The Marked Men and The Whiffs rocked The Ship.
>>view
Everything was supersized for the Doubledrag album release
show w/ support from Siilk & Wire Twins.
>>view
Podcast #690 is what just you needed if you
needed tracks from Cock Sparrer, Emperor
Penguin, Honeychain, Jason Blake, The
Ophelias, & Joan of Arc.
Monday turned dreamy thanks to Punchlove, Still Ill, &
Admin Reveal.
>>view
Night 2 of the “Lost Weekend” mini fest wrapped up with
heavy hitters The Whiffs, Sparrowhawk, & Nature Boys.
>>view
Primal rock & roll from Still Animals, Pet Mosquito, & Kool
100s rattled Hillsiders.
>>view
A packed room reveled in the AV assault delivered by a
reunited Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and Season to Risk.
>>view
Siilk, Khamsin, & Stüp picked up electric guitars and
delivered rambunctious sets at The Brick.
>>view
Podcast #689 is what you came for thanks
to Teens in Trouble, The Jetsons, Civil
Rats, Friends of Cesar Romero, The Reds
Pinks & Purples, Torrey, Secret Shine, &
Waxahatchee.
Podcast #688 fires it up with zingers from
The BV's, Brad Marino, Burger Weekends, The
Wynotts, The Spivs, Is/Ought Gap, The Marked
Men, Fast Eddy, & Cheekface.
Podcast #687 is on a roll w/ hits from
Heatwaves, Still Animals, Civil Rats, TV
Cop, Van Duren, Broken Hearts Are Blue,
Teen Angst, & The Ire.
Teri Quinn, Ione, & They’re Theirs met for a midweek set
that highlighted soft and exquisite songcraft.
>>view
An international horde of metal bands including Mental
Cruelty, Ov Sulfur, Ghost Bath, Extermination
Dismemberment, and Aprilmist rewarded a suppliant Kansas
audience.
>>view
KC was down for anything on a Friday night that featured
New Obsessions, RxGhost, Milk Wave, & Bryce Vz.
>>view
Podcast #686 is the podcast you can trust with tunes
from Doubledrag, Shadow Show, Comet Gain, Daniel
Romano's Outfit, The Names, & Aprilmist.
A package tour featuring Militarie Gun, Pool Kids,
Spiritual Cramp, Spaced, and no locals sold out RecordBar
on a Sunday night.
>>view
Podcast #685 changes faster than the weather
w/ tunes from Maddie Moon, Matthew Sweet,
Dwight Twilley Band, Mean Jeans, Sheer Mag,
Nouvelle Vague, & Dwarrowdelf.
Matthew Sweet brought Abe Partridge along for a bill that
highlighted strengths and weaknesses.
>>view
Podcast #684 makes no sense thanks to Sex
Mex, MC5, Mary Timony, Matthew Sweet, Abe
Partridge, Dan Bern, & Ungfell.
There was a twang in the air as The Roseline celebrated its
new album with assists from Empty Moon and Suzannah
Johannes.
>>view
Podcast #683 is something old, something
new, and something kind of blue as we visit
w/ Lorne Behrman, Eggs on Mars, Ducks Ltd.,
Gentleman Jesse, Class, Civic, The Sleeveens,
& Bill Evans Trio.
Siilk invited friends Ferris Wheel Regulars, Moon 17,
Remorsefully Numb, & God’s Computer to help celebrate the
release of its new album.
>>view
Podcast #682 is a quick 30-minute journey
to somewhere good w/ The Chisel, Dust Star,
J. Robbins, The Prize, Chinese Telephones,
The Roseline, Torres, & The Mountain Goats.
The Band That Fell to Earth KC kicked off Bowie Christmas
with a VIP performance that included Hunky Dory from front
to back plus an encore of favorites.
>>view
An all-ages crowd supplied Howdy with the energy that
fueled sets by Uncouth, Doldrums, and Violet Approach.
>>view
Podcast #681 is what happens when I get new
records from Gruff Rhys, Hero No Hero, The
Laughing Chimes, Green Day, Perilous,
Sleater-Kinney, Smile, & The Cure.
Podcast #680 searches for power pop perfection
w/ new records from The Crocodiles, Nick
Frater, The Umbrellas, The Tubs, Nite Sobs,
Uni Boys, Rick White, Caleb Nichols, &
Wimps.
Minibar loaded up on the power trios hosting Hexicharmed,
Kissy Fit, & Kool 100s.
>>view
Kansas City said goodbye to Buddy Lush with Buddy Bash
featuring Hipshot Killer, Cretin 66, Big Iron, & The
Buddy-less Phenomenon.
>>view
Podcast #679 brings a potpourri of pleasure
thanks to The Pandoras, The Lemon Twigs,
Raspberries, Guided By Voices, In the Pines,
Of Tree, & A Momentary Lapse Of Happiness.
Podcast #678 plays catch up with releases
from Class, Awakebutstillinbed, The Blast
Monkeys, Vial, Wednesday, Kurt Vile, &
Current Affairs.
Cure tribute act Magnificent pops up once or twice a year
tied to some holiday or another.
>>view
Heidi Gluck invited her friends to help celebrate the
solstice in the cozy Nostalgia Room.
>>view
Saturday night and The Brick was packed with punks thanks
to The Uncouth, Madman, & The D-Fibs.
>>view
Violenteer, Still Ill, & RxGhost combined on a clever bill
that comforted like a weighted blanket.
>>view
Podcast #677 fits in my entire Top 35 of
2023 including Bonnie "Prince" Billy, The
Menzingers, Heidi Lynne Gluck, Tough Age &
Danny the K.
As each year draws to a close I always look back at the new music
that soundtracked it. Here is a ranked list of my favorites. I
don't claim that these are the best songs of the year, just the
ones that were my favorites during a random week in December 2023
when I built this.
35. "Holding My Heart" by Paint Fumes (Dig! Records)
A power pop number with a little punk skuzz and a giant chorus.
This is the formula for success.
see the full list
I did it again. I spent December listening to every album I
got in 2023 to build this list. It's a lot, but it was nice to
visit with these ones. They held up as solid albums from front to
back. As is my usual, the list is ordered, but otherwise presented
without commentary.
50. The Unknowns East Coast Low (Bargain Bin Records)
49. Slowdive Everything is Alive (Dead Oceans)
see the full list
Local is where it's at. Here are the new releases from
2023 that make Kansas City (and the region) so wonderful.
Thank you to the bands, labels, venues, promoters,
photographers, writers, and fans that always show up.
Favorite Local Albums of 2023:
10. Dan Jones and the Squids - Rock And Roll Daydreams (self-released)
9. Nightosphere - Databases (self-released)
see the full list
Black Light Animals, Gemini Parks, and Heat Seger graced
the warm confines of RecordBar on a cold night.
>>view
Turnsol hosted a holiday benefit for Hope House featuring
From Me, Small Victories, Deco Auto, Corey Dies in the End,
& The Critterz.
>>view
Podcast #676 is the 2023 Christmas Spectacular
featuring 30 artists and over 90 minutes
of festive delights and holiday head-scratchers.
Rock & Roll ruled the roost when Sirens in the Suburbs,
Vedettes, & Arson Class played the Replay on a Friday
night.
>>view
Perfume USA, Taking Meds, Public Opinion, & Squint ensured
that a Tuesday night out was definitely not quiet
>>view
Podcast #675 is a trip to my happy place
w/ Spearmint, The Odds, Autographs, Red
Rockers, Geoff Palmer, Erik Voeks & The
Ghosters, Raspberries, & Redder Moon.
Post_This Fest 2.0 played to the fringe with sets from Drifter,
Orphans of Doom, RxGhost, & PanHead 87.
>>view
Midwest Music Foundation’s annual Apocalypse Meow
benefits Abby’s Fund to support musicians healthcare.
This year’s fundraiser featured The Phantastics, Nathan
Corsi and My Atomic Daydream, & True Lions.
>>view
Podcast #674 is going to take you places
with a soundtrack from Single Mothers,
Raspberries, Dori Freeman, Olympic Size,
The American Analog Set, & Damien Jurado.
Up-and-comers Field Daze, Tidal.wav, & Parry packed The
Rino on a Friday night.
>>view
Podcast #673 celebrates the guitar with
honorees Raspberries, Leatherman, Values
Here, Squint, Why Bother?, Outtacontroller,
Obra Negra, & Netherfrost.
Toronto’s Tallies stopped in Kansas City for gas and to
deliver a lovely dream pop set for an audience primed by
Emmaline Twist.
>>view
Heilung called all the heathens to The Midland for a
choreographed operatic performance of its shamanic folk.
>>view
Young and old gathered to celebrate Ricky Reyes’ 50th
with a bash that featured Doldrums, Burning Bush, Make No
Mistake, Blood Harmonies, & his own Still Ill.
>>view
A steady stream of DJs and MCs delivered beats and bars in
support of the erratic Kool Keith.
>>view
Podcast #672 asks the obvious question, why
not music from Brad Marino, Alice Cooper,
Night Court, Catbells, Easy Match, Dirt
Merchants, Drop Nineteens, & The Mountain
Goats.
A Giant Dog gave Record Bar another high energy rock & roll
explosion with some help from The Whiffs and touring act
Trouble in the Streets.
>>view
Interesting gigs:
8/30 Mac Sabbath @ Granada
8/30 Rixe @ Farewell
8/30 Daniel Gum @ Greenwood Hall
8/30 Medicine Lodge @ Arts on Broadway
8/30 Lone Stranger @ Minibar
8/31 Glass Animals @ Azura
8/31 Philistines @ miniBar
8/31 Horned Wolf @ Bottleneck
9/4 Big Fat Cow @ Replay
9/4 Mummies @ Uptown
9/5 Negative Approach @ RecordBar
9/6 John Prine Tribute @ Lemonade Park
9/6 90 Minute Cassette @ Minibar
9/6 Major Matt @ Turnsol
9/7 Chatpile @ Bottleneck
9/7 Dreamist @ Goofball Sk8
9/7 Blast Monkeys @ Rino
9/10 Horned Wolf @ Replay
9/12 Creepy Jingles @ Hillsiders
9/12 Carrie Dairy @ Howdy
9/12 Teri Quinn @ Minibar
9/12 Norma Jean @ RecordBar
9/13 Get Up Kids @ RecordBar
9/14 Get Up Kids @ Bottleneck
9/14 Window Seat @ Farewell
9/14 Still Ill @ Blip
9/15 Get Up Kids @ Bottleneck
9/15 Nephilim @ Sk8bar
9/17 Dreamist @ Howdy
9/19 Soulside @ RecordBar
9/20 Negativland @ RecordBar
9/20 Front Bottoms @ Uptown
9/21 Still Ill @ Lemonade Park
9/21 Spitting Image @ Sk8bar
9/24 Descendents @ Liberty Hall
9/24 Nature Boys @ Replay
9/25 Peelander-Z @ Bottleneck
9/25 Candy @ RecordBar
9/25 Lemonheads @ Truman
9/26 North by North @ Minibar
9/27 Amorphis @ Bottleneck
9/27 Creature Comforts @ RecordBar
9/27 Low Forest @ Lemonade Park
9/27 Uncouth @ Howdy
9/28 Material Issue @ Lincoln Hall (Chicago)
9/28 Green Jello @ Sk8bar
9/29 Bob Log III @ Replay
9/30 Nerver @ RecordBar
10/1 Jonathan Richman @ Bottleneck
10/1 Judas Priest @ Cable Dahmer
10/2 Clutch @ Uptown
10/3 Mint Field @ Minibar
10/3 Redder Moon @ RecordBar
10/4 Heart/Cheap Trick @ T-Mobile
10/4 Pig @ Bottleneck
10/5 Emmaline Twist @ RecordBar
10/5 Helmet @ Bottleneck
10/6 Bad Religion @ Uptown
10/9 Kids on Fire @ Sk8bar
10/10-13 Wasted Weekend 2 @ Hillsiders
10/11 String and Return @ Minibar
10/12 Creature Comforts @ Bottleneck
10/12 Dark Funeral @ Granada
10/15 Gel @ Bottleneck
10/16 Mannequin Pussy @ Granada
10/18 Korn @ T-Mobile
10/19 Superchunk @ Granada
10/19 Nature Boys @ Sister Anne's
10/20 Juliana Hatfield @ Truman
10/20 King Diamond @ Midland
10/20 Brent Windler @ Hillsiders
10/22 Moon 17 @ MiniBar
10/22 Mark Sultan @ RecordBar
10/23 Jesus And Mary Chain @ Uptown
10/24 Hatebreed @ Uptown
10/24 Xiu Xiu @ Bottleneck
10/25 Mike Vallely @ Sk8bar
11/1 Ultimate Fakebook @ Bottleneck
11/1 Tiny Moving Parts @ Granada
11/2 Creepy Jingles @ RecordBar
11/3 March Violets @ RecordBar
11/4 Chameleons @ RecordBar
11/9 Thundergong @ Uptown
11/9 Creepy Jingles @ Replay
11/11 GY!BE @ Liberty Hall
11/12 Redder Moon @ RecordBar
11/16 Billie Eilish @ T-Mobile
11/21 System Exclusive @ MiniBar
12/26 Magf*cknificent @ RecordBar
1/25 Aerosmith @ T-Mobile
3/21 Bright Eyes @ Uptown