Two bands from Kansas City record label The Record Machine have released a couple impressive singles.

Making Movies has released its newest single, "Hangover Blues," off the 7"/digital EP Aguardiente. The Afro-Cuban/rock group, one of the most successful bands in Kansas City, has been on tour for the EP since the end of May. They come back through KC on June 25 at Jerry’s Bait Shop in Lee’s Summit and end the tour in Chicago on June 29. Stream the new single below.

La Guerre will soon be releasing a 3-song single, which includes the song "23" off the 12" collaborative effort between The Record Machine and Golden Sound Records, Secret Handshakes. La Guerre is the solo effort of singer-songwriter Katlyn Conroy, also of Cowboy Indian Bear. Conroy kicked off her Southern Projections tour last week, heading through Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.

Deco Auto — This fun-lovin’ 3-piece, whose songs all have a heartbeat to their rhythm, laid down the ground rules for the evening in 4/4 time; making it impossible not to wag your head to, while incessantly checking for loose floorboards under your shoe. With a nostalgic power-pop rock jingle, their dulcet vocal harmonies transformed you into a suburban kid on an adventure in a sugary coming-of-age summer movie. Their sound is reminiscent of earlier Soul Asylum and The Replacements, had those bands cut their teeth jamming with Dave Clark Five. Lead singer/guitarist Steven Garcia’s crunchy Les Paul guitar riffs bounced along in anthem to the purist backbeat stamped out tightly by Kansas City drum darling, Michelle Bacon. Wrapping a sexy vine around the triplet’s delight was the carefully melodic bassist/backing vocalist, Tracy Flowers – a perfect last name, when considering her sixties-styled vocal harmonies with Garcia. Blending well into their set were covers of “Needles & Pins” (Nitzsche/Bono, 1963), and “Time Won’t Let Me” (The Outsiders, 1966).

Next up, Gas Pump Talent from Springfield, MO – who describe their own sound as “stomp and holler” – showed they’ve learned to cunningly mash-up more acoustic genres than can be listed – and well. Sadly, I was out of eyesight of the stage throughout their relatively short set. Fortunately, I heard them just fine – recordBar’s sound guys consistently set a high bar. Gas Pump Talent showcased musically captivating, campfire, Ozark-styled country-crunk that had DNA speckles of Dylan, Springsteen and Waits sprinkled throughout. Their performance was infectious, often lending to an Irish folk vibe that beckoned you to order a whiskey drink, pull a chair up front, and sing along with any reoccurring stanza you heard. I recall debating their genre with some friends as we listened…this was much in vein, which always makes me happy. The Midwest consistently cultivates great bands that are hard to paint into a corner. ¡Viva Springfield!

Closing the night down for the evening was another 3-piece from Kansas City – The Empty Spaces. Their rock n’ roll blend of (dare I say) country, rockabilly and surf beach party made for attention-grabbing jams, which featured a squirrely Mat Shoare dancing about, yelping Femmes-esque vocals into the mic, while playing hooky rhythms on his guitar. Widening out their sound was the ever-busy, hard-hitting drum licks of Ross Brown, and jovial out-of-the-box bass man about town, William Brent Wright – who was stripped down to his under tank top by the night’s end. The guys looked like they were having a good ol’ time up on stage, which added to the decent-sized audience looking loose and ready to party – and that they did.

It was a fun, energetic night, with three bands that stylistically are different from one another, but together on a bill – made for a great Saturday night at the recordBar.

–Christian Anders Liljequist

With a name that perfectly anticipates their stoic electro-rock, influenced by both the early 80s post punk and the previous decade’s Kraut Rock, Led Er Est emerged in NYC in early 2007. The group just released their sophomore album "The Driver" and this video of the single "Kaiyo Maru" (also streaming below), and is about to leave on a 8 dates east coast tour. Fans of goth rock, industrial and other similar mournful genres should check out these guys at Public Assembly on June 15.

Just got out of a crappy relationship? Stop moping around! Everyone knows the best way to deal with hard times is to groove your way through it. This is what makes bands like Cave Days so necessary for broken hearts everywhere. Sure they complain about the limits of unconditional love in confessional tearjerkers like ‘Unconditional,’ but more often than not, they manage to transcend these problems with the lively and sweat-soaked ‘Closer’ and ‘Kodachrome Beach.’ Their latest self-titled EP is the sugar you take with the medicine.

Members Jonathan Murphy and Richard Thomas seem to have discovered the hidden formula behind emotional recovery: sun-soaked guitars, reverb-soaked harmonies, and tropical grooves. Whether shouting back at the pain with lo-fi drum machines (Beat Up Kids), or strumming through their mistakes in campfire duets like ‘All Voices Just Noises,’ the duo always brings an emotional lift to their complex experiences. Sometimes that’s just what the doctor ordered. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)