Hey kids, here’s a suggestion: next time you decide to ride on a carousel while on acid, be sure to bring along Tropical Ooze‘s latest self-titled odyssey. Taking their cues from The Flaming Lips and The 13th Floor Elevators, theirs is that promise from the ’90s that psychedelia and heavy guitars might finally share the same party with one another. The band’s been around a little while, and when they’re not backing up the great R. Stevie Moore, they’re busy exploring the many flavors (and colors) the new EP has stirring together in the pot. Opening with the bombastic ‘Fresh Gum,’ the record quickly moves into the dream material of ‘Pride,’ and only descends further into the unconscious from there.
This is the band for anyone wondering what happened to NY’s psychedelic scene. So go find yourself a carousel to ride… or see the band live on Friday (8.17) at The Cake Shop –  Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

‘Top Ten Songs Of The End Of The World’ (Paw Tracks) is the new project by Brooklyn-based psychedelic duo Prince Rama, that sees the Larson sisters curate the apocalypse from an imaginary past, by impersonating ten fictitious bands on the eve of destruction. ‘So Destroyed’, streaming below, is a first glimpse into the record, a gripping, hypnotic fusion of Indian music and new-wave/pop courtesy of ‘Rage Peace’, introduced as ‘the Bob Dylan of a whole generation of angry youth‘. An ambitious move, both aesthetcially and conceptually, this pseudo-compilation gives Prince Rama the freedom to explore a vast array of musical influences, thus giving us a lot to look forward to for the end of the year, even if our planet doesn’t collapse onto itself as promised by CGI-based fantasies.

Note that on November 6th, when the full album is released, Prince Rama will be off touring Europe with Animal Collective; before they leave though, you can catch a couple of NYC shows, the next one being on Friday (8.17) under The Archway, for a free DUMBO summer bash.

Have you heard The Mailbox yet? It’s a weekly podcast brought to you by Midwest Music Foundation, hosted by Michael Byars of 89.3 FM KCUR and guest hosted by Chris Haghirian of Ink Magazine. Each week, Michael and Chris bring you their picks of the best, newest music around the globe, and typically a large dose of local music love. They also provide an update on what’s happening around Kansas City in the coming week, so along with The Deli’s comprehensive calendar, there’s no way to miss what’s going on around town.

This week’s podcast features some local pride from The Hearts of Darkness, as well as several other national bands that will be coming to town soon. You can stream it at the link here. The links below will take you to The Mailbox’s Twitter and Facebook pages, and allow you to subscribe to it on iTunes! Make The Mailbox a part of your weekly music routine.

–Michelle Bacon

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Schwervon! is the newest, hottest band to hit Kansas City. They recently located here from NYC and have already had a successful career together, opening for acts like The Vaselines and Belle & Sebastian. The dynamic duo of Nan Turner and Matt Roth sits down with us and gives us a little introduction to who they are.

The Deli: Gun to your head: one sentence to describe your music.  What is it?

Schwervon!: Folkicide, The Cave Girls, Deco Auto, Soft Reeds, The Quivers, Cowboy Indian Bear, The Ants and Radkey. To be fair, we are still in the process of discovering the rich fabric of KC local music! Ask us in a week and there may be 5 more bands!.

The Deli: Who are your favorite not-so-local musicians right now?
 
Schwervon!: The Schwervon! trinity all-time favorites are probably Pixies, Yo La Tengo, and Sonic Youth. But more "now" bands we like are Grass Widow, Jeff Lewis, Sleepy Kitty, The Vaselines. Matt likes the new Japandroids. We also discover new "old" music every week, in the form of cheap vinyl at the Cowtown Mallroom.

The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy concert bill to play on?

Schwervon!: We’re about to go play one actually! We’re opening for The Vaselines in Brooklyn on August 30. Curating an All Tomorrow’s Party Festival would also be a good job to have…
 
The Deli: Would you rather spend the rest of your life on stage or in the recording studio?
 
Nan: On stage! I like playing our songs for an audience, and unlike recording, I don’t have to listen to take after take of what went wrong!
Matt: We’ve recently evolved into the mindset that for us playing better together live results in a better recording. I love working in the studio, but I hate recording my own band. I love playing live with Nan.

The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore.  What four faces are you putting up there and why?

Schwervon!: This question makes our heads hurt. We’re not big fans of things set in stone. Put the Rolling Stones up there and we can move on!
 
The Deli:  All right, give us the rundown.  Where all on this big crazy web can you be found? 

Schwervon!: Eat something green every day.
Break free of the 5 day-40 hour work week.
Prepare, prepare, prepare. Then let go.