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Album review: The Author and the Illustrator – Crane Operators Who Move The Moon

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Crane Operators Who Move the Moon, the recent EP from The Author and the Illustrator—Kansas City’s primary purveyors of classic DIY emo—is something to be heard by all. And by emo, I am talking about the 2013 sense of the genre, not The Used circa-2003 sense of the genre.
 
Though there are several emo bands bred in KC, The Author and the Illustrator are by far the most accessible. Whether or not you’re a fan of the punk scene, the indie sound, or anything in between, you’ll find solace in this 20-minute album.
 
A quiet, subtle fade-in brings up twinkling guitars in the debut track, “Fear.” Low, almost spoken vocals come to attention. The song picks up for a short time, before heading into “Home State,” a considerably more upbeat song.
 
The prominence of the bass track on all songs from this album is soothing. It isn’t often that a bass line will grasp you as it does here. The drums are sporadic but on point. Sometimes the beats don’t make sense at first, but upon closer inspection they bring the piece together. The vocal works vary between—as I mentioned—a mellow talking tone to a strained and close-to-yelling stature.
 
The Author and the Illustrator is growing as a band, playing more shows more recently around town. These boys definitely have a place in Kansas City, filling a niche that needed to be filled. They have a unique ability to fit on almost any bill. Listen to this album, and you’ll quickly understand.

 

–Steven Ervay 

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Behind the Board: Justin Mantooth at Westend Recording Studios

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(Photos by Todd Zimmer)
 
Everywhere you turn, another local band is releasing another recording. In 2013 alone, the KC/Lawrence area has seen over 200 mostly indie album releases; that doesn’t even include singles, and who knows how much more is out there that we just don’t know about yet.
 
Technology is becoming more accessible than it used to be, and the music industry has transformed. It used to be that an independent band could subsist without a “professional” recording, because many of them simply couldn’t afford it. Demo tapes were typically acceptable at one point. It didn’t matter how tinny or trash-canny your demo was; if you were trying to book a show, the promoter just wanted to know what you sounded like. Being able to record in a studio was reserved for bands with a little more clout, or scratch.
 
Today, the music world has succumbed to the culture of convenience, which has both its advantages and disadvantages. One of the first things any emerging local band is asked is, “When are you guys gonna record an album?” The advent of home recording has afforded thousands of musicians the luxury of spending less money and, in many cases, ending up with a recording that sounds fairly professional.
 
But that begs the question: how have our professional recording studios been affected?
 
“Ten to fifteen years ago, everyone was using the studio to record,” remarks Justin Mantooth, engineer/producer at Westend Recording Studios. Now, so many musicians are turning to home studios to cut costs, but Mantooth explains that professional studio costs have decreased as a result, and gear is still expensive. There has been a steady and distinct decline in the use of professional studios, especially in smaller cities like Kansas City.
 
Westend celebrated its 25-year anniversary back in September, and still remains one of the premier recording spots in the Kansas City area. Owner Mike Miller and his experienced team boast an impressive collection of classic vintage recording equipment, all of which Miller maintains and modifies.
 
"Having Mike as the owner is ideal,” says Mantooth. "He has put in a lifetime of work building and restoring a huge collection of very choice equipment. I’ve worked in many studios in different cities, and you’d be surprised how many studios have half-broken gear. At Westend, I can patch into vintage equipment older than me and know it’s going to work.”
 
 
Westend’s engineer is no slouch himself. A Kansas City native, Mantooth moved back just a few months ago to take this job. “I had my own studio in New York (Audio Parlour Brooklyn), but I thought this would be a great opportunity for me and for the KC music community. Everyone here is highly invested in doing things right.”
 
Mantooth notes that he’s been obsessed with recording since he was just 11 years old. He grew up near the original Midwestern Musical Co location. “Matt [Kesler] and Jim [Strahm] would give us half-broken things and we’d fix them. I understood what the good stuff was even then. I tried to buy a crappy PA for my band when I was 12, and they wouldn’t let me.” He saved up his money and bought a Tascam four-track tape recorder at the age of 13. He became an intern at Chapman Recording right out of high school, eventually being hired as an assistant and engineer. He later did freelance engineering for Westend before moving to New York in 2008, where he began working at Translator Audio.
 
In his opinion, the music scene and talent in Kansas City has grown exponentially in the five years he’s been away. But so has the advent of the home studio, which ranges from producers who have high-end microphones, soundproof rooms, and actual recording equipment to those with nothing but a microphone, a keyboard, and a song. Though home recording has obvious benefits and accessibility, Mantooth stresses that there’s nothing that compares to recording in a professional studio with well-built and maintained equipment.
 
“Sounds are recreated in a home studio, and you lose something with that,” he says. Westend is also one of the only local studios to actively record to analog tape, which Mantooth declares is a dying art. “Tape has a fidelity you just don’t get with digital equipment. It sounds like the records you love. Whether we’re tracking to our vintage MCI JH24 2" 24-track machine or bouncing down mixes to our MCI JH110C 1/4" 2-track, our machines are maintained and ready to go. I think, once a young band gets a taste of recording to tape, they will surely hear the difference.” 
 
Westend provides artists an environment in which they can feel comfortable and creative, with a spectrum of sounds and options to choose from, dialed in by an experienced engineer on solid equipment. “We have old gear with a lot of mojo,” Mantooth mentions. And he, along with Miller and mastering guru Mike Nolte (Eureka Mastering), are dedicated to helping create a superior-sounding product.
 
“I hope that the community will continue to support this. We live in a throw-away culture; let’s make something that will last forever. Kansas City deserves this.”
 
 
Visit Westend’s web site at this link to find out more about rates and recording options, as well as samples of bands the studio has recorded. You can check out Justin’s web site for more info at www.justinmantooth.com.
 

–Michelle Bacon

Michelle is editor of The Deli Magazine – Kansas City, and also plays drums Drew Black & Dirty Electric and bass in Dolls on Fire and The Philistines. She will be bothering a lot of people to come to Apocalypse Meow 6 next Friday and Saturday. It’s gonna be pretty rad.

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Show preview: Winfield Hangover at The Riot Room, 10.26.13

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Missed the Walnut Valley Festival (or Winfield, as you may know it) last month? Went and still can’t get enough? Never fear, Kansas City: twelve local bands will be performing at The Riot Room this Saturday night as a part of The Winfield Hangover.
 
The concert has been organized by Eddie Crane (of Loaded Goat, pictured below), who has been a large proponent of the roots/Americana scene for years. “Every year when the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield ends, I feel like I can hear 15,000 hearts breaking, knowing that it’s another 360 days until it rolls around again. I just wanted to give everyone another taste and put together a show for some of the folks that couldn’t make or just can’t let it go,” said Crane.
 


(Photo by Todd Zimmer)
 
He’s put together quite an evening, showcasing some of the genres and subgenres represented at the annual fest, from folk to metalgrass to thrashbilly and beyond. See the full schedule below!
 
 
Indoor stage:
5:30 – Whiskey for the Lady
6:30 – Wells the Traveler
7:30 – Betse Ellis
8:30 – Famous Seamus and the Travelbongs
9:30 – Fast Food Junkies
10:45 – The Calamity Cubes
12:15 – Deadman Flats

Patio stage:
5:00 – Kasey Rausch and Friends
6:00 – The John Brown Boys
7:00 – Cadillac Flambe
8:00 – Loaded Goat
9:15 – The Kansas City Bear Fighters

 

–Michelle Bacon

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Album review: Midwestern Audio, Vol. 2 – Electric Hullabaloo

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(Photos by Todd Zimmer)
 
Love letters are funny things. The communique between two besotted people is such a private thing. Midwest Music Foundation has taken to writing very public love letters the last few years. The most recent being the release of Midwestern Audio: Volume 2: Electric Hullabaloo. The sampling of Kansas City music covers many genres and shares the talent and passion of Kansas City area musicians with fans and the uninitiated alike. Electric Hullabaloo kicks off with the catchy pop of Rev Gusto’s (pictured below) “Boys Are at it Again” and moves slowly into more straight forward rock and roll via Sons of Great Dane’s “Approximately 18th St.” The first three songs are rounded out by all-out-bare-knuckles-rock-and-roll with Cherokee Rock Rifle’s “Six to Midnight.” The initial offering is finished off by the fourth track, “Divorce Sea,” from Lawrence-based distorted punk-laced garage rock band Bloodbirds.
 
 
Lest the listener think pop and rock are the extent of the musical offerings in Kansas City, Electric Hullabaloo gives you musical whiplash by offering the sonic stylings of “Animate” by Middle Twin. The electronic indie band flawlessly flows into Heartscape Landbreak’s “God Money Problems’” fuzzy guitars, melodic lyrics, and speech sampling. Victor & Penny’s early twentieth-century rock and roll pulls you into each punctuated note on “Rickshaw Chase” and segues into the next chapter of the record.
 
This love letter has something for everyone, no matter your “type.” Dead Voices carry on the tradition of sad songs in happy keys as they bounce along through “Trust of a Fool.” Olassa delivers “Podner” with a deceptively slow start and then hits their indie folk groove with staccato guitar and subdued harmony. The mood mellows with The Silver Maggies’ “Slow Poke” and its smoky, gravel-laden vocals and keening harmonica.
 
Midwestern Audio’s compiler and mastermind, Brenton Cook, picks up the pace with Betse Ellis’s fiery fiddle in “Long Time to Get There.” The happy vibe of Metatone’s “Dark Empress” pulses with African-influenced beats and a nearly monotone lead vocal that clashes in the best way with the peppy popsplosion pulsing behind it. Spirit is the Spirit (pictured at top of article) follows with a throbbing beat, the distorted remnants of 60’s television science reporting, and angelic moaning in “I Believe That We Will Win.”
 
Margo May appears next as a counterpoint to the multi-faceted Metatone and Spirit is the Spirit tracks. Chanelling Lisa Loeb’s Firecracker, May offers a simple acoustic guitar and a broken heart’s lament. “Close the Door” spills into “Broken Wing” by Sam Billen, maintaining a similar tone and emotional state. Billen’s is a song you would like to put on at the end of the day to ease your transition home. Like a sonic bucket of water thrown on your sleeping ears, Drew Black & Dirty Electric pounce on you with “Love & A Riot.” The driving rock and roll beat and theatrical saucy spoken word “I love you. Let’s riot,” is reminiscent of Rocky Horror Picture show. Six Percent’s “Live Out Loud” is evocative of early Green Day, if Green Day had a horn section. Pounding drums and slamming vocals urge listeners to stand up and listen.
 
Heartfelt Anarchy’s “Funk” opens with horns in a dramatically different sound from the way Six Percent blasted them. Undulating horns flow under Les Izmore’s lyrics and the song exits on shimmering tambourine and harmonica. The experimental music of Various Blonde’s “Blind Samurai” sounds, oddly enough, like The Kinky Wizards in High Fidelity (which is really Royal Trux “The Inside Game”). You just can’t stop listening to the guitar riffs and space sounds twisted all around a manic beat. Furthering your trip down the rabbit hole of experimental music, David Hasselhoff on Acid rides into your eardrums on a wave of weedling guitars and in-your-face drums. Bowing in and out of the speed and thrust of loud and high sounds and the simplicity of drums and guitar, “Breakfast” will either make you lose yours or ask for seconds. The farewell of this love letter from Kansas CIty music is Jorge Arana Trio (pictured below). The experimental noise-rock of “Catching Bullets with Your Teeth” dodges in and out of instrumental traffic to express a frantic conversation.
 
 
To us, from the Midwest Music Foundation and the musicians of Kansas City, this love letter expresses the passion of expression that must be released lest the heart of the musician explode. Enjoy.

 –Angela Lupton 

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Album review: Katy Guillen and The Girls – …and then there were three

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(Photo by Brandon Forrest) 
 
I never used to be a fan of the extended play record. I thought, way back in the day (as the kids say), that when an artist or group released something that had three to six songs on it instead of eight to twelve, they were just being lazy. For quite a while you didn’t see very many EPs on record store shelves so perhaps—way back in the day—that was indeed the case. But in these days the music industry is a lot different; online stores and internet radio stations and DIY promotion strategies have created a business model in which there is much more emphasis on immediacy of product availability. The vast majority of recording artists don’t have the luxury of taking years to create an all-encompassing work that tells a story gradually and with great detail. In a time when the single is king, I’ve realized that the short-set album now has much more relevance. I’m growing as an individual and as a consumer here. How ‘bout that.
 
There are a couple ways in which the EP offers ideal packaging for an artist’s music, one of which is to give a relatively new band some quick exposure. In the case of Katy Guillen and the Girls, their recently-released EP … and then there were three offers a trio of songs that showcases a trio of ladies who have firmly grasped the nuances of rock, blues, soul, and groove—and by “firmly grasped,” I mean they make it clear from the outset that they know their stuff. From the opening notes of “The Race”—a song that features Guillen’s sneering vocals and guitar work, Claire Adams’ rumbling, fat-bottom-bass foundation, and Stephanie Williams’ second-to-none percussive power and precision—you’d think you were hearing a band that had been together for a while… and in a sense, you’d be right. Katy Guillen and the Girls has been an entity for just more than a year, but the three have worked together in various forms and lineups and duos and trios for quite some time, and that familiarity helps to solidify their sound and give it the air of confidence that comes with having a history of working together.
 
That cohesiveness carries over through the other two tracks on … and then there were three: “Quiver” alternates between a dance-worthy salsa and a cautious waltz as Guillen’s ode to insecurities and doubt (“What makes you quiver, what makes you so upset? What makes your heart pound, what makes you lose your head?”) leans heavily on the rhythm section, and Adams and Williams are more than up to the task. “Stalling On Dreams” closes out the EP with a paean to unrequited might-have-beens (“I’ve been ghost-stalking old neighborhoods, getting pulled back into the woods, just humming my own tune, it don’t do me no good.”) that segues into more of that bluesy swagger, letting the listener know that—even though our protagonist may have some unsure moments—you can bet that she’ll figure things out in the end, on her terms.
 
As mentioned earlier, Katy Guillen and the Girls hasn’t been around as a unit for very long, but that didn’t stop them from entering—and winning—the Kansas City Blues Challenge at Knuckleheads a few months ago. They’ll be off to Memphis in January for the International Blues Challenge, where they will rep the 816 as they go up against bands from Europe, Canada, Australia, and possibly Latin American and/or Asia. Regardless of who else shows up, this is a band that just might be making some sweet, sweet noise for quite some time. And if they should happen to win the challenge and go on to the bigger and better things that they and their music deserve, we can say we knew them when they released their first EP.
 
Way back in the day.

Your next chance to see KG and the Girls will be back at Knuckleheads (in the Gospel Lounge) on Wednesday, October 30. The weekend after that, they’ll be heading down to Austin for a short tour. Head out to Knuckleheads next week and support them! 
 
–Michael Byars 

Michael Byars did mention that there were a couple benefits of releasing an EP; he’ll tell us what the other one is in his next review. That’s called a tease, folks. Pretty damn sneaky, ain’t it?
 

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Spotlight: Mike McCoy’s 50th Birthday with Cher UK at Davey’s Uptown, 10.4.13

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(Photo by Todd Zimmer)
 
We young pups could stand to learn a thing or two from Mike McCoy.
 
McCoy is best known as the man behind Cher UK, a band that has been around in various arrangements and cities along the way. Originating in KC in 1989 with Mark Reynolds and Jeff Nichols, Cher UK has undergone several incarnations throughout the years, with McCoy as the only constant—even geographically. In addition, he’s had his hand in other projects here and in his current home of Austin, where he moved in 1998. Among them, The Service Industry, The American People, Wood Roses, Black Rabbits, and Yard Pups.
 
Throughout his years in his different projects, he has accumulated a smorgasbord of talented players in Kansas City straight down the I-35 corridor to Austin. In fact, he started the North vs. South Music Festival with Baby Grant Johnson in 2003, which brought bands from KC, Austin, Minneapolis, and surrounding areas to collectively display their musical abilities in one place—for the common goal of appreciating of music.
 
“I am a very fortunate man to have known all these players all these years. The list is long and the people on that list know who they are and why they play music in the first place,” says McCoy. This Friday, he’ll join some of these longtime KC musicians at Davey’s Uptown to play newer tunes and old favorites from the Cher UK catalog. The lineup will include Lyle Wells on guitar, Bernie Dugan on drums, and Jason Beers on bass.
 
Cher UK reunited at Middle of the Map Fest 2012 and has played a small handful of shows since. Friday’s show will be a special one: McCoy makes his way to the half-century mark.
 
His thoughts on the big shindig?
 
“Sometimes you have to go ahead and live in the self enough to fabricate good times with people you love from your history, musically or otherwise. It is indulgent, but it’s also not a fucking sport.” To McCoy, performing his songs with friends in front of loved ones and supportive fans has become an integral part of his being. “Though I have intentionally made my life to be a slave to this idea, it also has given me more fulfillment than any one man has a right to. I am a spoiled white American male who depends on his friends’ happiness in order to see balance in the world.”
 
After this symbolic coming of age, McCoy will be working on his first solo record at Sparta Sound in Minnesota with friend Rich Mattson. The studio is in Mattson’s house, a renovated small-town church. “It will be a completely different recording for me, but the lyrical content will be my best so far, appropriately,” remarks McCoy.
 
The songwriter looks forward to heading back to see old friends. And being a veteran of both the KC and Austin music scenes has given McCoy some perspective on why he’s moved on and what he’s left behind.
 
“For me, [Austin] is the perfect place to write songs as we get further and further from the ‘good old days’ here. My favorite thing about Austin is its ability to complain about itself and then sit smugly in its own greatness and ballsy creativity,” quips McCoy. “But I need the aural consideration of a town so helplessly out of control and self-indulgent. Austin is the place for that. I need the confusion, I guess.”
 
But seeing the music community in KC grow over the years has also provided him with valuable insight. “The KC scene is unique and more well-rounded than most scenes. It’s insulated at times, but the growth there is surprisingly not marked with the stain of American groupthink that is so common in ultra-fashionable cities and overhyped festival towns.”
 
Most importantly, there seem to be no doubts in McCoy’s mind that he’s made some incredible musical moments because of the passion he’s put forth and has gained from those around him. “It’s time with good friends recreating songs that left some sort of mark on my life due to the people who have been kind enough to let me onstage with them, the people who came/come to the shows, the people who have sold the product, the owners of the clubs, the talent buyers in any given region, the production people, bartenders, door staff, sound engineers. Hell, it’s just people.”

Help toast McCoy as he celebrates his 50th on Friday, October 4 at Davey’s Uptown. Get there early for a song-filled evening: the show kicks off at 8 pm with Baby Grant Johnson, followed by Dolls on Fire, John Velghe and The Prodigal Sons, Drop A Grand, The Dead Girls, Cher UK, and Ernie Locke with Missouri Bultaco Association. Facebook event page. 

–Michelle Bacon

Michelle is editor of The Deli Magazine – Kansas City, and also plays drums Drew Black & Dirty Electric and bass in Dolls on Fire and The Philistines. She likes to schedule naps in between her regular schedule whenever possible. There’s no shame in that.

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Show preview: Midwestern Audio Vol. 2 CD Release Party

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(Artwork by Sheppa)
 
Join Midwest Music Foundation for the release of the Midwestern Audio, Vol. 2: Electric Hullabaloo local music CD compilation series this Saturday, October 5, at recordBar. The lineup includes four local acts featured on the compilation: Jorge Arana Trio, Les Izmore (of Heartfelt Anarchy and Hearts of Darkness), Rev Gusto, and Spirit Is The Spirit.
 
Show starts at 9:45, 18+, $8, and entry gets you a free CD. Chipotle is also offering a BOGO burrito coupon to the first 100 people through the door.
  
On Sunday, October 7, the compilation will be available at http://music.midwestmusicfound.org. Volume 1 is currently available at that site for a pay-what-you-want download. All proceeds go to Midwest Music Foundation.

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Album review: Ha Ha Tonka – Lessons

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Nothing is more exhilirating than the feelings that accompany the birth of autumn. The air turns crisp and the colors become more vibrant, indicating the end of pool parties and beginning of bonfires and pumpkin patches, but also the impending promise of winter’s chill. It brings with it a mood that is at once galvanizing, uneasy, and contemplative. Ha Ha Tonka’s latest LP Lessons—released on Bloodshot Records just in time for the changing of the season—provides the soundtrack to that atmosphere, presenting a majestic, warm sound with delicate undertones.
 
Ha Ha Tonka has come a long way since its previous release, 2011’s Death of A Decade. The group has completed several US tours with the likes of Langhorne Slim, Murder By Death, Reverend Horton Heat, The Old 97s, and many more. Back in June, Tonka completed its second European tour (link to our article on the tour with drummer Lennon Bone) and has gotten a steady amount of buzz that’s only increased since the first track from Lessons, “Colorful Kids,” debuted back in July in Spin.
 
But most of all, Lessons represents the maturing sound of a band that has grown collectively as musicians and individually as men.
 
Brian Roberts, Brett Anderson, Lucas Long, and Lennon Bone have been making music together for nearly a decade—nine years to be exact (three of those years were spent under a different moniker; Ha Ha Tonka has been a band since 2007)— and Lessons is the culmination of their refined musical abilities and personalities. This is probably most evident in the title track, which eases in like that first slow, cathartic pull off a cigarette after a long, stress-filled day. The vocals build from a delicate chant (“I can’t keep learning the same lessons over again / I keep learning the same lessons over”) into a compelling drone, while Anderson’s electric guitar squeals over ambient effects. Roberts has fully embraced his capabilities as a charismatic but formidable frontman—he has a penchant for intermingling a gentle, doleful tone (“I try to kick so many habits that I hold / but they hold onto me even when I let go of them”) with a dynamic battle cry as the song reaches its apex (“My heart is hurting / I don’t know when to say when”), careening into the ghostly four-part-harmony mantra.
 
From lead-off track “Dead to the World,” it’s indisputable that Tonka has carved out a new path with this LP (which was inspired by the writings of Maurice Sendak). The track features Rob Moose (who has worked with artists including Paul McCartney, Rufus Wainwright, and The National) on strings, who creates a rich, opulent foundation that lingers until the final note of the album. Somehow, the band creates a colossal environment around the string arrangement, with Bone’s textural cymbal accents, Anderson’s mandolin riffs—which continually become a more crucial element of the band’s sound—and Long’s punctuated but fundamental bass lines.
 
From there, the album shifts seamlessly through heartfelt interludes and transitions. Ushered in by the forlorn thirty-second interlude “Synthetic Love,” “Arabella” features Anderson on lead vocals and represents the haunting, desperate purity of the band’s evolving songwriting style. It also demonstrates a respect the musicians have for their craft; they exercise self-restraint in the music without leaving out critical elements. They emphasize the strengths of each piece of each song and adorn them with nuances that sometimes may take a few listens to catch. But they are worth catching.
 
Make no mistake: though Tonka’s sound has become more refined, it is still steeped in the same Ozark tradition, charm, and authenticity that its fans appreciate. Produced by Dan Molad (Lucius) and The Ryantist (Antennas Up) with assistant engineer Jacob Goldman, it seems that Lessons was an opportunity for the band to experiment with methods it hadn’t before—methods that would enhance and cultivate its existing sound. For instance, in “Rewrite Our Lives,” the vocal harmonies were sung through a large kick drum, giving it an enormous, celestial presence; this is also Roberts’ most earnest and resolute vocal performance on the entire album. Bone pointed out in a previous interview with The Deli KC that “it’s still totally us, but it’s like the Tonka we’ve always wanted to be.”
 
At first blush, the ornate instrumentation and subtleties seem like an attempt toward a kinder, gentler, more radio-friendly Tonka. But with each listen, each member’s individual stories and characters unfold. And although it lacks some of the Southern rock grit that made Death of A Decade the success it was, Lessons more than makes up for it with a stronger sense of self-awareness and development. It tells a story that reads more fluidly and gracefully than any of Tonka’s previous efforts.
 
 
Tonight, you can catch Ha Ha Tonka in Columbia outside of Mojo’s at Forrest Rose Park with Amanda Shires and Man in the Ring. Show starts at 8:00 pm. Tomorrow, the band will travel to Lawrence to play The Bottleneck with Shires, Til Willis and Erratic Cowboy. Show starts at 9:00 pm. Facebook event page. You can see the rest of the tour schedule below.
 
 
 
 
Newly released video for “American Ambition,” an acoustic version performed by Brian Roberts:
 
 

–Michelle Bacon

Michelle is editor of The Deli Magazine – Kansas City, and also plays drums Drew Black & Dirty Electric and bass in Dolls on Fire and The Philistines. Lennon Bone is her archdrumnemesis. He’s winning that and their beard-off.

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Show preview: J. Roddy Walston and The Business, Gringo Star, Scruffy & The Janitors at Czar, 9.28.13

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Rock n roll, oh God how I’ve missed you.

It seems we, as music junkies, have been awash in bands that embrace dance music (disco), the bearded banjo hipster class (faux folk, neo bluegrass), or stupid songs about what a fox says; these are cold days to be a rock music fan. Well, fret no longer. On September 28, young retro rockers will converge on Czar Bar for an ass-shakin’ good time.
 
Headliners J. Roddy Walston and the Business are riding high on the success of its single “Heavy Bells,” taken from their latest effort Essential Tremors. With strong airplay on stations across the country, including KC’s own 96.5 The Buzz, J. Roddy Walston’s blend of barroom rock, piano soul, and down-and-dirty boogie has lit a fire in an otherwise dark, rehash-filled world. 
 
Great bouncy songs like “Marigold” (a tune that would make Fats Waller and Leon Russell proud), the jaunty “Black Light,” The Band-influenced “Nobody Knows” or the sock-hop-ready, fuzz-drowned “Tear Jerk” drive an album as refreshing as a mojito on the beach.
 
Joining J. Roddy and the Business will be indie stalwarts Gringo Star and St. Joseph’s own Scruffy and the Janitors. Gringo Star blends the influences of British Invasion (think The Kinks mixed with Supergrass) with ‘90s alternative to make a racket that is as moving as it is fun. 
Scruffy and the Janitors, a local favorite known for the high energy of their performances and musicianship well beyond their years, draw from references like electric blues, alternative, ragtime and punk rock to create a sound that’s familiar, yet fresh. Be ready to hear some new songs from Scruffy as the trio is readying its second full-length album Friendship Forest to be released in the upcoming months on This Tall Records. You may hear splashes of Arctic Monkeys, The White Stripes, or The Animals within their sound, but as soon as vocalist/bassist Steven Foster sings the first note, it’s a whole new ballgame.
 
So, if you are missing rock ‘n roll or want to hear some new, young talent while the tickets are cheap and the room is intimate, bring yourself down to Czar this Saturday, September 28. You will not regret it.
 
 
The rock show starts at 8:00 pm. It’s 18+, $10 advance and $12 at the door. Check it out if you can.
 
–Danny R. Phillips

 

Danny R. Phillips has been reporting on music of all types and covering the St. Joseph, MO music scene for well over a decade. He is a regular contributor to the nationally circulated BLURT Magazine and his work has appeared in The Pitch, The Omaha Reader, Missouri Life, The Regular Joe, Skyscraper Magazine, Popshifter, Hybrid Magazine, the websites Vocals on Top and Tuning Fork TV, Perfect Sound Forever, The Fader, and many others. 

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Radkey’s rapid ascent to success

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A little over three years ago, Dee, Isaiah, and Solomon Radke were regular teenage brothers from St. Joseph who indulged in video games, movies, comics—stuff that most teenage boys enjoy.
 
Fast-forward to the not-so-distant future. Radkey has amassed a giant resume, from playing its first live show with Fishbone to recording “Cat and Mouse” (also the title of its debut album) at Adrian Grenier’s Wreckroom in Brooklyn to rocking the Download Fest in England earlier this year to recently completing its first full-scale tour to releasing its second EP Devil Fruit on Little Man Records AND undertaking a European tour this October. And… they still enjoy the same things as before.
 
“Quite a bit has changed,” said bassist Isaiah Radke, “but we’re still just a bunch of dorks hanging out at home whenever we’re not off doing the music thing.”
 
Modest, considering their rise from the St. Joe-KC music scene to international heights. But having had several off-the-record conversations with all three of the guys and their father/manager Matt Radke, a large key to their success has been in their ability to continue to hone their craft, remain humble, and stay involved in local music. Though Radkey has enjoyed accolades around the country and across the pond, it hasn’t been uncommon to see them on a KC or Lawrence stage with other local acts.
 
They kicked off their very first US tour to a full house at Czar with Naam last month, and played the KC Live stage with Silversun Pickups a couple weeks before that. A couple weeks ago they played Riot Fest in Chicago. This weekend, they’ll be one of the main acts at Beach Ball, alongside Cage The Elephant, AWOLNATION, Alt-J, and more. Despite all the huge bills they’ve already played on, the boys had never done a real tour before. So, why not?
 
Isaiah explains. “You can practice every single day—which we have done—and get pretty good, but you can only get so good. Playing lots of shows makes you a better musician and it also improves your live show. We finally hit the wall where touring is the only way to become better musicians, so we finally had the opportunity to break that wall by playing live every day.”
 
Since my first observation of a Radkey live show a couple of years ago, their onstage confidence has steadily grown with their musical cohesiveness and audience interactions, both crucial for success. That’s not to say they were lackluster in either department before, but at each performance, Dee’s monstrous voice becomes a bit more menacing and intimidating (in a good way); Isaiah’s banter with the crowd becomes a bit more sophisticated; Solomon’s drum patterns become a bit more complicated and precise.
 
“Because they are so young they will inevitably evolve and change, but there is something magical about the raw energy and earnestness of who they are right now,” said Joel Nanos, owner of Element Recording Studios.
 
Nanos also recorded tracks off Devil Fruit—the first single “Romance Dawn” was released in August, and “Overwhelmed” was released last week on NME. He calls the tracks fast, raw, and real. The brothers announce themselves to the world with a youthful immediacy backed by production that captures them at their purest and most formidable. Already, the songs are receiving a notable amount of attention on reputable music sources, and the album hasn’t even dropped yet.
 
But all for good reason. In spite of their quick strides from being three homeschooled kids to self-taught musicians with a steady local following to a buzz band getting radio play on the other side of the globe, the Radke brothers haven’t taken any of this for granted.
 
“I dunno; I mean, we practiced every day, and did our best to write songs that we loved. Plus, our dad was a great manager so that helped,” said Isaiah. “We pretty much worked very hard and had some percentage of luck on our side. We’re pretty thankful for that.”
 
They’ve also maintained support from the local music community, many of whom recognize their dedication to creating music and spreading the kick-in-your-teeth gospel of rock ‘n roll. Nanos sums it up best: “Those kids are just super cool, definitely beyond their years in maturity and knowledge; they have a great sense of self-awareness. They are the ones teaching me about cool stuff.”
 

You only have one more chance to see Radkey before they head out on their month-long European tour; they’ll be on the main stage at Beach Ball this Friday, September 27 at Berkley Riverfront Park. They’ll be touring the UK with Drenge, plus Germany and Holland, and return to the US in November to tour with Black Joe Lewis. Devil Fruit will be released October 15. And here’s a link to the NME exclusive of their super-cool video for "Romance Dawn."

 

–Michelle Bacon

Michelle is editor of The Deli Magazine – Kansas City, and also plays drums Drew Black & Dirty Electric and bass in Dolls on Fire and The Philistines. She once gave Isaiah a button from her old band and he might still wear it. She will eventually be one of those people who says, "I knew them way back when… AND gave one of them a shiny button."

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Album review: Vi Tran Band – American Heroine

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You have a dream. You work hard for it. You make many sacrifices. You find friends who share your passion. You create something. You hope for success through hard work and determination and talent. It’s a classic storyline—America loves when good things happen to people who work hard, and Vietmanese-born Vi Tran is second to none in personifying that American dream. He’s an actor, a musician, a tireless voice for and supporter of the arts community, and a pretty decent card player to boot. Above all, his singing, songwriting, and storytelling have been heard around Kansas City through his shows with Hot Caution, a lively cover band featuring a rotating lineup, and his 2010 EP Goodbye, Summer. Hearing him at Czar Bar or the Kill Devil Club or any of the other venues he plays, however, cannot properly prepare you for what you will hear with his debut full-length release, American Heroine. It’s an album that is less about singles and radio play and more about musical theatre and song craft. Tran’s professional Facebook page tells of the literary inspiration he called upon to help create Heroine’s sonic grandeur; it’s a projection that is tied in with the album artwork, which hearkens to the golden days of Hollywood and all the magic that art was and is capable of.
 
He is fond of saying that he is “part wheat fields, part sea salt,” and this is his Wheat album, a tribute to authors such as Hemingway, Steinbeck, and Fitzgerald—authors whose protagonists have dealt with struggles and challenges that mirror those of Tran’s family as they struggled with the challenges of being refugees in a new world. Those stories have been with him for the better part of a decade, waiting for the right time to be shared. When he felt that time had come, and he had amassed the strongest overall support staff possible, he threw himself completely into the project with the intent to make American Heroine look and sound like a well-worn paperback novel.
 
What you get, and what is instantly discernable from the opening typewriter solo in the intro, is an album that is less indie and more musical theatre—less “make it radio-ready” and more “knock ‘em dead, kid.” The earnestness and sincerity in his vocals grabs the listener from the first measures of the title track, where the aforementioned literary tribute takes on a literal tone as the protagonist leans on his inspirations for storytelling (“You are the most precious pearl / You are an archetypal Steinbeckian girl … If this were Hemingway, you’d meet your end in a hospital tent / And I’d watch it happening, wouldn’t be able to do a thing”).
 
“The Charmer” finds Tran trying to woo his way into a lucky lady’s heart in spite of his growing sense of self-doubt and timidity; as Ben Byard’s bass nimbly skips and encircles the twosome as they eventually connect … or do they? The next two tracks, “All the Time in the World” and “Goodbye, Summer” are revisited from his earlier EP, and the three years that have passed since their initial appearance have been good to the songs as they (along with the rest of American Heroine) find added depth and strength from the added instrumentation, along with the benefit of more life experience which Tran’s vocals bring forth with focus and solidity. “The Killing Rain” brings the strings to the fore, as Christine Grossman, Christine Gross, and Sean Hogge all offer virtuoso performances, matching the fragility of Tran’s lyrics and delivery (“I shake and shudder / crack and break / my leaves, my litter / my small mistakes”) with beautifully delicate skill. To me, this is perhaps the most instrumentally stunning track of all …
 
… which makes it all the more effective as a lead-in to what I think is American Heroine’s tour de force: if this truly was a soundtrack to a Broadway musical, “Waterlily” would surely bring the house down on a nightly basis. You know how it is when you observe someone doing what they do, knowing that they’re at the top of their game, and it’s a beautiful thing to see and/or hear? That’s what “Waterlily” represents to me, as every bit of it—vocals, instruments, performance, and production (brilliantly mastered by Joel Nanos at Element Recording Studios)—is awe-inspiringly on point. It starts gently, but when all the players come in about ninety seconds into the song, it’s pretty much as good as any music moment could possibly get, and that sense of top-level execution continues to the end. Jerod Rivers’ percussion feeds the intensity and energy of the song, and though the vocal collaboration of Tran and Katie Gilchrist can be heard throughout the album, here they simultaneously challenge each other, lean on one another, and lift each other higher and higher. “Waterlily” is simply staggering in its majesty and bravado.
 
And this brings us to the final chapter of this narrative, one with which many of Tran’s legion of admirers may be unfamiliar. He usually keeps “The Code” under wraps (along with “The Killing Rain”) because, in his words, “they aren’t well-suited to noisy bar gigs. They tend to be ignored outside an intimate storytellers’ setting. I knew they’d reach their full potential on the album.” The trumpet and piano of Hermon Mehari and Mark Lowrey respectively lead the way into a tale of a man searching for just the right time—and the right way—to make his feelings known to the object of his desire (“Sometimes it’s easier to shoulder the whole world / Than to muster up the courage to admit that you’re in love”). Tran closes the album by laying his soul bare, leaving no emotion unspoken—and no tale untold.
 
To briefly return to the title track, Tran emotes: “I should have learned my lesson well / From these great literary cautionary tales.” It’s a lesson that he has not only learned well, but one he now teaches the listener—and does so with grace and courage. There’s a commonly used phrase in the world of poker: “all-in,” which is what it’s called when you put every one of your chips at risk. Sometimes it’s an act of desperation, when you’re almost out of the game and you want to take one last shot at a big payoff so you can keep playing … but other times it shows supreme confidence, a sense of invulnerability, when the player is so sure of what he has that he dares anyone to challenge him. Vi Tran knows he’s put everything he has—emotionally, mentally, financially, and every-other-ally you can think of—into his new album …
 
… and I think American Heroine is a winning hand.
 
Vi Tran Band is:
Vi Tran: vocals, guitar, typewriter
Katie Gilchrist: vocals
Sean Hogge: guitar
Jerod Rivers: drums, percussion, lap steel, vocals
Ben Byard: bass, vocals 
 
*****
American Heroine was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Joel Nanos at Element Recording, © 2013 SeaWheat Songs. Album collaborators include Eryn Bates (string arrangements), Mark Lowrey (piano, organ), Hermon Mehari (trumpet), Rachel Gaither (violin), Christine Grossman (viola), and Christine Gross (cello). Album cover art direction, design, and layout by Vi Tran, Eric Lindquist (Lindquist Press), Matthew Naquin, and Mackenzie Goodwin. Photography by Forester Michael.
 
The album will be released on October 8, but you can attend the release party next Friday, October 4 at Kill Devil Club at 7:00 pm. Special guests include Mark Lowrey, David George & A Crooked Mile, and Jessica Paige. Vi Tran Band will be performing with the American Heroine Orchestra. Ticket link.
 
 
–Michael Byars
 

Michael Byars is still chuckling silently to himself over his hidden Beatles reference he snuck in there. He thinks he’s just so damn clever. Good job, Michael. Way to go.

*clap … clap … clap … clap …*
 

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Artists on Trial: Mad Libby

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Mad Libby has found a measurable amount of success in the region with its brand of energetic, fiery rock. The dynamic four-piece band has won accolades in Kansas City and beyond, being bestowed the honor of No. 2 rock band in the Midwest according to Project Backstage. And now, they are The Deli KC’s September artist of the month! Read on to find out more about this high-powered outfit.
 
The Deli: Down and dirty: 1 sentence to describe your music. What is it?
 
Mad Libby: Rock and roll, punk, and power pop tossed into a blender and turned on high!
 
The Deli: What have some of your biggest accomplishments been as a band?
 
Mad Libby: One of our biggest accomplishments was winning 2012’s California Dreamin’ III contest and getting to play The Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles. We also took home artist of the year in 2013 at the Project Backstage awards show.
 
The Deli: What do you have coming up that we should know about?
 
Mad Libby: We will be at Aftershock on Oct 11 supporting Jessica and Dana kicking off their tour as the backing band for The Fabulous Miss Wendy.
 
The Deli: What does supporting local music mean to you?
 
Mad Libby: Supporting the local scene means everything to us. Without the scene, we wouldn’t be here. A lot of the bands you hear on the radio were all part of someone’s local scene at some point. Be good to the scene and the scene will be good to you!
 
The Deli: Who are your favorite local musicians right now?
 
Mad Libby: TOO MANY TO MENTION!!
 
The Deli: Who are your favorite not-so-local musicians right now?
 
Mad Libby: We love The Melismatics from Minneapolis, Save The Hero from Omaha, Kingshifter from Wichita. Just to name a few!
 
The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy concert bill to play on?
 
Mad Libby: I don’t know. I think we’d love to open for The Foo Fighters or Joan Jett & The Blackhearts. OR BOTH!
 
The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why?
 
Mad Libby: THE BEATLES! Just because. They’re the Beatles. Or Led Zeppelin. Either way, it’d be an epic sight!
 
The Deli: Where can we find you on the web?
 
 
The Deli: What other goals does Mad Libby have for 2013?
 
Mad Libby: Mad Libby plans on finishing up recording in 2013 and playing some out-of-town shows.
 
The Deli: Always go out on a high note. Any last words of wisdom for the Deli audience?
 
Mad Libby: SPREAD THE MADNESS AND GET LIBBYRATED!!
 
Mad Libby is:
Jennifer Roswold: lead vocals, guitar
Jessica White: bass, vocals
Rob Adams: lead guitar
Dana Scott: drums, vocals 

Head over to Aftershock on Friday, October 11 for your next chance to see Mad Libby. Facebook event page. The band will also be at Czar on November 9, Cafe Acoustic (St. Joseph) on November 16. And mark your calendars for April 11, when Mad Libby will headlining the Project Backstage awards show at Voodoo Lounge.
 

–Michelle Bacon

Michelle is editor of The Deli Magazine – Kansas City, and also plays drums Drew Black & Dirty Electric and bass in Dolls on Fire and The Philistines. Her teeth are falling out but she will still eat all of the treats fall has to offer and more.

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