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New single: “Rolling Like A Stone” by Msg Ctrl

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As autumn finally lumbers up from hibernation and blankets our town with a most delicious layer of hoodie weather, your natural inclination might be to grab a steamy pumpkin-flavored caffeinated beverage and throw on your favorite sad bastard, woe-is-the-world playlist. After all, this is truly the season for The Civil Wars and Elliott Smith.

But summer is not officially gone for another few hours. The new single from Msg Ctrl, the “rock hop” project of former Shudder members Dustin Blakeman, Wurm Collins, and Kara Babcock, will be your guide as you metaphorically throw back one last lemon drop poolside. Aggressive and fueled by a slick and driving electronic landscape, “Rolling Like A Stone” is the perfect pairing for a jam packed summer dance party.
 
I enjoy the three-headed-monster vocal assault. Blakeman and Babcock mostly handle the singing duties, throwing the frisbee back and forth during the first two verses. They most effectively join together on the choruses with a dominating unison hook that will surely carom about my head as I try to sleep tonight. During these strains, Collins offers mostly effect vocals, little ticks and outbursts to keep the tension high. He shines as he is featured during the more rap-paced third verse, with a particular nod to the cackle and da-da-das announcing it.
 
Thematically, Msg Ctrl has absolutely no shame in shooting for the abstract and philosophical bullseye. With references to Anton Chekhov and the courage to throw lyrics like “appendices” and “diodes and vacuum tubing” into a three-minute pop song, I’m sure the band secretly snickers to themselves as you mindlessly gyrate to their Marty McFly-heavy message.
 
This track is solid, especially for a debut single. Word is there are several more releases from Msg Ctrl coming soon. Give them a like, go download the tune (the first 200 downloads each month are free), and keep an ear out; Msg Ctrl has got some great things cooking.
 
 
 
–Zach Hodson
 

Zach Hodson is a monster. He once stole a grilled cheese sandwich from a 4-year-old girl at her birthday party. He will only juggle if you pay him. I hear he punched Slimer right in his fat, green face. He knows the secrets to free energy, but refuses to release them until "Saved by the Bell: Fortysomethings" begins production.

He is also in Dolls on Fire and Drew Black & Dirty Electric, as well as contributing to various other Kansas City-based music, comedy, and art projects.

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Album review: Maps For Travelers – Change Your Name

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How often is it that you find a punk band that can reach a diverse audience as Maps for Travelers has? The band, recently signed by No Sleep Records, put out its debut full-length release Change Your Name. And I will attest to the album’s ability to have at least one track that can—and will—grasp you.
 
The No Sleep newbies, who are now in the company of great punk acts like Balance and Composure, The Wonder Years, and Kansas City natives Coalesce and The Casket Lottery, have been working on Change Your Name for over a year. The wait is finally over, and the album is nothing less than magnificent.  
 
At face value, this is just another Kansas City-bred punk album, but closer inspection reveals more. The little cogs of the massive sound machine that is Maps will bring to your attention their sheer talent. Several intricate parts make this four-piece more than your average Midwestern emo/punk band.
 
Sparing no time, they hit you hard with the unbelievably heavy “Good Life” and “Life on Repeat” straight out of the gate. These first two tracks carry the essence of what Maps is about. Mingling hearty, clean vocals and tones with angst-ridden yells pushes the sound to something more post-hardcore.
 
A change of pace hits on the third track “Matter of Time.” The tempo slows and though there are no screaming vocals, Zach Brotherton’s singing picks up a scruffy sound. The angst still lingers here as well. But promptly as the album continues, the hard-hitting sounds return.
 
Beyond being great at the heavy stuff, Maps makes a decent slow jam. The majority of “Swoon” is tuned down. The closing statements of the album, “All Your Friends” and “They’re Learning Fast” will help bring your adrenaline down. The slow jams are soft and soulful. Carrying the same intensity as the previous tracks in the album, they hit just a bit more gently.
 
The lyrics are raw, the vocals are clear, the music is heavy and excellently executed. Whatever your genre of choice may be, something on Change Your Name will resonate in your head.
 
Maps For Travelers was signed by No Sleep Records back in July. Change Your Name was recorded and tracked at Black Lodge Recording, Element Recording by Joel Nanos, and Massive Sound Studios by Paul Malinowski. It was mixed by Jason McEntire at Sawhorse Productions (St. Louis) and mastered by Trevor Sadler at Mastermind Productions (Charlotte, NC).
 
 
 
This Friday, September 20, you can party with the guys from Maps and Radkey, as they play The Rendezvous in St. Joseph at 9 pm. Facebook event page. Their next show in Kansas City will be on Friday, October 11 at Czar with Restorations and Noah’s Ark Was A Spaceship. Ticket link. Facebook event page.

 
–Steven Ervay 
 

Steven Ervay is super rad. 

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Crossroads Music Fest Highlights, 9.14.13

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The beginning of fall also coincides with Kansas City’s Crossroads Music Fest, which entered its ninth year this past Saturday. This year, the fest covered six venues: Crossroads KC (behind Grinder’s), The Brick, Czar Bar, Midwestern Musical Co., Green Lady Lounge, and Collection.
 
Several local bands and a number of national bands graced each stage, a variety of music ranging from jazz to hard rock to soul to single acoustic acts to a 15-person outfit. Here are some of the highlights from earlier shows in the evening.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Crossroads Music Fest is organized by Bill Sundahl at Spice of Life Productions. It was co-sponsored by Midwest Music Foundation, Kansas City Lawyers & Accountants for the Arts, and FanAddict. 

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Album review: The Grisly Hand – Country Singles

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(Photo by Todd Zimmer)
 
The thought of today’s "country music" genre is enough to make this reviewer’s skin crawl. Almost no other recollection is more irritating than the memory of high school dances gone by, predominantly backdropped with a Garth Brooks soundtrack. Flashes of two-step, ill-fitting cowboy hats and oversized belt buckles, some nasty substance called chaw, and off-key, twangy impressions spring to mind, stereotypical as they may sound. And if 16-year-old me knew that 30-year-old me would willingly and constantly blast a country album while driving around town, she would be wildly perplexed.
 
Fortunately, none of those memories is drudged up while hearing The Grisly Hand’s latest full-length effort, Country Singles. The six-piece group masterfully composed twelve solid tracks (along with a special bonus track if you have the album; and if you don’t, get it now—you won’t regret it), presented in a way that brings a broad appeal to its music, yet maintains its core. Country Singles is still, in essence, a country album, but it incorporates a healthy blend of classic country with pop, rock, folk, blues, and soul influences. The personal touch each member contributes to each song provides an extra boost of originality and character, and the production by Joel Nanos at Element Recording invites a quality that reaches far beyond the typical lengths of a locally-produced record.
 
In previous works, the strength of each track was primarily found in the pristine vocal harmonies of Lauren Krum and Jimmy Fitzner. But with a careful eye on production by Nanos, a new combination of members (this is Mike Stover’s and Matt Richey’s first recording with the group), and an ever-maturing sense of songwriting, Country Singles stands out as a premier local album.
 
The characteristically pleasant vocal harmonies by Krum/Fitzner continue to pervade the majority of the LP, but they push through each track with a more confident collective voice and project a stronger personality through their colorful brand of storytelling. One of the best examples of this is on "(If You’re Leavin’) Take the Trash Out (When You Go)," a jaunty track that nonchalantly tells the story of a breakup, driven by Krum’s intrepid vocal delivery and Fitzner’s accompaniment. On this track—among several others on Country Singles—Richey shows his ability to outshuffle any drummer in Kansas City, helping carry a consistent heartbeat throughout the LP’s most classic country tunes.
 
Guitarist and mandolin player Ben Summers also puts his songwriting abilities on display throughout the album, on songs like “Municipal Farm Blues” and “Coup de Cœur,” a lovelorn duet between him and Krum, accompanied by Stover’s masterful, lonesome steel guitar work.
 
These are just small examples of the diversity of the LP, which is best captured in the middle of the album with “Amusia” and “Blind Horse.” While the first four tracks contain the signature Grisly sound, these two are direct counterpoints that retain just enough of the band’s style to shine slightly brighter than the others. The songs show a deeper side of the band, both in emotion and composition; and perhaps the album’s finest moments are found on these tracks. One is the haunting minor-note instrumental/vocal performance that resolves at the bridge of “Amusia.” The other sort of just occurs throughout “Blind Horse,” as the physical and emotional force of Krum’s voice is pitted against intermittent breaths of a simplistic but equally-as-compelling piano, also played by Krum.
 
Country Singles is The Grisly Hand’s finest work to date, because the band maintains its roots and style while integrating a variety of influences and emotions, along with plenty of humor (the idea and liner notes were inspired by a rural newsletter for lonely singles), dynamics, and depth. No doubt this is already a strong contender for local album of 2013.
 
Yesterday, The Grisly Hand released a video for “That’s Not Affection,” directed by Dan Myers. Check it out below!
 
The Grisly Hand is:
Jimmy Fitzner: vocals, guitar
Lauren Krum: vocals
Johnny Nichols: bass, keys, vocals
Matt Richey: drums
Mike Stover: steel guitar, bass
Ben Summers: guitar, mandolin, vocals
 
 
You can check out The Grisly Hand on a big stage this Saturday, September 14 at Crossroads Music Fest. The band will play Crossroads KC at Grinder’s at 8:10 p.m. You can buy tickets in advance at this link for $15, $20 at the gate.
 
 

–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. One member of The Grisly Hand claims to be toothless, and she knows which one it is. Do you?

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Album review: Erik Voeks – Finulu (EP)

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Finulu is the first extended follow up to Erik Voeks’s debut EP Free Range (see my review here). While I very much enjoyed the more laid-back and folky sounds featured on Free Range, it is nice to see Voeks further invite the whole orchestra pit to play on this EP.
 
“Descending From a Daydream” is a solid upbeat pop tune. As I’ve mentioned in previous reviews, I am a complete whore for a good chug beat and “woo hoo”s. Both are featured here in spades. The harmonies are air tight, the arrangement is playful, the instrumentation is tastefully lush, and the lyrics are a little mischievous and tongue-in-cheek. Perhaps best is that this song really puts its money where its mouth is, as it is both somewhat a sonic departure from Voek’s previous work that I am familiar with as well as thematically about being sick of the same old tired music.
 
“And I’ve had enough of 12-bar blues,
And I’ve had all of your face that I can use”
 
“Cuz I’ve had enough of 1, 4, 5,
and I’ve had all of your shit I can’t survive”
 
“Voted the boy most likely to succeed at the Dr Who convention…” greets your ear as you groove into the EP’s second track, “Dark Angel of Delmar.” This two-minute song tows the more goofy and playful side of power pop. But even if you don’t know what Tardis is, you can still bob your head to the solid groove and hum along to the hooky guitar line. Complete with a crowd-noise/baby-wailing fade out into the next song, this effort reinforces the sentiment laid out in the first track: don’t be the soulless jerk just rehashing the same crap that has been done over and over and over and over again.
 
The last two tracks are more like the material I remember from Free Range:heavy doses of thoughtful Americana meets the Beatles in “Hester A.Fish” and early to mid-‘90s power pop ala the Gin Blossoms or Soul Asylum in “What It Feels Like.” Whereas not as experimental or varied in their sonic landscape, these tracks are still top notch.
 
Finulu, which also happens to feature some of the most adorable album art ever, is another solid effort from Voeks. It is sonically impressive, lyrically astute, and notably coddled into a sincerely enjoyable listen.
 
You can see Erik Voeks and witness his brilliant range of songwriting at Crossroads Music Fest next Saturday, September 14 at Collection at 9:30 p.m. You can buy tickets in advance at this link for $15, $20 at the gate.
 
 
–Zach Hodson
 

Zach Hodson is a monster. He once stole a grilled cheese sandwich from a 4-year-old girl at her birthday party. He will only juggle if you pay him. I hear he punched Slimer right in his fat, green face. He knows the secrets to free energy, but refuses to release them until "Saved by the Bell: Fortysomethings" begins production.

He is also in Dolls on Fire and Drew Black & Dirty Electric, as well as contributing to various other Kansas City-based music, comedy, and art projects.
 

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Spotlight: Ryan Beye Foundation’s C4 Fest – Tonight!

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If you want to support a great cause that’s also fun, check out the first annual C4 Fest from the Ryan Beye Foundation in the Crossroads Arts District for tonight’s First Friday. The foundation was formed for Ryan Beye after he passed away in late 2012. Beye founded Bandwagon Merchandise, was a musician, and believed strongly in a sense of community. C4 stands for Communicate, Collaborate, Commemorate, Celebrate for the Kansas City Community.
 
The block party will run at Locust St from 18th to 19th St and 19th Street from Oak to Locust. It will feature several artists, musicians, charities, and local businesses.
 
Here’s a schedule of events:

6:00 p.m: Four murals will be unveiled on the corner of 19th and Locust: Eeks Art, Deuce Sharbonda, David Gant, and muralist Alexander Austin.
 
Grants to supported charities will be made promptly at CrossroadsKC. 

5:00–11:00 p.m: Artists, nonprofits, organizations, and businesses that support the local community will have booths throughout Locust Street between 18th and 19th St. 

 
A commemoration wall for all to write/draw tributes to loved ones that have passed away.

5:15–12:15 a.m: Bands playing at CrossroadsKC behind Grinder’s: St. Andrews Pipe and Drums, Ruddy Swain, La Guerre, The Pedaljets, The Calamity Cubes!, AY-MusiK.

 
Poets/writers from Kansas City Voices/Whispering Prairie Press reading between set changes: Jason Preu, Timothy Christopher Ryan Volpert, Melissa Sewell, & Amy Kierzek Ash. 

All day: Free Wi-Fi provided by Connecting for Good and Bandwagon Merchandise.

The Filling Station and Soho Bakery will be selling coffee and treats. Boulevard Brewing Company will provide Zon, Pale Ale, and Unfiltered Wheat at CrossroadsKC.

Check out the Facebook event page for more information.

 

–Michelle Bacon 

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Artists on Trial: Katy Guillen & The Girls

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(Photo by Brandon Forrest)
 
They’ve only been around for about a year, and already Katy Guillen & The Girls (formerly The Katy Guillen Trio) have taken Kansas City by storm with their compelling, proficient brand of blues and rock. Guillen, along with “The Girls”—bassist Claire Adams and drummer Stephanie Williams—have big plans for the rest of 2013. They’ve released a series of singles, and they’re finalists for the 2013 KCBS Kansas City Blues Competition this Saturday at Knuckleheads. We’ll find out more about them here.
 
The Deli: Down and dirty: 1 sentence to describe your music. What is it?
 
KG & The Girls: Rock and roll, heavy blues, lots of guitar, big drums, soulful harmonies, and songs about working to survive, dreams, and people.
 
The Deli: Tell us about …and then there were three, the EP you’re releasing. What should we expect?
 
KG&G: It’s more of a release of three singles and/or a taste of the band, than an official EP. Our goal is to release an album soon with these songs and more on it. They’re the first three originals of mine that we ever jammed on and made into band songs.
 
The Deli: Katy, you play solo and also played with Go-Go Ray in the past. How/why did you start this project with Claire and Stephanie?
 
KG&G: Katy: Last September, I got asked to open for the Royal Southern Brotherhood at Knuckleheads with 2 weeks’ notice, and said of course, not knowing who I would play with. I asked Stephanie and Claire if they would want to play this show, and maybe just be a band. They were stoked and we’ve been playing music together ever since. We were already good friends, and playing in Claire & The Crowded Stage together too, so the chemistry and comfort was there from the beginning.
 
The Deli: All three of you are members of several other bands around town. What is it about this specific project that’s most rewarding to each of you?
 
KG&G: Stephanie: It’s the coolest!
 
Claire: It’s nice because it’s a small group and we communicate very well together, musically and organizationally.
 
Katy: I second what Claire said. It’s easy and fun.
 
The Deli: What does supporting local music mean to you?
 
KG&G: Playing shows, seeing shows, and volunteering your time and music for community events and causes. It’s staying active with others, and when we support each other, we support the music.
 
The Deli: Who are your favorite local musicians right now?
 
KG&G: Everyone in The Grisly Hand, and Julia Haile.
 
The Deli: Who are your favorite not-so-local musicians right now?
 
KG&G: Those Darlins, Lily Hyatt, Delta Spirit, Heartless Bastards.
 
The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy concert bill to play on?
 
KG&G: Heartless Bastards, Tedeschi Trucks Band, and Carrie Brownstein.
 
The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why? 
 
KG&G: Carrie Brownstein because she rules at life, John Bonam because he rules at drums, Janis Joplin because she rules at the stage, Jimi Hendrix because he rules at the guitar. Or, Steph’s 3 dogs and Claire’s dog, because they’re loyal.
 
The Deli: Where can we find you on the web?
 
 
The Deli: What other goals do KG & The Girls have for 2013?
 
KG&G: Play shows, travel more, and record!
 
The Deli: Always go out on a high note. Any last words of wisdom for the Deli audience?
 
KG&G: Have fun, love it, and don’t turn your back on a good thing!
 
You can catch KG & The Girls anytime in the next few days! Tonight they’ll be at BB’s Lawnside BBQ (Facebook event page), tomorrow they’re playing a benefit for the Sherwood Foundation, and they round it out Saturday at Knuckleheads for the KCBS Blues Competition from 2-6 p.m. The winner of this round goes to Memphis in January to represent Kansas City at the International Blues Challenge. Good luck, girls!
 
Also, for today only, you can download the band’s three-song release on Bandcamp at this link for free, or pay what you want.
 
 

–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 visit potentially dangerous or blighted areas because sometimes you find castles. 

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Album review: Cherokee.Rock.Rifle – Ta-Li

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(Photo by Todd Zimmer)
 
There are just not enough synonyms for blistering or scalding in the thesaurus to fully describe the sonic cock punch known as Cherokee.Rock.Rifle. Beloved by many for a bursting and no-holds-barred live show—described by the band as “a high energy show leaving you with the feeling of having been gently trampled by a herd of sonic buffalo somewhere in the untamed plains”—Cherokee.Rock.Rifle has somehow managed to adequately capture their scorching volcanic eruption on Ta-Li, a six-song EP released in April 2013.
 
This is your older brother’s dirty, unapologetically STD-laced riff rock still rolling after a weekend bender on the good shit, the stuff that even Lemmy would think is too strong. The guitars hit harder than any of that indie crap you’re SOOOOO into right now. The rhythm section of Brett Southard and EvanJohn Mcintosh somehow stakes the burgeoning cavalcade of guitars to the ground. Singer/wailer/screamer/guttural-hellfire-screecher Dutch Humphrey bends your ears over like a skanky White House intern.
 
If you know much of Cherokee, the lead track “Loose Talk/Noose Talk” seems almost like a joke at first. Slide guitar, a barely distorted, almost cowboy sound, rim shots? However, fear not troopers, as after a few minutes of slow and careful dynamic build all is put back in its rightful place with a trademark Cherokee ground-zero detonation of rock ‘n roll around the four-minute mark.
 
The other five tracks are much more straightforward outbursts of angst and grit. Doug Nelson, Scott Reed, Southard, and Mcintosh keep the blazing wildfire formula just varied and interesting enough to make you want to strap the gimp mask on and take another round of the switch. Humphrey continually shreds his vocal cords apart with slivers of glass and flaming sandpaper to pound the stories home. “Burn” stands out as the single of the bunch, but it would probably kick my ass for saying that.
 

The music Cherokee.Rock.Rifle presents on Ta-Li is not fancy. It’s not overly clever or new. But it will run your Prius off the road, pull you out of the driver’s seat and unmercifully thrash your skinny ass to a pulp before peeling out in a 1978 Mustang with a “My Kid Knocked Up Your Honor Roll Student” bumper sticker. And to think, their live show is even better.

You can bear witness to Cherokee.Rock.Rifle’s live show tomorrow night, September 5 at The Riot Room. The band will be partying with Coward (Columbia) and Austin’s Not In The Face!. Show starts at 9 p.m. with Coward. Facebook event page. You can also catch them at Crossroads Music Fest next Saturday, September 14 at The Brick. They will be the last act of the fest, playing at 1:30. You can buy tickets in advance at this link for $15, $20 at the gate.

–Zach Hodson
 

Zach Hodson is a monster. He once stole a grilled cheese sandwich from a 4-year-old girl at her birthday party. He will only juggle if you pay him. I hear he punched Slimer right in his fat, green face. He knows the secrets to free energy, but refuses to release them until "Saved by the Bell: Fortysomethings" begins production.

He is also in Dolls on Fire and Drew Black & Dirty Electric, as well as contributing to various other Kansas City-based music, comedy, and art projects.
 
 

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Song premiere: “Howling Gale” – The Peculiar Pretzelmen

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 We’re proud to premiere the latest track from The Peculiar Pretzelmen, “Howling Gale”:

 
 
This self-proclaimed avant-Americana, pre-war blues duo from LA has Kansas City ties—local label Money Wolf Music has released some of the band’s previous (and future) recordings.
 
“Howling Gale” is the first single off the Pretzelmen’s upcoming material—they will be releasing two EPs entitled Gentlemen Scoundrels: Rule Book Volume I and II at the end of summer. They’ll also release a comic book and digital single this fall, and their third full-length album in 2014.
 
This track characterizes the Pretzelmen: a bare bones but vicious three-minute attack that is simultaneously sparse and mammoth. M. Incroyable’s aggressive vocal phrasings tower over his austere banjo riff. The Deacon drives each song with unique percussion, which, according to their bio, is “less drum kit and more spoils of an old man’s work bench.” The chicks and booms of various found objects round out the gritty, in-your-face vibe of the track.
 
Be sure to check out this track and the Pretzelmen’s forthcoming EP. They’ll be stopping back in the area to play at Replay Lounge on Sunday, October 6, with Carrie Nation and the Speakeasy.
 

–Michelle Bacon

Michelle is editor of The Deli Magazine – Kansas City, plays drums Drew Black & Dirty Electric, and bass with Dolls on Fire and The Philistines. She has a Drumbot inspired by The Deacon’s kit. It’s gigantic and will probably have to be sold with her house.

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Album review: Molly Picture Club – I’m My Own Time Machine (EP)

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(Photo by Todd Zimmer)
 
Molly Picture Club’s third release, I’m My Own Time Machine, answers the prayers of wallflowers around the region. Finally, dance music for non-dancers. The tracks on Time Machine are so full of rhythm and fun beats that it doesn’t matter if you have two left feet or a Ph.D in jazz hands. No matter what varying level of awkwardness that will ensue, you will dance to this album, and you will like it.
 
And the movement won’t take long. For example, within the first 30 seconds of “Disconnected” your toes will start to tap and, as the song progresses, the rest of your limbs will join the party. And so on and so forth with the rest of the tracks.
 
“Dark disco,” as the band has coined their sound, is a blend of synthesizers, afrobeats, and ‘80s/’90s punk influences. That said, unlike the typical loosey-goosey disconnectedness of disco or other dance music, Molly Picture Club’s tempo and beats almost seem mathematical. Everything they produce sounds intentional and planned; they don’t miss a beat, which is especially apparent in the fifth track on the EP, “We Live Underground.”
 
Molly Picture Club is one of those bands whose “sounds like” list is distinct and obvious, as their music carries clarity and transparency. And though the group’s sound parallels that of The Talking Heads, LCD Soundsystem, and maybe even Animal Collective, it’s as if they take the best elements and characteristics of those groups and set out to carve a unique niche for themselves.
 
Molly Picture Club is:
Michael Tipton: vocals, guitar
Aniko Adany: vocals, synth
Matthew Hayden: percussion
 

I’m My Own Time Machine was recorded at Weights & Measures Soundlab by Duane Trower and Southland Studios by Matthew Hayden. It was mixed and mastered by Trower.

 

Make it a point to catch this infectiously dancey synth pop group live this Sunday, September 1, at The Riot Room, as it will be their final performance. The show kicks off at 8 pm with Molly Picture Club—who will be a five-piece group for the evening—followed by GRMLN and Geographer. Molly Picture Club will joined on stage by Andy Kirk on bass and keys, and Justin Skinner on percussion and samples. Facebook event page.

–Alex Peak

Alex Peak is a magazine designer by day and a music listener by night. To her, stumbling across great new music is even better than finding a $10 bill floating around in the laundry.

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In Memoriam: Abigail Henderson, 1977-2013

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(Photos by Todd Zimmer)

“Music is an art. It’s something that needs to be tended, and the people who make it need to be cared for… The currency to building a city is investing in its artists.” —Abigail Henderson

The Kansas City music community has suffered an irreplaceable loss today with the passing of Abigail Henderson, who fought a long, courageous battle with cancer. With her husband Chris Meck, Abby co-founded Midwest Music Foundation when she was diagnosed in 2008, with the goal of providing health care assistance to musicians. Since then, MMF has given a number of grants to musicians with health emergencies. Apocalypse Meow, which began as a benefit for Abby, now benefits the musicians’ emergency health care fund and will reach its sixth year in November.
 
With the conviction that musical talent from the Midwest rivaled that of anywhere else in the nation, she also helped create MidCoast Takeover, a regional music showcase at SXSW that reached its fourth and most successful year this past spring. The Deli named MidCoast one of the best unofficial showcases of 2012, and approached MMF to head up a Kansas City chapter. Thus, The Deli Magazine—Kansas City was born and thrives with Abby’s goals in mind: to promote local music, foster talent, and provide a sense of community and inclusion among those who have a hand in KC music.
 
Abby was also frontwoman and songwriter of Tiny Horse, which began as a duo with Chris Meck and was eventually realized as five-piece band (link to video below). She was also in notable bands including Atlantic Fadeout, The Gaslights, and Trouble Junction.
 
I had the distinct honor and pleasure of interviewing Abby for The Deli KC last fall in preparation for Apocalypse Meow 5. If you want to know more about this amazing woman and read her words (because mine simply cannot do them justice), please click this link. And as a fellow musician/MMF staffer/friend, I want to personally thank Abby for her steadfast spirit, support, inspiration, beautiful stories and songs, friendship, and the wonderful people she’s helped bring together as a result of all those things. And I’m certain that I’m one of a multitude of individuals that share this sentiment.
 
To commemorate Abby, please take a moment to find out more about MMF and its mission by clicking on the image below. Donations are always appreciated and will continue to benefit the musicians’ emergency health care fund.

Thank you, Abby, for the effect you’ve had and will continue to have on the music community here. Kansas City has undeniably become a brighter, more vibrant place with you in it.

Tiny Horse "Ride" from Jetpack Pictures on Vimeo.

#shinealight

–Michelle Bacon

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Album review: David Hasselhoff on Acid – Eudaimonia

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The name David Hasselhoff on Acid grabs you. Unless you are from Germany, where he’s considered a rock god, David Hasselhoff is the dude that ran down the beach to judge “talented” people while sitting in his talking car drunkenly eating a cheeseburger off the floor mats. Wait, I got some shows mixed up there. Oh well.
 
The latest from the KC band David Hasselhoff on Acid Eudaimonia is a trip—a rapid-fire jazz-rock fire fight, blasting out of the blocks with “Breakfast,” a jam that must be of supernatural origin. It comes on like something The Sword would do if they spent quality hang time with Frank Zappa and Yes while expanding their imaginations to impressive heights.
 
Therein lies the rub. I sit listening, eating a burnt English muffin, lounging in flannel pants, needing desperately to shave. I love this record. What has happened to me? Historically, I am not a fan of long, self-important, drawn-out, seemingly improvised jams. I hate Phish, The Dead was overrated, I detest Widespread Panic, and Dave Matthews is the Antichrist.
 
I grew up listening to punk rock where if you could not get it done in three minutes or less, do not play it. On occasion, if the mood struck me, I would indulge a bit in progressive rock, but those times were as rare as seeing Bigfoot at a keg party.
 
However, DHOA has struck me differently; there is method to the madness, melody in the chaos—not just “look-what-I-can-do!” wankery. There is beauty lying in the eye of the storm.
 
“Tiny Bubbles” is an 8 minute, 8 second extravaganza that plays like a threesome between Primus, Metallica, and Carlos Santana. It just should not work in this or any other universe, but it does. However, it does push the limits of my ADD, so if you have similar issues, double up on the Adderall before pushing play.
 
“Someone Just Caught a Unicorn” is just plain cool. An interstellar trip on par with ‘70s tripout artists Captain Beyond, this is one of the most spaced-out tracks on Eudaimonia—Adrian Belew and Syd Barrett would be so very proud. Although, at over thirteen minutes, even the most dedicated Dungeons & Dragons player would reach their limit. Immediately following is “Noodly Appendages,” the 3:36 jam with Zach Legler doing his best Gene Krupa/Buddy Rich drum fill attack, bassist Erich Thomas blowing the funk out and guitarists Phil Wolf and Brandon Bamesberger alternating between subtlety and rocket blasts. This is a real gem among gems.
 
The closer “Sheep Led By Wolves Owned by Pigs” is straight-up weird; at times, creepy. DHOA is clearly the Mothership for some of the best musicians I’ve ever heard. Ever. Period. The players make their instruments do things that a precious few could or can do. KC, you should be glowing with city pride to have these prog champions in your borders. That said, my friends, be in the right headspace for Eudaimonia; wait until you are sufficiently lubricated to get sucked in, to get lost. Do not get in a hurry, enjoy it, and let it get under your skin, to take you away, as any good acid trip should.
 
Eudaimonia was recorded at Level Select Productions in Lee’s Summit, and produced, mixed, and mastered by guitarist Brandon Bamesberger. It was engineered by the band: Phil Wolf, Zach Legler, Erich Thomas, and Brandon Bamesberger.
 

Physical copies of Eudaimonia will be released on Friday, September 6, at The Riot Room. The inside stage show kicks off at 9 with Opossum Trot, then Instant Empire (Denver), Janet the Planet, and DHOA. The patio starts at 8 with See the Elephant, Conflicts, and then Troglodyte.  Facebook event page. Also, check out their Kickstarter page and help them print off CDs at the link here. Only four days left!

–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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