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Middle of the Map Fest: second wave of bands announced

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The second wave of bands for Middle of the Map Fest has been announced! Here’s the list:

Divine Fits (LA)
Futurebirds (Athens, GA)
Dent May (Oxford, MS)
Benoît Pioulard (Seattle)
Air Review (Dallas)
Psychic Twin (Chicago)
Great American Canyon Band (Baltimore)
Beautiful Bodies
The Hearts of Darkness
Not A Planet 
Drew Black & Dirty Electric
Berwanger
Schwervon!
Hospital Ships
Scratch Track

I Heart Local Music Day Party
y(our) friends
The Sluts 
Oils

Chevy Music Showcase
Margo May
David Burchfield & the Great Stop
Silver Maggies
Sons of Great Dane

96.5 The Buzz Day Party
The Dead Girls 
The Slowdown (previously announced)
Cherokee Rock Rifle (previously announced)
Clairaudients (previously announced)

90.9 The Bridge Day Party
The Blackbird Revue
Cadillac Flambe
We Are Voices
John Velghe & The Prodigal Sons

Money Wolf Music Showcase
Dead Ven
The Hillary Watts Riot
Dollar Fox
The Latenight Callers

Golden Sounds Record Showcase
The Caves
The Empty Spaces
Hidden Pictures
Fullbloods

High Dive Records Showcase
The ACBs (previously announced)
Shy Boys (previously announced)
Fourth of July (previously announced)
Ghosty (previously announced)

IndyGround Entertainment 
Steddy P & DJ Mahf (previously announced)
Brett Gretzky
Info Gates
Two4One
Dutch Newman
Tom Richman

Les Izmore Patio Bash
Ebony Tusks
Stik Figa
The Conquerors
The Abnorm 
Barbaric Merits

 
Stay tuned for more announcements as they come! Also, check out this week’s edition of The Mailbox (a webcast run by Michael Byars and Chris Haghirian at Midwest Music Foundation) with some of the selections announced today.

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Upcoming show: Stiff Middle Fingers/Scruffy and the Janitors/Black on Black at Bottleneck, 2.20.13

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Two punk rock-leaning acts playing an all-ages show on a Wednesday night with a blues-driven garage rock band made up of teenagers. Weird? Perhaps. Worth $5? Yes sir.
 
On Wednesday February 20, three of the area’s best, most passionate bands will plant their flags on the stage at The Bottleneck: Black on Black and Scruffy and the Janitors will be laying out the lush red carpet as they support local hardcore punk aficionados Stiff Middle Fingers. 
 
Black on Black, a punk three-piece, claims to play and live the music that drives them. One listen to the EPs Help Yourself and the upcoming Let’s Get Cynical and you will know this statement is not just more pseudo-punk posturing from some mall punk rockers, this band practices what it preaches. Influenced by luminaries of the hardcore scene like Fugazi, Gorilla Biscuits, Bad Religion, OFF!, and Bad Brains as well as the alternative leaning Dinosaur Jr., The Melvins, and Archers of Loaf, Black on Black embraces the ominous tones of garage rock, the all-out audial assault of massive volume legends like Swans and storytelling like that of Husker Dü. Make sure to show up early for some punk rock storytelling truth. If you dig Vampire Weekend, stay home.
 
Bands charging out of the fertile music scene of St. Joseph are all the rage. First was Dsoedean, the indie rock-leaning band with an affinity for Built to Spill and expertly crafted songs. Next—and the one to make the biggest boom thus far—was Radkey, the punkish trio of brothers that no one can seem to get enough of right now. Now it is Scruffy and the Janitors’ turn to test the waters, to bask in the light. Scruffy (Steven Foster, Teriq Newton, and Trevin Newton) takes its love of ‘90s alternative bands like Mudhoney and Nirvana, blends them with The Animals, The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, and The Stones while embracing more recent garage acts such as The White Stripes and The Strokes. For good measure, Scruffy shakes some Skip James, Little Walter, and Son House in the mix for good measure. Driven by their debut release, last year’s Pino and an ever-solidifying live show, Scruffy is definitely a band to keep an eye in the future. The four will go all the way, if they don’t melt their amps first.
 
Stiff Middle Fingers, an action-packed local favorite, cover tunes from legendary bands from the world of punk like Stiff Little Fingers, Descendents, Black Flag, and Minor Threat as well as original tracks as skull rattling as “Common Cents,” “World Biggest Guillotine,” and “Psycho Bitch,” from last year’s million volt-charged debut Enemies with Benefits (see our review here). Frontman Travis Arey is a remarkable sight to witness as he runs around, microphone in hand, with the boundless energy of a hyperactive kid eating a 10-pound bag of sugar and doing lines with a pixie stick. Arey stands on tables, runs to the bar, having people sing along; he just wants you all to enter his world for an hour or so. He is the embodiment of Henry Rollins if Henry were ever in a good mood. The band behind him plays like there’s nothing left to lose. Cameron Hawk attacks his guitar, playing with the speed of a hummingbird, Barry Swenson’s bass work is as good as it is bowel shaking, and JP Redmon plays the drums like the bastard son of Bill Stevenson and the goddamned Energizer Bunny.
 
If you want to see where music is heading in the region, that there are indeed great bands out there willing to give all of themselves for the sake of the show and the crowd—be it five or five thousand strong, that care more about the music than their image, The Bottleneck is the place to be. If you like churned-out, radio-friendly “rock,” these probably are not the bands for you.
 
The Wednesday show will kick off at 8:00 pm with Black on Black, followed by Scruffy and the Janitors, and concluded by the explosive sounds of Stiff Middle Fingers. This is an all-ages show; cover is $5. Facebook event page here.
 
 
 
–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 national 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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The Deli’s Emerging Kansas City Artist of 2012: #1 – Radkey

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What do you get when three teenage boys decide to start making music together? Well, you usually aren’t lucky enough to get anything like Radkey. Fortunately, the Kansas City music scene is. The three brothers—Dee (19), Isaiah (17), and Solomon Radke (15)—hail from St. Joseph and have been creating music catchy enough to be received by a broad audience and heavy enough to be affirmed by more experienced rockers and punkers alike. Though the brothers have only been playing music for 3 years, they portray a mastery of their instruments and a deep understanding of their influences, which include bands like The Misfits, The Ramones, Bad Brains, and Jimi Hendrix.

 
Radkey has found an unbelievable amount of success in its short amount of time as a band: the trio has performed at the Afro-Punk Festival in Brooklyn (also including the likes of Erykah Badu and Reggie Watts), recorded a video at the Wreck Room in Brooklyn (founded by Adrian Grenier of HBO’s Entourage), and will be performing an official showcase at SXSW in March, as well as others (including Kansas City’s MidCoast Takeover showcase). Congratulations to Radkey for being The Deli’s Emerging Kansas City Artist of 2012!
 
Radkey is:
Dee Radke – vocals, guitar
Isaiah Radke – bass, vocals
Solomon Radke – drums
 
Check out Radkey’s Daytrotter session, which was just released today!
 
Radkey has a number of performances coming up, the next of which is tomorrow, Thursday, January 31, at Eighth St. Taproom in Lawrence, with Bloodbirds and Ponyboy (the band will be recording a music video at this event). The boys will also appear at The Riot Room this Sunday, February 3, with The Growlers and UZIS. Radkey will release a 7” on Friday, March 1 at Replay Lounge with Stiff Middle Fingers. If you’re in Austin in March, the trio will be playing an official SXSW showcase as well as others (including MidCoast Takeover at Shangri-La).
 
 
 
 
(Photos by Todd Zimmer)
 
–Michelle Bacon 
 
 

 

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On The Beat with Liam Sumnicht

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(Photo by Jodie Platz Photography) 

From promoting local music by presenting it on the radio or pounding on a kit on stage, Liam Sumnicht is a loud proponent of the Kansas City music scene. His band Not A Planet is getting its name known in the area with an album release in the next month, and is playing one of the MidCoast Takeover fundraisers this weekend. To find out more about Liam, catch the beat right here!
 
–Michelle Bacon
 
On The Beat is an exclusive feature from The Deli Magazine-Kansas City that showcases many of the talented drummers in the Kansas City area. 
 

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Album review: The Lucky – The Lucky (EP)

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The Lucky does not waste anyone’s time getting into the nitty-gritty of its self-titled EP. A four-count of fast, punky guitars drives you straight into the opening track, whimsically titled “Lalalalike You,” a cute little diddy about—not love—simply lalalaliking someone. Lead primarily by the vocal work of Jason McKee, his female counterpart Camilla Camille, chimes in every now and then to boost the anthem into a high-speed duet.

           
“Lalalalike You” is promptly followed up with “Owl & Me.” This song slows things down a bit… but only a bit. Camille’s sensual, breathy vocals on the verses transmute into a full-blown rocker-chick sound for the chorus. “Can’t Shake You” is next. Again, Camille voices this song. It’s equally as charming as the first song. With a chorus of “la la la’s,” the song quickly anchors itself into that part of the brain where songs tend to get stuck.
 
The final track, “Mad One,” brings up the lively grungy guitars every loves (to some degree). A classy guitar solo spins the song into something that can easily be taken as a single. This song is easily a depiction of what The Lucky is all about.
 
I have yet to mention drummer Jonathan Thatch’s work on these tracks. The drum work is as simple as you’d want it to be—consistent throughout the entire four-track EP. Executed flawlessly to maintain the powerful punk sounds of the songs, the drums add a powerful element.
 
If you’re not listening for it, you won’t miss the bass riffs. The band is simply a three-piece, omitting the bass. The guitar work keeps the listener at full attention. The album sounds ultimately lo-fi, in terms of recording quality. But you wouldn’t want to listen to The Lucky any other way. The fast-paced rock ‘n roll songs are boosted with a lo-fi sound, making it seem as though The Lucky is performing right in front of you, at a bar or in your garage; a more intimate sound for the band.
 
The Lucky’s self-titled album was recorded by Paul Malinowski at Massive Sound and mastered by Duane Trower at Weights and Measures Soundlab.
 
The Lucky will release its debut EP tomorrow night, Friday, February 15, at recordBar. The Lover’s Rock show begins at 10:00 pm with The Heavy Figs, followed by The Lucky, and rounded out by Schwervon!. Tickets are available at the door or purchase here for $7.

–Steven Ervay

Steven is the intern of Midwest Music Foundation and The Deli – Kansas City. He can’t go to 21+ shows yet and that bums him out.  

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Artists on Trial: David Hasselhoff on Acid

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For the next few weeks, we’ll be featuring artists playing the MidCoast Takeover fundraiser shows, sponsored by Midwest Music Foundation.

Kansas City boasts a diverse music scene, ranging from its historic jazz foundation to its renowned symphony to rock bands finding national success. David Hasselhoff on Acid has added yet another dimension of versatility with an instrumental psychedelic rock sound that brings in elements of funk and metal. Let’s find out a little more about the four-piece group.
 
The Deli: Down and dirty: 1 sentence to describe your music. What is it?
 
David Hasselhoff on Acid: David Hasselhoff on Acid is a progressive, instrumental PB&J with extra spank and a side of deep space.
 
The Deli: Let’s talk about your upcoming album. What can we expect?
 
DHOA: Our new album Eudaimonia will be coming out in early May. We are about halfway through the process right now. The album will be 7 songs and feature guest appearances by R.L. Brooks from Maps for Travelers on trumpet and Bobby Bayer from Sundiver and Janet the Planet on saxophone. Expect a more powerful and focused Hoff… or as focused as a schizophrenic could ever hope to be.
 
The Deli: What other plans do you have for 2013?
 
DHOA: Our Kickstarter will be up soon. We are relying on the support of our community, not just our local community but the entire music community to help us get to SXSW. We are hoping to be on Middle of the Map fest in April, and will be promoting a CD release show sometime in May. Depending on fan support from Kickstarter, we hope to make it out to our friends in LA and hit a few shows on the way back. Besides that… look for us opening for more national touring acts that come through Kansas City.
 
The Deli: What does supporting local music mean to you?
 
DHOA: Going out to see shows. Giving those bands your money. Introducing new people to new music and artists in the area.
 
Supporting the local scene is important to us because the KC music scene is tight like family so when we go out to shows we are pretty much supporting friends and family.
 
The Deli: Who are your favorite local musicians right now?
 
DHOA: Parts of Speech and Janet the Planet, Josh Enyart and everything he does, the Arana brothers, Mark Southerland and Snuff Jazz, Mike Dillon, Zach Rizer, Humans…there are so many talented people and great bands in Kansas City. Too many to list here.
 
The Deli: Who are your favorite not-so-local musicians right now?
 
 
The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy concert bill to play on?
 
DHOA: This would never happen, but it would have to be Animals as Leaders, Meshuggah, Primus and Tool!
 
The Deli: Would you rather spend the rest of your life on stage or in the recording studio?
 
DHOA: Half and half.
 
The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why?
 
DHOA: Our bass player’s main influence is Flea, so he would be up there. Abe and Chino from the Deftones because we are all huge Deftones fans, and Beethoven because he’s the shit!
 
The Deli: All right, give us the rundown. Where all on this big crazy web can you be found?
 
 
The Deli: Always go out on a high note. Any last words of wisdom for the Deli audience?
 
DHOA: Everything is not always as it seems. Question everything. Laugh as much as possible and see as much local music as you can. We rely on the community. Thank you for listening.
 
DHOA is:
Phil Wolf – guitar
Erich Thomas – bass
Zach Legler – drums
Brandon Bamesberger – guitar
 
You can see David Hasselhoff on Acid this Saturday, February 16, where they will be playing the fourth MidCoast Takeover fundraiser at The Brick. The group will be playing at 11:30, along with Rev Gusto, Cherokee Rock Rifle, and Not A Planet. Facebook event page here. David Hasselhoff on Acid was also one of over 40 KC artists selected to play the 2013 MidCoast Takeover showcase at SXSW from March 13-16 at Shangri-La in Austin, Texas.
 

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Show recap: MidCoast Takeover Fundraiser #2 at Czar, 2.1.13

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(All photos by Randy Pace)

The night was gently prodded into motion by the serene sounds of Eyelit. This more Civil-Wars-than-The-Civil-Wars duo skillfully bounced from tender folk ballad to ballad, much to the delight of the already large crowd. Backed by a group of varied instrumentalists, the songs were at their best when allowed to become luxuriant and a little more upbeat, while at the same time not detracting from the lovely simplicity of Dansare and Austin Mark’s constantly harmonized vocals.

 
 
 
 
Jorge Arana Trio took the stage next. Shaming damn near every musician in the building, they tore through a compact and lively set of jazzy math rock (amongst many, many other descriptors I could have used). The band’s sound was playful and neurotic, often shifting from genre to genre with no remorse. Possibly most impressive was the trio’s ability to fuse all of these influences and sounds into a set of songs that was cohesive and impactful.
 
 
 
 
 
Next up was David George and A Crooked Mile. Despite being added to the bill at near the last minute, DG&ACM was able to put together a solid show that thoroughly pleased the full bar. Fronted by the namesake himself (who also has this little side job of playing guitar for John Fogerty), the band brought a brisk set of good old folk-country tinged rock ‘n roll. George’s tender, yet commanding vocals were the perfect counterpart the instrumentation beneath, provided by a concrete band of KC veterans. From the stripped-down acoustic moments to the lush and thumping strains, this band proved to be in full control of their sound.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Latenight Callers finished up the evening with their customary blend of noir pop. Truly a growing and unique force in the KC music scene, they kept the crowd grooving and drooling with a sexy sound all their own. Ms. Julie was on her game this evening (but then again, when is she ever not?), teasing the crowd with overtly sensual vocal stylings. However, the band was plenty able to keep pace with her entertainment value, delivering blow after blow of well-orchestrated build ups and break downs. Even technical difficulties couldn’t stop The Latenight Callers on this night (kudos to the ginger superhero who shall remain nameless for having an amp in his car).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Overall, this night showcased the vast versatility of our scene. Countless kudos to all the bands that played and the fine folks at Midwest Music Foundation/MidCoast Takeover for putting together something that we can all be super proud of.
 
(Video by Nate Heavilin)
 
Don’t miss the fourth fundraiser for MidCoast Takeover, this Saturday, February 16, at The Brick. The lineup will include Rev Gusto, Cherokee Rock Rifle, David Hasselhoff on Acid and Not A Planet. Facebook event page here.
 

–-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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Upcoming: Vive The Rock – Fundraiser for Académie Lafayette at recordBar, 2.8.13

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Join an eclectic bill on Friday, February 8 at recordBar for a special fundraiser for Académie Lafayette, a K-8 public charter/French immersion school in KCMO. All proceeds go to the Académie Lafayette General Fund, which pays for music and arts education, interns, extracurricular programs, sports, free tutoring, etc.

Each band will feature at least one parent of an Académie Lafayette student. The Quivers will kick off the evening at 9:30 with a raucous set of soulful rock tunes, followed by the heartfelt songwriter pop of The Sexy Accident. Rounding out the evening will be the freak pop stylings of The Hillary Watts Riot and the heavy-hitting sounds of Federation of Horsepower. The show will be emcee’d by Cody Wyoming.

T-shirts for the event and raffle tickets will be sold. Tickets to the Friday show are available for $25 at this link. They will be $35 at the door.

–Michelle Bacon

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Show review: The Growlers/Radkey/UZIS at Riot Room, 2.3.13

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While sports fans gathered together over watered down brews and chicken wing cupcakes, The Riot Room celebrated Super Bowl Sunday by opening its doors to a menagerie of leather-clad locals in support of Costa Mesa band, The Growlers. While The Growlers certainly captivated Midtown with their upbeat surf-psych melodies and Brooks Nielsen’s listless shimmying, the band was framed by a full-bodied lineup, including Kansas City bands, Radkey and UZIS.

 
A newer band made up of familiar faces, UZIS started off the night during the death rattle of Sunday’s game. Mitch Clark and Jessie Brown vocalize well together, their harmonies serving to complement the simple, upbeat energy of their set. Backed by Chris Farmer on drums, the trio executed a neatly compact set of melody-driven, lighthearted punk rock. By starting off the show with “Spider” and “Black and Blue”(a particularly well-written track), UZIS set the tone for the remainder of their performance. What the band lacks in self-indulgent guitar solos, they make up for in accomplished simplicity, reminiscent of a time the term “pop-punk” was not a musical death sentence. Their cover of La Peste’s “Don’t Wanna Die (In My Sleep)” paid tribute to the late ‘70s melodic punk reincarnated by their set. “Shut Your Mouth” evoked a sneering swagger from Clark, which accentuated the mood of UZIS performance with the perfect hint of irreverence.
 
UZIS, of course, were not the only band to celebrate a throwback to puritanical punk rock during Sundays show. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Radkey took the stage after a sobering break provided by Jessica Hernandez and her band, The Deltas. While their set was well executed and soulful, their placement in the lineup created a break in the pace of Sunday’s show, although I am doubtful that this was the fault of Hernandez. However, whatever energy had waned since the UZIS set was quickly rekindled by the three brothers that have recently turned so many heads in Kansas City.
 
After being named The Deli’s Emerging Kansas City Artist of 2012, Dee, Isaiah, and Solomon Radke have been stealing the spotlight in Kansas City, and Sunday’s show was another for the boys to add to their ever impressive resume of performances. What blows me away every time that I have been fortunate enough to see Radkey is the stunning depth of sound that they accomplish through their intelligent and well-placed guitar solos (a particularly well-placed solo during the track “Little Man” was a brilliant punctuation to their set), which are simultaneously brief and complex, as well as Dee’s deep and resonating vocals. Most press that the band has received has harped relentlessly on how incredibly young the members of Radkey are, which is understandable. But after the year that the boys have had, they have made it clear that they are not relying on any cheap gimmicks, including their own youth, to draw a crowd to their shows.  Bursting out of the gate with “Where Do You Stand,” the brothers set a fast pace….and kept up with it. The track “Cat & Mouse” seems to remain a crowd favorite every set the boys have played, and Sunday’s show was no exception, the solid thumping rhythm of the song commanding attention from the steadily growing audience.
 
The Growlers, and their touring partners Jaill, wrapped up Sunday’s show with a notably lighter collection of tunes, culminating in the much anticipated set by The Growlers, whose current tour will culminate in their appearance at Austin’s annual PsychFest, hosted by The Black Angels this April.
 
Radkey will be opening for Illinois duet Local H next Wednesday, February 13 at recordBar. UZIS will be playing at recordBar as well, on Saturday, March 30, with local heroes The Architects.

–Stephanie Bloss
 
Stephanie Bloss is an artist and writer living in Kansas City, Missouri. She is currently in residency at The Roost Gallery in the West Bottoms and has been active in the KC music community since 2010.
 

 

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Ink and The Record Machine announce Middle of the Map lineup

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Ink’s Middle of the Map fest 2013 lineup has been announced, with many more artists to be revealed at a later date.

The initial lineup consists of  Grizzly Bear, Iceage, The Whigs, Wovenhand, The Appleseed Cast, The Casket Lottery, White Lung, People Get Ready, Denison Witmer, Kitten, Guards, Cowboy Indian Bear, Soft Reeds, Palace, Making Movies, Détective, Owen Pallet, Mister Lies, The Last Bison, Pujol, Joe Pug, La Guerre, Spirit is the Spirit, Sleepy Kitty, My Gold Mask, Dots Not Feathers, Smoker, the Soil & the Sun, Trouper, Little Legend, Maps For Travelers, She’s A Keeper, Bloodbirds, Quiet Corral, Akkilles, Radkey, Steddy P & DJ Mahf, Thee Water MoccaSins, The ACB’s, Shy Boys, Fourth of July, Ghosty, Shadow Paint, The Slowdown, Cherokee Rock Rifle, Clairaudients, White Girl, Antennas Up, Heartfelt Anarchy, Six Percent, The Regrets, The Belles, The Noise FM and many more.

The fest runs from April 4-6 in various venues in Kansas City, including recordBar, The Riot Room, the Uptown Theatre, The Union, Gusto Lounge, and Westport Coffeehouse.

Tickets are available for purchase at the link here. It’s $45 for a 3-day music pass. An arts, culture, and tech forum will begin April 17, and is $50 for a 3-day pass. The film fest will take place May 1-5 and will cost $25 for the 5-day event. For an all-access pass, the cost is $100.

Middle of the Map Fest is curated by Nathan Reusch of The Record Machine and Chris Haghirian of Ink.

To find out more about the event from the curators as well as listen to music from some of the bands involved, visit The Mailbox, a weekly podcast from Michael Byars, Chris Haghirian, and Midwest Music Foundation.

–Michelle Bacon

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On The Beat with Josh Enyart

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(Photo by Jorge Arana)
 
Josh Enyart has played with some of the most eclectic bands in Kansas City, and isn’t afraid to tackle any genre of music. From his work as a former member of chaotic dance rock outfit Pixel Panda to the heavy rock styles of Maps for Travelers, to his current work in the jazzy and heavy rock bands Jorge Arana Trio and Various Blonde, Enyart is an unstoppable rhythmic force in this city. Find out more about him and catch the beat right here!
 
–Michelle Bacon
 
On The Beat is an exclusive feature from The Deli Magazine-Kansas City that showcases many of the talented drummers in the Kansas City area. 
 

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Album review: The Dead Girls – Fade In/Fade Out

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(Photo by Rachel Meyers)
 
It doesn’t seem too premature to consider The Dead Girls’ latest effort Fade In/Fade Out a strong contender for best local pop album of the year.
 
The four-piece power pop group, who also cites classic, heavy guitar rockers like KISS and Thin Lizzy as influences, is releasing its first full-length album since 2010’s Out of Earshot. Though they also released a 7” single in 2012 (She Laughed A Little), the new LP has been highly anticipated by fans and the band itself.
 
“We started recording FIFO in 2009,” said guitarist and vocalist Cameron Hawk. “We were putting the finishing touches on Out of Earshot, and then went in to track drums for a few new tunes. We were thinking like, ‘Man, we’re gonna be done recording this new album even before Out of Earshot comes out!’ Now, here we are, three-and-a-half years later. It’s the story of our lives, really.”
 
That said, this album is well worth the wait. FIFO was produced by Chris Cosgrove, who has been an integral part of The Dead Girls’ recorded sound since producing Out of Earshot and their previous EPs Te Quiero and Hair Trigger. According to Hawk, Cosgrove helped push this recording in a stronger direction. “He was very set on having really different guitar sounds for every song; some of this extra layering resulted in more than 70 tracks on a few songs. Virtually every guitar track features a different amp, guitar, setting, or all of the above. Also, Chris had this wall of amps for us to choose from, so it was pretty much a guitar player’s heaven.”
 
Layered guitar sounds are evident throughout the album, weaving masterfully between a big entrance in lead-off track “Never Erased” to a soft, crisp acoustic guitar progression in the sincere track “Sing It Soft.” In the same vein, the songs gracefully transition from energetic to heartfelt. The contrast between Hawk’s and co-writer/vocalist/guitarist JoJo Longbottom’s songs is enough to create variety on each track, but the sense of what makes a Dead Girls’ song remains intact.
 
According to Hawk, all of the songs on this album are written separately by him or Longbottom. “JoJo and I will write songs on our own and bring them to the table through demos we record at home,” noting that each composition undergoes an intense collaborative scrunity by the band. “We’ve found a system that really works for us, and we’re getting better at it all the time.”
 
On songs like “The Beast Inside,” you hear the punk vocal stylings of Longbottom, which also maintain a smooth, accessible higher range. On the other hand, Hawk’s voice leans toward a purer pop tone like Alex Chilton with a slightly gritty rock ‘n roll edge. With their songwriting and Thin Lizzy-style dueling guitar attacks, Hawk and Longbottom construct nearly flawless pop songs with the help of a booming rhythm section from Eric Melin and Nick Colby. Some of album’s songs are structured like standard, quality pop songs; yet there’s a secret touch that comes from each member contributing his own part. Colby throws in gripping bass lines in addition to establishing a sturdy foundation to propel each track. Melin complements Colby (they’ve been together since the days of Ultimate Fakebook), punctuating each chug with a solid beat. He precisely attacks the skins on each track, and initiates crucial breaks that give songs an extra bite.
 
Flaming Lips’ drummer Kliph Scurlock, a friend of the band’s (he recently filled in at a gig for a sick Melin), mastered FIFO. The element of adding another ear to the recording process—especially from someone familiar with the group’s sound—also shaped the overall sound of the album. “’I Feel You’ (a nearly seven-and-a-half-minute song) was actually split into two tracks originally, but Kliph helped us understand that it should be a single song.Sometimes, one person will see something not even five other people can see,” said Hawk. With all of these elements, Fade In/Fade Out demonstrates a work of pop mastery from a group of true musicians.
 
Fade In/Fade Out will be released for digital download tomorrow, Friday, February 1, on The Dead Girls’ Bandcamp page. The group will be celebrating the release with a show that evening at Replay Lounge with The Depth and The Whisper. On Saturday, February 2, the boys will celebrate on the other side of the state line at recordBar with Gentleman Savage and The Casket Lottery.The Dead Girls were also one of over 40 KC artists selected to play the 2013 MidCoast Takeover showcase at SXSW from March 13-16 at Shangri-La in Austin, Texas.
 
 
–Michelle Bacon
 

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