Here’s the thing about The Riot Room; it is loud. Always and without fail. This is as constant as the Northern Star. In fact, if Las Vegas were to handicap the betting odds on the room being flooded by noise, the percentages would linger at 100%. This is always a safe bet regardless of who is playing. An alternative country band from Raleigh; maxed. A metal band from the suburbs of the gates of hell; if it is too loud, you’re too old. Spinal Tap; cranked to 11.

There is no getting around it. However, sometimes there is also no excuse for it. Watching O, Giant Man open for The Henry Clay People, this principle was never more relevant. The group’s fidgety sound is best served wrapped in complex layers and complicated shifts. The group flutters throughout styles, touching on multiple approaches to writing throughout the set. A sparkling Rhodes organ will bleed through for a moment, meshed with the band’s controlled chaos, before subsiding and surrendering to a room full of drums. The organized clutter is thick and tricky in its ability to fool listeners into determining if it is actually planned. The casual observer might even assume the set list and the collection of tunes were an act of improvisation. However, broken down it is clear that O, Giant Man has meticulously constructed not only a set of tunes, but has managed to arrange them in a way that the evening becomes one long, flawless track. Each song is intentionally placed before the next and sown together with a cross stitch creating a warm, inviting quilt of songs.

Yes, watching O, Giant Man is like staying the night at your Grandma’s house. And who doesn’t love their Grandma? Nazis. That’s who.

What was I saying? Oh, yeah. Group frontman Christopher Robbins guides his group through their set like a ship’s captain guides his crew. Throughout the night his eyes dart around the stage as he intently directs traffic and shoves his band through the crosshairs to the intended destination. Yet simultaneously, he also manages to make his guidance look as effortless as listening to a GPS. "Turn left here." Wham! Hit single.

It is important however to remember that the crew behind Robbins is as talented as he is. There is no denying that they are the real deal once you’ve heard them play. Their structure, which is unique to the Kansas City area, sets them apart from the sometimes incestuous music scene, often complicated by having the same signature sound in every band. There is something rather fresh about the way O, Giant Man is an island unto itself.

However that island holds something for all types of vacationers. Swirling guitars and harmonic vocals are both in check. At any given time the band can shift from dance-friendly indie pop to a straight rock sound that will knock your teeth out. Sometimes, I can hear The Clash, then suddenly I think I’m listening to Ryan Adams. Then vocally, I would swear they were Counting Crows. However, regardless of what the shifting sounds, I expect big things from O, Giant Man. I’ll be disappointed with Kansas City and the world if they offer this extremely talented band anything less.

-Joshua Hammond

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One of my pet peeves as a lover of all types of music is when you mention a band to someone and their immediate reaction is, "Oh yeah, those guys sound like…" I mean, I get it. Our culture is full of musical references. I, for one, don’t think it’s a bad thing. To be influenced by other people’s art is natural for an artist. Most of the music we grew up listening to was a direct descendent from something else; we just don’t know about it, so we think it’s “totally original.” No one on the planet can convince me they are playing something that isn’t derivative of something else. All that being said, I admire bands that wear their influences on their sleeves. Not to replicate it, but to push it along and give it new life in a new context. Dream Wolf’s three-song EP, Learn To Survive, does exactly that and does it well.

"Future Man" is a really the perfect opener for this set because it sums up the band’s idiosyncratic take on ’70s prog-glam rock. Pushed along by Kansas-ish keyboard tones and some laser-focus guitar playing, the song sets the pace while spinning a Bowie-like lyrical yarn ("Circle now, around the Sun/What you’re seeing now, son, are things you don’t understand/But they will make you a man").

"All Time" starts off with an on-the-verge waltz feel, highlighted by chimes and terrific vocal work by Megan Zander and Katelyn Boone. Around 1:13, the song takes a veer into a shuffle hook, reminiscent of Meatloaf or Hedwig and The Angry Inch, before falling off into a quiet vocal round that builds back into a climax that should prove at least one member of Dream Wolf is related to Freddie Mercury.

Rounding out Learn to Survive is "The Water is Full of Lead," which invites us to join them in a swimming pool full of disease. However, it may be safer to stand around the pool and bask in the band’s ability to shift into more jazz-oriented playing styles, with a very nice piano solo to boot. Although stylistically these songs are obviously pure Dream Wolf, each one has an ability to spotlight the diversity of the band without losing track of what it is at the core.

I saw Dream Wolf play last fall and their live show was filled with thematic, over-the-top melodies and grooves that made me an instant fan. The expert musicianship of every member is evident on this recording as well as their exuberant imaginations that take the listener into strange situations. With another album coming up in the near future, this band will be one to watch as they reinvent their own versions of operatic rock and take it in new directions.

You can catch Dream Wolf tonight at Coda, headlining the show with guests Modern Arsonists and Sundiver. .

-Mike Tipton

This week’s edition of On The Beat features prehistoric pummeler Sara Teasley of The Cave Girls and The Heavy Figs. She talks about hangin’ with Mr. Alice Cooper and her philosophy on music and fun. Catch the beat right here!

On The Beat is a weekly interview brought to you by drummer Sergio Moreno (of Hillary Watts Riot and Alacartoona), and features some of the many talented drummers in the Kansas City area.

This past Saturday, American Catastrophe performed its final show to a packed crowd at the recordBar. The band was preceded by Omaha duo drakes hotel and Kansas City’s Noir-a-Go-Go darlings The Latenight Callers. Though both opening bands performed strong sets to a growing audience, the focus was clearly on American Catastrophe.

For 2 hours, the group played its acclaimed version of dark Americana to a crowd that continually hungered and hollered for more. The band performed favorites from its album Excerpts From The Broken Bone Choir, along with other signature songs including "Six Foot Whisper" and "Swing Edmond." By breathing life into these songs, American Catastrophe gave listeners a chance to hear why it’s been a mainstay of the Kansas City scene, despite releasing only one album in its lengthy career.

That night, each piece of music proved just as vital as the other. While the deep rhythmic foundation of Amy Farrand and Eric Bessenacher held down each song, Shaun Hamontree laid the groundwork with vocals that switched between a haunting low register and a brazen roar. As the multi-instrumentalist of the group, Terrence Moore enhanced the immediate mood of each song. An ominous banjo with a fearful, foreboding undertone; a chugging harmonica, navigating the listener through the nine circles of hell; or a screeching guitar, ripping clean through the soul. These are the types of sounds the successful 4-piece experimented with during its run and fully brought to fruition on Saturday. A fitting farewell to a fine, dynamic group.

–Michelle Bacon

Photos © Todd Zimmer, 2012. Please do not use without permission.

(Editor’s Note: We apologize for the extreme lack of timeliness on posting this recap.)

The Wilders played an exhilirating and emotional farewell show on June 30 at Knuckleheads. The nearly sold-out show lasted for over 3 hours, with the band playing choices from its successful 15-year run. The first set began with the band centered around a single microphone, characteristic of its early days, and by the end of the evening, a full band whose power suddenly became fully realized commanded the stage. Whether The Wilders were playing old country standards or its sophisticated original alt-country tunes, the crowd remained on its feet throughout. 

During those 3 hours, The Wilders showed why they are as critical to the Kansas City music scene as they have been for over a decade, and why they’ve been the darlings of music festivals and tours around the globe. As the wind picked up and rain began to trickle, the group played more ferociously and sang more passionately, culminating in a warm, yet bittersweet celebration of a legendary group.

We want to thank The Wilders for being such an important part of Kansas City and its music scene. To Nate, Phil, Betse, and Ike: Salud!

–Michelle Bacon

Photos © Todd Zimmer, 2012. Please do not use without permission.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, you might as well dance. I mean, you can try to avoid it if you want, but for your own sake I suggest you get down. As the overused meme states, do it like no one is watching. Might I also suggest you do so to the retro rampage sounds of The Hillary Watts Riot. With equal parts Prince, Blondie, and Devo, the band’s own sultry brand of freak pop is sure to get your hips moving. 

Straight out of some sort of half-swank/half-skank dive bar of late ’20s Chicago, the only thing A/S/L is missing is a 16-piece big band and an untimely bust by the prohibition police. Couple that with the tendency to thematically slip toward R-rated cheekiness. I bet Quentin Tarantino would love to take a stab at writing an accompanying movie for these songs. It could be the tale of the slightly nerdy girl from high school, the one with mussed stockings; her thick-rimmed, cat-eyed glasses always buried in a romance novel. Later, you’ll find out online that she eventually made it big on the East Coast as a burlesque dancer. I think balcony tickets for her show are still available.

The songs are most certainly driven by the siren wailing of Hillary Watts. Though purposefully goofy sometimes, her performance is bold, brazen, and oozes with sensuality, at times bordering on humor porn. If you can take your attention off her long enough—a totally intended circumstance, I believe—you’ll find tasteful instrumentation painting the floor sticky with yesterday’s Maker’s Mark. The band does its part to perfection, keeping the groove alive and spunky for Watts to perform upon. The musical interludes and solo sections provide a nice, contrasting energy to her almost-paroxysmal vocal performance.

Although Morris Day and the mutha fuckin’ Time might want their “Jungle Love” riff back from the middle of “Killer Kind,” I see this as an appropriate homage to an often too forgotten legendary funk and dance outfit.

If you get a chance, check out these cats, especially Asia the ragdoll, live. Their high-energy performances pack in just as much bombastic sensuality as the record. This seems like the kind of music that is best listened to bouncing off your body at just a hair too many decibels.

The latest single from A/S/L, "Slap Slap," is available for download today. Check it out below.

Shake your hips on Friday, July 27 at The Brick. Hillary and her jumpsuited Drones will be playing with The Sexy Accident and Howard Iceberg & The Titanics.

–-Zach Hodson

Check out the new video from Clay Hughes, called "The Love I Gave Ya" from his upcoming project Four. The track was originally released last year on Hughes’ collaboration The Whether Machine with JKR70. 

Hughes is a part of Sharp County Records, a local label founded by Lennon Bone of Ha Ha Tonka. 

Four will be available on July 24. Until then, you can catch Hughes at Saints in Lawrence on Friday, July 13 and The Granada on Saturday, July 21, when he opens for George Watsky.

This week we catch up with drummer and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Watkins of Dollar Fox. He talks about the distinct honor of Dollar Fox being named The Deli’s artist of the month, pottery, and, well, you’ll have to find out. Catch the beat right here!

On The Beat is a weekly interview brought to you by drummer Sergio Moreno (of Hillary Watts Riot and Alacartoona), and features some of the many talented drummers in the Kansas City area.

This Saturday, Kansas City favorites American Catastrophe will be playing their final show at recordBar. The band has been going strong for about 11 years, with an impressive resume. Its first and only album Excerpts from the Broken Bone Choir received positive reviews from reputable sources like Pitchfork and Paste, and the album debuted on the CMJ charts. The band’s signature dark Americana sound summons acts like Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Tom Waits, Bauhaus, and Swans, with a tinge of hard-hitting folk. Saturday’s show promises to be an exciting one, featuring songs from the band’s entire catalog.

American Catastrophe will be joined by The Latenight Callers and Omaha’s drakes hotel. This show will likely sell out, so get your tickets at the link here.

$7 cover
9:00 p.m. Doors
10:00 p.m. drakes hotel
10:45 p.m. The Latenight Callers
11:30 p.m. American Catastrophe

 

Past Mistakes and Hauntings, the debut release from pop-punk trio Deco Auto, rips out of the garage with a mission to go, and it never looks back. From the first note of the album opener, “The Mercy Kind,” you assume you’re going to be in for a fist-pumping, air guitar-playing joyride. And you’d be right in that assumption. Wound tightly like a fist, this collection of catchy, energetic songs strikes a blow to anyone who might have thought power-punk trios were ruined by the likes of Green Day.

The hook-centric guitar work of vocalist/guitarist Steven Garcia is prevalent throughout the four-song EP, as well as his ability to find vocal lines that are accessible and rooted in pop music. The guitar tone is spot on for Deco Auto’s roaring renditions and is complimented by quality sound engineering. This extends beyond the guitar to bass and drums, as well, giving the album an energy that’s hard to capture for a lot of bands.

Bassist Tracy Flowers and drummer Michelle Bacon’s presence on these tracks is undeniable, keeping the band locked in and moving forward with each thump of the bass drum. “Pointless Fight” is a perfect example of what a solid drummer can do for a band: tight stops and starts, all the while keeping the attention and focus on the song. “I Shouldn’t Know,” which lends the lyric for the EP title, has Flowers center stage while she delivers a vocal melody that you’ll be humming the rest of the day. It’s this combination of aggression and sweetness that makes Deco Auto a worthwhile listen.

My only complaint about this release is that it’s only four songs. After listening to it, I definitely wanted it to keep going. After all, my air guitar was just getting warmed up.

Deco Auto celebrates its EP release tonight, July 6, with a special party at the Midwestern Musical Co. with local power pop legends The Pedaljets. The trio is throwing a second party next Friday, July 13, with an in-store performance at Vinyl Renaissance on 39th St. alongside Kelley Deal (The Breeders) and Mike Montgomery’s (Ampline) project R. Ring. 

—Mike Tipton

(Pictured above: Isaiah Radke of Radkey)

recordBar was home to a diverse showcase of local musicians on Saturday night, handpicked by Sonic Spectrum host Robert Moore. Drop A Grand, The Quivers, Radkey, and Soft Reeds played to an interested and expectant crowd.

The night started out with Drop a Grand.  This was my first experience of them, and indeed an experience they are. Electronically playful costumed noise punk like AC/DC, the Sex Pistols, and Elton John getting lost in the keyboard room at Guitar Center. The songs were short, loud, and brash, often sounding like the musical version of a stoned teenager fumbling at the top button of his high school sweetheart’s skinny jeans.  The wolf playing bass (Steven Tulipana) brought the technological side, often howling into the microphone through various processed effects. Overall, fun and interesting.

Kansas City’s Motown napalm darlings, The Quivers followed Drop A Grand. A little bit country, a little bit rock ‘n’ roll, a little bit Carrie Fisher with a flamethrower, their groovy tunes really got Ricardo dancing. Their set was quick, no nonsense, and a hell of a lot of fun. The well-dressed band jumped from song to song, never letting the sweaty crowd get too much of a break from the groovy vintage tunes. The set really picked up steam in the second half when vocalist Terra Peal let her voice play in the sandbox a little. Her vocals carry a combination of pure power and snarl that contrasts wonderfully with the organ and guitars beneath.

Next up were the young men from St Joseph, Radkey. Sporting clean cheeks, dreadlocks, and one fantastically groomed Billy Dee Williams moustache, they brought a simplistic and raw energy to the night.  Their straightforward rock n roll borders on radio metal at times and is the perfect music to nervously bite your fingernails to. It comes across as a young man’s Van Halen/Misfits mash up, minus the chainsaw guitar solos and the really, really short bodybuilder singer obviously compensating for something. They were tight, strong, and kept the crowd (who mostly seemed to be there for them) cheering for more.

Finishing out the evening were the hipster prophets themselves, Soft Reeds. Easily the most seasoned and talkative group of the night, Soft Reeds brought the show home with their energetic blend of dance rock. Despite their best effort to emulate The Killers or Franz Ferdinand, the Soft Reeds pop more when they allow themselves wade into the Talking Heads side of the pool. That said, they showed a true mastery over the cliffhanger art of dynamically building songs up to almost the brink of bursting only to stop them suddenly. It is certainly good music to not think too hard about and just sway side to side.

–-Zach Hodson

Photos © Todd Zimmer, 2012. Please do not use without permission.

Congratulations to Dollar Fox for The Deli – Kansas City’s artist of the month for July! They won by a landslide!

This 5-piece folk/Americana group plays music with precision, character, and heart. Since forming about 3 years ago, Dollar Fox has found success on Money Wolf Music with a full-length album under its belt and a wide fanbase. Between the 5 of them, the band uses probably 10 or more instruments in a set. That alongside Tommy Donoho’s sincere voice and lyrics helps make Dollar Fox stand out, even in an ever-growing base of Kansas City’s Americana scene.

Look forward to October 19 when Dollar Fox releases its sophomore effort, Little Mother’s Things I am Keeping.

Dollar Fox is:

• Tommy Donoho
• Nick Dothage
• Justin Penney
• Ethan Taylor
• Ryan Watkins 

Check out a few tracks from Dollar Fox’s 2010 release, Close to Home.

And check out the band’s recent performance on FOX 4, playing a track called "Letter" off the new album: