No Northside Badge? That’s OK, you can still come out to Pianos tonight for the second night of the Natureboy residency, featuring also Deli favorites Shenandoah & the Night, GunFight! and interesting newcomers Grow Up to Be Cowboys. Between Natureboy’s captivating and atmospheric folk-pop, Shenandoah and the Night’s pensive, country-tinged indie rock and GunFight!’s bombastic country-punk, there’s a bit of something for everyone to drink to.

Last Thursday, Brooklyn rock quartet The Click Clack Boom (pictured) made a special appearance at The Box as part of a fundraiser for aerial arts based emerging film, “Taxiplasm”. A silent auction featuring a variety of local talents’ artwork, including The Click Clack Boom’s very own Joseph Wolf Grazi, served as visual accompaniment to the equally varied musical acts. Following the indie rockers, female vocal troupe Hydra hit the stage, singing Russian folk songs mostly a capella with impeccable flair and precision. Taking a break from musical performances, an aerial demonstration stimulated the senses before the headliner’s Mystical Weapons – an improvisational project headlined by Sean Lennon.” Together with drummer Greg Saunier Sean hypnotized the crowd with strobe lights and avant garde electro-jams, comprised of buzzes, beeps, and whirs emanating from unidentified electronic devices, bass/guitar distortions, and eruptions of spastic drums. The evening was a unique collaboration of artists and a rare opportunity that was a privilege to experience. Catch The Click Clack Boom next at Santo’s Party House on Tuesday, June 19 for the Reverbnation New Music Seminar Showcase (Free admission!). http://www.theclickclackboom.com – Meijin Bruttomesso

If any of you out there wish you had seen The Beatles back in the Cavern Club days, where I’ve heard the band screamed bar anthems for bikers while still managing to stay on top of beautifully intricate four-part harmonies, Baby Brother might be as close to that era of the fab four as you can come… at least in their quieter moments, like the homesick ‘Texas.’ Once Baby Brother starts flying however, they can take on an almost hellbilly air in screamers like ‘Abuse’ (streaming below). The band has a big appetite, but they pack it all into catchy little numbers usually not stretching beyond the 2 1/2 minute mark. Baby Brother is a group that doesn’t take themselves too seriously, but like the Violent Femmes and Talking Heads before them, that will only make you pay even more attention to them.

Check out their full-length ‘Strange Things‘ when you can (the eponymous song alone should hook you to the rest of the record) and see them live when yo uget a chance. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

F. Stokes is a poet. This should be made clear first and foremost for those who don’t equate the term with a Hip Hop MC. Arguments can be made as to whether the syncopated chatter effused by most rappers constitutes beautiful or insightful language, but F.Stokes delivers a compelling example of just those qualities. Pair these excellent verses with bright head-nodding production and you have an artist with a bright future. His style is very New York, though with a slight nod to ATL which is unexpected given his Chicago and Madison, WI roots. Regardless of where he comes from, he has prevailed with the EP "Love, Always". Be sure to check out the video for the single “My Simple.” -=brokeMC

If I didn’t know that this band was a supergroup of KC stalwarts, I wouldn’t have any idea exactly who or what Thee Water MoccaSins is. I can only assume they like to keep it this way. There are no members listed on their “official” places on the web, there are no pictures that aren’t foggy, off centered, or purposefully blurred.  They are truly as abstract as they try to appear.  It is purposeful mystery, in that emo-adorable kind of way.  They give you no choice but to not focus on who they are, but more importantly what they do.

The band describes itself as “electro-psych fractal pop”.  Hmm.  Electro.  Psych.  Fractal.  Pop.  Sounds … heady.  And with the “Description” field on their Facebook being a link to the philosophy of randomness, their hometown being a link to “The Tree of Life Web Project”, and their own admission from their website that the whole thing was started “as a lark”, I find myself struggling to determine whether these are a group of earth-loving, deeper-than-thou intellectuals or if they’re just fucking with me.

Don’t worry, I really do understand it, but do I believe it?  I think I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and go with the grand idea they propose.  After all, it’s a glass nearly full kind of day.

But like I said before, it’s not how they present it, it’s how they do it.  And Thee Water MoccaSins does it well. …from the Rivers of Missouri and the Banks of Fear is a solid album clearly made by people that know how to make records.  The songs share just enough structure and whimsy to keep both camps happy. The rocking parts keep the tattooed hipsters interested while the sometimes-bordering-cheesy 80’s synths give hope to that guy in the back of the bar still hoping Ric Ocasek has another Candy-O in him.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this album is its ability to be blatantly influenced throughout, yet end up a cohesive and unique-sounding record in the end. Thee Water MoccaSins spin specific elements from all eras of rock history into something that walks on its own feet.

The opening track, “In the City”, sounds like The Who sharing a brown liquor drink (no ice, please) with a methed-out bumpkin as sung by Robert Smith.  It is clear this band understands the importance of having a solid and rocking album opener and they have most certainly achieved it.

Often the tracks space out into structured musical strains that test the limits of the fairly simple electronic elements beneath.  The songwriting stays fairly formulaic throughout, “Holy Roller” being the exception. This track eventually breaks the mold a bit, and features a more playful back and forth between the instrumentation and vocals.  It sounds much more purposeful than the occasional random chaos in other songs.

“Diablo Diablo” is the standout track for me. It starts akin to the others, but ends up being the best usage of vocals on the album, both for melody and effect. Also being lyrically the most accessible of these songs, it’s the one I find myself humming hours after listening.

All in all, Thee Water MoccaSins has made a very solid record.  Regardless of whether you appreciate the existentialism and verisimilitude, these electronic-tinged rock grooves will keep your ears pleased.

–Zach Hodson

How many music industry events does NYC need, really? Actually, let me rephrase that: how many music industry events does NYC need… in a 3 week time frame??? It’s like a dream for Music Industry panels addicts!

Following CMJ and SXSW’s model, not one, not two, but THREE organizations have in recent years decided to organize a similar industry occurrence. Bizarrely, they all decided to schedlue their events between the end of June and the beginning of July: L Mag’s Northside Fest will begin tomorrow and last until 06.17, which is the exact day when the New Music Seminar, with its never ending list of sponsors (chapeau!) will kick off. The brand new CBGB’s Fest will follow suit in early July.

Buzzworthy post punk band of Iranian expatriates Yellow Dogs is probably the only artist that’s playing at all the aforementioned events – the guys also have a show at Rooftop Films on June 14 and a few more between now and early July. They have also released a video of their single "This City" – streaming below.

After gathering a considerable amount of buzz in the last couple of years (see our 2011 interview with the band here), LA’s White Arrows are finally releasing their debut LP, "Dry Land Is Not A Myth," which sounds as an intriguing exercise in cross-genre experimentation. The LA quintet seamlessly mixes electronic dance beats with garage-pop guitars, fake saxes a la They Might Be Giants, and soulful backing vocals – all under the direction of lead singer Mickey Church’s ever-changing vocals. Church’s voice switches between a vulnerable falsetto and a strong swagger as he leads his band’s persistently bouncy musical charge. After opening for White Denim, Friends, and Oberhofer in Europe, White Arrows will embark on a summer North American tour with Beat Connection and Teen Daze. The tour begins in San Francisco before hitting the Troubadour this Saturday June 16. Dry Land Is Not A Myth officially drops June 19th. – Joshua S Johnson

We’re proud to launch our very first weekly feature, On The Beat with Sergio Moreno! Our first interview features Tess Jehle, drummer for The B’Dinas and Dream Wolf. Catch the beat here at the link.

On The Beat is written by drummer Sergio Moreno (from Hillary Watts Riot and Alacartoona), and features some of the many talented drummers in the Kansas City area.

Active since 2006, Brooklyn based couple The Inner Banks released their third album “Wild” yesterday, June 12, via DAG! Records. The band’s sound, mostly acoustic but fast paced, is suspended in a place between foggy nostalgia and traditional American roots music: is this dream-folk? A driving snare drum beat propels single “Ana Peru” forward (video streaming below), as a brightly textured guitar line weaves around farfisa organ stabs. Layered female vocals tell a tale of how the song title’s subject matter is ‘just like one of us’ and ‘not like none of us,’ while the chorus plays around the phrase “hey, not ordinary, hey, just ordinary – with a definitive “hey!” punctuating the musical point. The other single, "Box and Crown" confirm this band’s noteworthy melodic talent, offering tasteful string arrangements reminiscent of R.E.M. from the "Out of Time" period, while title track "Wild" betrays the group’s country influences.

Not unlike Michael Stipe’s band, The Inner Banks have found a convincing middle ground between Americana and Dream Pop in the form of a mature, arousing pop with orchestral tendencies. "Wild" has all the right features to be the album we were waiting for to properly celebrate the upcoming summer.

The band will celebrate the release with a special show on July 2 at The Mercury Lounge, sharing the bill with good friends Cardinal. Do not miss! – Dave Cromwell

Two bands from Kansas City record label The Record Machine have released a couple impressive singles.

Making Movies has released its newest single, "Hangover Blues," off the 7"/digital EP Aguardiente. The Afro-Cuban/rock group, one of the most successful bands in Kansas City, has been on tour for the EP since the end of May. They come back through KC on June 25 at Jerry’s Bait Shop in Lee’s Summit and end the tour in Chicago on June 29. Stream the new single below.

La Guerre will soon be releasing a 3-song single, which includes the song "23" off the 12" collaborative effort between The Record Machine and Golden Sound Records, Secret Handshakes. La Guerre is the solo effort of singer-songwriter Katlyn Conroy, also of Cowboy Indian Bear. Conroy kicked off her Southern Projections tour last week, heading through Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.