Originally from Wisconsin, Foreign Fields began working on their debut LP, Anywhere But Where I Am, two years ago in an abandoned office building. Shortly after, the five-piece moved their project down to Nashville, where their electric folk sound has become part of the aggregate of bands changing the perception of what Nashville’s modern music scene really sounds like.

Anna Haas is one of the rare natives of the local music scene. After growing up in Nashville and following a career in dance to Boston and then to NYC, Haas found her place in the music industry as a singer/songwriter. Armed with years of stage training and a razor-sharp wit that bleeds through to her lyrics, Anna Haas draws inspiration from various sources, each of them creating a new layer to her textured career.

Born and raised in St. Louis, Herschel Garrison moved to Nashville at the age of 16. After learning to play the guitar and taking the stage at a few open mic nights, Garrison followed his talent to Arizona, where he studied audio engineering and learned to make all of his own beats. Discovering an affinity for rapping, the singer/songwriter-turned-beat maker learned to blend his mosaic of musical talents and returned to Music City, where he currently produces, records, and mixes all of his own music, which he describes as "Lupe Fiasco meets Kid Cudi." 

Described as a side project of Rosemary Haskins, Waked Lunch was inspired by William Burroughs and Angelo Badalamenti and is edited using Burroughs’ writing technique, "the cut-up method." After working with saxophonist Steve Mackay on his experimental jazz album, Haskins decided to create her own niche just off the beaten path, utilizing samples, strings, atmospheric sounds, and a myriad of instruments to define her sound. 

Geeks everywhere unite! Erica Glyn is that rare spirit who’s both responsible for the lyrics and vocal delivery of her songs… as well as the world of sounds occupying her music. Indeed, she does all the heavy lifting herself on latest full-length ‘Static,’ and the result is a deeply personal grinder against life’s grinds. Glyn is not one to suffer silently, and her razor blade grooves cut deep on rejoinders like album opener ‘Commonplace.’ Not to say the record doesn’t have its lighter moments, but even when things are quiet, Glyn is always just one step away from throwing her full sonic arsenal into the action. New video ‘I’m Not Here’ perfectly captures Erica’s worldly misgivings by depositing her face around New York landmarks while she tries to convince you otherwise. A true tour-de-force, Erica is a whirlwind of ideas with an attitude to match. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

This artist submitted their music for review here.

(Photo by Todd Zimmer)

John Bersuch plays drums, raps, records music, paints, creates. The drummer of Thee Water MoccaSins tells us about his true musical passions, his creative outlets, and his love of whiskey. Bersuch will be playing on New Year’s Eve with TWM at recordBar for a special celebration. Find out more about him; 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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2012 has been a fantastic year for local music. With a couple hundred albums released in several genres, The KC/Lawrence music scene continues to make an impression both locally and regionally. 2012 brought national attention to Kansas City music in USA Today, who featured prominent local bands at MidCoast Takeover, the annual SXSW showcase spearheaded by Midwest Music Foundation. The Deli Magazine recognized this showcase and allowed us to launch a Kansas City branch of the publication, among the ranks of larger musical cities like NYC, Nashville, and Los Angeles.