The key’s in the name. Hannah VS. The Many. Not Hannah AND The Many… You wouldn’t want to be part of the "Many" Hannah Fairchild’s ferociously taking down – track by track. You know that old cliche ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’? The various obstacles that stood in Hannah’s way, be they deceitful hipsters or any other failures, sure had their part to play in building up this fierce red-headed woman who ignited Mercury Lounge’s stage last Sunday (9.2). Boy has she got fire in her. At its fastest, the sound of Hannah vs. The Many is some vindictive high-energy punk-folk with celtic undertones. As it simmers down and she sits alone at the keyboard, the room goes silent, and you can feel dramatic tension filling the air. With so far one album to their name (which doesn’t make justice to their live show), an EP set to be released in December and a follow up LP which for now is a work in progress, we should soon be hearing more from this band – stay tuned. – Tracy Mamoun

(Photo by Jack of Hearts Photography)

Our next featured Crossroads Music Fest artist is The Good Foot, who posits itself as the Seven Saviors of Soul. We get the inside scoop from guitarist Tim Braun.

The Deli: Gun to your head, 1 sentence to describe your music. What is it?

Tim Braun: If there was a gun to my head, I would say our type of music is, "Hey man, take whatever you want, just don’t shoot me in the head."

The Deli: Tell us about your latest release or upcoming shows. What can we expect?

Tim: Crossroads Music Fest! We don’t have any other big dates on the books currently. We hope to have another 45 out by years end.

The Deli: What does "supporting local music" mean to you?

Tim: Buying a bands merch, paying a cover to see a band, supporting the establishment that has the show, telling your friends about your favorite local bands, bring sandwiches for the band to the show, KEEPING YOUR EYES PEELED FOR A WHITE ’95 GMC 15-PASSENGER RALLY VAN….there are a hundred ways to support artists.

The Deli: Who are your favorite "local" musicians right now?

Tim: The Making Movies guys are killin’ it. Diverse is great, The Hearts of Darkness is great, The Grisly Hand is rad.

The Deli: Who are your favorite not-so-local musicians right now?

Tim: DIO.

The Deli: What bands are you most excited to see at Crossroads Music Fest this year?

Tim: We’re actually booked Saturday night, so I’ll miss the big night of CMF…balls.

The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy bill to play on?

Tim: House band for The Colbert Report. Bam.

The Deli: Would you rather spend the rest of your life on stage or in the recording studio?

Tim: I hope I don’t ever have to choose one or the other.

The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why?

Tim: This one’s too hard.

The Deli: All right, give us the rundown. Where all on this big crazy web can you be found?

Tim: http://www.thegdft.com

The Good Foot will be playing the pre-party at Crossroads KC at Grinder’s this Friday at 11:30 with The Grisly Hand and The Supernauts. Check out their fabulous brand of soul!

–Michelle Bacon

Michelle is editor-in-chief of The Deli – Kansas City. She also has a weekly column with The Kansas City Star and reviews music for Ink. She plays with Deco Auto, Drew Black and Dirty Electric, and Dolls on Fire. Her grandmother is her favorite person on the planet.

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Our next featured Crossroads Music Fest artist is The Grisly Hand. This 5-piece group released its well-received EP Western Ave. earlier this year, and is currently working on a full-length album. The strong, melodious female voice behind The Grisly Hand’s music, Lauren Krum, talks to us a little about the group.

The Deli: Gun to your head, 1 sentence to describe your music. What is it?

Lauren Krum: WHY IS THERE A GUN TO MY HEAD OH MY GOD NOOOOO.

The Deli: Tell us about your latest release or upcoming shows. What can we expect?

Lauren: We are playing Friday with The Good Foot and The Supernauts. We love sharing the stage with The Good Foot and are excited to be back on the Crossroads stage. The sound is great and the stage is huge.

The Deli: What does "supporting local music" mean to you?

Lauren: Going to shows and paying the cover. Being positive and responsive to fellow musicians.

The Deli: Who are your favorite "local" musicians right now?

Lauren: Radkey, Tiny Horse, Mikal Shapiro, Dead Voices and we really enjoyed Loaded Goat & The Latenight Callers at Paris of the Plains Cocktail Competition this year!

The Deli: Who are your favorite not-so-local musicians right now?

Lauren: The Dirty Projectors, Sharon Van Etten, Menahan Street Band and The Reigning Sound.

The Deli: What bands are you most excited to see at Crossroads Music Fest this year?

Lauren: We already mentioned some of the performers as our favorite local musicians. Otherwise, My Brothers and Sisters is pretty intriguing.

The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy bill to play on?

Lauren: Opening for Gary Floater at Hollywood Bowl.

The Deli: Would you rather spend the rest of your life on stage or in the recording studio?

Lauren: On stage. Though recording is pretty fun, especially with Joel Nanos at Element Recording.

The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why?

Lauren: I’d put 5, John, Ben, Jim, Matt and Mike. And if there can really only be 4 I guess Mike and Ben kind of look similar if you cross your eyes.

The Deli: All right, give us the rundown. Where all on this big crazy web can you be found?

Lauren: http://ww.thegrislyhand.com, http://www.facebook.com/thegrislyhand

The Deli: Always go out on a high note. Any last words of wisdom for The Deli audience?

Lauren: "Talkin’ aint’ walkin."

You can see The Grisly Hand at Crossroads KC at Grinder’s this Friday at 9:30 for the pre-party with The Good Foot and The Supernauts. Don’t miss em!

–Michelle Bacon

Michelle is editor-in-chief of The Deli – Kansas City. She also has a weekly column with The Kansas City Star and reviews music for Ink. She plays with Deco Auto, Drew Black and Dirty Electric, and Dolls on Fire. She was voted Most Changed in her senior year of high school and she still isn’t sure why.

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Photo Source: The Torn ACLS

The Torn ACLS are headlining a show at the Rendezous this Friday, September 7th. Orca Team and Hounds of the Wild Hunt complete the lineup.

Their newest release is Real Risks, a five song EP they dropped back in July. Although they clearly bear the badge of indie pop, The Torn ACLS do not diverge into twee or overtly saccharine territory.

"Easy For A Reason" pulls together clever, heartfelt lyrics with a jittering beat and slightly eerie backing vocals. The latter half of the tune floats along with a generous air that is sure to lift you out of your seat.

On "Mad," they start off simple and quiet – it is the jumpy snare transition that moves The Torn ACLS into more uptempo, nuanced songwriting. The supplementary percussion, keys, and handclaps help populate the track with catchy variables. The singer’s vocal style resembles Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie to some degree, but The Torn ACLS opt for understated, thoughtful melodies rather than grandiose, love-centric compositions. 

Check them out at the Rendezvous on the 7th of September – tickets are $5 for the 21+ show starting at 10pm. You can listen to "Mad" below and explore the rest of their EP on their bandcamp page. Pick up a digital copy for only $3, or a CD for $5.

– Cameron LaFlam

NYC indie pop gentlemen The Postelles just released a new free track to promote their upcoming live shows and tour. "Running Red Lights" (streaming below) merges the sound of the American Rock of the 70s and 80s with classic pop melodies reminiscent of Elvis Costello, and offers lyrics focused on "whatever you’re doing in your life that you probably shouldn’t be, but you just can’t stop." The band will headline the MOMA PopRally in New York City on September 6th and the Cameo Gallery in Williamsburg on September 14th, and then leave for a US tour that will keep them busy from October 19th until the end of November.

There are some records you bring along for a hike through your day, and a precious few that grab you by the hand and lead you down their own path for the time it takes to listen through. For new(ish) group Stone Cold Fox, ‘The Young EP’ possesses such a power. From the moment you’ll hear Kevin Olken Henthorn’s screaming tenor over the hook in opener ‘Pictures,’ you’ll be in it for the album’s duration. Like folksy powerhouses Arcade Fire and local wunderkids The Freelance Whales, this duo’s energy sneaks up from behind and overtakes you, and pretty soon you’re covered in sweat and have forgotten once again to do the dishes. Fall shows haven’t been announced yet, so you have some time to catch up, below, until they do. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

What is Cellular Chaos? The name certainly triggers trash punk notions; really, a no-wave and post-punk inspired band that spells untamable in a free-flowing eruption of drum slamming & guitar freakouts. The band was recently joined by the elusive, flashy-looking, knee-cap-bearing Admiral Grey, whose contorting vocals are featured in the latest EP "Prisonic Impendance" – released in May 2012. Perhaps for band founder Weasel (who also runs the band’s label ugExplode), this new adventure in its infancy is only a fragment of a boundary-pushing, decade-long noisemaking career, during which he surrounded himself with countless uninhibited, particularly talented instrumentalists and improvisers from Chicago to L.A. Perhaps. Still, it’s enough to keep him and his record label UgExplode settled on the East Coast, as he dives deep into Brooklyn’s underground. See the band live at Death by Audio on September 13. – Tracy Mamoun

Former Dead Sparrows front-man Joey Sparrow released his debut solo album “Paper Peaches,” offering a solid collection of mellow acoustic melodies. The Brooklyn-based Sparrow performs with old band mates, including drummer Jon Airis and brother Stevie Hamm on bass, but exudes a much softer tone than the gritty garage band he used to front. The album is meant as a non-profit effort, with copies available through Sparrow’s Facebook page and plans to download free on a forthcoming Bandcamp page. – Devon Antonetti

(Photo by Tammy Shell)

Our next featured Crossroads Music Fest artist is Mikal Shapiro. Like Velghe, she’s a prolific songwriter with a distinct personality in her music. Mikal recently moved back to Kansas City after spending time around the country. We’re glad to be able to sit down with her and find out more about her and what she’s up to.

The Deli: Gun to your head, 1 sentence to describe your music. What is it?

Mikal Shapiro: An internationally-unknown Broadway musical about a gypsy bandit and her love for animals.

The Deli: Tell us about your latest release or upcoming shows. What can we expect?

Mikal: I just moved back home after a seven-year hiatus in New York, Hawaii and Chicago, so I’m ready to make some music with my KC crew. I play CMF with Kasey Rausch in our new project Partners in Glory Saturday, September 8 from 8:00 to 9:00 pm at Czar. Then Thursday, September 20 at Coda with Betse Ellis and John Keck. At the end of the month, I’m at Prospero’s Bookstore with Brian Frame, on Saturday, September 29 at 10:30 pm. You could say I’m making up for lost time.

The Deli: What does "supporting local music" mean to you?

Mikal: Getting off the internet and going outside where real music exists on a daily basis.

The Deli: Who are your favorite "local" musicians right now?

Mikal: So many to choose from but off the top: Witch and Hare, Rural Grit All-Stars, Ruddy Swain, Kasey Rausch, Metatone, Dead Voices, Victor and Penny, Brian Frame, Amy Farrand, Makuza, Folkicide, Terrence Moore, People’s Liberation Big Band, Stan Kessler, Claire Adams, Rachel Gaither, Emily Tummons and the crickets in my basement.

The Deli: Who are your favorite not-so-local musicians right now?

Mikal: Eleni Mandell (LA), Elvis Perkins (NY), Celia Shacklett and Fire Dog (STL), DeVotchka (CO), Mountain Man, Dark Dark Dark, Boog (Philly), The Cartolinas (Chicago), Box Jellyfish (Chicago), Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (NY).

The Deli: What bands are you most excited to see at Crossroads Music Fest this year?

Mikal: Dang, all of them. Those I know, those I don’t know. I’m lucky to be in the lineup with all these rockers.

The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy bill to play on?

Mikal: I played it. Ruddy Swain and Eleni Mandell at Davey’s Uptown. Where were you? 🙂

The Deli: Would you rather spend the rest of your life on stage or in the recording studio?

Mikal: Yes.

The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why?

Mikal: Lisa Gerrard: her ghostly voice.
Leonard Cohen: his smoking lyrics.
Eleni Mandell: her ghostly voice and smoking lyrics.
For the fourth, I’m thinking Rural-Grit All-Star Mark Smeltzer. Have you seen his face? It’s awesome..

The Deli: All right, give us the rundown. Where all on this big crazy web can you be found?

Mikal: Mikalshapiro.com, baby.

The Deli: Always go out on a high note. Any last words of wisdom for The Deli audience?

Mikal: Dear music lovers, show your faces. You are my heroes. You make the scene. Thank you for your support.

Mikal plays the fest this Saturday at 8:00 pm at Czar. Be sure to make it to see her wonderful, artistic work.  

–Michelle Bacon

Michelle is editor-in-chief of The Deli – Kansas City. She also has a weekly column with The Kansas City Star and reviews music for Ink. She plays with Deco Auto, Drew Black and Dirty Electric, and Dolls on Fire. Her favorite salty snack growing up was Shrimp Chips from the Asian grocery store.

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(Photo by Matt Naquin)

This week we’re kicking off our Artists on Trial series with several bands playing Crossroads Music Fest this weekend. We’re starting with John Velghe & The Prodigal Sons, a group filled with Kansas City superstars (from bands like The Hearts of Darkness, Diverse and The New Riddim). Velghe, one of the area’s most prolific and heartfelt songwriters, takes a few moments to tell us a bit about the group.

The Deli: Gun to your head, 1 sentence to describe your music. What is it?

John Velghe: Rock n roll troubadour; music with brains and guts.

The Deli: Tell us about your latest release or upcoming shows. What can we expect?

John: We’ve been demoing for the new record which is sounding great. We’ll be debuting new material at CMF. We just got done with a tour to the East coast where we started opening up some new cities to our music and bookers in cities like Cleveland, New York and Chicago are asking us to come back. So, we’re hoping we can get back there next Spring after SXSW.

The Deli: What does "supporting local music" mean to you?

John: It means participating in it—that doesn’t require you being a musician either. I’m going to just go ahead and call people in KC out: too many of them honestly do not realize or appreciate how much better hearing music in a crowd makes you feel. In two decades of playing here I’ve played to no one and I’ve played to packed rooms. The quality of the show and the music is proportional to the number of people in the crowd and their participation in the show. We play cities like Austin, Cleveland, New York and people engage in music with such regularity that they know how important it is to their enjoyment of life. They understand that it’s hot, sweaty, communal and doesn’t sound like listening to an MP3 on their laptop through a set of earbuds—that’s the point of it. And that whole experience makes the music better too.  Bands—good bands—learn how to make their music better from their experiences at performances.

When you go to see a show, you help enable the next one to be even better and the next record will reflect a little of you in it.

The Deli: Who are your favorite "local" musicians right now?

John: I got a sneak listen to the new Pedaljets record yesterday. It’s great. The songs are so good—very well thought out—and the playing is killer. I saw Deco Auto a few times and they have great songs.

The Deli: Who are your favorite not-so-local musicians right now?

John: Well, I’ve been preaching the gospel of Alejandro Escovedo for a long time and it seems like that kid is finally going places.  His whole band is truly great people. I’ve also been into a lot of New Orleans artists lately: Glen David Andrews, John Boutte, Irma Thomas. Shoes just put out a new record. I have some of their records from the ’70s and they’re great songwriters.

The Deli: What bands are you most excited to see at Crossroads Music Fest this year?

John: Starhaven Rounders for sure. I’ve been meaning to see them for a while.

The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy bill to play on?

John: Bruce Springsteen, Alejandro Escovedo, Trombone Shorty, and us. Al could open.

The Deli: Would you rather spend the rest of your life on stage or in the recording studio?

John: On tour. Something happens on tour that nothing else is a substitute for. The band improves, the travel informs my songs, the people we meet are all unique and true music fans. The new locations give me a better experience of humanity and a higher threshold for discomfort.

The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why?

John: I put these faces up there because I consider them the founding fathers of American music:

Duke Ellington: He perfected the American musical idiom. He’s a brilliant arranger, orchestrator, and he moved asses. His success is why we have a lot of the music we have today.

Chuck Berry: He had the imagination to combine the blues and country and turn them into rock n roll. He inspired bands like The Beatles, The Stones and countless others.

Some amalgam of the faces of the members of R.E.M.: To me, they invented what became alternative music. They maintained a collectivist mindset for a long time, even with their massive success. That four-as-one ethos was the foundation of what became indie music until it was turned into more of a pose than an operative principle. There may not be an "indie" genre without them.

Chuck D: He was one of the inventors of rap and hip hop. In that era, Chuck gave music a license to be political again. I think he inspired a lot of the people making music today in all kinds of genres.

The Deli: All right, give us the rundown. Where all on this big crazy web can you be found?

John: www.facebook.com/johnvelghe 
www.JohnVelghe.com
www.twitter.com/johnvelghe
JohnVelghe.bandcamp.com

www.lakeshore-records.com/

The Deli: Always go out on a high note. Any last words of wisdom for The Deli audience?

John: The best thing to happen to you is not Google fucking Fiber. If you’re a musician, act like people engaging in your music is the most important thing on earth to you, because your songs are more compelling when they do. If you’re not a musician, get out of your living room, get off your ass, go engage in music. You’ll lose weight, your skin will clear up, you’ll have better sex, kids will think you are cool and your parents will be proud of you.

You can catch John with The Prodigal Sons at Crossroads Music Fest on Saturday, September 8 at Czar. They’ll be taking the stage at 9:30 pm. Get out of your living room, get off your ass, and go engage in some great local music.  

–Michelle Bacon

Michelle is editor-in-chief of The Deli – Kansas City. She also has a weekly column with The Kansas City Star and reviews music for Ink. She plays with Deco Auto, Drew Black and Dirty Electric, and Dolls on Fire. She really, really wants to wear cool hats.

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The 8th annual Crossroads Music Fest kicks off this Friday, September 7 with a pre-party at Crossroads KC at Grinder’s! The show will include performances from The Good Foot, The Grisly Hand, and a special reunion show from The Supernauts. Tickets are $10 in advance and $13 on the day of the show.

The fest continues on Saturday, September 8 at Czar, The Brick and Midwestern Musical Co. Performances from The Hearts of Darkness, Starhaven Rounders, My Brothers & Sisters, Dead Voices, The Hillary Watts Riot, Dim Peepers, Appropriate Grammar, John Velghe & The Prodigal Sons, Cherokee Rock Rifle, Makuza, Victor & Penny, Mikal Shapiro, Rural Grit All-Stars, Thom Hoskins, The Atlantic and Kasey Rausch. A full schedule can be found at the link here. Saturday tickets are $15 in advance and $18 on the day of the show. Tickets for both days are $20 in advance. Each venue also has its own cover if you don’t have a festival pass. More info here.

The fest also includes a Legal Bootcamp for Musicians on Saturday, September 8 at Czar from 12:00-5:00 pm presented by the Kansas City Volunteer Lawyers & Accountants for the Arts. More info can be found at the link here. Admission is $10 if you are attending CMF.

Crossroads Music Fest is presented by Spice of Life Productions and co-sponsored by the Midwest Music Foundation (who also makes The Deli KC possible!). If you’re interested in volunteering for CMF, please contact rhonda@midwestmusicfound.org.

–Michelle Bacon

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