If you’ve been wanting to know a little bit about The Deli KC’s very own editor-in-chief, now’s your chance. Michelle Bacon shares with us her views on smiling, Phil Collins, and why she loves Kansas City’s music scene so much. Oh, and playing drums. 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.

Share this story on Facebook

After an EP, a first-full length album and a series of sold-out shows in NYC, Deadbeat Darling switched over in 2011 to the UK label SpearHavoc Records, with which they released their second full-length album ‘The Angel’s Share‘ (released in April), a delicately gritty indie-rock record soaked in nostalgia that travels through memories of past relationships, nocturnal turmoil and other deceptions punctuated by touches of scat, fingerpicked guitar strings, and tints of stripped down reggae/dub; if anything, it’s hard not to be seduced by the fragile, sometimes raucous voice of Deadbeat Darling’s lead singer Joseph King, a voice that breaks as it pushes too hard and softly makes every one of their songs sound so very intimate. A month exactly after their last NYC show, The Mercury Lounge will be welcoming them back from their US summer tour this Saturday (8.18), with Saratoga Springs soul/rock outfit Wild Adriatic.

Hey kids, here’s a suggestion: next time you decide to ride on a carousel while on acid, be sure to bring along Tropical Ooze‘s latest self-titled odyssey. Taking their cues from The Flaming Lips and The 13th Floor Elevators, theirs is that promise from the ’90s that psychedelia and heavy guitars might finally share the same party with one another. The band’s been around a little while, and when they’re not backing up the great R. Stevie Moore, they’re busy exploring the many flavors (and colors) the new EP has stirring together in the pot. Opening with the bombastic ‘Fresh Gum,’ the record quickly moves into the dream material of ‘Pride,’ and only descends further into the unconscious from there.
This is the band for anyone wondering what happened to NY’s psychedelic scene. So go find yourself a carousel to ride… or see the band live on Friday (8.17) at The Cake Shop –  Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

‘Top Ten Songs Of The End Of The World’ (Paw Tracks) is the new project by Brooklyn-based psychedelic duo Prince Rama, that sees the Larson sisters curate the apocalypse from an imaginary past, by impersonating ten fictitious bands on the eve of destruction. ‘So Destroyed’, streaming below, is a first glimpse into the record, a gripping, hypnotic fusion of Indian music and new-wave/pop courtesy of ‘Rage Peace’, introduced as ‘the Bob Dylan of a whole generation of angry youth‘. An ambitious move, both aesthetcially and conceptually, this pseudo-compilation gives Prince Rama the freedom to explore a vast array of musical influences, thus giving us a lot to look forward to for the end of the year, even if our planet doesn’t collapse onto itself as promised by CGI-based fantasies.

Note that on November 6th, when the full album is released, Prince Rama will be off touring Europe with Animal Collective; before they leave though, you can catch a couple of NYC shows, the next one being on Friday (8.17) under The Archway, for a free DUMBO summer bash.

Have you heard The Mailbox yet? It’s a weekly podcast brought to you by Midwest Music Foundation, hosted by Michael Byars of 89.3 FM KCUR and guest hosted by Chris Haghirian of Ink Magazine. Each week, Michael and Chris bring you their picks of the best, newest music around the globe, and typically a large dose of local music love. They also provide an update on what’s happening around Kansas City in the coming week, so along with The Deli’s comprehensive calendar, there’s no way to miss what’s going on around town.

This week’s podcast features some local pride from The Hearts of Darkness, as well as several other national bands that will be coming to town soon. You can stream it at the link here. The links below will take you to The Mailbox’s Twitter and Facebook pages, and allow you to subscribe to it on iTunes! Make The Mailbox a part of your weekly music routine.

–Michelle Bacon

Share this story on Facebook

Schwervon! is the newest, hottest band to hit Kansas City. They recently located here from NYC and have already had a successful career together, opening for acts like The Vaselines and Belle & Sebastian. The dynamic duo of Nan Turner and Matt Roth sits down with us and gives us a little introduction to who they are.

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

Schwervon!: Folkicide, The Cave Girls, Deco Auto, Soft Reeds, The Quivers, Cowboy Indian Bear, The Ants and Radkey. To be fair, we are still in the process of discovering the rich fabric of KC local music! Ask us in a week and there may be 5 more bands!.

The Deli: Who are your favorite not-so-local musicians right now?
 
Schwervon!: The Schwervon! trinity all-time favorites are probably Pixies, Yo La Tengo, and Sonic Youth. But more "now" bands we like are Grass Widow, Jeff Lewis, Sleepy Kitty, The Vaselines. Matt likes the new Japandroids. We also discover new "old" music every week, in the form of cheap vinyl at the Cowtown Mallroom.

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

Schwervon!: We’re about to go play one actually! We’re opening for The Vaselines in Brooklyn on August 30. Curating an All Tomorrow’s Party Festival would also be a good job to have…
 
The Deli: Would you rather spend the rest of your life on stage or in the recording studio?
 
Nan: On stage! I like playing our songs for an audience, and unlike recording, I don’t have to listen to take after take of what went wrong!
Matt: We’ve recently evolved into the mindset that for us playing better together live results in a better recording. I love working in the studio, but I hate recording my own band. I love playing live with Nan.

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

Schwervon!: This question makes our heads hurt. We’re not big fans of things set in stone. Put the Rolling Stones up there and we can move on!
 
The Deli:  All right, give us the rundown.  Where all on this big crazy web can you be found? 

Schwervon!: Eat something green every day.
Break free of the 5 day-40 hour work week.
Prepare, prepare, prepare. Then let go.

Photo Source: Naomi Punk

Naomi Punk are joining several bands at the Cairo Gallery this Friday, August 17th before blasting off on their first full U.S. tour. On the bill with them are M. Women and Black Hat.

The three piece dwell in a sonic realm of jarring, angular rhythms, thick punkish riffs, and well-timed, mantra-like vocal melodies. With members hailing from Olympia and Seattle, Naomi Punk has played countless shows across the northwest over the last several years, including a recent showcase at the local radio station KEXP. Their most recent release The Feeling came out this past April; their other album is the eponymous Naomi Punk which debuted in 2009.

The Feeling is a storybook example of an album that is greater than the sum of its parts. Over the course of its approximate thirty five minute lifespan, it creates a feeling of suspense and mystery for the listener; song to song they connect like an elliptical orbit, passing through familiar grounds and picking up the essential nodes, then moving forth to forge new images and memories. 

Their mixture of punk and grunge is unique in its stalwart decision to shy away from break-neck speeds. Every note and beat are in tremendous sync; you feel the weight of each syllable and riff as if every second prior to that contributes to the present impact.

These songs are interupted – or rather, conjoined by – shorter instrumental pieces which convey more of this feeling, whatever ineffable feeling that may be. Tracks like "CLS + Death Junket" and "Eon of Love" feel evocative and pure alongside their noisy counterparts, which are no less emotional. This album is anything but cold, anything but sterile or vacant.

Naomi Punk play at Cairo on the 17th of August with an 8pm start time. All-Ages. Listen to the record’s closing track "The Buzz" below and make sure to stream the entire thing at their bandcamp. It is available for purchase through Couple Skate Records on vinyl.

– Cameron LaFlam

Darlings have been entertaining Brooklyn crowds for quite a few years now with their musical philosophy asserting that the best ingredients for fun are uptempo drums, plain distorted guitar chords, and most importantly simple, catchy melodies. The band remains faithful to its credo in the new 7" of "Pet the Ghost" (streaming below) which will be released today (August 10) with a show at Glasslands with like-minded lo-fi local heroes The Sundelles.

A long time ago, the founding members of Motive were shredding through jazzlead sheets and getting carted across the U.S. and Europe to showcase their young talent. Nowadays, Motive populates a different scene. Erupting from a Clinton Hill practice space onto stages and club circuits around the city, the band is taking NYC – and the internet – by storm. In the dawn of a quintessential political election, their song “Nobody Eats Dinner” was synced to clips of Mitt Romney at his worst. This video went viral and with it, Motive. Their music is masterfully layered and meticulously produced. With a new age, larger than life sound that slowly seeps into your brain, it’s hard not to hum the enchanting hook of “What’s So Bad” (streaming below) right before drifting into a rock and roll daydream. See the band at Pianos on August 18. – Read Ed Guardaro interview with the band here.

Avan Lava, as a whole, is a mind-blowing spectacle that takes time to behold. The band is a mix of seasoned pros and otherwise unknown underground talent. Ian Pai and Le Chev of Fischerspooner theorized this upbeat hard hitting disco-rock side project while on tour in Brazil four years ago. Since then the band has grown, but Avan Lava is really a troupe. Their live shows feature fantastic displays of laser lights, dance numbers and costumes unparalleled in an other wise too-cool-for-school indie music scene. They sought to remove themselves from the chilled out ambient norm, and erupt onto the indie music circuit with high-energy tracks that get people off the wall and back onto the dance floor. Avan Lava does not create generic four-on-the-floor dance tracks, their music is intricate and intense, but easy to listen to, and most of all fun. Their ear-tickling EP “Flex Fantasy” is available for free online. – Read Dean Van Nguyen’s interview with the band here.

Listening to The Last Names begs a lot of questions. Not much is known of the band apart from the handful of songs they’ve released so far. Former members of Bishop Allen, Justin Rice and Darbie Nowatka began the group as a side project, and are now devoting some serious time to the folksy ‘Mommas and Poppas’ brand of hippie nostalgia you’ll hear on their soundcloud.

The band’s debut full-length ‘Wilderness’ comes out in early October and contains some of the most relaxed, evocative music I’ve heard in a long time from the Brooklyn pair. Personal fave ‘Dead Reckoning’ comes in on a breath of fresh air, and the rest of the record channels Haight-Ashbury as something new, even while channeling its ghosts throughout.

Stream part of the record on their Bandcamp and pick up a physical copy when its released October 2nd. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)