Kansas City Blog

FRIDAY
OK Jones and Red Guitar at the Hurricane.
OK Jones' album Push/Pull would have easily made my top 10 local releases of 2005, the year it came out — except I didn't get a copy until 2006. Singer and guitarist Richard Gintowt, who writes music features for Lawrence.com, has a voice like a young John Hiatt (but without that Muppety croak) and brags about being a "Mean Guy." Also, he knows how to write a good melody. The style is mostly alt-country, but without all that self-pitying bullshit. I haven't seen Red Guitar, another local band, but their latest album is tuneful as well. This will be an evening of song.

SATURDAY Billy Brimblecom Benefit at the Record Bar. I first met the drummer for the Blackpool Lights not long after he'd begun chemotheraphy treatments for Ewing's sarcoma. The first thing that struck me about him was how positive and energetic he was, despite being, well, weak and bald. If rock and roll really does have a spiritual dimension to it, then Billy's got a direct line to the Light Side of the Force. That's why, when he lost his leg to the cancer last summer, he still never gave a thought to quitting the band — and this is a drummer, remember. Now, Billy needs a $60,000 prosthesis, and he needs our help paying for it. At 7 and 10 p.m. tonight, 15 of your dollars can help him reach his goal and also buy yourself some maximum rock and roll courtesy of the Blackpool Lights and the Architects. Read our calendar blurb here.

Or, if you're in the mood to relive the parts of the '90s you thought you wanted to forget, check out this band.

Also, the most excellent Namelessnumberheadman is playing with the Ants, Black Christmas and Cantus Firmus at the Sleeper Cellar.

SUNDAY
The Litigators and the Bad Ideas at Fred P. Ott's.
The Litigators haven't been playing around much lately, but this Sunday they're in one of the best venues for their freak-out soul rock. If you've ever wished you'd been a teenager back in the fever-pitch early rock days of Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis, then you can get pretty close to that feelin' off any given show by the 'gators, one of KC's most exciting bands to watch and slosh beer on and get tackled by.