Blogs

I've been wanting to do this for weeks, and since Kraske had Tim Finn from the Star and Steve Wilson from Kief's in Lawrence on his show to talk about the year's best music so far, I'm thinking it's time for me to come forward. Here's a bevy of YouTube videos of the kind of stuff that's been rocking my tits in '07. This list, by the way, is more about artist and album than song and video. Post your faves in the comments, just be sure to change the width and height of the YouTube code to 400 X 333 so it'll fit in this narrow little blog column.

Cadence Weapon - "Sharks" from Breaking Kayfabe
(I haven't heard the whole album, but this track is really fresh sounding. Cool viddy, too -- a good example of how to appropriate video game culture without being precious about it.)

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No, he's not in jail or anything. But Mac Lethal just sent out a MySpace bulletin announcing that his first album is downloadable for free, track by track, via the Snocap player on his page.

If you can figure out how it works, you can get yourself some free Mac Lethal.

You're welcome.

The latest broadcast from my apartment is up.

Right- or option-click here to download the latest Wayward Cast, sonic dispatch and musical bastard child of the Pitchcast. Click here for an RSS with all of our available podcasts.

Thank you and a happy Thursday to ye.

The Ssion's* new video, for the song "ASAP," is a study in kitsch, weirdness, pop homoerotica, sports, disco violence, and the art of busting a move, and we at the Wayward Blog are pleased to present it for your viewing entertainment.

Jaimie Warren's dance solo at 4:13 will set your face on fire.

The Ssion on MySpace: www.myspace.com/ssion

The Ssion in our archives: go history

*Informed Kansas Citians already know that "Ssion" is pronounced like the second syllable in "passion."

Menomena. Friday, June 22, at the Bottleneck
By Richard Gintowt

It's been awhile since I got really excited about a show. Maybe it's just bad luck, but most of the bands I've been digging lately -- Field Music, Crystal Skulls, Chromeo, Mice Parade, Rotary Downs, Voxtrot -- haven't ventured anywhere near the area. That's not to slight the fine folks bringing shows to Kansas City and Lawrence, but more and more it seems exceptional when I get amped up for a national act like Menomona.

Needless to say, I had high expectations for the Seattle band's show at the Bottleneck on Friday night. I've been digging the band's latest LP Friend and Foe, which reminds me of what Captain Beefheart would sound like if I actually liked Captain Beefheart. I was eager to see how the band's many nuances would translate live, and the multi-tasking trio proved to be up to the challenge.

Menomena wouldn't refuse a doggy a sandwich, nor Lawrence a good show. Photo by Pavlina.

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The nominees are in. The voting is open. The 2007 Pitch Music Awards are on a collision course with your ass.

Hell yes.

The voting begins now, and the process culminates with the year's best local music pub crawl, Friday, August 3, with the Pitch Music Showcase in Westport. That's followed by the Awards Ceremony, where the winners are crowned as copious drinks are consumed and hijinks are perpetrated at the Uptown Theater on Friday, August 10.

ROCK TEH VOTE.

See a list of the nominees after the jump.

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The Veils, the Comas, and American Catastrophe. Tuesday, June 19, at the Grand Emporium
Reviewed by Jason Harper

Do you know anyone who likes seeing shows at the Grand Emporium these days? I'm afraid I don't. The sound is usually bad, the bar staff ain't the friendliest in town, the stage is ugly and half-assed, and it's just not a cool place to hang out and see a show. It's a facility. They have drinks, a stage, and an interior, one local musician recently commented, that looks like it was designed by the Cylons. It's really a shame, with so few venues in town, that its owners don't work harder on making it an appealing place to the people on the scene. Because, since it's changeover from hallowed blues dive to sterile disco, I've seen some good shows there by relatively major bands -- the Delgados, the Perishers and Aqualung, Hard-Fi -- some of which actually were very well attended.

It was downright embarrassing how few people turned out last Tuesday to see Brooklyn's the Comas and London's the Veils, two up-and-coming acts that by rights should have been playing where people would be there to see them. Opening for them was local act American Catastrophe. I missed them because they started at like 8:45, no exaggeration. The venue had decided to book it as an all-ages show, with "curfew" at midnight.

The Veils' Finn Andrews finished the night with a serenade in the women's restroom. Photo by Scott Spychalski.

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...or Sandstone, or whatever you call it. Anyway, the company once known as ClearChannel just sent out this press release, penned by its Hollywood-based communications director:

LIVE NATION TO EXIT VERIZON WIRELESS AMPHITHEATER IN BONNER SPRINGS AT END OF 2007 CONCERT SEASON

Move Reaffirms Company’s Strategy to Refocus Venue Mix in Certain Markets

LOS ANGELES, CA – June 20, 2007
Live Nation (NYSE: LYV), the world’s leading live music company, announced today that it will not seek to renew its lease to operate, book and manage the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, Kansas under its existing terms, which expire at the end of 2007. The 2007 summer concert season will not be affected by this decision. The move comes as Live Nation seeks to optimize its venue portfolio.

Live Nation hopes to be able to place many of the small number of employees affected by this decision elsewhere in the company.

Live Nation remains committed to its 2007 slate of concerts at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater and will continue to bring top quality talent to other venues in the Kansas City area.

What's next in the KC venuescape?

Wolfmother. Tuesday, June 19, at the VooDoo Lounge.
Reviewed by Ashley Brown

In a complex designed with the glazed, somnambulatory gambling patron in mind, it’s hard to tell things apart. The eye swirls at the epileptic lighting within the gut of Harrah’s Casino. In fact, after we ran through the revolving door at the main casino entrance, my friend Derek was almost fatally drawn in by the rapturously patriotic bright lights outside of Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill.

By contrast, our destination, the VooDoo Lounge is a cool blue affair adjacent to TKILTBG (as we came to affectionately call it) and, as it turns out, the place adheres rigidly to published concert start times.

Wolfmother had already taken the stage and launched into their prime radio hit “Mother” when we came in. I forget what a good song it is, a pounding-mallet-type hymn to femininity at its most elemental (“Yep, you’re a woman… you’ve got a vagina and all that junk,” per Derek).

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Going through some piled-up e-mails, I came across a dispatch from a fellow named Tim Sylvester.

It was amazing. And I must share.

This fair-skinned youth went to Wakarusa, was really looking forward to it, and the first day, he gets sunburned.

So what does he do the rest of the festival?

Wears a ninja mask.

And what happens?

He gets harassed and taunted by festival goers who don't know the difference between a ninja and a terrorist.

Ninja? Terrorist? Or just an ordinary suffering human being like you and me?

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The Supernauts and Making Movies. Monday, June 18, at Jerry's Bait Shop in Lee's Summit.
Photos & Review by Crystal K. Wiebe

To a Westport dweller, a trek to Lee’s Summit is no small thing, especially on a Monday night.

But I heard through the grapevine that last night’s gig at Jerry’s Bait Shop could be the Supernauts’ last, so I hopped in the car and headed to the suburbs for the scoop (and a few slices of Jerry’s garlic ranch pizza).

I arrived a full half hour before the three-band line-up was set to start, so I parked at the bar and waited for unsuspecting Supernauts to walk by. Via my lean-backwards-and-pounce approach, I talked to all three band members. None of them seemed certain about the Supernauts’ future, and they all seemed stressed about it.

The Supernauts rock out one last time...?

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Tortoise and Hot Chip. Saturday, June 16, at The Granada
Reviewed by Andy Vihstadt

Hot Chip and Tortoise seemed like an unlikely combination, but a very welcome one when faced with the sweltering heat on Saturday night. Instrumental-rock requires very little movement from its listeners.

To be honest, I’ve never quite acquired a taste for Tortoise, although I did enjoy watching the massive video screen during the Chicago band's lengthy set, which continuously looped trippy computerized visuals. Meanwhile, girls in the background could be heard saying, “When are they going to be done? I’m ready to shake my ass!”

It was hot enough at The Granada Saturday for this dude from Tortoise to break a sweat just by playing xylophone. Photo by Scott Spychalski.

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My podcast has been up for a few days. It features:

1. My usual brilliance
2. Songs by the Comas, the Veils, All Smiles, the Roman Numerals remixed by Onemilliontinytinyjesuses, Destroyer, As Tall As Lions and Dank Nity
3. Incidental/background music by Sugar Minnot (covering Radiohead) and Diplo and TripleDouble
4. Incidental/background farts

Here's the direct linkazoid: MP3, yo

Here's the RSS page for all our Pitchcasts: RSS, yo

Jesse Malin. Wednesday, June 13, at the Bottleneck.
Dispatch by Crystal K. Wiebe

While underappreciated by the masses, Jesse Malin can inspire fierce loyalty in the folks lucky enough to see him perform. I’ve been something of a Malin fangirl since I saw him perform in 2003 at the Double Door in Chicago. But I’ve got nothing on the dedicated follower I met last night.

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The Hold Steady, with Illinois and Blitzen Trapper.
Tuesday, June 12, at the Blue Note in Columbia, MO.
Concert Review by Jason Harper

"Road trip!"

That's the only appropriate reaction when one is told that the Hold Steady is playing in a nearby city and one has nowhere important to be that night.

So it was with me and my colleague, Justin, yesterday evening as we motored down I-70 to the Blue Note, the high-ceilinged, ornate, old-smalltown-style theater in downtown Columbia where the loud, mad and exciting Minneapolis rock band was set to play.

The Hold Steady's Craig Finn at the Blue Note. Photo by Scott Spychalski.

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