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OUR CALENDAR
August
21
Tuesday
August
23
Thursday
August
24
Friday
August
24
Friday
August
25
Saturday
August
29
Wednesday
August
29
Wednesday
September
2
Sunday
September
7
Friday
September
7
Friday
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8/17
FREE FRIDAYS
Heavy Petty
All Ages | 7 pm
FREE FRIDAYS
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Heavy Petty
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Charlie Hunter Trio
Hunter consistently ups his game as an innovative writer and bandleader. He has worked with the likes of Norah Jones , Mos Def, John Mayer, D’Angelo and countless others. He is widely considered the authority on the seven and eight - string guitar, and continues to stun audiences with his ability to simultaneously bust out tasty bass parts, melodic leads and swinging rhythms.
Hunter has previously recorded for the venerable Blue Note label, Concord, Ropeadope, GroundUP and others. His recent independent venture is steered by his motivation to release music that most inspires him. Critics have touted his genius technique, but it's his profound artistic sensibility that propels his original music. Hunter's signature style of writing and performing has secured his place as one of today's great guitarists.
OUR LINKS
BoDeans
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Freddy Jones Band
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Wyclef Jean
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Blackalicious
"We're older, we're wiser, we're more mature," MC Gift of Gab (nee Timothy Parker) says of Imani, Vol. 1, Blackalicious' first new album in a decade. "It's better now, because we've grown as people and artists."
"Each one of these records is a chapter in our lives, and we put our complete heart and soul into it," agrees Gab's longtime musical partner, CJ/producer Chief Xcel (aka Xavier Mosley). "We live these records."
Imani, Vol. 1 lives up to the beloved California-bred duo's hard-won reputation as one of hip-hop's most progressive, forward-thinking creative forces. Acclaimed for the sublime combination of Gab's verbal dexterity and lyrical eloquence, and X's bracing beats and distinctive soundscapes, Blackalicious has earned widespread respect, both inside and outside of the hip-hop community, for the wildly inventive, personally charged innovations of its first three albums, 1999's Nia, 2002's Blazing Arrow and 2005's The Craft.
Three years in the making, Imani, Vol. 1—the first of a projected trilogy to be released over the course of two years—is perhaps Blackalicious' most ambitious and accomplished effort to date, maintaining the spirituality, introspection and positivity that are the twosome's trademarks, while making it clear that their musical vision and creative drive remain as strong as ever.
Although Imani, Vol. 1 is driven by Gift of Gab's uplifting verbal sophistication and Chief Xcel's expansive sonic sensibility, which are as distinctive as ever on such riveting tracks as "On Fire Tonight," "Escape," The Sun," "We Did It Again" and the epic "Alpha and Omega."
The pair is joined by such guest performers as Afro-pop diva Zap Mama, who's featured on the title track; Amde Hamilton of legendary '60s rap progenitors the Watts Prophets on the album-opener "Faith," eclectic singer-songwriter Imani Coppola on "The Sun," underground hip-hop duo LifeSavas on "That Night," neo-blues auteur Fantastic Negrito on "Love's Gonna Save the Day," Myron of retro-soulsters Myron & E on "On Fire Tonight," and the all-star hip-hop combo of Lateef, Lyrics Born, Monophonics and DJ D Sharp on "Alpha and Omega."
Imani—whose title is the Swahili word for "faith"—is a particularly personal project for Blackalicious, with its title reflecting the personal trials that helped to inspire the words and music.
"Faith has been a big word in both of our lives in the last couple of years," Gift of Gab affirms. "We both dealt with some personal situations that really required faith and forced us to think about a lot of things. Most of our albums are about where we are at that point in our lives, and that's definitely true on this one."
Imani, Vol. 1's birth cycle coincided with Gab's ongoing fight for his health after suffering kidney failure.
"My kidneys failed at the top of 2012, when we were gearing up to do this record," Gift of Gab notes. "I got put on dialysis, so now when I travel or go on tour, I do dialysis wherever I go. When I got the news, there was a moment where it was a little dark, where I was questioning if I'm still gonna be able to do this. But then I had the realization that no one can ever take my creativity away. I realized that this is a circumstance that I'm temporarily gonna be dealing with, and that I have to make some adjustments for it, but that it doesn't stop me from being a creative person. Once I
realized that, I started to feel inspired and just threw myself into writing, and that became a big part of the fuel for this record."
Although it's been a decade since the last Blackalicious release, the pair has remained busy with a variety of musical endeavors. Gift of Gab released three solo albums, 2004's 4th Dimension Rocketships Going Up, 2009's Escape 2 Mars and 2012's The Next Logical Progression. Chief Xcel worked with acclaimed soul singer Ledisi, and formed Burning House with R.V. Salters of General Eletriks, releasing the 2013 album Walking Into A Burning House.
"Blackalicious never stopped," asserts Gift of Gab. "We just wanted to explore other things as individuals, and in 2012 we realized that it was time to return to the mothership. I was a little nervous at first, and thought that it might take some time to rebuild. But when we started doing shows, we were selling out everywhere, and people were telling us that they grew up on our music. It was encouraging to find out that, even after all these years, we're actually important to people.
"It's like traveling," Gab continues. "It's always good to travel and see the world. But then when you come back home, you appreciate it that much more. We stepped right back into it, and it was like 'Oh yeah, I remember this. This is home.'"
"Once we got into the studio," Chief Xcel recalls, "everything flowed very naturally. We just got in there and kind of let the album make itself. When we were in the studio together, it was pretty effortless, because we know each other so well creatively. We wrote about 60 songs for this record, and went with the ones that we felt strongest about. And about 90 per cent of it is live tracks; it's probably the fewest samples I've ever used on a record."
"X gave me the beats, and I just went in and wrote every day," Gift of Gab states. "There was not a lot of thought or planning this time, it was more about action. It was just, as soon as it moves you, you write something. There was not a whole lot of thought put into it. It was more like 'OK, let's create.'"
"We're like two kids who've been playing basketball together since the second grade, and now they're in the NBA so they really know each other and can anticipate each other's next move," Chief Xcel says of his and Gab's enduring partnership. "It's totally instinctive, and we kind of communicate without talking. I know just from his physical reaction, when he hears a beat or a song, if there's a spark or if he feels inspired. And vice versa; he can tell by my immediate reaction if we've hit the mark or not. That just comes from time."
With Imani, Vol. 1 demonstrating that Blackalicious is as potent a creative entity as ever, Gift of Gab and Chief Xcel are embracing their return to the spotlight, and looking forward to reconnecting with their loyal, demographically diverse fan base.
"I think that this album is coming from a very honest place, and I really think that this is the most creative and prolific point of our careers, so we're really excited about it," Chief Xcel says, adding, "The next year or two, it's gonna be a nonstop balance of touring and being in the studio working on Volumes 2 and 3. We're definitely looking forward to seeing how things evolve and change."
"In my opinion, this is one of our best records," Gift of Gab agrees. "It's been a long time, we worked hard on it, and I hope that people enjoy it. People will come up to us and say 'Yo, that record changed my life' or 'That record helped me to get sober' or 'That record started me on a spiritual journey.' People say personal stuff like that, and we take it seriously."
"Our audience seems to be people who see music and art as essential parts of life, and not just disposable accessories," Chief Xcel concludes. "That's who we make music for—people who need music in their life. I'm one of those people. Imani is Swahili for faith, and that's really where we're at at this juncture. We're so rooted in our purpose that we don't have to second-guess, we just know. There's no fear of the unknown, there's just the fire to move forward and get to wherever the journey takes us."
OUR LINKS
Jazzy Arma
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Ay Musik
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Lou Dog ( Sublime Tribute)
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
3 Son Green
Since 2007, 3 Son Green has been interweaving their vast web of sound, sense, and solidarity into the ever‐evolving architect it has become. Their RockJamJazzFunk style breaks genre bylaws, and pulls crowds out of their seats everywhere they play. 3 Son Green’s intricate songwriting combined with their natural improvisation is guaranteed to satisfy every music lover’s palette. Their well fueled, expanding flame has, even now, lapped at the feet of the music world at all manner of festivals across the Midwest. These Kansas City grown virtuosos are vaulting to new heights, and leaving no slack behind.
Jamie Anderson – Guitar/Vocals
Evan Carlson – Guitar/Vocals
Steven Pearson – Drums
Trey Green – Bass/Vocals
OUR LINKS
8/25
Redneck Throwdown feat:
Upchurch
Moonshine Bandits
BIG SMO
Redneck Souljers
| All Ages | 5 pm
BUY TICKETS!Redneck Throwdown feat:
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Upchurch
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Moonshine Bandits
Backwoods bravado, patriot’s pride, country soul, keg-thumping beats — these are the qualities that Moonshine Bandits have championed since they began burning up the California club circuit back in 2003.
Their message spread as they rolled from there through the heartland, the dirty South and beyond on their tour bus. No matter whether color their collar is or even if they wore a collar at all, people heard something of their story in their music — and popped back a cold one to celebrate that connection.
Plenty of their trademark sound and message resonates through Baptized In Bourbon, their new album — reverence for God and country on “Red, White & Blue Collar” (“We answered to the call when Uncle Sam cried/You know we always stand for what is right”), a celebration of backwater saloons and Saturday nights on “Stomp Like Hell” (“Before the bar doors close, I’m a-get to stepping/I’m gonna stomp like Hell just to get to Heaven”), a promise to stand firm for freedom on “Raised Up” (“If you ain’t proud of where you’re from, get the hell out of town”).
But there’s more — a new depth that encourages reflection, even hints of doubt. None of this compromises the defiant pride that’s always threaded through the songs of Bird and Tex, aka Moonshine Bandits. Still, something has changed since they released Blacked Out in 2015.
Tex knows why. “This year has been a whirlwind of touring,” he explains. “We’ll play at a bike rally in Oregon one day and then fly to Alaska. That’s had a lot of input on this album, especially on our songwriting. We’ve always been entertainers first, songwriters second. Now I feel like our songwriting has caught up to the entertainment part of who we are.”
In these past couple of years, he and his fellow bandit Bird have been in transition personally as well as artistically. They’ve gone from bus tours to jetting out for extended weekend jaunts. While playing for their die-hard, “blu-core” fans, vestiges of wilder days do appear, sometimes bringing old ways into conflict with new responsibilities.
Tex lays out the question candidly. “When we’re away from our family, is the way we’re living acceptable to God, with all the partying and crazy shit we do on the road?”
This dilemma was somewhere in whatever dream Tex was having late one night when he woke up suddenly. “Three words came to me: baptized in bourbon,” he remembers. “I texted Bird and my manager and said, ‘Hey, I don’t know what this means but it could be some pretty heavy stuff.’ The whole album started with that title.”
The Bandits and producers, Burn County, withdrew to a cabin/studio deep in a forest in the state of Washington. They talked about things they’d experienced, lessons they’d learn and questions that remained. Conversations evolved into lyrics; feelings took on musical shape; tape rolled. And after two weeks they emerged with Baptized In Bourbon, a project unlike anything they’d ever cut before.
“We didn’t sit down and say, ‘Hey, let’s do a themed album,’” Bird insists. “But the themes we were thinking of seemed to carry over song after song. It was like a circle. It wasn’t all heavy. There’s a lot of fun songs on the album too. But basically, Baptized In Bourbon isn’t just about bonfires and keg parties. There’s a lot more to it than that.”
“The Sermon” starts mournfully, with strings and a quiet acoustic guitar. Then a preacher breaks in, a beat kicks off and from the pulpit we hear the query that underlies all of Baptized In Bourbon: “In light of knowing that God is with us, and in light of knowing that He sees us always, how are we going to respond with our lives?”
The answer appears to be that you celebrate, you rock hard, you love without hesitation and fight without fear when you have to. And, if you’re Moonshine Bandits, you drive this story home with help from a gang of gifted guest artists: Crucifix on the slamming “I’m A Hellrazor,” Bubba Sparxxx on “51Fifty,” The Lacs on “Cards I Was Dealt,” Uncle Kracker on “Baptized In Bourbon,” Colt Ford and Outlaw on “Dad’s Pontoon,” Matt Borden on “Shook Me Up,” Jelly Roll on “Wild Ones” …
… and maybe most memorably, the legendary David Allan Coe. David Allan Coe has done some shows with the Bandits to rowdy audiences. Apparently he liked what he saw when Tex and Bird sent him their arrangement of his classic anthem “Take This Job And Shove It.” He volunteered to join with them in the studio and later on stage. Coe also personally called both Tex and Bird to thank them as well as tell them he enjoyed their energy-filled live show.
“I’ve always said there are three guys I wanted to work with before I quit music,” Tex says. “Two of them are dead; the third is David Allan Coe. We decided to shoot a video together at Shawshank. The night before we met in his hotel room. It was like we were old friends, listening to him talk about songwriting. The next day we went to the prison, where he had done three or four years of his life. We were kind of skeptical about what might happen because there’s a lot of emotion involved. Hell, I threw up after going into some of the cells. But he had a great time. Then that night, when we played a show in Bucyrus, Ohio, he did the song with us so we could have the footage.”
Bird smiles at the memory. “Then when we stopped the show to do it again, he gets on the microphone and starts rocking Kid Rock’s ‘Sitting Here Wasting Time.’ It was incredible to see a 77-year-old guy rap to a slow drum beat. The crowd went bonkers. I’ll never forget that. We were so proud to earn his respect.”
Baptized In Bourbon doesn’t stop there. The guys spin parallel stories on successive tracks, featuring male and female archetypes that their blu-core followers can recognize. “‘Renegade Rides Again’ says that you don’t know when the life we’re living is going to catch up with us. Then you go to ‘Hell On Heels,’ which is about some of the girls we’ve met,” Tex says, with a knowing laugh. “It’s pretty much all a true story. We don’t even embellish it. But that’s what happens when you run in this type of circle.”
This is the music that Moonshine Bandits will take on the road later this year, most likely on a bus tour this time. Maybe it’s a bit of a risk to mix the sacred and profane, the rowdy and the introspective, on record and then onstage. But the payoff here is twofold: Their music demands attention from first note to last. And because they enjoy a strong mutual trust with their fans, honesty is essential to that bond.
“I’m away from my wife and kids,” Tex sums up. “My partner has lost numerous fiancees because of this ride. Yeah, we’re out partying — not too crazy to where we’re out of control. And Bird’s dad is a preacher. So sometimes we do wonder if this lifestyle is acceptable. But this isn’t just about our lives. It’s a universal thing.”
At heart, we’re all blu-core. We all hear some of our truth in what Moonshine Bandits are throwing down. Maybe it’s time for us all to be Baptized In Bourbon.
OUR LINKS
BIG SMO
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Redneck Souljers
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Toadies
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Drop a Grand
TRADING WITH THE ENEMY!!!
Founded in 1975, G. Blanzden & Associates (dba DROP A GRAND) is one of the world’s largest providers of Psych and Shmooze services in the industry of face melting.
MEMBERS:
GERN BLANZDEN guitar vox phase
UNICRON bass vox fx
WHITE N SHITTY II keys keytar synth
2 DOLLA BILL skins vox
GUESTS:
DR FLASH!! shredder
SACRED HORNS OF MANITOBA (aka Brass Flag)
WHITE N SHITTY I plastic saxxx
SHEILA P digital percussives
Z phazer accordion
Drop a Grand is a Kansas City band or a performance-art ensemble. Or both.
Its members wear costumes and go by pseudonyms or noms-de-tunes. Their performances are loud, brash, dramatic and subversive. Their music is a deranged, riff-roaring clamor that clings to a steel-toed groove.
“It’s psychotropic blues-punk,” said Unicron, the band’s bassist. We recently interviewed the band’s founder, Gern Blanzden, about the band’s music and the art of costuming.
What was the concept of Drop a Grand from the beginning?
It’s very self-serving: I have $1,000 to blow with my buddies. … What should we do? Sure as hell ain’t gonna play a round of golf, now are we? Mommy always said if you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing. In DAG we’d get blurry-eyed, make some enemies and blame it on the Tiger.
Were costumes part of the concept from the start?
Complete disguise was initially the only means of getting others to join me on a stage. Kind of an afterthought, but whatever. The art of costuming has significant advantages: minimal stalkers and no unwarranted shop talk from town to town.
OUR LINKS
9/7
Play On KC
The Sneakers
The Atomic 50`s
John el & Modern Culture
The MGDs
Chris Meck & The Second Sons
Nick Schnebelen Band
| All Ages | 5 pm
BUY TICKETS!Play On KC
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
The Sneakers
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The Atomic 50`s
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John el & Modern Culture
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The MGDs
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Chris Meck & The Second Sons
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Nick Schnebelen Band
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Dirtfoot
Dirtfoot is an all original, all acoustic band out of Shreveport, LA. Forming in early 2002, they've been honing their songs and craft in bars and pubs across North Louisiana, Southern Arkansas, and east Texas. After winning the Shreveport Times Battle of the Bands in January 2006, doors have really been opening. Now playing festivals like Voodoo Music Experience in NOLA, Wakarusa Music Festival in Lawrence, KS, Diversafest in Tulsa, OK, Mulberry Mountain Harvest Music Festival in Ozark, AR, Cutting Edge Music Festival in New Orleans, LA, Red River Revel in Shreveport, LA, Northgate Music Fetival, College Station, TX, etc, and playing major markets like Austin, Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, etc, things are definitely looking up.
Led by the organic writings of Matt Hazelton with each player adding his own flavor and feeling to the songs and sound of the group, Dirtfoot is a blend of eclectic styles as well as diverse personalities. By far, their claim to fame is their high energy shows and overwhelming crowd participation. They involve the fans with infectious grooves, call and response songs as well as their famous "Beancans'. Each show, bean cans (homemade shakers) are passed out to the audience which turns them into a part of the percussion section. Though all of their instruments are acoustic, their energy and ingenuity will make you swear they are plugged in. Featuring instruments ranging from an acoustic guitar, banjo, upright bass, pots n' pans, drums, bells, saxophone, xylophone and more, this band has a truly engaging sound, a real dose of Gypsy, Punk, Country, Grumble Boogie! It is like a good gumbo - you have some growling vocals, upright bass and percussion that makes a good, dark, dirty Louisiana roux, mixed heartily with some meaty rhythms, combined liberally with fresh offerings from the guitar and banjo that are like okra and tomatoes picked from your backyard garden, topped with the hot n' sexy spice of the saxophone and jazz style drums, and finally a little something magical and indescribable, and you have Dirtfoot - a delicious, spicy, dirty band that will make you stomp your feet, shake your ass and yell like a lunatic on a full moon night.
OUR LINKS
Carrie Nation & The Speakeasy
Carrie Nation & the Speakeasy is a high-energy, acoustic brass 'n' grass outfit based out of Wichita, KS. The band, whose sound has been described as a stagecoach in overdrive, has brought their eclectic blend of punk, bluegrass, dixieland, and circus tunes to packed bars, basements, and festivals across the United States since 2007.
With tunes that cover just about everything from drinkin' to
dyin' to livin' and lyin', CNS can fill the dance floor with their blazing bluegrass and circus tunes as quickly as they can provoke existential introspection with dark, slinky tunes reminiscent of a New Orleans funeral march. Blaring trombones melt into break-neck banjo solos, while the "junkyard" trap set and stand-up bass churn out hard-driving rhythms that carry the force of a Kansas freight train.
This unique blend of styles combined with the high energy maintained on stage, allows CNS to fit perfectly into any lineup including folk, bluegrass, punk, metal, ska, or jam. Always providing an energetic and drink 'em down atmosphere to any place they play, Carrie Nation & the Speakeasy has proven a dedication to their live shows with a solid understanding of what entertainment really means.
OUR LINKS
Puddle Of Mudd
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Saliva
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The Veer Union
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Tantric
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Shallow Side
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Lost Dog Street Band
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Matt Heckler
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Dispatch
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Nahko & Medicine for the People
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9/14
FREE FRIDAYS
Lucas Parker Band
3 Son Green
Dyaln Guthrie and the Good Time Guys
All Ages | 6 pm
BUY TICKETS!FREE FRIDAYS
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Lucas Parker Band
Rock and roll for jazz people, jazz for rock and roll people.
Hailing from Lawrence, KS, Lucas Parker Band is comprised of some of the area's favorite players taking on the compositions of guitarist, Lucas Parker, a Lawrence native. Comprised of Chris Handley on bass, Sam Goodell on keys, Taylor Babb on drums, and Carl Spaeth on Tenor Sax, the Lucas Parker Band will throw it down every time. So hard.
OUR LINKS
3 Son Green
Since 2007, 3 Son Green has been interweaving their vast web of sound, sense, and solidarity into the ever‐evolving architect it has become. Their RockJamJazzFunk style breaks genre bylaws, and pulls crowds out of their seats everywhere they play. 3 Son Green’s intricate songwriting combined with their natural improvisation is guaranteed to satisfy every music lover’s palette. Their well fueled, expanding flame has, even now, lapped at the feet of the music world at all manner of festivals across the Midwest. These Kansas City grown virtuosos are vaulting to new heights, and leaving no slack behind.
Jamie Anderson – Guitar/Vocals
Evan Carlson – Guitar/Vocals
Steven Pearson – Drums
Trey Green – Bass/Vocals
OUR LINKS
Dyaln Guthrie and the Good Time Guys
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Steve n Seagulls
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Restless String Band
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Monsters of Mock
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Almost Kiss
One of Six Tribute Bands
Considered talented enough to be placed on the world famous, “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” in front of an international audience, Almost KISS caught the eye of Family Jewels’ Producers and Executives in 2010 and were chose to be included as one of six tributes to be endorsed by Gene Simmons. Since then, this amazing group of four musicians has continued to excite crowds all over the country, growing substantially in popularity.
Complete Kiss Image on Stage
Part of what makes Almost KISS show so enthralling is the way in which they have so meticulously recreated the complete KISS image on stage. The boys feature authentic vintage instruments, makeup, and custom made costumes and boots. Their unmistakable New York accents and KISS antics truly bring out the outlandish, charismatic personas of the original four Gods of Thunder we all adore. In being true to the original characters, Almost KISS derives the majority of their song list from a specific part of the KISS katalog, primarily performing material that KISS played in live concert settings from 1974-1983. This long and wonderful list of songs spans material from the early tunes they played at small, dingy clubs in New York City to huge, international numbers such as “Lick It Up.”
Their touring takes them to festivals, college campuses, corporate events, benefits, nightclubs, and private functions from Missouri to Texas and Wisconsin to the Caribbean. No matter where the band travels, people always enjoy Almost KISS because people, young and not-so, still (and probably always will) love KISS.
International
2011 and 2012 will take Almost KISS internationally to St. Thomas and St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands for a few big shows and rumors of travel abroad to Germany, Mexico, and Canada are constantly swirling.
Hottest Band in the World
Almost KISS are four KISS fans: Devote and true. They choose to pay homage to the hottest band in the world and bring the show closer to you than you’ve ever experienced before. Pucker up…this is the Hottest Tribute band in the world!
OUR LINKS
KC/DC
KC/DC!!! What else really needs to be said?????? The region's ONLY band exclusively playing both the Bon Scott and Brian Johnson eras of AC/DC. No other band in the history of rock 'n' roll has created better music to party your ass off to than AC/DC. We're actually jealous of you if you come to one of our shows...yes JEALOUS!!! We wish we were sitting out front listening to these ass-kicking rock anthems and drinking too much right-along side you...because we ourselves are just big fans of this music and what it represents--HAVING FUN WITH YOUR FRIENDS! (but playing these tunes ain't too bad either, so don't feel sorry for us!). This is HIGH ENERGY stadium rock that will leave you Thunderstuck! There's not a single "Debbie Downer" moment in any of the tunes we play. We do not wish to "inform" anyone of any issues (other than the fact that you need to loosen up and have some damn fun!), no songs to make you "think", no songs to express our "inner-rage", no songs to relate to the "lowest common denominator" of society, no political views. Just good-old blues based boogie-woogie hard rock 'n' roll that you can dance to, drink to, fight to, drive fast to, have sex to, scream-along to, and just plain LIVE to. LET THERE BE ROCK!
OUR LINKS
Samantha Fish
Whether one leans towards the blues, opts for Americana or ignites some special fervor by playing with a garage band, there’s a common bond that suggests a reverence for the roots. Looking back towards an earlier template — no matter what the genre — proves the point that appreciating what came before can be a stepping stone for what comes next.
Samantha Fish knows that all too well, and it’s been evidenced in the music she’s made her entire career. While she’s well known as a purveyor of blues, having been lauded by such legends as Buddy Guy, the Royal Southern Brotherhood and Luther Dickinson, her real love is simply raw, scrappy rock and roll. “I grew up on it,” she insists. “Working with Luther on my last album further instilled that spirit in me. It made me realize just how much that basic, unfettered sound means to me, and how well it ties into soul music, R&B, country and so many other forms of music that are essential even today.”
It’s little wonder then that when it came time to record her new album, Chills & Fever (released March 17, 2017), Fish ventured off in another new direction, one she was exploring for the first time in her career. She traveled to Detroit and joined forces with members of the Detroit Cobras, a band whose insurgent ethic has made them darlings of the Midwest punk/blues scene. The two entities — which included Joe Mazzola on guitar, Steve Nawara on bass, and Kenny Tudrick along with Bob Mervak on keys, and the New Orleans horn section featuring Mark Levron and Travis Blotsky on trumpet and saxophone — bonded over a common love of classic soul and rollicking rhythms, so much so that the results testify to a seemingly timeless template. Covering songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s — indelible melodies from the pens of legends like Jackie DeShannon, Jerry Ragavoy, Bert Berns and Allen Toussaint — and revisiting some earlier demos she cut along with producer Bobby Harlow, Fish and the Cobras created an album that’s best described as a pure slab of rocking rhythm n’ blues.
“I listened to a lot of soul music, and I dug deep into people like Otis Redding and Ray Charles,” Fish recalls. “I was also influenced by people like R.L. Burnside and North Mississippi’s Junior Kimbrough. It’s a lot less restrained style of music than the sound people may be used to hearing from me, but it’s definitely a different facet of my personality. It’s far more straight forward.”
The fact is, Fish has never been bound by any expectations whatsoever. Growing up in Kansas City, she switched from drums to guitar at the tender age of 15. She spent much of her time in local watering holes listening to visiting blues bands. Samantha caught the attention of Ruf Records. The label subsequently released her album, Girls with Guitars, which found her co-billed with Cassie Taylor and Dani Wilde. That led to her forming her own trio and recording three more albums, Runaway (2011), Black Wind Howlin’ (2013) and Wild Heart (2015), as reaping an awards for Best Artist Debut at the 2012 Blues Music Awards in Memphis. Along the way she found herself working with other artists as well — Jimmy Hall, Devon Allman, and Reese Wynans, among them.
Still, nothing she’s done before can prepare her faithful fans and followers to the seminal sounds of Chills & Fever.
I don’t think I ever enjoyed making a record quite as much as I enjoyed making this one,” Fish insists. “I love the sound of the brass and the edgier intensity. One thing’s for sure. Nothing ever felt so authentic.”
OUR LINKS
Car Seat Headrest
Matador Records is thrilled to announce that it has signed Car Seat Headrest and will release Teens of Style on October 30, with Teens of Denial to follow soon after in 2016. This prolific artist (n Will Toledo) comes to Matador having already crafted an 11-album catalog of staggering depth, all self-released on Bandcamp, which has gained him an obsessive following and over 25,000 downloads - all without the muscle of a manager, label, agent, or publicist - until now.
Car Seat Headrest began in 2010 in Will Toledo's hometown of Leesburg, Virginia. Needing a place of solitude (and soundproofing) where he could record vocals undisturbed, a 17-year-old Toledo set up shop in the family car. Toledo's catalogue is sharp, literary, and culturally omnivorous as it touches upon youth and death, love and depression, drunken parties and 2nd century theologians. Ever surprising, his lyrical imagery ranges from playful to sexually frank to sorrowful, often within the same song.
After relocating to the Seattle suburbs in 2014, Toledo assembled a lineup with bassist Ethan Ives and drummer Andrew Katz. Teens of Style is the first Car Seat Headrest album recorded with a full band, and the sound is vibrant and powerful, with a wide stylistic range.
On Teens of Style, Toledo has taken material from the first three years of the band's existence and reworked it to generate some of the most realized arrangements to date. Drawing material from 3 (2010), My Back Is Killing Me Baby (2011), and Monomania (2012), Teens of Style provides a concise overview of the band's many sonic and emotional facets, with the songs ranging from electronic psychedelia to punky anthems to melancholic acoustic numbers.
The longest track on Teens of Style, "Times to Die," is just under seven minutes, applying breakbeat cut-ups and "Low Rider" horns to a groove-driven neo-psych jam with lyrics about Judaism, Hinduism, and the record business. Similarly, "Maud Gone" is a wistful 60s-inspired pop number paying homage to Yeats's unrequited love, while the intricate party track "Los Borrachos" borrows its title from the Diego Velasquez painting.
Car Seat Headrest's conceptual ambition and stunning songwriting has been apparent since its early days of laptop recording, the scale of Toledo's vision going far beyond the constricting "lo-fi" term. Now on his Matador Records debut, Teens of Style, we witness Toledo presenting his intricate ideas with more clarity and refinement than ever, delivering an enthralling collection of songs destined for wide acclaim.
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Naked Giants
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Indigo Girls
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Lucy Wainwright Roche
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Eric Schwartz
Eric Schwartz is a comedian, actor, voiceover artist, musician and content creator. In addition to television appearances on Showtime, the Tonight Show, Comics Unleashed, BET and his one-hour special, “Surrender to the Blender,” on Hulu, Eric is know for his popular digital stand-up clips, sketches and parody videos. He has been going viral long before social media existed and continues to deliver hit after hit to his growing and engaged online fanbase.
This multi-dimensional showman’s stand up, sketches, songs and characters have led to content collaborations with Grammy-winner Jason Mraz, Craig Robinson, Anjelah Johnson, Tiffany Haddish, Disney, Yahoo, HLN, Machinima, Maker Studios, MiTu Networks and more.
On stage, Eric is one of the most creative and original comedians working today, earning the description, “everything there is to love about entertainment” (First Order Historians). GQ India names him one of “5 International Comics You Must Catch.” “E! News Daily” host Ryan Seacrest said Schwartz is “rocking the web” with “video that’s got everyone Googling” and Forbes.com applauds him for having “a minor industry in pop music parodies.”
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Umphrey`s McGee
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Sunsquabi
The 3 Piece Electronic Hydro Funk Experience from Boulder, CO known as SunSquabi is poised to break out in 2015. The group has performed at some of the country’s most notable music festivals (Wakarusa, Summer Camp, Euphoria Music Festival, Mcdowell Mtn Music Festival, Sonic Bloom, Snowball, SXSW and more). Since May 2012, the trio has been consistently touring the U.S. and rapidly gaining recognition from the ever-evolving EDM and Livetronica markets. SunSquabi has shared the stage with Big Gigantic, Pretty Lights, GriZ, Murphy of STS9, Up Until Now, Two Fresh, Conspirator, Michal Menert, Boombox, The Floozies, Archnemesis, Break Science, Minnesota, Ghostland Observatory and many more.
Constantly on the studio grind, SunSquabi is always striving to change and mature their sound. They continue to break down and analyze the expectations of what a “Live-Electronic” band should be. Through their own studio recordings and collaborations with other artists such as Griz, SunSquabi is dedicated to their ever evolving craft in the studio and on the live stage.
A recent overhaul on the live set has propelled the group into 2015, with plans to tour all over the U.S. They will be making appearances at several major festivals this summer, with an album release planned for late Summer 2015.
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Ezra Furman
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Transangleic
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Exodus
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Lettuce
For more than two decades, Lettuce have brought a new vitality to classic funk, matching their smooth and soulful grooves with a hip-hop-inspired urgency and mastery of beat. Now, on their fourth studio album Crush, drummer Adam Deitch, guitarists Adam Smirnoff and Eric Krasno, bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes, keyboardist Neal Evans, saxophonist Ryan Zoidis, and trumpet players Eric Bloom and Rashawn Ross deepen that sound by channeling the sonic freedom and infectious energy of their incendiary live show. Produced by Lettuce and recorded/mixed by Joel Hamilton at Brooklyn’s Studio G, Crush first came to life on the road, with the band developing new material and testing it out live as they toured. “We’ve all noticed that our music goes into a lot of different directions onstage, and we wanted to capture that in a way that we never really have before,” says Coomes, who names classic psychedelia and ‘90s hip-hop among Lettuce’s key inspirations on Crush. “It’s definitely more wide-open in terms style, but it still stays true to the funk.” As they pushed into new sonic territory throughout the making of Crush, Lettuce drew on a natural musicality that each member has sharpened through an impressive string of outside projects: Deitch also drums and produces for artists like Pretty Lights and Talib Kweli, Krasno’s played with the Allman Brothers Band and on Grammy Award-winning albums from the Tedeschi Trucks Band and Derek Trucks Band, Ross is a full-time member of the Dave Matthews Band, and the most recent of Coomes’s bass credits include Dr. Dre’s Compton. “We’re all doing such eclectic things, and we all absorb those new experiences and feed them back into our own music,” notes Krasno. “Our palette just keeps growing and growing.” The follow-up to 2012’s Fly, Crush finds Lettuce brilliantly infusing their psychedelic and hip-hop sensibilities into bass-heavy funk. With its spidery guitar work and hypnotic beats, “Phyllis” is a delicately sprawling epic that embodies what Deitch refers to as “a chill-hop vibe that’s kind of the flip-side of all that powerful uptempo funk that people might expect from us.” On “Get Greasy,” Lettuce give a nod to the groove-fueled EDM subgenre known as future funk, building off its highly danceable rhythm with a blissfully loose and horn-laced arrangement. And on “He Made a Woman Out of Me,” guest vocalist Alecia Chakour lends her bluesy growl to a scorching take on Bobbie Gentry’s 1970 country-soul classic. Whether paying homage to Led Zeppelin on the fiery and guitar-driven “Silverdome” or delivering a deeply riveting and richly textured hip-hop medley with “Oresteia,” Lettuce maneuver through Crush’s kaleidoscopic sound with sophisticated ease and powerful synergy. “More so than any of the records we’ve done before, this album is very much about the improvised grooves and improvised solos,” says Krasno. “Instead of going at it like, ‘Here’s a melody, now here’s a guitar solo, here’s another melody, here’s a sax solo,’ everyone’s leaning on each other in a way that’s completely unspoken. It’s all of us moving as one unit and creating this new sound together.”
According to Lettuce, that sense of unity and togetherness has much to do with a camaraderie that’s only intensified over the lifespan of the band. Formed in 1992, when several band members attended a summer program at Boston’s Berklee College of Music as teenagers, Lettuce was founded on a shared love of legendary funk artists like Earth, Wind & Fire and Tower of Power. After returning to Berklee as undergrads in 1994, Lettuce started playing in local clubs and steadily built up a following that soon extended to cities across the country and then throughout the world. Releasing their studio debut Outta Here in 2002 and its follow-up album Rage! in 2009, the band dedicated the coming years to balancing their frequent touring with involvement in a host of other musical endeavors (including Evans and Krasno’s role as founding members of acclaimed soul/jazz trio Soulive). In recent years, Lettuce have watched their fanbase expand as they’ve hit bigger and bigger stages and earned their name as a can’t-miss festival act. And in making Crush, the band had no trouble harnessing the spirit of their explosive live show. “Some of these shows we’ve played over the past couple years have been so amazing, it’s like you go home a different person,” says Coomes. “I’m sure remembering those moments in our minds and our hearts helped bring out something special when we were recording these new songs.” So while Crush offers everything from all-out party jams to headphone-ready journeys into space funk, each track was born from an unabashed joy and love of live performance. “That energy we get when it’s prime time and we’re about to go onstage and we’re just excited beyond belief—that all came out on this new album,” says Deitch. “There’s a feeling that the band is rising, and it’s a really beautiful thing.”
OUR LINKS
Daily Bread
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Reverend Horton Heat
It’s true that the Reverend Horton Heat have been called a great many things over the course of their storied career: Perpetual Carriers Of The Rockabilly Flame, Genre-Shattering Problem Children, Filthy Drunks, and The Most Electrifying Live Act In America (150 shows every year can’t be wrong). But whatever you happen to call them, their country-flavored punkabilly and onstage antics have brought the Reverend Horton Heat a strikingly diverse fan base and a devoted cult following. The Rev himself, aka Jim Heath, leads the way with signature guitar riffs, while pounding out the bottom notes (often on top of) his upright bass is Jimbo Wallace, while Scott Churilla keeps time on the drums.
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Unknown Hinson
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Delta Bombers
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The Goddamn Gallows
The Goddamn Gallows formed in 2004 by founding members and Lansing/Detroit natives Mikey Classic on guitar and vocals, Fishgutzzz on upright bass, and Amanda Kill on drums -replaced by current drummer Uriah Baker (aka; "Baby Genius") in 2006. The trio started out migrating around the West for a time, holing up in Hollywood squats and squalid apartments, before releasing several albums: The Gallows EP (2004), Life of Sin (2005), and Gutterbilly Blues (2007), and finally hitting the road nearly full-time to establish their presence in the psychobilly-country scene while honing their self-described "twanged-out punk rock gutterbilly".
In 2009 the addition of Avery, a fire-breathing, accordion and washboard player, as well as Jayke Orvis (formerly of the .357 String Band) on mandolin and banjo, prompted The Goddamn Gallows to explore many new directions with their songwriting and in their live performances. As evidenced on their most recent 2009 album, Ghost of The Rails, and as witnessed by their spectacular and tireless live shows, The Goddamn Gallows began to forge a path founded on their very own brand of contagious primeval abandon: an unpretentious and from-the-gut carnivalesque smorgasbord of parts old time revival, circus sideshow, and good old-fashioned rock and roll. The result falls dead center into a head on collision between something like a Western honky-tonk impromptu parking lot rodeo, and Suburbia (the 1983 Penelope Spheeris cult classic film, not the location).
Though still officially Michigan-based, they have toured relentlessly since 2007, practically living out of their van and regularly performing as many as 200 dates a year. They've supported such acts as Nekromantix, Slim Cessna's Auto Club, Mad Sin, The Legendary Shack Shakers, and even the King of Surf Guitar legend Dick Dale. They continue to rapidly grow a devoted following built on their visceral and volatile blend of multiple American music styles, and frenetic live energy -but still with just enough hardcore and punk influence to make your parents hate it.
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Koffin Kats
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Gutter Demons
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Avi Buffalo
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Haunted Summer
The songs of Haunted Summer are dreamy and hypnotic, rich with orchestral strings and sultry electronic textures, and with their EP, Something in the Water, the group crafted a captivatingly-ethereal musical journey through a nostalgic world of young love and long-forgotten memories. Consisting of husband-and-wife Bridgette Moody and John Seasons, who share songwriting duties in a true collaboration, the Los Angeles duo have shared the stage and toured with groups and performers including Taken By Trees, Islands, Deafheaven, Coeur De Pirate, Olafur Arnalds, Carla Morrison, Meiko, Basia Bulat, Federico Aubele, Laura Stevenson and more. They have toured the country and played venues such as The El Rey Theatre, The Great American Music Hall, The Levitt Pavilion, Amoeba Hollywood, The Observatory OC, The Glasshouse, Crescent Ballroom, North Park Theater, The Chapel, The Beauty Bar Las Vegas, Pianos, The Casbah and many more. Having completed a tour with Islands and other tour dates with David J of Bauhaus, Geographer and more, multiple headlining tours across the country among other countless tour dates, plus a month-long residency in San Francisco and LA, Haunted Summer is poised to bring their psychedelic sound to the world.
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The five tracks on the Something in The Water reinforce the group's ghostly vibes, with Moody's ethereal vocals blending seamlessly with spaced-out and hazy orchestral dream-pop, allowing the music to take control of your headspace like a ray of light seeping in through the cracks of a long forgotten and rundown gothic mansion. -The Portland Mercury (CT)
The pair’s blend of experimental guitar riffs, ethereal orchestral features, and Moody’s trance-like vocals—plus a ton of oddball electronic sounds that add even more texture—creates a sound that sticks with you. -The Seattle Weekly (Azaria Podplesky)
Bridgette Eliza Moody and John Seasons are the group’s mainstays, but they have smartly added other musicians to the mix, taking their music to a bolder, higher level. The use of clarinet especially enhances and grounds their sound as Moody's augmented vocals and Seasons’ languid guitar licks add ethereal layers. -The Inlander (Laura Johnson)
OUR LINKS
10/19
The Dead South
Split Lip Rayfield
Whiskey Shivers
The Mighty Pines
Del Suelo
| All Ages | 6:30 pm
BUY TICKETS!The Dead South
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Split Lip Rayfield
The fire rages on for the powerhouse trio from Kansas, Split Lip Rayfield (SLR), as they celebrate the release of their new record, "I’ll Be Around." The new album showcases the songwriting talents of mandolin player Wayne Gottstine and banjo player Eric Mardis, tied together by the harmony and deep-bass licks of Jeff Eaton. Such songs as "Aces High," "Heart of Darkness," and "The High Price of Necromancy" will take listeners on a journey of love, loss, change, and dark powers, as they discover what lies in the mysterious minds of SLR. The song for which the album is named, "I’ll Be Around," serves as a tribute to the band’s fallen teammate Kirk Rundstrom, whose influence on the band and its path was great. Rundstrom’s legacy continues to live on in the new album and also the band itself as every live show is dedicated to his memory. Split Lip Rayfield has carved out their own genre of music with their unique sound and instrumentation. Often described as a mix of bluegrass and country with an accent of metal, no other band delivers the experience of the homemade gas-tank bass played by Jeff Eaton, sets the mandolin strings on fire like Wayne Gottstine, or makes the banjo sing like Eric Mardis. Together, they burn up speakers and stages alike providing an unforgettable experience.
OUR LINKS
- Split Lip Rayfield Homepage
- On Facebook
- On Youtube
- On Spotify (Will launch Spotify Application)
- On Twitter
Whiskey Shivers
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The Mighty Pines
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Del Suelo
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Russ Liquid Test
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Balkan Bump
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Colony House
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The New Respects
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i Mayday !
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1 Ton of Potluck
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D U Ivan
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Mountain Sprout
Mountain Sprout is a highly energetic hillbilly music machine, spitting original tunes and blowing minds with original whitty lyrics and face melting musicianship. The Sprouts are a full time working band and play shows all year round for anyone who will listen. Whether it be Grayson VanSickle playing his machine gun banjo, singing out the novel of our lives or guitarist Adam Waggs, who yanks up the melody up by the ear and keeps you kickin'. With a smile on his face, Daniel Redmond pulls out cannon fire notes pounding the stand-up, dog house bass, and Blayne Thiebaux gives the crowd a spectacular show, burnin' rosin and bendin' air, exploding the fiddle while bursting into flames. Together, they are MOUNTAIN SPROUT.
Playing around 250 shows a year, including music festivals, concert halls and backwood hole in the walls. They have performed in venues large and small. From opening up for national icons Willie Nelson and Leonn Russel to performing with jam band titans such as Yonder Mountain String Band and Wide Spread Panic. You can find them hanging out with home grown legends like Split Lip Rayfield, Randy Crouch and countless other amazing musicians. Always opening up another beer or a sheltered mind at the local and not-so-local bars, MOUNTAIN SPROUT is always truly a crowd favorite.
After forming several renditions, the band made a final pact in ‘06. Since then MOUNTAIN SPROUT has released multiple recordings preceded by the infamous “Pornobilly”(2005) that earned a place in everyones heart. Then officially releasing their original debut album "One More for the Ditch"(2007), followed by a collection of traditional tunes entitled "Fambilly Hour"(2008), and tapped from source with another CD of original songs called "Into the Sun"(2009). With there latest smash hit album for the collection “Habits to Feed”(2010).
Now with much more to come from the Mudstomp Records family and the Pipeline Productions power house, Mountain Sprout is here to push the limits! Just make contact with plenty of advance notice so that you too can enjoy the live supernatural performance of the Mountain Sprout and if you all just want to party, well thats we do best, so let us set the mood for an amazing experience anytime; every time.