On June 29th, one of the most extraordinary voices in up-and-coming pop music visited the patio at Riot Room in Westport. Whoa Dakota (Jesse Ott) entertained in some of the sweatiest weather, the lighting and fan giving the tone a Beyonce effect, while the crowd basked in the glow. Photos below!
On Tuesday, July 2nd, Salt Lake City’s up-and-coming indie rock extraordinaire Ritt Momney made an appearance at The Rino in North Kansas City. Sandwiched between two incredible local acts – Sex Ed and Older Brother – Ritt Momney set a tone for excellence. Near the end, Rutter’s girlfriend joined the band on stage to sing, a touching experience as for the majority of the year they are separated because of her studies in another state.
I’ve never witnessed a man with such notoriety sip a beer so calmly and pointedly on stage as he stares out at individual faces in the crowd. At least, you get the sense that Matt Berninger is putting a lot of thought into those glances, though perhaps he just has an important tactic of his stage performance down after so many years entertaining. Either way, The National‘s performance at Bonnaroo was enigmatic. Highlights below.
On Saturday, June 15th, Hozier played as the sun set on the third day at Bonnaroo. His carefree style was plastered throughout the crowd, as people spread out at main stage to enjoy the relaxing soundscape. Into the set, he introduced special guest Brandi Carlile, who was scheduled to play her own set the following day. It was magical, and highlights can be seen below.
On Thursday, June 27th, our emo/punk hearts rejoiced when Anberlin took the stage at The Truman. Energy, intensity, incredible lighting. These were just some of the effects this performance had on us. And don’t think we emerged from the event without our hearts pumping, an adrenaline rush for days. Highlights below!
We started our last day at Bonnaroo sleeping in a little bit more than usual. We heard a pop up performance amongst the trees at an ungodly hour in the morning, and then dozed until it was time to wander in and catch Kikagaku Moyo‘s set. The Japanese psych band was absolutely mesmerizing, and we believe you catch a small bit of that feeling from the photos alone.
The last performance we saw before the epic set from Childish Gambino on Friday night at Bonnaroo was Courtney Barnett‘s set at THAT. She came out, fiery and forceful, and the energy kick really gave us the inspiration we needed to keep partying into the night. Highlights below.
On Monday, April 29th – just days after the release of their new album Real Life – brother duo Cayucas made a phenomenal appearance at recordBar in Kansas City, MO. They were joined by Cape Francis, which was also an incredible delight. In all sincerity, it’s a little more difficult to get a midwestern out of the house on a Monday night. Especially when the weather has been gloomy. But Cayucas is the band you show up for, as you’ll never quite understand how impressive they are without witnessing them live.