by Karina Marquez | Apr 5, 2019 | albums, review
New York City artist Megg Farrell bares her folksy soul with the help of some friends with her appropriately-titled album Megg Farrell & Friends. The music’s vibe is Stevie Nicks if she was a blues singer with an affinity for the banjo, and it is truly a piece of art to behold. Each song is clearly and artfully crafted in terms of music production, lyrics, and instruments.
“Feelin Single” is the perfect opening track for a bluesy folk album, with it’s a capella harmonies and references to a wild night out:
“I was feelin’ single, seeing double, wound up in a whole lot of trouble … but I really had a ball last night.”
As the album goes on, two things becomes apparent: Farrell’s voice is beautifully nostalgic, and she creates a record that tells a seamless story. With song titles like “New Orleans Waltz,” “Tulsa Queen,” “New York Love Song,” and “Ooh Las Vegas,” Farrell showcases her ability to tell stories about all these different places and the influences they had on her.
Amongst the toe-tapping country vibes, there were a couple of stripped down tracks, and those were my favorite from the record. “If I Were a Woman” is a gentle and sad story of someone who wishes she could be the woman she always wanted to be. The lyrics are undeniably poetic, a punch to the gut:
If I were a woman, I’d teach you to be brave.
I’d fight for my sex and their race,
and I’d find me a new name.
If I could speak, I’d speak for something bold,
but my hearts grown weak or so I’ve been told.
Megg Farrell & Friends is a well-rounded album with the ability to make you dance, cry, sing along, and repeat. It perfectly encapsulates what the feeling of sitting in a jazz piano bar, sipping a beer and being completely captivated by a band’s ability to create something raw, honest, and real.
Be sure to check out the album, and keep up with Megg Farrell here.
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 27, 2019 | albums, review
Today, indelible songstress Haley Reinhart releases her latest collection of songs, a full-length titled Lo-Fi Soul. Full of layered, beautiful instrumentals, the entirety of the album is packed to the brim with Reinhart’s soulful, glittering vocals that take you back in time with each new breath, starting with “Deep Water” and leading you all the way through to the last chords of thirteenth track “Baby Doll”. Second track “Oh Damn” slows things down a bit after its predecessor ends, addressing the protagonist’s want to find their one and only. The title track speeds it up a bit more, adding a bit more edge to the collection. “Don’t Know How to Love You” is true blues, both the guitar and the vocals equally as heart-wrenching.
Both “Strange World” and “Shook” are love songs in their own right, both addressing the world in curious and insightful ways, slightly less attractive and way more quirky than other love songs. And while “Crack the Code” is a little more introspective and pondering, while “Lay It Down” sings of a past love, and leaves us questioning what went wrong. “Honey, There’s the Door” brings that sass back, a truly refreshing song of note, and that sass carries right on into “Broken Record”, making these two our favorite tracks on the release.
But she doesn’t stop impressing there. If you listen through to “Some Way Some How”, you will experience a truly breathtaking ballad, not unlike other prior releases of hers. I pity the fool she sings about in “How Dare You”, as karma has clearly been assessed in that situation. And she rounds everything out so gracefully with last track ‘Baby Doll”, the beginning giving us hints of Mariah Carey goodness with Reinhart’s impressive vocal range. But don’t just take our word for it. Enjoy!
Catch her on tour!
04.02.19 – New York, NY – City Winery
04.03.19 – Boston, MA – City Winery
04.04.19 – Sellersville, PA – Sellersville Theatre
04.06.19 – Bay Shore, NY – Boulton Center
04.07.19 – Annapolis, MD – Ramshead On Stage
04.08.19 – Washington D.C. – Jammin’ Java
04.09.19 – Charlotte, NC – Booth Playhouse
04.11.19 – Nashville, TN – Mercy Lounge
04.14.19 – Chicago, IL – Park West
04.15.19 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater
04.16.19 – Lawrence, KS – Granada Theater
04.17.19 – Dallas, TX – Dada
04.19.19 – Denver, CO – Globe Theater
04.20.19 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
04.22.19 – Seattle, WA – Crocodile
04.23.19 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre
04.25.19 – San Francisco, CA – Slims
04.26.19 – Los Angeles, CA – The Roxy
04.27.19 – Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room
Keep up with Haley Reinhart here.
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 15, 2019 | albums, review
Singer/songwriter David Leonard released his highly anticipated, 13-track debut album The Wait today, and we have been melting into it since the very first lines of “Wanderer” hit our ears. Leonard’s vocals are raspy, robust, and evoke more emotion than a beach proposal. With “Wanderer”, he establishes his immense talent and his ability to make the listener feel every word deep in their bones. And though the soundscape picks up a bit with “By My Side”, it still has this deep-rooted, freeing feeling associated with that would otherwise be completely unexpected.
But that’s what happens when you find a talent of Leonard’s capacity. You come to expect this reeling sense of self when you listen to their music, each track accompanying you on your life journey in this gorgeous soundtrack. “Signs of Life” brings a more upbeat, pop rock influence to the album, while “Know Your Heart” slows everything down again for an insane love ballad. “Come As You Are” and its intro are two of our favorites on the album, though you’ll have to get a good listen to every track to make that decision for yourself.
Once you are introduced to “Share This Burden”, there is almost a sense that Leonard has taken all of his most vulnerable moments over the years and created this album as a method of identifying with his audience, to create a community rather than just simply release music for the sake of releasing music. The listener gets an idea for how carefully crafted this work was through the Imogen Heap-esque intro of “There’s Nobody”, the ambient “I Will Wait”, and the introspective, more spiritual “Distant God” and “You Know Me”. He rounds the album out perfectly with the chorus in “Threads” and then the simplifying soundscape and heart-breaking, honest lyrics in “The Little That I Know”.
Take The Wait for a spin. We’re dying to know what you think!
Keep up with David Leonard here.
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 13, 2019 | show review
If you haven’t witnessed UPSAHL live, now is the perfect time. This female act is about to be major, and if her recorded music is not already any indication of that, then her live performance is absolute proof. And we couldn’t have thought of anyone better to open Max Frost’s show at The Riot Room on Monday, March 11th.
Rolling through . And during “All My Friends Are Rich”, you could tell the entire crowd was identifying with the lyrics in some way or another. (Hi. Yes. “Now where in the hell is my money?”) In fact, we were thrilled to see her perform any of the tracks off of her new Hindsight 20/20 EP, as it is such a vulnerable and theatrical work of art. Lucky us, UPSAHL’s vocals are just as raspy and enticing in real life as they are recorded, so her entire performance felt as though we were inside the EP itself. Not to mention, “Drugs” gave us all the confidence.
We walked away from that set to the bar like the badasses we had always dreamt of being, and we owe it all to an evening of fun with UPSAHL.
Keep up with the artist here.
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 13, 2019 | review
Recently, Kansas City’s own indie rock ensemble Fathers – comprised of Kenneth Storz (Voice, Guitar, Keys), Brooke Honeycutt (Voice, Bells, Percussion), David Littlewood (Voice, Keys, Bells), Matt Guilliams (Bass, Percussion), Bryce VZ (Vibraphone, Voice, Percussion), Josh Seerden (Guitar, Keys, Bass, Percussion), and Celeste Tilley (Trombone, Voice, Percussion) – released their new EP High Horses. In fact, if you want to hear our (very impressed) thoughts, here are some words we wrote about it. To celebrate this release, they hosted an EP release party at 2016 Main in Kansas City, MO on Saturday, March 8th. This performance made us wonder what could possibly be better in life.
Imagine: a beautiful, warmly lit room with vaulted ceilings, a mellifluous performance put on by an ensemble with a drum line that just won’t quit. Their music is unique and enigmatic, therefore it goes to assume that their live performance is as well. The way they layer in the instrumentals – provided by eleven ensemble members – is absolute magic, and watching each member of the collective work so diligently to bring this beauty to the surface is an absolute honor.
Seeing Fathers is an emotional experience. Just the thought alone of being able to correctly communicate to create such beautiful music with so many helping hands is extraordinary, but the way they chose this EP release space to cater to their esthetic and the overall feel to the band was exceptional. The way they play with dissonance here and there is admirable, but most importantly it is the energy with which Fathers performs that makes them such a standout act. The evening was a truly curated experience, a night of tranquility with a band that is undoubtedly going on to great things together.
Keep up with Fathers here.
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 12, 2019 | albums, review
Los Angeles-based quintet The Wild Reeds has been gracing our headphones for a hot second, but their new album Cheers is pure gold. Starting with the upbeat pace of “Moving Target” and then rolling slightly more slowly into “Telepathic Mail”, which has a persevering message we can all get behind. By “A Way To Stop”, the band has established, yet again, that they balance a wire between pop and rock, a little folk twang thrown in for fun. While fourth track “Lose My Mind” feels largely vintage, “Play It Safe” could easily have been played at a sock hop back in the day as well. The production value on both is beautiful and lush, perfect for vinyl play, we’re sure.
“Young and Impressionable” is honest and open, while “Giving Up On You” is louder, more determined, but maintains that vulnerability. “Don’t Pretend” approaches from a softer perspective, while the title alone of “P.S. Nevermind” already feels like something we can all relate to. (Hi. I have an additional thought. Should I have that additional thought? No? Nevermind. Yes. No. Don’t worry about it.) Lyrics like “I’m reckless/I did it and I’ll do it again” prove us too wrong, and we’re falling for this track hard. “Run and Hide” is wonderfully mellifluous, a song that feels like a ballad and belongs nowhere if not in your car, being belted at the top of your lungs as you drive home from work [today]. They round Cheers out with “My Name”, a track that is slowed to the pace of the first couple of songs, indicating the end of our profound journey with The Wild Reeds. The lyrics make it the perfect placement on the album, a lullaby of sorts that keeps us craving more.
Keep up with The Wild Reeds here.
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 11, 2019 | albums, review
On March 8th, Matt Shapiro released a 6-track EP that is absolutely thrilling from start to finish. You can see why, too, as Matt admits he approaches his music-making a lot like film. “I approach making a record like I’m making a movie,” he admits. “My last album Metaphysical was very layered and wide-angle and made to sound kind of epic. With this new EP FADE IN, I made the conscious decision to go the other way. This one’s more disciplined, and really stripped down to essentials…more like a scrappy little indie. And it has more bite.”
If you think for a moment that he doesn’t mean the phrase “scrappy little indie,” then you’re in for a treat. “Rockaway Girl” is very theatric, throwing you into this one-man performance that is equal parts modern indie rock and 80’s pop fury. “The Addict” darkens the soundscape a bit, but the collection doesn’t forget the attitude that came with the first track, as it weaves into the slow burner “Is There Something Going On”. “Johnny” is for the human who feels like walking on the wild side, while “Water’s Edge” is much slower, simple and soft in its disposition. Shapiro’s vocals feel like water as they glide amidst the instrumentals. This tranquil feeling is put to an abrupt halt with the first staccato notes of “Genievieve”. It seems as though the pace and volume change might have to do with the way a significant other disrupts your life, and makes things ten times louder. We’re fond of the impact it has on the EP’s trajectory, and couldn’t have placed a more defining last song.
Keep up with Matt Shapiro here.
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 5, 2019 | review
On February 26th, Soccer Mommy made a phenomenal appearance at the recordBar in Kansas City, MO to a sold out crowd. Openers Mess and Hovvdy laid perfect groundwork for the rowdy group, who were all in for a night of emotional and heartbreaking music. The house was packed before Hovvdy even started playing. which would normally come as a surprise to Kansas City concert-goers, as our city isn’t known for showing up early for the opening act. But Mess has developed a reputation of incredibly vibrant vocals and highly relatable songs that bring their crowds out early with anticipation. This evening seemed to be no exception, and we’re overjoyed that we got to witness that spark Mess ignites with each performance once again.
When Hovvdy took the stage, their steady, slow, crooning energy took over. And that same energy continued into the night, Soccer Mommy propelling it forward with her own brand of east coast bedroom pop. Within the summertime sounds of “Last Girl”, woven into the edge of “Skin”, and found in her older catalog inclusions as well, this type of energy is almost indescribable. Quirky, young, inspired, fun.
It seemed – in a moment surrounded by this soundscape, this crowd – around the third song of Soccer Mommy’s performance, that perhaps it wasn’t just this crowd that had latched on to the debut album she released just last summer. No, it seemed as if the words from Clean had soaked into our very surroundings, and that recordBar was emitting this palpable energy that made said surroundings feel like home.
If you haven’t gotten to see Soccer Mommy live yet, there is no better time than now. Lots of tour dates are coming up, as well as a couple of appearances at Coachella. Catch her set. You have no excuse not to.
Keep up with Soccer Mommy here.
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 4, 2019 | albums, review
Hailing from New York state, musical duo Lost Leaders – comprised of Peter Cole (Guitar/Vocals) and Byron Issacs (Guitar, Bass/Vocals) – released their endearing new 9-track full-length, titled Promises Promises on Friday. Beginning with first track “Extra-Ordinary”, the band brings an organic feeling of warmth to each track through to the last whirring notes of “Falling”. Personal favorites from the collection are “People Like Us”, “Wake Me Up”, and the darkness of “Falling Stars”, though we would never suggest trying those out without the album in its entirety.
The way Lost Leaders has crafted the energy of this album from one song to the next is bar none, and we’re electrified at the prospect of listening all week!
Keep up with Lost Leaders here.
