On Sunday, March 4th, AWOLNATION made an incredibly beautiful appearance at The Midland in Kansas City. High energy was abound, each photo a blur, but the setup and the openers – IronTom and Nothing But Thieves – made for a gorgeous night in the city. Abby Trapp captured some of that feeling for us.
On February 25th, the incredible Steve Aoki rolled through the Uptown Theater in Kansas City, MO with Desiigner in tow. Michael Porter nabbed some fun photos for us.
On Friday, January 19th, Courtship took the stage at The Truman in Kansas City, MO to open for the phenomenally fun Wombats. We were so in love with the photos at first glance, that we didn’t even bother editing them.
On December 12th, an enthusiastic crowd gathered to enjoy performances from Pageant Boys, Digisaurus, and Bad Dreamer at The Rino in Kansas City. We were lucky enough to get a peek inside this gorgeous evening just for you!
On Tuesday, October 31st, The Used took on the Uptown Theater in midtown Kansas City, Missouri to party it up on the most spooktacular evening of the year with help from post-hardcore favorite Glassjaw.
Members of the audience moved about the theater dressed as Clint Eastwood, Batman and Wayne Campbell of Wayne’s World. Not to be outdone, lead vocalist Bert McCracken debuted his look as the Pope as he twirled his garments and hat through “Take It Away” and “The Bird and the Worm.” Bandmates Jeph Howard, Justin Shekoski and Dan Whitesides also dressed for the occasion as a banana, the grim reaper and the Kool Aid Man respectively. McCracken’s ferocious vocals and the eerie Art Deco architecture adorning the venue’s walls added to the sinister night.
The band is touring in support of their just-released seventh studio album, The Canyon. The 17-track analog record stretches 80 minutes and is the first in which Shekoski stepped in for former guitarist Quinn Allman. It is also written as McCracken recovered from the sudden loss of childhood friend Tregen Lewis. Songs featured during the show included the Kurt Cobain-inspired anthem “Over and Over Again” and the live debut of the self-aware galvanizing chorus that is “The Nexus.”
Inspired by Michael Jackson to dance at the age of eight, McCracken refrained from performing his version of the Thriller dance. Though he spoke to the healing abilities of music and power of expression. “Try not to escape your problems but face your fears and maybe you’ll walk out (of it) feeling better,” he said.
Photographer Ashleigh Lee nabbed some stills for us, and you can check them out below!
Keep up with The Used here!
**Copy by Chris Ruder.
**Photos by Ashleigh Lee.
On Tuesday, September 26th, Sylvan Esso and Helado Negro took on the first crisp autumn evening in Kansas City to play to an all too eager audience at Crossroads KC. Photographer Suzanne Corum-Rich was there to take it all in for us. Here are a few snapshots, though a full gallery is up on PlaylistPlay and do816.
Keep up with Sylvan Esso here.
Experimental electronic musician Keith Rich operates under the moniker MemCave (when he’s not busy rockin’ out with his band Druids). In August, he released his solo album on local Kansas City label Intelligent Sound, and has been busy entertaining the midwest with show after show, adding his blissful sound to the summer heat.
How Beautiful To Be takes you on a journey through whirring, 80s tinged soundscapes, through tense sounding tempo changes, and into a world of mystery and magic, to be honest. From the beginning of “Pink Sky (ft. White Flashes)”, you can feel an almost enchantment to the music. “Ex” brings us into easy listening/lounge music territory, and “Fantasy Peel” picks up the pace and brings you into an almost alien soundscape for a line or two.
By the time you reach fourth track “Sukeban”, you realize you could play the music MemCave has created behind almost any scenario, and it would only enhance the world around you. Tense in places, his tracks have a smoothness to them that almost reassures you that these songs could be played both in a yoga studio and at a rave simultaneously. Luckily – with its predecessors – you don’t spend one moment thinking “Better Days” will be any type of Sublime remake (Though we wouldn’t hate on it, Think on it, k?), the crispness that almost bounces off the track is almost refreshing. “Glass Belgium” continues at a similar pace, keeping tempo up enough to make you want to dance out of your chair. (Yes, I know. And the chair I have been sitting in is damn comfy.) “Monya” brings a bit of a different – shall we say “adult” – sound with it, playing with quirky sound effects and maintaining a rhythm that just sticks with you.
While “Glaring” hits with staccato sound effects and notes, “Above Water” takes on more dissonant sounds and dramatic, long notes. “School Gloss” rounds the album out with a jazzy, almost offbeat, feel. You can certainly detect – and appreciate – the dubstep influence in the track, but there is a point in the song when you just realize you want to hear more.
(Hey, MemCave, did you hear that?)
How Beautiful To Be is available now. Keep up with MemCave here.
Anthony Louderback is a Kansas City based hip-hop artist that fuzes smooth beats with lyrics to match. Operating as a musical duo under the moniker Danza, the music is produced by Casey Faircloth, who provides Louderback with an amazing base to lay his lines on. There is something about Danza‘s flow and laid back attitude that is very intriguing, and this is all present on the debut LP Danza Special.
Introspective raps with an almost jazz like feel are present throughout the seven song LP. The beats are hard, yet smooth at the same time, this allows Louderback’s rhymes to be at the forefront. Much of today’s hip-hop struggles with the songs being too beat heavy, meaning that the bass covers up the artists actual rapping ability. Danza has come up with the perfect mixture, resembling what hip-hop duo Chiddy Bang used to do a couple of years ago. With jazz and alternative influences, Danza is a stand out in the hip-hop community, not to mention the fact that he took the time to include a reference to Skeeter Valentine from Doug. This LP is special, and hopefully Danza pushes along with this kind of material in the future.
For more information about Danza and their upcoming projects, you can visit their Facebook page. You can also listen to their music on Soundcloud.
