popwreckoning

November 11, 2011. A date that only happens every hundred years, and a date that is fall party central. Up To Eleven is having their party in celebration of their 10th Anniversary with over 30 bands in six venues. A few bands include Murder by Death, Lazer Sword, Matt Pryor, Ricky Fitts, Spirit is the Spirit, O Giant Man, Minden and of course many many others.

Wristbands for access to all venues are $20 and available at the Granada. All proceeds will go to benefit HealthCare Access and Music in Public Schools. Prices for individual venues on the night of are:

Granada – 18+ / $15 (Murder by Death)
Bottleneck 18+ / $12 (Lazer Sword)
Jackpot – 18+ / $5
Replay – 21+ / $3
Taproom – 21+ / $3
Love Garden – all ages / Free

For a downloadable schedule directly to your phone, scan this:

www.uptoeleven.com/111111
www.facebook.com/Eleven.Turns.Ten 

A group of students from the University of Missouri – Kansas City have been working on getting a radio station up and running for the past three years. As close as they’ve ever been, they will be holding a fundraiser to help them buy equipment and other supplies they need.

The show has a solid local band lineup at the Recordbar in Kansas City on November 17 with Root and Stem, She’s a Keeper, Scouts, and Fullbloods. Make sure to check out the Facebook event and therecordbar.com for more information. Go out to the show to support local music and radio.

www.fullbloods.com
wearescouts.bandcamp.com
shesakeeper.bandcamp.com
rootandstemband.bandcamp.com

Four Year Strong is a pop-punk quartet from Massachusetts, they came together in 2001.  On Nov. 8 the band will release their fourth full-length album In Some Way, Shape or Form which contains the single “Stuck in the Middle.”  They are currently on the Alternative Press Tour and played at the Beaumont Club in Kansas City on Oct. 28.  The tour also includes Gallows, Sharks, The Swellers, and Title Fight. Joe Weiss from Four Year Strong took some time while on tour to answer a few questions for Elicia Nichols.

PW:    When did Four Year Strong form and what brought you guys together to form the band?

Joe Weiss (Four Year Strong): The band started in 2001 and as friends living only a few blocks away from each other, we would always jam out together.  Music was always something that we enjoyed and we would spend a lot of timing playing music together.

PW: What is the meaning behind the band name?

JW: Our band name dates back to when we were around 14 years old, we changed the words to some lyrics from a song by The Get Up Kids to get the name Four Year Strong.

PW:  What inspired you to pursue a career in the music industry?

JW: Playing music with your friends was more fun, inspiring and better than anything that we felt we were learning or doing in school.

PW: What message do you send to the listeners through your music?

JW: I would say that every song is different and has a different message. Some songs simply tell stories, while others are about family members who have passed away, but I would definitely say that every song has its own element and message.

PW:    How would you describe your music for people who have never heard your name or sound before?

JW: Our music has a heavy rock sound, but with an element of party.

PW:   With your fourth album In Some Way, Shape, Or Form due out November 8, how would you say that your sound has changed from your first album to now?

JW: I’d say it is a better sound. We are leaning more towards rock, and away from the punk feeling that others would say we first had.

PW:  What has been the biggest highlight so far as you headline The AP Tour?

JW: The best experience so far has been actually a few nights ago in Chicago where we performed at a great venue called The Metro.  It was a really fun show. We love Chicago.  We love the people, we love the pizza and we love playing shows there.

PW:  With Halloween approaching, what is your favorite horror film?

JW: I’d have to say my favorite horror film is Dead Alive by Peter Jackson. It’s a great movie that came out before he did all the “Lord of the Ring” stuff.

PW:   If you were to be in a horror film how would you choose to die in your death scene?

JW: If I am to die in a horror film I’d want it to be in a sweet car crash. Maybe even throw in some cool zombies and stuff, you know?

Interview and photos by Elicia Nichols

www.fouryearstrongmusic.com
twitter.com/fouryearstrong
facebook.com/fouryearstrong
youtube.com/fouryearstrong

Explosions in the Sky played the Uptown Theater in Kansas City October 12. If you tell someone you saw or are going to see them, the initial reaction falls two ways: “What’s that?” or “I’m so jealous!” Whether you enjoy them while studying for an exam, working on a project, or baking a Mexican casserole, many would agree they are the perfect music to put on at track one and let it roll through the album and on to the next. Some would say EITS made the soundtrack to their life.

Their style and album structure is the emotional swing of an early twenties college student vacillating between stress and euphoria, darkness and excellentness. Attending their concert is not unlike going to a symphony. The music is fully instrumental with movement and smart development.

Their arrival to the stage was welcomed by applauding hipsters, yuppies, stoners, older professionals, and those who are all of the above. Plenty of plaid in the front. People relaxing in theatre seating in the back. They elected to start off slowly, which shouldn’t surprise anyone familiar with their discography. This was a production. A totally mind-altering experience for someone who hasn’t seen them live before.

After a clean intro, the hammer dropped with a bass hit and bright lights for just a beat, like a tease to the tension developing in the eager crowd. Then another and another. Finally they let loose. Some kid behind the rail started playing vicious air drums to the beat of the chemicals firing around in his head. Photographing nearby, I feared the worst for my equipment. This kid was somewhere else mentally, finally getting to release himself with his favorite band just feet away, loving every moment like the rest of the audience.

I still have a hard time believing I saw these people perform in real life. Most of the concert was spent building slowly with these brief moments of hard sound, covering selected tracks blended together with no dialogue. They played excellent tracks from their album The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place as well as new pieces with various songs from their catalogue brushed in seamlessly.

Explosions in the Sky do not rely on powerful visual effects, light boards, smoke machines, or other accessories for their performances. They have minor colored backlights to maintain a certain mood, which swings throughout, complimented with timely dissonance, and discourse.

They are fantastic with their audible effects, all done with electric instruments. Screeching, ear piercing, make-you-go-crazy effects create the perfect setting similar to Pink Floyd’s psychedelic works, none-without peace and extremely clean, smart sound in between. Maybe this is a draw for those who enjoy their music to the fullest, the purists. EITS are a set of musicians and not some kid with a mac, cranking out glitchy effects developed from some binary code freak (Not to knock the style. It simply wouldn’t fit in this genre of instrumental music).

One interesting thing, maybe disappointing, was the difference in crowd’s ideas of when songs and movements started and ended. Since their concert is more of a performance, there are no starting and stopping points. They played straight through for around an hour and a half. People would shout to hear their own voice in the quiet sets, leaving people who know what’s coming to cringe. I would have liked a more polite crowd. Let the sound do its job. Enjoy what they’re doing and know when it’s right to yell and clap your hands red.

The crowd didn’t destroy anything ultimately for me or the people I sat in the back with. MC Ebony ‘Left E. Grove’ Simon attended, and, for him, the peak of the show hit on the drop-in of Greet Death, the opening track from their dark album Those Who Tell the Truth… He knows music well and is a fellow EITS fanatic. Greet Death is a moving, pressing piece with extremely dark tones. It certainly may have been the turning point in the concert, leaving the serenity of slower tracks behind.

I do disagree with him on the peaking moment. The concert built on itself. The way they started quiet and teased with bass hits, hard guitar sounds, and loud dissonance, the set compilation built and teased until the end. They built up a finale with beautiful repetition, getting louder and louder and louder and then, pow! Fade. “Thank you very much. That’s our show.” No encore.

I cracked a great smile. Some people watching around me said it was very strange to not have an encore. I think encores are turning into really predictable, planned events. I admit I hadn’t seen a show without the headliner playing one and was surprised as well, but I was so elated they didn’t. An encore wouldn’t make sense.

The tension constructed over the entire performance until the beautiful peak. Just like a fireworks display. Just like any of their albums. You don’t want to see a bottle rocket go off after a hundred grand worth of gunpowder and various elements explode above you. They compiled tracks from different albums, but played them together as one great, seamless piece. No reason to regress. They did what they came to do. Their work was done. The venue lit up. Everyone was smiling.

Review and photos by Mitch Favrow

Neon Indian visited Kansas City’s Recordbar on Tuesday. Although it was originally booked for Wednesday, the last minute change didn’t seem to deter any fans from coming out to the show.

It was a hot, sticky, cheap drink kind of night. Though a good majority of the, sold out, 18 and over crowd didn’t partake in that last part.

Purity Ring took the stage at 9:30. An hour late, rumored to be due to a very lengthy soundcheck by the headlining band. The bar was dark and quiet as the layers of deep, rich synth created a long swelling intro. Soon this was interrupted by a dry electric drum beat and the night had begun.

The Canadian band fronted by Megan James was a very a pleasant marriage of avant-garde, artsy, electronic music and a more mainstream, pop oriented sound. Their set was made even more impressive by the neon colored banner hung behind them and a creative DIY light show. The audience responded enthusiastically after almost every number. Sometimes playful, sometimes dramatic, this opening act toed the line very well.

Up next was Com Truise, DJ Seth Haley from New Jersey who used a live drummer in his set.

“What’s up Kansas City?” Haley quietly murmured, and then received a deafening response of hoots and hollers. The crowd was obviously getting excited at this point. I spied a few glow sticks light up around the room. Haley asked for the stage lights to be turned off and Com Truise’s set began.

The music was much more static and had less structure than that of the opening act’s. The set went from song to song smoothly creating a kind of trance-like moosh of beats and synth. But the dance-happy crowd didn’t seem to mind the repetition. Just before people were danced out Com Truise thanked Kansas City and ended his set with a hard-hitting, fuzzed out closer.

Finally, it was time to see what Neon Indian had to contribute to the evening. Some more delays during stage set up and a rather lengthy line check from the band only heightened the intense anticipation. When the music finally hit it was crisp, clean, and refreshing. Neon Indian are a very bold kind of electronic band. Instead of hiding the music in dark, muddy synth (much like the first two acts did) they let the melodies cut through with a bright clean tone. This sound is backed up by a very precise drummer and an energetic, bubbly frontman.

The leader of the band is Alan Palomo. He seems reserved and maybe even a bit shy at first, but on stage in the middle of a set he is in his element. Palomo is a confident and capable musician and frontman. And as a team the band is unstoppable.

The music is undeniably catchy, with keyboard melodies that continue until you simply can’t live without them. Though Neon Indian doesn’t quite offer everything to your standard radio listener they were by far the most mainstream and instantly likable act of the night. This is due to the simple structure of their songs and the repetition of the finely honed, catchy melodies. This is what 90% of the sold out crowd wanted and expected. An audience that Palomo called “the most insane crowd on tour.”

Near the end of the set Palomo admitted that, in the middle of their tour, he had lost track of which day of the week it was. So, he simply dubbed it “full moon day” and with that the band continued to work the crowd into a frenzy. When it was time for an encore the frontman graciously skipped over any more build up saying, “Usually this is where we leave the stage and try to act inconspicuous….But we just want to play another fucking song for you guys!” That song was “Heart: Decay”, from their newest album, and it was a solid song to close the set.

If you are a follower of the Kanas City music scene then you have probably been to Recordbar more times than you can count. Recordbar has established itself as one of the best venues for local and regional acts in the city. On this night, however, the venue was put in the position to show it’s true potential. It wasn’t a local bar crowd. This band brought these fans out. This big event shows that Record Bar is an elite music venue that has so much to offer the Kansas City music scene and music fans around the midwest.

Talking to Alan Palomo after his set I was able to ask him what he thought of the Kansas City fans and the venue. He responded with a big smile and said that the turn out was more than they had hoped for and called the night “awesome.” For Kansas City and Recordbar it was an awesome night that will hopefully land even bigger acts and bring more concert goers out in the future.

Review written by Mat Shoare

In March, we put together a mixtape of Kansas City artists and gave them out at SXSW. Well, now everyone can have this wonderful composition of songs to themselves. For FREE! Yup, free. Completely and utterly free. Just head over to popwreckoning.bandcamp.com and download.

This was made possible by the awesome Element Recording Studios for partnering with us and by N8 for the artwork.

If you must have a hard copy, email casey@popwreckoning.com and we’ll send you one. Also, for free. A little gift for our amazing readers.

What do hip hop, rock and country have in common?

Seemingly nothing. Except they each contribute to Clay Hughes’ genre-bending album The Whether Machine.

Released on June 7 through Sharp County Records, various Midwestern musicians came together for the project, including producer JKR70, Lennon Bone (Ha Ha Tonka) and Mac Lethal, to name a few.

This cross-genre collaboration is just partially the reason this album could appeal to a wide range of music lovers. The other reason: singer and guitarist Clay Hughes. His low, soulful voice could be featured over any backdrop, attracting indie kids with tracks like “The Love I Gave Ya,” which predominantly embraces instruments, and hip-hop fans with tracks like “Confessin’,” highlighting emcees Johnny Polygon and Jabee.The fluid movement is sure to keep you interested and engaged, even if the style is not something you usually listen to – I knew when I first saw Clay Hughes live that I had never heard music quite like his (and I’ve been hooked since).

As previously announced, Popwreckoning will be hosting a Kansas City and Lawrence music showcase at Aggiefest 2011 in Manhattan, Kansas. This year’s festival has morphed into the 6th Annual Multi-Genre Live Music and 1st Ever Visual Arts Festival. In this post you will find details regarding the Popwreckoning line-up and the festival in general.

Have a look at the bands we picked!

Friday September 23rd:
Auntie Mae’s Parlor • 614 N. 12th St. • Manhattan KS • 785.539.8508

6:00pm to 6:45pm Lucky Graves
7:00pm to 7:45pm Not A Planet
8:00pm to 8:45pm Quiet Corral
9:00pm to 9:45pm Dead Girls
10:00pm to 10:45pm Janet the Planet
11:00pm to 11:45pm Spirit is the Spirit
12:00am to 12:45am Parts of Speech
1:00am to 1:45am YAM

Saturday September 24th:
Outside Stage at Triangle Park, Manhattan Kansas

4:00pm to 4:45pm Various Blonde
5:00pm to 5:45pm Sage n Sour
6:00pm to 6:45pm The Phantom
7:00pm to 7:45pm Vi Tran
8:00pm to 8:45pm BROKENMAST
9:00pm to 9:45pm Jillian Riscoe and the 21st Century
10:00pm to 10:45pm Bravefellow

Auntie Mae’s Parlor • 614 N. 12th St. • Manhattan KS • 785.539.8508
9:00pm to 9:45pm Jenny Carr
10:00pm to 10:45pm Sour Babies
11:00pm to 11:45pm Everyday/Everynight

Now, let’s get to the details.

Aggiefest 2011 will offer a plethora of shops, pubs & eateries which will feature art pieces from various local & regional artists.  Here you’ll have the opportunity to hob knob with the rich and famous (i.e. starving artists and Aggies) and pay them for their goods and services.

Let’s see how this shindig works.

Get a ticket from On the Wildside or Sisters of Sound in Aggieville.
$20 adults
$15 minors
$10 to bands to sell for a profit *stop by Sisters of Sound

Alright, just a few more steps for you to follow. Take your tushie to the festival, exchange your ticket for the appropriate wristband and partake in the lovely music and merch! You’ll find there are several all-ages venues for those of you who haven’t yet fermented to the ripe ol’ age of 21 (or 18)! The all ages venues include the Dusty Bookshelf, Bluestem Bistro, Radina’s, Triangle Park and Pat’s BBQ’s Backroom until 10pm. Campus Tavern and Ale House accomodates those who are 18 and over. O’Malley’s will be 18 and over until 8pm then go 21 and up only; Auntie Mae’s allows entry to those who are 21 and up. Check out this Map of Aggieville for your convenience.

But wait, there’s more! Enter the RAFFLE to win a quality quilt made from Aggiefest T-shirts of yore. The raffle proceeds will benefit Morning Star Inc., a company with a mission to provide consumers of mental health services with the resources needed to break through the barriers of stigma & isolation. Also, maps/schedules will be provided for both the music and the art fair, and will include the Aggiefest 2011 sponsors.

Finally, without question is the most important step of them all. Rock your ass off for 2 straight days with live, local music and art and show your support in Aggieville. We can’t wait to see you there!

I’m always one for hop-hop shows. The energy is high with heavy bass and a sea of people who know how to get down and dirty. And I mean, if nothing else, it’s a great place to people watch. Thursday night’s show of The Cool Kids at the Granada Theater in Lawrence did not let me down with the large crowd and not to mention the killer performance. Kansas City – based publication Ink Magazine hosted The Cool Kids concert and brought in local rap artists Gee Watts, Atilla, Ebony Tusks, and Greg Enemy to open for the nationally known group.

Earlier in the evening I stopped by White Chocolate Skateboards (933 Mass St. Lawrence, KS) for a meet and greet with The Cool Kids. Surprisingly there weren’t very many people there, but I had no problem meeting Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish. They were both very friendly and seemed to enjoy talking to their fans. To promote their first full-length album When Fish Ride Bicycles, which released July 12^th of this summer, signed posters, stickers, fish gummy candies, and key chains were in abundance to give away. The Cool Kids also hosted a raffle for a skateboard deck with their album artwork on the underside.

Several hours later, I was ready to get to The Granada and get my dance on. When I arrived the line was out the door to get in, which is never fun. To my surprise the line went by fast with nice, helpful door-guys. Everyone inside was decked out in fresh kicks, crisp hats, and the latest designer tees the repped their favorite labels. The bars were backed up with people, so I figured it wasn’t worth the wait for a gin and tonic. The venue’s energy was high while everyone waited for Gee Watts to open the night.

Gee Watts did a great job setting the mood for the rest of the night with catchy bass lines and several friends rapping alongside him. Based out of Kansas City, MO Gee Watts had a decent following that showed up to the Granada to show the love. Kansas City hip-hop/funk artist Atilla performed afterwards with a good sized following as well. His soul/funk infused beats got the crowd swaying and moving during his set.

Lawrence-based rapper Ebony Tusks involved the crowd in his set with callbacks and hand swaying, which was a sight to see. Hyped on the crowd’s energy, Ebony Tusks was all over the stage engaging with his fans. He definitely held a presence on stage that was a force to be reckoned with.

Capping off the set of openers was Kansas City rapper Greg Enemy. Known for his hit song Fly Ass Glasses Greg has a decent following throughout the Lawrence and Kansas City area. Greg sat poised and relaxed on a stool for half of his set, then engaged with the crowd for the rest. At the end of his set, fellow rappers and supporters stormed the stage while Greg Enemy crowd surfed, making a great end to the opening artists.

By the time The Cool Kids stormed the stage, the venue was nearly packed to the brim with a crowd that was clearly excited in anticipation of the headlining set. Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish had great chemistry feeding off of each other’s energy, which reflected in the crowd’s energy. Hands were swaying, bodies were moving, and everyone seemed to have a good time. Even the VIP lounge on the balcony was getting down. The Cool Kids performed a good variety of old popular hits, and newer songs off of their new album. Ink Magazine did a fantastic job with the lineup of this show. I think it’s safe to say that from beginning to end, the show was a hit.

This post was written by Rebecca Dreyfus.

I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I had my doubts about Kanrocksas when I received the email regarding the press conference to announce the festival’s lineup. “A festival held at Kansas Speedway,” I thought to myself “will no doubt be a bunch a metal bands.”

Man was I was wrong. Offering a lineup featuring servings from some of the best bands in the world, Kanrocksas was the real deal and had landed right in my backyard. So, as I drove under the speedway into the VIP to catch the day’s first band, I felt as excited as I had for a festival in years. I parked, slid into the media center briefly, then bolted for my first band.

UME:

You know that groggy feeling that you sometimes will get when you wake up early for work on a day following a long night? You fumble to collect your clothes, somewhat unsuccessfully, gathering whatever laundry has pooled in piles on the floor of your bedroom. Skipping the shower, you rush to your neighborhood gas station to grab a red bull to supply whatever energy you can muster up to kick off the day.

In terms of the first annual Kanrocksas Music Festival, UME was that red bull. Taking stage early, these Austin, Texas firecrackers kicked open the door for what would be a great first day, with an energy and poise that left many bands standing in their shadow.

Rocking kind of a Jeckle and Hyde image, Lauren Larson sound checks and speaks in a shy and sheepish manner, before exploding into a large energetic ball of chaos. Sporting a great 1990′s sound, complete with swirling guitar and raspy snarling vocals, UME’s stage show is unquestionably worth mentioning. Their set left a thumbprint on me that would last the whole day, as they showed up several bands lower on the bill. I expect huge things from this band and will be disappointed if the world offers them anything less.

Fitz and the Tantrums:

There is no questioning the fact that the chemistry between Michael Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs is real. While watching this band, every line of every song seems to be a tip of the hat to the passion that these two share for both each other and for music.

With a jazzy retro sound and soul train moves, Fitz and the Tantrums plowed through a stellar set, which included covers “Steady as She Goes” by The Raconteurs (corrected at 11:46 p.m. 8/7/2011) and “Sweet Dreams” by Annie Lennox. As if that were not enough to please, their crowd interactive set lit the Kanrocksas crew up, causing a stir I hadn’t expected in the 192 degree weather. Dancing and grinding around the pit area of the speedway, one would have to assume those in attendance put their complaints of sunburns and dehydration on hold, trading them for a prom dance throwback.

A stellar set from a stellar band.    

D12:

Sadly, my streak of sets that captured my heart would stall right there. D12 seemed rack with technical difficulties and lackluster efforts in front of roughly 2,000 viewers, the group honestly serves as my biggest disappointment of Kanrocksas. Having seen D12 before (when I was like, 16) I remembered them as a high energy, wicked funny rap group, slightly out of place at Warped Tour. However, I also remember walking away both impressed and stunned enough to grab their albums off the shelves. Sadly, the D12 on stage at Kanrocksas was not the D12 I remembered loving. Flowing over beats that seemed misguided and somewhat sloppy, the set simply flopped.

However, that would not stop a large mass of fans to sit, hopeful to catch an early glimpse of Eminem. They would in the end walk away empty handed.

Jack’s Mannequin:

I was of the small percentage of journalists who skipped Arctic Monkeys set to catch former Something Corporate front man Andrew McMahon’s newish project Jack’s Mannequin. Having always been a fan of his emotional performances and energetic stage presence, I figured I would no doubt find a bit of recovery from D12′s lackluster set.

Without a doubt, I was. Busting out old favorites and premiering new singles Jack’s Mannequin left nothing to be desired. Shifting, twitching and switching between two mics, McMahon ran the gambit of emotional content, ranging from cancer, coming to age and coming to terms with breakups.

While I’m sure some people would question my choice to skip Arctic Monkeys for a band that causes 16 year old fangirls to crowd the stage with “I fucking love you Andrew” signs, I have no regrets with my decision based on one solid fact: Andrew McManon is truly the nicest man in music. That should always be supported.

Regardless, for those who desire them, here are Scott’s Arctic Monkey’s Photos:

Check out Kanrocksas: Day One, Part Two featuring  Kid Cudi, Ween, Bassnectar, Flaming Lips and Eminem soon!