popwreckoning

Let’s just start by saying all three bands that played Sunday night, November 27, were terrific and finish with; why do bands request monotonous lighting? As much as I love a band, I get tainted when I’m robbed of capturing them at their best. I’m wrong, I am sure, but isn’t the whole idea to see said band in the throws of passion? Blah, blah, blah I’ll stop whining now.

During my sophomore year at college I was exposed to Bauhaus and Sisters of Mercy. That would have been 1987. Two years earlier I got hooked on Love and Rockets, albeit, through Ian Anderson’s flute solo on “No New Tale to Tell”. I was, um… am, a huge fan of Jethro Tull. I felt cheated to have come around so late. Why didn’t I grab hold of where L&R came from not just where they were going? It is pretty cool to be photographing and writing about music that has helped steer my path for 24 years though. I am grateful.

Peter Murphy and his band, Mark Gemini Thwaite (GT)/ guitars, Jeff Shartoff/ bass and violin and Nick Lucero/drums, took the stage and opened up with “All Night Long” from ’88′s Love Hysteria. Sweet start, a pretty song with all the ranges of Peter’s vocals and bright 12 string guitar from Mark GT.

Then a swing to the rocking glammy “Velocity Bird” from Ninth. Two more Ninth songs followed with the rest of the set swelling in and out of Deep, more Cascade and Ninth and four Bauhaus songs. The songs seemed to flow seamlessly, peaking in rocking numbers and leveling off to crooning selections that gave a little breather.

“Subway” from Cascade was played in the Dust style. Shartoff added beautifully effect laden violin. The trance continued on “Gaslit” from the EP of B-sides The Secret Bees of Ninth and was gently broken by “Deep Ocean Vast Sea.” The set closed out with the Mark’s severely compressed and gated guitars on “Uneven and Brittle” and the awesome Bauhaus song “In A Flat Field.”

Mark GT has been with Peter since at least 2008 when he played the Retrospective tour. His brand of guitar has shaped a lot of the feel of Ninth. It is a welcome marriage with Peter’s voice that brings a hardness back to the songs that is invigorating. After a brief dismount from the stage the band returned to a chanting audience. Picking up with the gentle “Marlene Dietrich’s Favorite Poem” and favorite “Cuts You Up” from “Deep.” I’m pretty sure that David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust” ended the show. By this time I was a little delirious. There were three encores on the set list but I think the show was shortened. I do remember that “Ziggy Stardust” rocked properly though! During the whole song Peter walked back and forth across the stage clasping hands of his devoted fans. Of note, there was no barrier. One had been set up and taken down on the band’s request. Pretty outstanding of Mr. Murphy to stay so close to everyone, especially since the last time he came through Kansas City a burly Mohawked fan jumped on stage, danced around and gave him a hug before being nicely removed!

She Wants Revenge started dead on time. I always appreciate the consideration this shows to everyone waiting patiently. It was a little weird though, ten minutes before the band arrived from the green room the background music was either too low to hear or just nonexistent. Awkward. Justin Warfield/ vocals & guitar, Adam Bravin (12)/ bass & keyboards, Thomas Froggatt/ guitar and, dang, I don’t think Scott Ellis (no trademark cigarette and a different drum setup)/ drums. Not “dang” bad, just “dang” I couldn’t find out who was playing drums on this tour anywhere!

So, the band came out strong with “Written In Blood” from This Is Forever and then dug into Valleyheart for three songs, “Up In Flames”, “Reasons” and “Little Stars.” All of which seemed to have more dimension and breathing room than SWR’s first two full lengths. A few of the things I like about their self-titled and This Is Forever are the drone, the ebbs in dynamics, the morose passion. I think Valleyheart keeps these elements while dropping some of the dancy bits; it sounds fresh and inspired.

With “What I Want” SWR reverts back to earlier music and then one last Valleyheart song, “Take The World” before staying with earlier numbers for the rest of the set. I would have liked to see some change in red the lighting during the performance. Occasionally a blue or green light would hit Justin but the rest of the band was in a dim red light all evening. Both Adam 12 and Justin entertained with gentle banter engaging their fans and pumping opener Hussle Club.

On that note, Hussle Club, on tour from New York City, started off the night. Prince Terrance, drummer from Santigold, Spank Rock, Hearts Revolution and Major Lazer, led the band on vocals in a mash up of new wave, post punk and goth. Though they don’t have much recorded music out there, they should, a limited 7″ was available at the show.

“High Expectations” led the set moving on to “Children Of The Underground” with a nod to Sisters of Mercy. They exuded a young high energy that was catchy. The guitar work was noisy and a blast. Even though I couldn’t get a good photo of the guitarist it sure was fun watching him! They were plagued with feedback but took it in stride without stumbling. Hussle Club had the best light of the night, well, at least until Terrance got shy and ask to have them turned down. After their set I talk with Terrance as the band was getting ready to load up the van. I mentioned I love seeing out of town bands lugging C&C drums around. Turns out it was Terrance’s kit.

The sound for both She Wants Revenge and Peter Murphy was overly brittle. Usually I am very tolerant of club acoustics but I’ve heard both bands have better mixes at the Beaumont. Especially disappointing was how far back Peter’s vocals were and the lack of definition between his vocals and the bass guitar. Even so I would come back and see them both in an instant!

The crowd was gracious as I weaseled in to photograph the first three songs of each band. I even had a reserved spot in front saved for me. In payment for this kind of treatment I always offer a HiRes image to the few people I impose upon, just a little “thank you” for being cool. It wasn’t a huge crowd, disappointing for such iconic music, it was a devoted group at least. Peter even mentioned that he appreciated the manners of the Kansas City fans compared to the rush of LA. The last time SWR played the Beaumont Justin gushed “you may be few, but you are MIGHTY” which brought a roar loader than five times what the numbers added up to. Nicely done Kansas City. This is a splendid place to live.

Photos and Review by Todd Zimmer

Setlist:
PETER MURPHY -
All Night Long
Velocity Bird
Peace To Earth
Memory Go
Strange Kind of Love
I’ll Fall On Your Knife
Silent Hedges
Too Much 21st Century
I Spit Roses
Subway
Gaslit
Deep Ocean Vast Sea
The Prince And Old Lady Shade
Uneven And Brittle
In The Flat Field
//
Marlene Dietrich’s Favorite Poem
Cuts You Up
Ziggy Stardust

SHE WANTS REVENGE -
Written In Blood
Up In Flames
Reasons
Little Stars
What I Want
Take The World
Sleep
This Is The End
Pretend the World Has Ended
Disconnect
These Things
Rachel
Out of Control

HUSSLE CLUB -
High Expectations
Children of The Underground
Loose Tights
Quaranteenagers
FCK SHT UP
Uptown Downtown

Rock Chalk Jayhawk! Kansas pride was running high at the Beaumont Club Sunday and it isn’t even the season for college sports. The occasion? A Panic! at the Disco concert.

The Kansas City club was packed with a surprisingly diverse group of crowd – yes, the expected screaming tween girls were there with their parents, but so were some young adults and many guys.

California’s Funeral Party opened the night with their brand of punk dance rock. Their songs are very anthem-structured. It’s easy to sing/cheer along and get revved up, especially on a tune such as “Finale.” Funeral Party has been getting some radio play in Kansas City and that seemed to help increase the amount of people singing along. The five band members seemed a little crammed on the stage with their many synths and guitars and the covered instruments of the bands to come. However, the cramped space didn’t stop singer Chad Elliott from bouncing around and dancing across any inch of stage left uncovered by equipment. These guys were a great warm-up for what was to come.

The next act up was the upbeat indie pop of New York’s fun – seriously – I’ve seen them perform in the form as a trio to the now six-piece. Fun. is a hodgepodge of some very talented musicians that you might recognize from their work with other bands. For example, in the trio that makes up the official members of fun., you might recognize the distinctive vocals of Nate Ruess from The Format, multi-instrumentalist Andrew Dost from Anthallo and guitarist Jack Antonoff from Steel Train. The touring members have an equally impressive history; drummer Will Noon‘s from Straylight Run. Finally, if you flash back to this post’s opening “Rock Chalk Jayhawk” cheer – I have to give a major shout out to Nate Harold. Harold was rocking a KU basketball jersey – but this wasn’t one of those gimmicks where the artist dons local paraphernalia just for the city’s show and then ditches it. Harold really does have ties to KU and KU’s home in Lawrence. Harold is a Lawrence musician. His music resume includes several Lawrence bands such as Buffalo Saints, Kelpie, Koufax and Big Surrender. He’s lent his talents to Get Up Kids‘ live shows and Hidden Pictures‘ latest album. As if that slew of Kansas bands wasn’t enough, he’s also known for his work with Waking Ashland. So it’s pretty exciting to this bassist on this national tour. Of course, Kansas City, is mostly in Missouri, so there are plenty of Mizzou fans that weren’t exactly the most thrilled with a KU shout out in the middle of the set. To keep things light-hearted, singer Ruess said he’d represent Missouri for that night. ‘Light-hearted’ is exactly how you could describe fun.’s music. Serious musicians with a light-hearted sound. Even when a song whose title and primary line is, “At least I’m not as sad as I used to be,” would give you pause to state aloud, when singing it there’s no doubt: you’re happy. There’s no way you could be sad listening to the bubbly piano-chords and singing “oh oh ooohs” on various fun. tunes. Lastly, I don’t want to end without mentioning how much I love the addition of Emily Moore on backing vocals and keys. She really adds a nice depth to the already flawless vocals of Ruess with her harmonies.

Now on to Panic! at the Disco – a band worth of having an exclamation in their name.

If you had asked me what I thought of the band when I first saw them perform in 2005 – ‘green,’ ‘pitchy,’ ‘eh’ would have been my reaction. They were excited, but not quite familiar with their instruments. They seemed a little nervous back then. By 2007 – I would have called them ‘too showy.’ It seemed like they were overcompensating with elaborate sets – at times it was impossible to even find the guys playing instruments amidst all the other skits happening on stage.

With this tour, they seem to have found that sweet spot between not overcompensating with an overdone stage set up and instead finding that confidence in their own talents as musicians. Don’t sweat if you liked a fancy stage piece – they still have a cool backdrop for this tour which was like Phantom of the Opera meets steampunk – (Phantom! of the Disco?). Eerie green lights highlighted organ pipes mountaining up from around the drum set. Fog billowed out from the pipes as our synth-organ-maestro Brendon Urie pounded out riffs on piano and guitar while the other original P!ATD member Spencer Smith dropped the beats that provided the backbone to the group’s many dance numbers.

Of course, as tickled as I was to see Brendon Urie display his ability to play multiple instruments (anyone remember back in ’05 when we weren’t even sure if he can play an instrument?), the real reason he makes the girls swoon is his voice. As I mentioned before, in ’05 I would have written Urie off – I found him unbelievably pitchy, but he really has been practicing training and now I see the charm of his vocals – a charm that really helps deliver songs such as  the hugeness of opening number “Ready to Go,” the subtle mood of “Lying Is the Most Fun” and the sweetness of “Always.” I love seeing a musician willing to work at their trade to improve – this is a job after all – so I really applaud Urie on how much he’s improved. I knew he had showmanship, but this tour really helps show that he also has musicianship. My only critique now is that when he can overuse vibrato, especially if a vocal is just a hair past his comfort level, but really his overall improvement makes that critique seem nitpicky.

Of course, Urie isn’t the only one who has done wonders impressing me over the years – drummer Spencer Smith – hot damn! I think because of that previously mentioned overdone stage set up a few years ago, the one that had Smith placed up on a platform 30 feet above the rest of the band – I had no idea how good this guy was. You couldn’t see him and you forgot to really listen to him in the melee of the theatrics. I’m so glad that they’ve taken him out of the shadows and placed him in better view because he should never go overlooked again. He packed some wicked syncopations into some of those numbers.

Now, for anyone who has been following P!ATD’s history, you’ll know that the band lost two of its members prior to this tour and their album. Joining Urie and Smith for the live performance were Ian Crawford (ex-The Cab) and Dallon Weekes. These guys did a great job keeping the sound full and complete, but I have to wonder if the line-up change was the reason for so few songs off of Pretty. Odd. It was expected that the band would play mostly off the latest release, but it did seem like Pretty. Odd was being neglected until toward the end of the set when they worked in two numbers. Of course, this is more of an observation – the fans still loved every minute of the set regardless.

Fun. wasn’t the only band that gave Kansas a big homage during their performance. P!ATD gave a special tribute of their own. When P!ATD returned for an encore, they treated everyone to a cover from rock group Kansas. It was a tight cover and you could see that many of the older crowd there really perked up with this addition. All these Kansas tributes made for a truly special night (but of course, you have to neglect that we were in Kansas City, Missouri).

P!ATD Set List:
Ready to Go
But It’s Better
Mona Lisa
Lying
Trade Mistakes
Camisado
Hurricane
Only Difference
Kill Tonight
Always
Nine
Things Have Changed
New Perspective
Calendar
Sins
//
Carry On (Kansas cover)
Nearly Witches

Indie-pop quartet Funeral Party will be opening for Panic! At the Disco along with fun. at the Beaumont Club in Kansas City this Sunday,  June 12^th. Their debut album, The Golden Age of Knowhere (released March 29^th), was produced by Lars Stalfors (Matt & Kim, The Mars Volta) and mixed by Dave Sardy (Band of Horses, LCD Soundsystem, Oasis). They’ve already performed on David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel, and have supported the likes of The Faint, Cut Copy, The Mars Volta, and Crystal Castles.

Amongst the insane amount of momentum they are gaining globally, Funeral Party is an Alternative Press Band to Watch for 2011 and they performed several sets at SXSW last March in Austin. With all of this press, they are definitely a band to see sooner, rather than later!

So how would you like two tickets to go see Funeral Party and fun. supporting Panic! At the Disco at the Beaumont Club in Kansas City on June 12^th? Leave a comment below by 12pm on Friday, June 10^th telling us the name of your favorite Funeral Party song and why. The comment that stands out to the Editors the most, wins.

Please remember to include a working email address so we might contact you about picking up your tickets.

Seattle rockers Aiden are currently touring behind their recently released album Disguises.

Photographer Erica Cassella caught them when they stopped in Kansas City at the Beaumont Club and shares these photos from the event:

Erica also shares the behind the scenes glimpse:

Being a duo opening for a big band such as Manchester Orchestra (big in number of members and success) can be a daunting challenge, but Brisbane’s An Horse was more than up for the challenge. 

The duo features Kate Cooper on vocals and guitar with Damon Cox on drums and backing vocals.

Cooper’s a small figure, so it’s a bit surprising when a ridiculously powerful voice comes booming out of her. At times she seemed like a female vocal version of tourmates Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull; and other times she seemed like Eisley‘s three singers, but with an Australian accent in place of the Texas one. Cooper packed a more powerful punch in her briefer lyrics than when she tried to stretch out vocals – one number in the middle seemed a little a grating, but she was otherwise a pleasant a surprise. She ran through songs about coping with separation and grief from life far from home, emulating the passion of the lyrics in both her vocals and her facial expressions.

Equally fascinating to watch was Cox. He basically had the duty of filling out a full band sound for Cooper’s vocals and was more than busy with drumming alone, but he also provided some great harmonies.

The band is listed as indie pop on the web – but their spunky beats and edgy vocals harkens them back to their punk roots.

Though you might debate their name (which does come from a grammar dispute about ‘a’ or ‘an’ before ‘horse’), you won’t found yourself debating their talent.

They just joined with Manchester Orchestra for a series of tour dates. Be sure to check them out here.

As a reviewer of the music, constantly exposed to all walks of bands, sometimes you just need to rock it out. Sometimes you just need that show that will leave you faceless, sweating from every crevass and ears blown. Now granted, having been a previous fan, I knew this show would be good. But I had NO idea it would be THAT good. Therefore, when the fellas of Manchester Orchestra recently took the stage in Kansas City they proceeded to fill the need – the need for Rock ‘n Roll.

Being that it was the first stop on their headlining tour, naturally there were a few – well – kinks, to work out. A touch of difficulty in the monitors and a dash of feedback from the mics were just minor hiccups in the night. But from the first song “April Fool,” the night was set at a high octane. The songs’ classic rock elements including: a lead guitar piercing through with its hip note progressions, a bass that keeps an ever-so-slight groove going and vocals full of raw energy – are the elements that got this crowd officially kicking.

The set list rolled through selections from not only the new album Simple Math, but also I’m Like A Virgin Losing A Child and their previous success story Mean Everything To Nothing. A stand out from the “older” songs was “Now That You’re Home.” The brutal transitions between the soft melodic verses and the slashing guitar breaks that fell in the normal chorus slots, kept each head in that place methodically banging.

Another selection off the new album was the pep-fest found in “Pensacola.” The tone of this song almost sounded like a parody of an actual song. The eagerness in each musician was easy to see. And the vocals were similar to that of a cheerleader’s chant, while the repetitive chipper drum beats only furthered the slightly odd nature of the song.

After a pause or two to connect (individually) with the audience, the set shifted back to an “oldie-but-goodie.” Even though “Colly Strings” doesn’t initially come off as a song of the same potential that the rest of the night had, you simply have to give it a moment. Eventually a combination of dramatic drums beats and long, drawn out strums, gave the sense of tears shedding for the bands’ rock ballad. Sure the tempo gradually breaks out and vocals are grabbed from a little lower in the gut, but, in general, the song remains at some level of “ballad-ness,” and an excellent example of the pure talent on stage that night.

A few numbers off Mean Everything To Nothing finished off the traditional set. And after the “we’re-gonna-walk-off-stage-just-to-come-back-in-two-minutes” break, we were met with dance hit “Shake It Out.” Seriously, in the live environment, that’s what this song was. Similar to the energy found with Taking Back Sunday, this song is extremely quick and extremely fun. The lead guitar pretty much sticks to the same 3-4 notes, but those notes are done with such insanity, it begs the question why you’d need more. Complete with an angry scream in the latter half of the song, it was a perfect selection to keep the crowd awake.

“Are you guys ok if we don’t play ‘Friends’”? This question was met with a mixture of boos and hoots. Even the band couldn’t figure what the audience wanted to do. Regardless, if you’re a band at that level, you pretty much know you have to play your hit from your prior album, whether you really want to or not. And they did. It was awesome.

The set was supposed to end with “Simple Math” (per the setlist I snapped a shot of), but instead they ran out of time and left the evening with a cover and the song: “Where Have You Been?” Because of this, they left the sounds of my new favorite Manchester song ringing in my ears. As a fan of the slightly darker, more alternative bands, this song fit perfectly. From the eerie ween of the guitar in the beginning, to the harmonizing vocals set in the bass octave, the entire song was anything but cheery. But it was the predominant guitar part, with its chord progression set at the top of the neck, that carried the entire 4 min and 28 seconds. And still repeats in my head.

After this show I could only come to one conclusion – I’ve been listening to the wrong Manchester Orchestra songs this entire time!

“Hi, how are you?” opened the legendary Daniel Johnston right before starting his Beaumont Club set.

The answer? Incredibly fantastic.

Especially so because the weekend was jam packed with some of the best local talent alongside some pretty stellar national acts. The occasion was the first (and hopefully not the last) Middle of the Map Festival. This was a festival that for two days took over some Westport Clubs–Beaumont, Riot Room, Record Bar & the Union–and packed them with bands ranging from Lawrence’s Hospital Ships to Ireland’s Two Door Cinema Club to Daniel Johnston backed by locals Capybara. It was a truly unique weekend and a great way to debut the fest.

Friday I arrived in time to catch the tail end of Spirit Is the Spirit. There were several other local bands playing before them that I’m sad to have missed, but work duties held me up.

Spirit Is the Spirit is a local band that performed a lively set that was heavy on the percussion. It reminded me of a blend of the distinct ‘Seattle Sound’ that’s recently become so popular. In other words, great vocal harmonies, almost tribal sounding percussion at times, and enough of a lilt to make you want to dance. I first saw the singer in a group called Yellow Walrus, and I could hear some ties to that Death Cab for Cutie-inspired band as well. These guys were a pleasant surprise and a great start for my festival experience. Sadly, I didn’t get my camera ready in time to snap any pictures. I was so lost in their music that they were done by the time I thought to take my camera out.

Another local group called Minden followed on the Riot Room stage. I had never heard of the band prior to this festival, which I assumed from their tight, rocking set that it was because they were one of the out of town bands. Turns out they’re reppin’ Kansas City and this was only their sixth show as Minden. Although, several of the guys have plenty experience in other bands, which might explain their confident set. Minden is a band to keep an eye on.

It was time for a change of venue and to take a gander at some of the non-local bands the festival had brought in. I went to the Beaumont Club to watch Maps and Atlases followed by Two Door Cinema Club. And what a change of pace it was. The atmosphere at the Riot Room was like being at a house show – everyone knew each other and was giving hugs. The crowd was a bit older – the matured veterans of the music scene. At the Beaumont Club, however, x’s on hands were numerous. The faces were unfamiliar – these were not frequenters of shows every week, but people drawn out for a specific band: Two Door Cinema Club. The young, Irish dance pop group has started to gain quite a following stateside and in Kansas City, they’re abetted by the recent radio play they’ve been getting. This show was almost like stepping outside of the festival and into a normal concert. I do hope that some of these people that came out specifically for Two Door ventured outside of the Beaumont to see some of the wonderful local bands and discover new loves.

Maps and Atlases, who are touring with TDCC, were just about to take the stage. They had me eager for their set as a raised, sideways drum was featured right up in the front of their set up. The Chicago rock band’s experimental, yet pop-influenced sound quickly had me hooked. At times, it reminded me a bit of Minus the Bear, but then there were times when it went off in a completely different direction.

Beaumont was running a little behind schedule, but when Two Door Cinema Club finally took to the stage – the place went nuts. Immediately, people were clapping, dancing and singing along to a lot more than just the radio single. I could swear I could even see a couple of people ‘air-synthing.’ The Irish accents were thick, so while few could decipher what was being said between the songs, people still cheered and smiled. The amount of love for this band in that room was electric. TDCC played through several new songs during their set, which have me eager for their next release. “Costume Party,” especially, is sure to be a stand out. They even performed an encore, ending their set with a personal favorite, “I Can Talk.” Again: dance party explosion.

There was no better way to end the first night of the festival than with some local legends. I went back to a packed Riot Room to see Appleseed Cast. It had been quite awhile since I had seen this ambient band perform and even then was a special occasion for them to play the Low Level Owl records in their entirety. It was exciting to hear a set with even more variety from their large catalogue -and even some material I had never heard before. Watching these guys rock out with their passionate lyrics and well-thought out guitar lines, it is easy to see why they’re such an influence for so many other bands today. Truly couldn’t have gone home any happier from their set.

My Saturday had to start with a very different sort of music: classical. I had an orchestra rehearsal before I could get to the festival. So again, I sadly missed some local bands that I would have liked to have seen. However, I did arrive in time to catch what might now be my new favorite local band: Saharan Gazelle Boy. Several of the guys playing in Saharan Gazelle Boy also play in fellow festival band Capybara. I had seen their other incarnation before and was looking forward to finally seeing this new project. There are elements to SGB that are similar to Capybara – the extra drums in addition to a regular drum set, the heavy use of tambourine and the vocals – which is to be expected when you have the same primary singer for both bands. However, this is also a very different different project. This is the brainchild of Darin Seal. For the live show, he’s joined by his friends, which consequentially happen to be his Capybara bandmates and several other musicians. With Saharan Gazelle, he sings indie pop songs about finding love that are laced with fun synth melodies and upbeat tempos. I’m not a dancer, but it was hard to stand still with these guys on stage.

Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship is a garage rock band from Omaha – so practically local. “1,2,3,4″ they rapidly counted off almost every song and then a wall of sound would hit. The drummer was hypnotizing to watch. The guy was non-stop smiles as he rapidly banged across his set. The guy played hard – and consequentially broke several sticks.

After Omaha’s Noah’s Ark, KC took over again with Making Movies. I’m sure Kansas City has plenty of bands that sings in Spanish besides the few mariachi bands I’ve seen at Mexican restaurants around town, yet this is the only rock band in Kansas that I can think of that sings in Spanish and has been this successful. These guys had just driven back from a show in Texas, but they still had plenty of energy to get people to dance to their rock music with a spice of salsa. I doubt many people at the Riot Room could understand the lyrics, but it really didn’t matter. They were addicting just on their sound quality alone.

State Bird was a bit of a surprise. The clip I had listened to online had a lot of instrumentals and cutesy whistling. So I went into the Beaumont Club expecting some gentle, indie act. Instead, I got screaming and harder rock than I had even anticipated was at this fest. Sorry guys, but this was not my thing. I left after a few songs to find some friends at other venues.

I found myself back at Riot Room, which had yet to let me down with its constant lineup of killer Midwest bands. When I made my way back, it was packed for Lawrencians Hospital Ships. So packed, in fact, that I couldn’t get up close enough for any decent pictures. So I enjoyed the wave of music from the back. It sounded a bit different than the last time I heard them – which I later learned was due to them missing a few members for this particular set, but it was still quite enjoyable and I was sad to have leave early because their set conflicted with another local band that I adore.

Back at Beaumont, Lawrence former three-piece and now foursome Cowboy Indian Bear was setting up. These guys work harder than most KC/Lawrence bands and are constantly touring and writing. They’re most recently fresh off of a string of shows that carried them to SXSW and back. They started off with several new songs – some which have me eagerly anticipating swaying to a new record and some that have seeds have potential, but I’d love to hear them do more. Their older material always brings a smile to my face and I love how they’ve adapted their pieces to include the beautiful vocals of their latest addition: Katelyn Conroy. If you’ve never heard this band – it’s very chill music with lots of fun beats and some of the most haunting harmonies you’ve ever heard. It was great to see them playing to such a large crowd.

Capybara is the other incarnation of Saharan Gazelle Boy whom had already performed earlier in that day. These guys would earn the title of the hardest working band of the festival by rounding out the day with a third performance as Daniel Johnston’s backing band – most impressive and an unforgettable moment for their career. As I said earlier, Saharan Gazelle Boy might have earned the ‘my favorite local band’ spot, but I still loved Capybara. It had been over a year since I had last seen these guys perform, so it was nice to see them rocking out in the Riot Room with their blend of indie folk rock pop.

Dinner was becoming a necessity with the increasing heat and all the walking. So after grabbing some pizza, it was back to the Beaumont. Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s were finishing up their set. They’re not from Kansas City, but they have that dark, folky quality that I’m finding increasingly common among Midwest bands. East Coast has a sort of grainy glam sound they fall into, while West Coast tends to embrace the surf rock sound and the South tends to be more straight up rock. Midwest has its own quality that is a bit harder to describe, but is definitely present. I loved the variety of instruments Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s used, too – violins and slide guitars. After their set, it was time for one of the most anticipated shows of the festival.

Daniel Johnston was an experience. The guy is a living legend and for that reason alone he was worth seeing, but he also has a very troubled story and a reputation for being a little peculiar on stage, which is also worth seeing. If you’re only familiar with him in name, but not sound – it is very lo-fi. Mostly just Johnston with acoustic guitar. Although tonight, he would be joined by Kansas City’s very hard working Capybara.

Johnston started with a smile, slyly asking, “Hi, how are you,” and then playing a few songs from behind a music stand. He told bizarre stories in between about dreams and things he’s seen and he even spoke of his love for root beer. Then he said he was taking a brief intermission before coming back with the band. Already, this was unlike anything most had ever seen before at a concert. When Johnston returned, Kansas City’s Capybara was with him. They guys looked nervous, but excited to be playing with Johnston. Unlike Johnston, they did not have any sheet music stands, but either they practiced a lot or were just really suave at making things up on the fly because they never seemed to have any giant falters. My pride with the Kansas City music scene multiplied by a thousand during this performance.

I thought I’d be fine to watch another Omaha band, Little Brazil, before heading over to Cursive at the Riot Room. If you’ve never been in the Union where Little Brazil was performing, it is kind of like being in a cave. The band still played a killer set despite the unusual surroundings. Little Brazil has changed quite a bit since I last saw them perform. Landon Hedges and his distinctive vocals are still the star of the show, but they had a new member with them – a girl on keys – which added a nice grounded sound to their music.

When Cursive‘s singer, Tim Kasher, took his leave from watching this set to go to his own, I figured that be a good cue to head over to Riot Room as well. To my surprise, the Riot Room was already at capacity and a huge line had formed hoping to be one of the lucky few to be let in should someone leave. Sadly, it looked as those Cursive would not be happening for me that night. Fortunately, I have seen the band several times before and though I’d have to miss it, I’m glad to see that this festival would end on such a high note. The band was getting to play to a packed house, the organizers had put together a festival so successful that it would reach capacity not only here, but also at the Raveonettes across Westport at Record Bar. And of course, all the patrons of the festival got to see some fantastic bands, even if they found themselves shut out from the last few headliners like I was. It’s hard to be too upset when the whole weekend was so great.

I think it’s safe to say Middle of the Map was a great success and I’d love to see it back next year – even bigger. There’s plenty of venues in Westport that could easily be added and with the 90 degree weather – outdoor venues should be thrown in as well. Let’s see it happen, KC.

Massachusetts’ Celtic Punk rockers Dropkick Murphys recently brought their raucous show to Kansas City’s Beaumont Club. Photographer Todd Zimmer was at the packed club party and shares these photos:

You can find more from the Dropkick Murphys here.

Grace Potter brought her bluesy wails and scale-climbing songs backed by the Nocturnals to Kansas City’s Beaumont Club. Photographer Todd Zimmer was at the event and shares these photos of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.

If only Jason Schwartzman were still a part of Rooney, then this tour with Eisley and the Chapin Sisters would have been a perfect family affair. It’s seriously amazing to see that much talent in shared among family members. Though I guess just as talent runs in families, so does the lack of talent – seriously, my sister and I tried to do karaoke together once and it was not pretty.

The Chapin Sisters started off the show with their brand of saccharine folk songs. Their voices together were great and my friend and I commented on how they sounded and even looked a bit like Zooey Deschanel of She & Him. I guess it was a sound comparison because shortly after making that comment, the sisters brought up their recent tour with She & Him in the past Fall.

Eisley followed and this Texas indie rock group of three sisters, one brother and cousin blew me away. I had always heard good things, but this was the first time I’ve ever been able to catch them live. The one sister, Sherri, had a voice like Canadian singer Lights. My friend and I kept saying she was our favorite vocalist, but then Stacy would start to sing and we’d be like, no we love her the most. In other words, we really just loved everything about whatever was happening at the most recent moment because it just got better and better. The harmonies were superb, while the instrumentals drivingly interesting and catchy.

Midway through the set I tweeted a pic of Eisley and immediately got a text back, “You’re at Eisley? I didn’t think they served your kind there.” I couldn’t help, but chuckle at the Star Wars joke, but it did make me curious about the band’s name – turns out the really are named for the Star Wars town of Mos Eisley.

The group mentioned some new music coming out this Spring and played a few new songs such as “Smarter” off the upcoming release. Definitely put this release on your radar.

Eisley Set List:
Better Heart
Golly Sandra
Many Funerals
Brightly Wound
Smarter
Valley
Invasion
I.W. Prepared
Sad
Ambulance
Mr. Moon

I must admit, I had been a little out of the Rooney loop for awhile. I was obsessed with them in high school, so I couldn’t wait to hear “Daisy Duke” and “I’m Shakin,” but I didn’t really know what to expect from the more recent material.

The set list was a great mix of old and new songs, so I was pleased to hear what I had originally fell in love with mixed in with new songs that I was pleasantly surprised by. The group also through in some covers – inviting the Chapin Sisters back out for a cover of “Magic.”

Rooney’s warm-sounding surf rock was perfect for the cold Winter night of this show and really, my only bone to pick with them were the dance moves of lead singer Robert – maybe a little bit less of the chicken-head bobbing. It just got a little cheesy as the show went on and the overdone gesture detracts from what is some really great music.

Rooney Set List:
Stay Away
Blueside
Don’t Look at Me
Daisy Duke
All or Nothing
Losing All Control
Don’t Come Around Again
Holdin On
Only Friend
Runaway – cover
Stars and Stripes
Magic – cover
Shakin
Ishbay
Can’t Get Enough
—
Not in My House
Heart

The tour is still going on, so if you get the chance to see it in your town, definitely check it out. Tour dates are here.